With a packed home crowd, No. 21 Ouachita Baptist turned in the most impressive victory in school history, with a 38-14 win over No. 9 Delta State to move to 4-0 in the 2009 season.
For the second consecutive week, Ouachita Baptist (4-0, 3-0) defeated a top-25 Gulf South Conference opponent after a 24-14 victory over former top-25 member Valdosta State in week three. The victory extends the current winning streak to nine games to set a new school record that stretches back to the final five games of 2008. Head Coach Todd Knight continues the historical season in his 11th season at OBU, putting the Tigers in great position to continue the climb in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top-25 Poll as one of the best teams in Division II football.
The Tigers won the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football, including 406 total offensive yards compared to 228 total yards for Delta State (2-2).
Senior running back Keldrick Johnson gave the Tigers an early 7-0 lead in the opening quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:20 left.
Both teams battled back and forth until freshman kicker Jason Fowler stretched the Ouachita lead to 10-0 with a 30-yard field goal with 13:20 left in the second quarter.
Freshman running back Demarcus Collier relieved Johnson and broke two tacklers on the way to a 18-yard touchdown run off-tackle widen the lead for the Tigers with just 5:36 left in the second quarter.
Delta State wasted no time in answering back quickly, as Statesmen quarterback Garrett Dewitt threw a 54-yard touchdown strike to receiver Eldred King. The reception by King went from a mid-range gain to a big play when King beat the Tiger defender after the catch in the middle of the field and raced to the end zone to put Delta State on the board for the first time in the game.
After consecutive punts, Ouachita ran out the clock in the first half to give the Tigers a 17-7 halftime lead.
Junior quarterback Eli Cranor played an efficient first half as the Tiger’s signal caller, passing 8-for-12 for 97 yards. Johnson led Ouachita with 70 yards on 18 carries, including the 1-yard touchdown run. Senior wide receiver Jeremy Young caught six passes for 83 yards, including a 24-yard reception.
For Delta State, versatile junior wide receiver/running back Trevar Deed totaled 139 offensive yards, including 91 yards rushing on just five carries. Dewitt had a much tougher time in gaining efficiency due to strong defensive line pressure, going 5-of-12 for 101 yards and one touchdown pass. Neither team was forced into a turnover in the first half.
Johnson found the end zone again in the third quarter with a 12-yard touchdown run off tackle to give Ouachita a 24-7 lead.
In the third quarter, the Tiger defense continued to stand up, allowing only one yard passing, and only totaling 43 yards total in the third quarter altogether.
Meanwhile, Ouachita took advantage of a tired Delta State defense, totaling 131 yards in the third, including 67 yards passing from Cranor and 64 yards rushing.
In the fourth quarter, freshman wide receiver Jaime Harris scored on a 9-yard end around with 13:37, giving the Tigers a 31-7 lead.
After defensive battles by both teams, Young put the game out of reach with 2:10 left in the fourth with a 10-yard reverse sweep.
Delta State scored with 11 seconds left on the game clock, courtesy of a 3-yard touchdown run by Deed to set the final score at 38-14.
Cranor finished 16-for-25 with 179 yards passing with no touchdowns or interceptions on the night. Johnson stretched his 100-yard rushing yard game streak to four consecutive, with 116 yards on 31 carries, including two touchdown runs. Johnson entered the game as the fourth best rusher in the nation, averaging 143 yards per game. Young put together another stellar night receiving with 151 yards on 12 receptions. Young also added three rushes for 39 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run.
Leading the Tiger defense was sophomore defensive lineman Taurus Williams with two sacks and four tackles overall. Ouachita recorded seven sacks on DSU’s Dewitt, with 1.5 sacks coming from junior defensive lineman Bryan Church. Junior linebacker Blake Burkett led all Tigers in tackles with seven tackles, while junior linebacker Clayton Goree recorded the only turnover of the game with an interception in the fourth quarter.
Dewitt finished the game for Delta State, 14-for-31 passing, with 160 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Deed finished with 160 total yards, including 97 yards rushing. Senior linebacker Lardester Hicks-Green finished with 18 tackles, followed by defensive back Robert Watts with 11.
Ouachita Baptist remains the only team in Division II football without a turnover in 2009. The Tigers entered the matchup against the Statesmen with the 10th best scoring offense and 9th best scoring defense, as neither side disappointed statistically.
The Tigers travel to Monticello next Saturday, Oct. 3 to face GSC opponent Arkansas-Monticello at 6 p.m.
