October 7th, 2024 5:00am
This weekend in the GAC proved to be quite the yawner, just maybe not quite in the way we expected. A tight game in Durant and an upset in Ada were not things we saw coming. But that’s why they play the games instead of going off the prognostications of people like me.
On to the recaps.
Harding 57, Southwestern OSU 3
HU- Ho hum, another wire-to-wire domination for the No. 1 team in the land. The Bisons allowed just 95 yards, including an incredible 1.4 yards per pass attempt. The Harding pass game continues to be an increasingly terrifying weapon, as quarterback Cole Keylon completed four passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Yikes for everyone else.
SWOSU- The Bulldogs are through with that and can move on to other things. Technically, SWOSU never crossed midfield on offense, as both times they were in Harding territory, they began the drive there, once on a kickoff return and once on a fumble. But again, SWOSU can move on and continue the rebuilding process his season presents.
East Central 42, Arkansas-Monticello 17
ECU- Well, not sure where that came from. Four games of complete frustration for the Tigers’ offense just vanished in a poof. A well balanced attack with over 200 yards on the ground and through the air, and—most importantly—no turnovers. Defensively, ECU held UAM to 78 yards on the ground and had a pick-six. A complete performance for the Tigers.
UAM- On the flip side, didn’t see this dud from UAM, especially from the defense. The Weevils found success through the air, but Demilon Brown threw two interceptions to offset the good things there. That’s three straight losses for the Weevils after starting the year 2-0. Are we on another slide?
Southern Arkansas 49, Southern Nazarene 21
SAU- The Muleriders were never threatened on Saturday, as they piled up over 500 yards of offense including 421 through the air. The run game was never able to get rolling, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry if you exclude a mishandled snap on a punt that lost 33 yards for SAU. But with the success through the air, and a strong showing from the defense which forced three turnovers, it didn’t matter.
SNU- The Crimson Storm managed to get to halftime down just 21-0, but gave up two scores in the first four minutes of the second half to really fall out of this one. Three turnovers were huge in this one as well. SNU hit on some big plays and stymied the SAU run game, racking up 13 tackles for loss and three sacks. However, the pass defense continues to be a massive issue.
Ouachita Baptist 25, Southeastern OSU 9
OUA- Frankly, I’m not really sure how the Tigers won this game. Nine punts, eight first downs, 20 minutes time of possession, 240 total yards, 1-for-12 on third down. What a strange game. The Tigers hit on a few big plays for touchdowns but that was about it offensively. 14 penalties for 109 yards for the Savage Storm didn’t hurt, either. Fortunately, the defense rose to the occasion and kept SEOSU out of the end zone on all but one possession. A win is a win. I think.
SEOSU- Man, this was there for the taking for Southeastern. With their defense playing an incredible game and Luke Rohenberger back from injury, everything was there, but they just couldn’t get enough going on offense against a stout Ouachita defense. Part of the problem was every drive was a grind. In the third and fourth quarters, the Savage Storm had the ball for almost 15 minutes on two possessions and got just a field goal out of it. Ballgame.
Henderson State 52, Oklahoma Baptist 7
HSU- Well this one started with a bang, as Jody Easter took the opening kickoff back to the house for a touchdown. After back-to-back weeks of bad offense, the Reddies were back to normal on Saturday, racking up 475 yards on 7.7 yards per play. The defense held OBU to less than four yards per play and less than 200 total yards. Andrew Edwards threw six touchdowns to five different receivers. The only real negative was 13 penalties for 129 yards.
OBU- A win last week did provide any momentum for the Bison against HSU. OBU managed just 3.3 yards per carry and 3.4 yards per attempt through the air. The defense allowed the Reddies to score on seven of their first eight drives offensively. Overall, not a great day for the green and gold.
Arkansas Tech 44, Northwestern OSU 21
Tech- Amazingly, the Wonder Boys won this game last year by the exact same score. Tech was able to find success on the ground for the first time since the season opener against Oklahoma Baptist, rushing for 214 yards against Northwestern. They controlled the clock for 37 minutes and forced two turnovers, including a pick-six. Nice win to get back on the right track for the Wonder Boys.
NWOSU- The Rangers struggled to run the ball, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. Overall, they were able to move the ball fairly well, they just didn’t have the ball for very long thanks to Tech’s ground game controlling the clock. On the bright side, Coby Tillman did win the battle of the middle linebackers with Tech’s Jyrin Steward.
Record this week: 5-1
Overall for the season: 24-6