September 18th, 2025 8:00pm
For fans of the Great American Conference, week two provided little drama as no major upsets occurred to upset the balance of the order. That being said, there were individual key performers who excelled on the big stage in Week Two:
Offensive Player of the Week: Maddox Davis, WR Henderson State
Davis provided plenty of fireworks on offense in the Reddies’ 28-14 win over Oklahoma Baptist. With nine receptions for a total of 219 yards including a 94-yard TD reception, Davis hauled in the most receiving yards in the GAC since L’liott Curry did for Henderson State against Arkansas-Monticello back on September 18, 2021.
Defensive Player of the Week: Chase Whitebear, CB, Oklahoma Baptist
Chase Whitebear is probably the closest thing to a lockdown cornerback in Shawnee as the senior generated two turnovers in the Oklahoma Baptist loss to Henderson State. Whitebear also registered the sixth INT of his career and had a fourth quarter fumble recovery to top off his night that included eight total tackles on defense.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Bennett Roberts, LB, Arkansas Tech
Roberts blocked two punts in a 44-0 blowout win against Northwestern Oklahoma State and the second blocked punt led to a TD. Roberts also had six tackles on defense including four solo tackles in a convincing shutout.
Key GAC Games to Watch For in Week Three:
Arkansas Tech vs. Ouachita Baptist
The Arkansas Tech Wonderboys are off to a solid 2-0 start this season under new head coach Roy Thompson and punctuated last week’s win with a shutout of Northwestern Oklahoma State. Could this be the week that the Wonderboys jump into the “elite tier” of the GAC? A win against Ouachita Baptist certainly would tell the conference and the Division II football world that things are heading in the right direction in Russellville, AR. Winning this game will bring a level of legitimacy to the Wonderboy football program; losing but keeping the score close will not spell doom for the Arkansas Tech season but provide a bit of a reality check to the program.
For Ouachita Baptist, there is no margin of error in this game and a win is essential for the Tigers to keep their GAC title and post-season hopes alive. Yes, it’s already time to look into the proverbial football crystal ball and see what late November and early December will look like. On the other hand, a loss will mean they’re on the outside of the top tier in the GAC looking in and two losses in three weeks will put their post sason hopes in serious jeopardy.
No. 2 Harding versus Southern Arkansas
Simply put, the Harding Bisons are firing on all of their ground attack cylinders and a 55-0 drubbing of Southwestern Oklahoma State just shows that this program doesn’t have a mute button. The Bisons are averaging 52 points per game and a staggering 460 rushing yards per game as well. With 8.8 yards per carry and 12 TD’s on the ground in just two weeks, Harding looks like they’re picking up right where they left off in the DII playoffs last season. By the way, Harding is also averaging 37 yards per return on kickoff returns but it seems that the Bisons are on kickoff returns just once a game. This week will no doubt be business as usual for the Bisons as they make their final preparations for this Saturday.
Being on the Southern Arkansas coaching staff this week probably is the one of the hardest jobs to have in DII football. Let’s take a moment and have a reality check as the Muleriders, off to a 2-0 start, are a solid college football program. Both Harding and Southern Arkansas are in the top ten in rushing yards in all of Division II but the Bisons are simply a football machine eating up turf with every single ball carry on offense. The Muleriders do have a real chance of staging a massive upset and a “W” on Saturday night will move Southern Arkansas into the express lane heading to the GAC top tier. A loss to Harding is simply that - a loss to a seemingly unstoppable football program but a win moves the Muleriders into a new planetary trajectory in the Great American Conference.
Southeastern Oklahoma State versus Southwestern Oklahoma State
Southeastern Oklahoma State has a 1-1 record with a convincing season opener win against Arkansas-Monticello but a 41-21 letdown at the hands of Ouachita Baptist last Saturday brought the Savage Storm back down to earth. A win for head coach Bo Atterberry’s team will bring more than a “W” to Durant; wins against in-state rivals brings the potential for more recruits down the road.
Oklahoma football is part tradition and part religion and a win for the Savage Storm helps them get an edge on high school recruiting not only in the Sooner State but south of the Red River as well. A win might be a selling point to Oklahoma high school recruits; a winning season means being able to successfully recruit in states such as Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.
For head coach Andrew Rice and his Bulldog program, a win means a proverbial shot in the arm as Southwestern Oklahoma State is already sputtering at 0-2. However, there are nine more regular season games to go and a win on Saturday breaks a cycle of losing for the Bulldogs and an opportunity to salvage this season could be in the works. Having spent many years as a high school coach in Oklahoma and having the pleasure to work with recruiters from both of these schools, this game means a lot more to both programs than meets the eye.
There will be cheers and tears in either Durant or Weatherford, OK this Saturday night - which town gets to celebrate and which town gets to consternate is up to the two respective programs.
Rest of the schedule
Southern Nazarene at East Central
East Central is off to a 2-0 start and has a great opportunity to extend it to 3-0 as they host Southern Nazarene. The Crimson Storm and still looking for their first win after season opening losses to two of the league's better teams, Henderson State and Southern Arkansas.
Henderson State at Arkansas-Monticello
Arkansas-Monticello is averaging just 13 points per game offensively and they're giving up more than 40. They'll have their hands full against a Henderson State offense posting nearly 400 yards per game.
Northwestern Oklahoma State at Oklahoma Baptist
This is the only match up of 0-2 teams this week, so one of them will get their first win of the season. Neither team has shown much offense so far but ther Rangers are really struggling with just seven points on the board through two games.