Ouachita Football Puts Perfect Conference Record on the Line Against Rival Henderson State Reddies

ARKADELPHIA, AR- With over 100 years of history between the two schools, the Ouachita Tigers (7-2, 6-0 GAC) will be hosting rival Henderson State (5-4, 3-1) on Saturday with potential playoff implications on the line. The Tigers have already clinched the Great American Conference championship after their 21-18 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State and are currently ranked seventh in NCAA Super Region Four. For the Tigers to receive a bid into the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs, they need to move up to the sixth spot in the region. The Tigers and Reddies enter the 85th installment of the St. Joseph’s Mercy Battle of the Ravine with the series tied at 39-39-6.

PRE-SEASON MOTIVATION
Entering the 2011 season, the Reddies were chosen as pre-season favorites to win the Great American Conference, while the Tigers were picked in a tie for third place. Needless to say, the Tigers have proven the pre-season poll meaningless with their clinching of the conference title, while the Reddies now sit in a fight for second place in the conference. If the Tigers win, they prevent the Reddies from being the only one loss team in the GAC. If the Reddies win, they will walk away with a second place finish in the conference and would spoil the Tigers playoff hopes.

RUNNING CIRCLES AROUND DEFENSES
The Ouachita offensive unit currently leads the GAC in offensive production, averaging 403 yards per game, but more importantly, the Tiger running game is currently ranked 16th nationally, averaging 232 yards per game. They are led on the ground by junior quarterback Casey Cooper, who is averaging 98.7 yards per game this season. Cooper currently holds 888 rushing yards and if he is fortunate enough to finish this weekend’s game with 112 yards rushing, he will finish the season with over 1,500 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. Also notable is sophomore running back Chris Rycraw. Rycraw has been a force in the ground game for the Tigers, racking up 680 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, including a long of 66 yards.

THEY CAN DO IT THROUGH THE AIR TOO!
Although the Tiger running game is currently leading their offensive production, Cooper and his receivers have proven that if needed, they can get it done through the air as well. The Tigers passing game is currently averaging 168 yards per game, led by junior receiver Brett Reece, who has reigned in 25 passes for 408 yards and two touchdowns this season. Senior tight end Phillip Supernaw has had a revival for the Tigers as well, proving himself to be a force to be reckoned with in the red zone. Supernaw has collected 19 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns while doubling as a spectacular blocker for the Tiger running game.

BEND BUT NEVER BREAK 
The Ouachita defensive unit is what you might refer to as “stingy.” So far this season, Ouachita ranks fourth in the nation in turnover ratio, forcing a total of 14 turnovers. The Tiger defense is led by senior linebacker Terrence Garrett, who currently sits first in the conference in tackles for Great American Conference contests. Garrett sits second in overall tackles in the conference with a team high 82 tackles so far this season. In GAC contests, Garrett averages 11 tackles per game. Junior and linebacker counterpart Augustine Ume-Ezeoke has also been slowing down opposing offenses on a consistent basis, recording 62 tackles so far this season for the Tiger defense.

REDDIES TURNOVER TROUBLES
The Tiger defense is going to be looking to hone in on the mistakes of the Reddie offense and is hoping that they see much of what the Reddies have shown in previous weeks. The Reddies have committed 20 turnovers in their last four contests, while turning the ball over a total of 30 times so far this season. This doesn’t fare well for Henderson, as they travel across the street to face off against a defense that, as mentioned before, has forced a GAC high 14 turnovers this year.

REDDIES GROUND GAME
The Reddies rushing attack is led by Jarvis Smith. So far this season, Smith is averaging 77 yards per game, leading the Reddies by far. He has currently collected 744 yards on the ground, while trotting into the end zone on seven different occasions. He has a tough task ahead of him this week as he faces off with the Tiger defense. Israel Valentin ranks second in the Reddie rushing attack, currently averaging 29.2 yards per game on the ground as well as three rushing touchdowns.

REDDIES PASSING ATTACK
The Reddies passing attack is actually a very interesting one, as they use two different quarterbacks to run their offense on a consistent basis. So far this season, quarterbacks Nathan Nall and Kevin Rodgers have split time at the quarterback position, averaging a combined 273 yards through the air per game. Rodgers leads Nall in yardage, currently averaging 155.8 per game while throwing for six touchdowns. Nall averages 118 yards per game to go along with his six touchdowns this season.

Kickoff for the game is slated for 1 p.m. at A.U. Williams Field. Senior Day ceremonies will precede the game, honoring all 18 seniors from the 2011 Tiger football team.