October 9th, 2026 8:00am
Week six features six conference matchups across the Great American Conference, highlighted by Southeastern Oklahoma State traveling to Harding in a battle between two of the top teams in the league. Henderson State will look to remain unbeaten, while several teams will try to get back on track as conference play continues.
Southern Nazarene (1-4) at Ouachita Baptist (3-2)
Southern Nazarene finally got its first win of the season last week, but now comes the harder part: building on it.
The Crimson Storm pulled out a 40-34 overtime win over Arkansas-Monticello, putting together 533 yards of offense in the process. SNU's rushing attack was the biggest part of that, with the Crimson Storm running for 446 yards.
Ouachita has been a different challenge for opposing teams. The Tigers are coming off a 35-21 win over Oklahoma Baptist and have scored at least 34 points in two of their last three games.
Tre Nichols has been a big reason for that. He accounted for three rushing touchdowns against Oklahoma Baptist and has given Ouachita another dimension alongside the Tigers' ground game.
The difference here could come down to whether SNU can make Ouachita work for its yards. The Tigers have been much better offensively than their 3-2 record might suggest, while Southern Nazarene is coming off a game where it allowed UAM to put up 491 yards.
Southern Arkansas (2-3) at Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-4)
SWOSU is coming off its best offensive performance of the season, and now the Bulldogs get a matchup that could give them another chance to put points on the board.
The Bulldogs totaled 457 yards against Henderson State last week, their highest mark of the season, and led the unbeaten Reddies 27-24 entering the fourth quarter.
The ground game was a major part of that success. SWOSU ran for 216 yards, with Keith Rockwell breaking a 73-yard touchdown and Red Martel adding a 37-yard score.
Southern Arkansas enters the game allowing 249.8 rushing yards per game, 10th in the GAC. That makes this a pretty straightforward matchup for SWOSU. If the Bulldogs can establish the run again, they should have opportunities to keep the offense moving.
The Muleriders have their own playmaker in Arkez Gomez, who rushed for 195 yards and a 96-yard touchdown against Northwestern Oklahoma State last week. Gomez has 358 rushing yards through five games.
SWOSU's defense will also have a chance to make an impact. The Bulldogs lead the GAC with 17 sacks and have forced a conference-high 10 fumbles. Southern Arkansas has allowed only seven sacks this season, so that battle up front could be one of the deciding factors.
Oklahoma Baptist (2-3) at Arkansas-Monticello (1-4)
Oklahoma Baptist fell to Ouachita 35-21 last week after trailing by 20 points early, while Arkansas-Monticello lost 40-34 to Southern Nazarene in overtime.
The good news for UAM is that the offense continues to produce. The Boll Weevils rank fourth in the conference in both scoring and total offense, averaging 27.4 points and just over 400 yards per game.
Dave Alston has been the main piece of the rushing attack, averaging 112.6 yards per game, while Michael Lott and DT McCoy have combined for 414 receiving yards.
OBU will need to find a way to slow that down while also getting more consistency from its own offense. The Bison have scored 26 points per game this season, but have scored just 21 points on offense in the last two games combined in their last two games.
Henderson State (5-0) at Northwestern Oklahoma State (0-5)
Henderson State is 5-0 for a reason, and Northwestern has the unfortunate task of trying to slow the Reddies down this week.
The Reddies escaped SWOSU 38-33 last Saturday after trailing 27-24 entering the fourth quarter. Austin Ledbetter threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns, while Mike Jones finished with 144 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Henderson enters the game averaging 43.2 points per game, second in the conference behind Harding.
Northwestern has struggled to keep teams out of the end zone, but the Rangers showed some fight last week after falling behind Southern Arkansas 30-7. Jacob Jones threw three touchdown passes as Northwestern cut the deficit to three before the Muleriders held on.
That comeback is something the Rangers can build on, but they cannot afford another slow start against Henderson.
For the Reddies, this is about taking care of business. They have already survived a close game against SWOSU, and with Harding waiting on the schedule later this month, Henderson cannot afford to overlook a Northwestern team still searching for its first win.
East Central (4-1) at Arkansas Tech (2-3)
East Central has already proven it can score with just about anyone in the conference.
The Tigers are averaging 33.4 points per game and 448.2 yards of total offense, both among the best marks in the GAC. Sergio Kennedy is at the center of it all, leading the conference with 305 yards of total offense per game.
Kennedy has also been a major threat on the ground, rushing for 413 yards and eight touchdowns through five games. Quincy Thompson has added 492 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Arkansas Tech will have to find a way to slow down that combination.
The Wonder Boys have their own offensive weapons, with Carter Hensley averaging 235.4 passing yards per game and J.D. DeCausmaker averaging 67.6 receiving yards. Hensley has thrown for more than 280 yards in each of his last two games.
The problem is that Arkansas Tech has struggled to keep opposing offenses off the scoreboard. The Wonder Boys are coming off a 35-10 loss to Southeastern and will now face an East Central offense that ranks third in the GAC in total offense.
East Central is trying to bounce back after Harding handed the Tigers their first loss of the season. Arkansas Tech is trying to avoid falling to 2-4. There is plenty on the line in Russellville.
Southeastern Oklahoma State (4-1) at Harding (5-0)
This is the biggest game of the week, with two of the GAC's top teams meeting in Searcy. Harding enters at 5-0 after extending its conference winning streak to 20 games, while Southeastern is 4-1 and has won three straight.
Harding has been dominant on the ground, averaging 407.4 rushing yards per game while scoring 27 rushing touchdowns. Andrew Miller and Jeff Regan are both coming off 100-yard games against East Central, with Miller entering Saturday with 595 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
Southeastern's defense will be the biggest test Harding has faced so far. The Savage Storm lead the GAC in scoring defense at 13.2 points per game and have forced 10 turnovers through five games. They will need that defense to slow down Harding's rushing attack and keep the Bisons from controlling the game early.
Offensively, Southeastern has a good option in Levay Duncan, who has accounted for 1,004 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns this season. If the Savage Storm can keep the game close and avoid giving Harding extra possessions, they have a chance to make this a much different game than the recent history between these teams would suggest.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Southeastern student-athlete Dylan Sebock, as well as the entire Southeastern Oklahoma State community. The GAC football community extends its deepest condolences to everyone affected by this loss.