September 4th, 2024 9:00am
Thursday night, the 2024 season kicks off for the Great American Conference. It’s pretty strange to be starting a week after all of D1 has started, but that’s just how the schedule fell this year.
2024 has the potential to be a really great year in the GAC. You’ve got the defending national champion in Harding, plus a trio of teams behind them vying to knock them off. Plus, you have the middle of the pack all on about the same level. Then there’s the bottom of the league trying their hardest to climb out of the cellar. It should be a lot of fun.
Let’s get into the action of Week One. If you missed our season preview breaking down each team, be sure to check it out here.
Northwestern OSU at Arkansas-Monticello
This matchup boasts a lot of new faces on both sides, so how much of last year’s film is applicable to preparation for this one is up for debate. One thing to look for on the Rangers’ side of things is the impact of new defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville. Glanville brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge to Alva, something that has benefitted both players and coaches. How the knowledge improves the play on the field remains to be seen. The Rangers were quite porous defensively a year ago, but the newcomers have generated some excitement for Northwestern. Who lines up at quarterback is yet to be determined as well, so we’ll see who trots out there first on Thursday night. I’d expect to see multiple quarterbacks for the Rangers in game one.
For the Weevils, how quarterback Demilon Brown bounces back from back-to-back season-ending injuries will determine how successful UAM is this year. There’s no denying his talent, but does he still have the dynamic running ability and strong legs to make throws all over the field? From a neutral observer’s perspective, I certainly hope so. Brown is a terrific talent to watch when at his best, so it would be a treat to see Brown back to normal one final time in 2024. The Weevils added a lot on both sides of the ball as well in the offseason. There’s optimism about how those pieces came together in fall camp, but when the lights come on is the true determining factor.
Optimism is a great thing, and I think both of these teams feels good about what they have and are ready to bounce back from sub-par seasons a year ago. I could see this being a very even game, perhaps even high-scoring. Too many unknowns to be particularly accurate in this one, but the talent I know is who I’m rolling with.
Arkansas-Monticello 31, Northwestern OSU 24
Southern Arkansas at Southeastern OSU
The battle of blue and gold takes place in Durant this year, as the Muleriders come to town with high expectations after a 10-win season in 2023. SAU brings back so many pieces from a year ago, but losing OB Jones at quarterback is still a big deal, regardless of how much last year's backup Judd Barton played. However, the fact Barton has appeared in every game since he stepped on campus does help alleviate some concerns that all this talent is going to be wasted because the quarterback position struggles. Last year, the Muleriders made great strides on defense from 2022 when the squad was involved in many shootouts because they couldn’t stop a nosebleed. With so many pieces back, SAU could become a really strong unit in 2024 and take pressure off the quarterback transition on the other side of the ball. One thing is for sure: they’re gonna make life tough for whichever young quarterback Southeastern trots out there on Thursday.
The Savage Storm have veteran returners at every position on the field, but the question remains just how talented those pieces are. The quarterback position is a scary question mark right now, as none of the quarterbacks on the roster have any starting experience to this point in their college careers. Taking on one of the best teams in the GAC is not the best way to ease a new signal-caller in, but that’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes. There’s a lot of younger talent on this Savage Storm squad, but they’ll be put to the test right away trying to slow down the SAU offense, particularly the ground game.
This is just a tough way to open the season no matter which way you look at it for Southeastern. I think the Muleriders have too much talent and experience to leave Durant with a loss.
Southern Arkansas 37, Southeastern OSU 17
Southern Nazarene at No. 1 Harding
It will be a party in Searcy on Thursday as the defending national champions celebrate the 2023 championship one final time. Then it’s on to the title defense. The Bisons return plenty of players from both sides of the ball to make a repeat a true possibility. However, it’s still the first week of a new season and new personnel will have to get used to game action, regardless of their level of experience. The four new starters along the offensive line will have to gel, even if they saw a lot of action last year. That will be the biggest area to watch, as the returning backfield can’t function as well as they’re capable if there are issues up front. I don’t think the defense will have any big issues, but again, due to new pieces, I’d expect the Bisons to give up a bit more than they would in November.
For SNU, the focus is certainly more on who is gone and how well the Crimson Storm can replace all-everything QB Gage Porter. Bryson Evans is the next guy up for coach Dustin Hada and has had several years in the program to learn the offense and learn from Porter. Evans is not Porter, but he doesn’t have to be. It will be interesting to see how an improved supporting cast lifts Evans as he gets acclimated. Defensively, stopping Harding is always a tall order, but if you’re gonna play them, play them early before the machine truly gets rolling. SNU has increased the talent level on defense and is excited about several new faces. The difference may not show up against the Bisons, but it will be a good trial by fire.
Hard to see an upset happening in this one. I doubt the national championship celebration will be that distracting or the newcomers for SNU that settled in to pull it off.
Harding 49 Southern Nazarene 20
Southwestern OSU at No. 17 Ouachita Baptist
New SWOSU coach Andrew Rice had a lot of success in his time as offensive coordinator at Southern Arkansas. The Bulldogs are hoping even an ounce of that success comes with him to Weatherford from Magnolia, as Rice begins the long process of building the Southwestern program back up. Thursday will be Rice’s first time to truly see what he’s working with as the Bulldogs take on a Ouachita team that’s coming off a great year, but one that ended in disappointment in not making the playoffs. I’m not sure if the Bulldogs are going to find a lot of success against the Tigers, but for a new coach, it's seeing how hard his team fights, the effort they play with and the response to adversity. The wins and losses for SWOSU aren’t going to be the ones you see in the conference standings.
The Tigers are a deep team and as experienced as you’re going to find in college football today, boasting a collection of 26 seniors on the roster. And that experience is spread out everywhere on the roster except for specialists. Offensively, I’d expect Ouachita to really lean on the ground attack and grind up the SWOSU defense. But should they choose to air it out, quarterback Riley Harms will have no shortage of options, led by receiver Connor Flannigan. I’d be surprised if the Bulldogs off much resistance defensively.
Tough first game as head coach for Andrew Rice. But at least it might be up from here?
Ouachita Baptist 52, Southwestern OSU 13
No. 22 Henderson State at East Central
Expectations are sky-high for the Reddies, coming off the program’s first playoff appearance since 2015 and returning a stacked roster for the 2024 season. I’d expect the fireworks to begin in earnest in Ada, as the Reddies take on the Tigers. Andrew Edwards is arguably the best quarterback in the conference and should state his case as one of the best in the nation with a great year this year. Seeing who steps up at receiver is a big key in this game, as well as how the offensive line plays together after getting several players back from injuries a year ago. I’d expect the Reddies defense to make life pretty tough on new ECU quarterback Sergio Kennedy. There are serious veterans on every level of the defense for HSU, and I think that will allow the Reddies to smother the Tiger offense.
While the Reddies are looking for another receiver or two to step up, the Tigers are looking for the entire skill position group to emerge. There’s not a lot there from last year, so it’s essentially a whole new group with Kennedy, the offensive line and the skill guys. The defense will definitely have to hold things down while all the new pieces get acclimated to game speed and the GAC as a whole. Having to do that against Henderson State isn't ideal, however.
East Central may be improved, and the future may be bright with Kennedy growing up with a new crop of skill guys. However, the immediate present might be a bit rough.
Henderson State 38, East Central 13
Game of the Week: Oklahoma Baptist at Arkansas Tech
As a disclaimer, our game of the week isn’t necessarily the game that has the best teams, but is the game that has the potential to be the most enjoyable. That’s how we feel about the battle of green and gold in Russellville. Let’s start with Tech, which will be breaking in a new starting quarterback. Coach Kyle Shipp has not tipped his hand in any way, so it could be any one of a quartet that has been battling all offseason. Whoever it is will be blessed with a solid skill group around him to take advantage of an OBU defense that’s trying to replace a lot of big pieces along the defensive line from last year. Tech has been a strange team the past few years, but Shipp has said multiple times he’s confined in the improvement in overall talent in his program. This will be our first chance to see if he is correct.
The Bison will have to contend with defensive end Vershaud Richardson, who finished last year with 10.5 sacks. Fortunately, the Bison return several starters along the offensive line to help there. Now, the Bison will have to figure out some ways to generate pressure on whoever lines up at quarterback to make his life difficult and keep him off balance. While Tech has plenty of experienced skill players, explosive is not the term I’d use to describe the Tech offense the past several years. OBU should be able to limit things if they can keep the pressure up. Offensively, OBU has to figure out how to run the ball. The Bison were terrible at it last year, especially once running back EJ Moore went out with injury. He’s back, so that should help, but it still has to be better.
Both teams are very even on paper and I think the game is going to bear that out. Can Tech capitalize on the apparent talent upgrade? It might take some more time than one week.
Oklahoma Baptist 27, Arkansas Tech 24
Last year was a great year for us, as we went 57-9 across the regular season. That’s a hard number to top, but we will certainly do our best. The only thing working against us is that this may be a very competitive season in the GAC.