ARKADELPHIA, Ark.- The No. 12 Ouachita Tigers (3-0, 1-0 GAC) have been forced to overcome a large dose of adversity in the early goings of the 2012 season. They lost their starting quarterback in the first drive of the season and in their conference opener against Arkansas Tech, they had to overcome injuries to nine of their starters.
One of the Tiger starters that suffered an injury in that contest was redshirt sophomore quarterback Benson Jordan, and it appears that he may be out as they head into their match-up with Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday. Ty Towerswill most likely start at quarterback for the Tigers, barring a miraculous recovery on the part of Jordan.
Southeastern Oklahoma State (1-2, 0-2 GAC) enters the game looking to capture their first conference victory of the season after dropping back-to-back conference games to Southern Arkansas and Henderson State.
OFFENSIVE QUESTIONS
With Towers starting at quarterback, the question that arises is how often the Tigers will throw the ball. With him in the game following Jordan’s injury against Tech, Towers didn’t throw a single pass. Don’t discount his throwing ability though, as Towers was a quarterback during his time at Star City High School. The Tigers’ running game will, no doubt, be a huge part of what they try to do against the Savage Storm, as Ouachita has averaged a total of 203 rushing yards per game this season. Chris Rycraw has been the primary ball carrier for the Tigers, averaging 97 yards per game and recording five touchdowns on the ground so far this year.
DEFENSE CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
The Tiger defense currently sits second in the nation in scoring defense and total defense. They are allowing just 192.3 yards per game so far this season. For the Tigers to be successful against Southeastern, the defense is going to have their hands full as they look to slow down Savage Storm quarterback Jercolby Bradley. Bradley is a dual threat quarterback, currently leading his team in both passing and rushing yards in 2012. The Tiger defensive line will have to keep Bradley on his toes during the contest, but that is easier said than done, as the Savage Storm offensive line has only allowed three sacks so far this year. One other goal of the Tiger defense will be to keep the ball out of the hands of the Savage Storm offensive unit, as they currently lead the country in possession time, averaging almost 40 minutes of possession time every game.
SOLID SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY CONTINUES
Ouachita has been stellar on special teams so far this season. Most impressive might be the performances of Tiger kickerJason Fowler. Fowler has successfully converted all four of his field goal attempts this season, while also converting all 15 of his PAT attempts. He sits just 25 points away from tying the all-time scoring record for the Ouachita Baptist football program. Punter Clark Gaddis has been impressive in limited action as well. Although the Tigers have rarely punted this season, Gaddis has averaged 39.4 yards per punt when called on. He currently holds a long punt of 48. Ty Towers andJalen Jones both hold solid numbers as kick returners, as they average 23.5 and 22 yards per return respectively.
SOUTHEASTERN’S BREAD AND BUTTER
Southeastern runs a very balanced offense, as they currently average 240 yards per game through the air and 203 yards per game on the ground. The disadvantage of that for them is that more than half of their offensive yardage is gained through Bradley. If the Tigers are able to keep Bradley in the pocket and force him to throw, they should be able to slow down Southeastern’s attack. Bradley has only thrown for three touchdowns this season and has been forced into two interceptions.
KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
RB Chris Rycraw– Rycraw enters this week’s game after a 130 yard, two touchdown performance against Arkansas Tech. He will probably receive a similar number of carries against Southeastern.
QB/RB Ty Towers– Towers is going to be in a new role for the Tigers this week at quarterback. He has played the position before, but not at a college level. We have seen his running ability, but the real question is how much passing the Tigers plan to do this week.
Offensive Line- So far this season, the Tiger offensive line has only allowed one sack. They have been a key point in the rushing game as well, as they have consistently produced holes for Ouachita’s backs.
KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
LB Jackson Guerra– Guerra continues to lead the team in tackles, recording 31 in just three games. He has recorded five tackles for loss so far as well as a fumble recovery.
DL Marquez Massey– Massey has amassed four sacks so far this season, proving to be a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line. He has a total of five tackles for loss among his 10 tackles so far this season.
LB Ricky Brown– Brown had a spectacular game against Arkansas Tech, registering a couple of pass break ups along with his tackles. He has recorded 20 total tackles this season and four pass break ups.
Ouachita will travel to Durant, Oklahoma for the contest, which is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff. The Tigers hold an advantage in the overall series, with a record of 26-18-4. The last time the Tigers and Savage Storm faced off was in 2011, when the Tigers clinched the inaugural Great American Conference Championship with a 21-18 victory.
Photo by Dr. Wesley Kluck
