October 5th, 2026 4:00pm
Week five gave us a little bit of everything across the Great American Conference. Henderson State remained perfect, but had to rally late to survive SWOSU. Harding separated itself from East Central in the second half of the conference's biggest matchup, while Ouachita bounced back from its heartbreaking loss to the Harding with a convincing win over Oklahoma Baptist.
Southeastern continued its impressive start with another dominant defensive performance, while Southern Nazarene finally broke through for its first win of the season in overtime. Southern Arkansas also held off a furious Northwestern comeback to pick up its second win of the season.
SWOSU (1-4) at Henderson State (5-0)
Henderson State opened the game with an 87-yard touchdown pass on its first offensive play, but SWOSU settled in quickly and kept the Reddies from pulling away. The Bulldogs closed the first half on a 10-0 run, cutting the deficit to 14-13 at halftime.
The second half turned into a back-and-forth battle. Braxton Etheridge connected with Michael Doctor for a 43-yard touchdown to give SWOSU its first lead of the afternoon, and Keith Rockwell followed with a 73-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs ahead 27-24 entering the fourth quarter.
That is where Henderson State finally found a way to take control. The Reddies eventually broke through with a 75-yard touchdown drive to move back in front with 9:08 remaining. An interception on the Bulldogs' next possession gave the Reddies a short field, which they converted into another score and a 38-27 advantage.
SWOSU still had one more push in it. Etheridge led a 75-yard touchdown drive and found Jaiden Dozier for a three-yard score with 1:21 left, but the Bulldogs could not convert the two-point attempt. Henderson recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to escape with a 38-33 victory.
The loss drops SWOSU to 1-4, but this was easily the Bulldogs' best offensive performance of the season. They totaled 457 yards against a Henderson defense that had entered the game allowing just 262 yards per game, and they actually outgained the Reddies by two yards.
Henderson, meanwhile, moves to 5-0 and remains one of just two undefeated teams left in the GAC.
Ouachita Baptist (3-2) at Oklahoma Baptist (2-3)
After coming within 23 seconds of knocking off No. 2 Harding last week, Ouachita did not let the heartbreaking loss linger.
The Tigers jumped on Oklahoma Baptist early, scoring twice in the first quarter to take a 13-0 lead. Tre Nichols provided the big play on the second touchdown, breaking loose for a 34-yard scoring run.
Oklahoma Baptist answered in the second quarter, but Ouachita added another touchdown before halftime to take a 20-7 lead into the break.
Nichols then took over in the third quarter.
The Ouachita quarterback scored twice in the period, including a 57-yard touchdown run, as the Tigers pushed their lead to 35-14. Oklahoma Baptist added a pair of second-half touchdowns, but the Bison could never completely close the gap.
Nichols finished with 155 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Ouachita's offense continued to find success on the ground. The Tigers finished with 260 rushing yards and controlled the game despite OBU making a late push.
After a tough loss to Harding the week before, this was exactly the type of response Ouachita needed. The Tigers move back above .500 at 3-2, while Oklahoma Baptist falls to 2-3.
Harding (5-0) at East Central (4-1)
The biggest game of the week turned into another statement for No. 2 Harding. The Bisons entered Ada with both teams sitting at 4-0, but Harding quickly showed why it has been sitting near the top of the national rankings all season. The Bisons took a 14-0 lead into halftime before East Central finally got on the board midway through the third quarter.
Harding answered almost immediately. Jeff Regan broke off a 54-yard touchdown run just two plays after his 39-yard kickoff return, and Josh Evans-Pickens added a 19-yard touchdown run later in the quarter. That pushed the Harding lead to 28-7 heading into the fourth.
East Central kept fighting behind Sergio Kennedy, who helped the Tigers cut the deficit to 28-14 early in the fourth. Harding responded with another long drive, with Malik Young finding Cedric Hawkins for a 19-yard touchdown to make it 35-14. The Tigers scored again with 1:57 remaining to cut the lead to 35-21, but Harding recovered the ensuing onside kick. Regan immediately ripped off a 31-yard run, and Andrew Miller finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to seal the 42-21 win.
Harding finished with 399 yards of total offense, including 360 on the ground, while East Central managed 313 yards. The Bisons also converted 9-of-13 third downs and went 5-for-5 in the red zone.
Harding moves to 5-0 and extends its GAC winning streak to 20 games. East Central falls to 4-1 after opening the season with four straight wins.
Arkansas-Monticello (1-4) at Southern Nazarene (1-4)
What a way for Southern Nazarene to finally get its first win. The Crimson Storm and Arkansas-Monticello went back and forth all afternoon before needing overtime to settle things, with SNU eventually pulling out a 40-34 victory.
UAM came out firing, taking a 14-7 lead after the opening quarter and carrying a 27-24 advantage into halftime. Southern Nazarene flipped the game in the third quarter, however, scoring 10 points to take a 34-27 lead into the final frame.
The Boll Weevils refused to go away. UAM put together a long fourth-quarter drive that ended with Braylon Henry's one-yard touchdown run, tying the game at 34-34 with 10:39 remaining. Neither team could break the tie during the rest of regulation, sending the game to overtime.
UAM got the first possession but could not score, missing a 50-yard field goal after the drive stalled. Southern Nazarene then needed just one play to finish it. Kaden Manuel took the snap and raced 25 yards for the game-winning touchdown, giving the Crimson Storm their first win of the season.
SNU actually finished with 533 yards of total offense, including 446 rushing yards, while UAM put up a season-high 491 yards. The Boll Weevils had plenty of offense to win this game, but SNU's rushing attack ultimately made the difference.
Arkansas Tech (2-3) at Southeastern Oklahoma State (4-1)
The Savage Storm remained among one of the top teams in the conference with a 35-10 win over Arkansas Tech, pulling away after a scoreless opening quarter.
Arkansas Tech actually struck first with a field goal early in the second quarter, but Southeastern responded with two touchdowns before halftime. Levay Duncan scored from five yards out, then broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown run to give the Savage Storm a 14-3 lead at the break.
Duncan added another big play in the third quarter, finding Colton Simpson for a four-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 21-3. Arkansas Tech answered with a 52-yard touchdown pass, but that would be the last time the Wonder Boys found the end zone.
Southeastern's defense took over from there. Kole McKnight intercepted an Arkansas Tech pass and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown, then Deion Dweh forced and recovered a fumble in the red zone on the next Wonder Boys possession. Later in the quarter, Chancy Lester Jr. broke off a 71-yard run that set up another Savage Storm touchdown.
Southeastern finished with 376 yards of offense and forced three turnovers, while the defense also added a late strip-sack to completely shut the door on Arkansas Tech.
Northwestern Oklahoma State (0-5) at Southern Arkansas (2-3)
Northwestern came into Magnolia still searching for its first win, and for a while, it looked like Southern Arkansas might run away with this one.
The Muleriders jumped out to a 14-0 lead before Northwestern finally got on the board with a Jacob T. Jones touchdown pass. Southern Arkansas answered with another touchdown, then pushed the lead to 28-7 before the Rangers scored again.
Northwestern got into the end zone on a Zeke Luna touchdown run, but the extra point was blocked and returned for two points by Southern Arkansas, giving the Muleriders a 30-13 lead late in the first half.
That is when the Rangers started making things interesting. Northwestern scored early in the second half, then got another touchdown from Jones, this time on a pass to Brody Williams, cutting the deficit all the way down to 30-27.
The Ranger defense then gave the offense one more chance, stopping Southern Arkansas on fourth-and-goal with about a minute remaining. Northwestern had a chance to complete the comeback, but could not turn the opportunity into points. Southern Arkansas held on for the 30-27 win.
The Muleriders move to 2-3 with the victory, while Northwestern remains winless at 0-5. For the Rangers, the comeback was another example of the offense showing flashes of what it can do, but the slow start ultimately proved too much to overcome.