Bison Welcome Rangers on Hall of Fame Night

SHAWNEE – After their 2021 home debut last Saturday, the Oklahoma Baptist Bison return home for the second consecutive week to take on the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers. OBU welcomes NWOSU into Crain Family Stadium at the Hurt Complex for their 14th meeting all-time, and sixth since joining NCAA Division II. The game will be featured on OBUBison.com and called on the radio with the trio of Todd Miller, John Brooks, and Scott Wanish.
 
Fans attending the game are encouraged to read about OBU's updated game day procedures, including the new clear bag policy, and health and safety guidelines.

Ticket sales for Saturday's contest are online only and can be purchased at OBUBison.com/Tickets. No box office sales will be available on game day.
 

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Game Notes

MR. TEN-THOUSAND

• Senior captain and quarterback Preston Haire broke the headlines with another staggering performance last week against Arkansas-Monticello. The signal-caller threw for 378 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Bison to a blow-out 45-20 win. His totals granted him a third-placing all-time in GAC history for career offensive yards (10, 271), passing yards (9,178), and passing touchdowns (80). Haire also moved up to fifth all-time in the league for total career 300-yard games with nine. The Texan becomes the third to eclipse the 10,000-yard total offensive yards mark in conference history and is the only one to do so in school history.

MAKING A STATEMENT

• Standout wideout Keilahn Harris continues to make a statement this season as he broke another school record for the second consecutive week in a row. Week one, Harris' collected 15 receptions and managed to top that as the sophomore hauled in three touchdowns, giving him the all-time single-game touchdowns record this week. The record was previously held by himself and 10 others at two touchdowns in a single game. Through week two, the Richardson, Texas native has compiled 275 receiving yards, five touchdowns, and 26 total receptions. Harris is tied for first in receiving touchdowns, second for receptions, and third for receiving yards in the nation. Keilahn leads the conference in all-purpose yards, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receptions. 

NOT SKIPPING A BEAT

• The Oklahoma Baptist offense picked up where they left off as they posted another high-scoring outing. The good guys compiled 493 yards of offense and five touchdowns en route to collecting 35 first downs, the most in school history. The previous record was set in 2018 against Arkansas-Monticello. Currently, the Bison offense leads the GAC with 736 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns. OBU leads the nation with 66 first downs so far this season and ranks 17th in total offense.

PITCH AND CATCH

• OBU 's receivers have been on one accord this season as two sit at the top of the leaderboards in most receiving yards in the conference. Keilahn Harris and Josh Cornell have compiled a combined 468 yards and 44 receptions so far this season. Last week, the duo shined again as Harris reeled in 11 catches while Cornell had seven. Cornell added 59 yards to his career total last week, giving him 1,425 total yards and moving him into third place all-time in school history for career receiving yards. The wideout needed just 35 yards coming into last week to pass Stephan Turner (2014-17), who previously held the record with 1,400 career receiving yards.
• The Bison offensive wealth was spread between others as tight end Seth Berry caught the first touchdown of his career, bringing in a six-yarder in the red zone last week. Braden Phipps and Julian Clarke got in on the action as they caught four and two passes, respectively.

DEFENSE MAKING NOISE

• The Oklahoma Baptist defense was alive and well against the Weevils as they held the high-powered offense to 21-points after UAM put up 30 points in week one. The Bison shut out the Weevil offense in the first half and held the UAM ground game to 22 yards altogether. The defense caused a total of five turnovers, including two interceptions and three forced fumbles. The Bison were led by Senior Josh Arnold, who collected seven tackles and 2.0 tackles-for-loss. Arnold is three tackles away from breaking the all-time career tackle school record as he sits at 303 tackles. The linebacker is also tied fourth all-time in GAC history for career tackles. 

FIRST-TIMERS

• A host of different Bison collected career-firsts, starting with Jay Jordan. The corner caught not one but two interceptions last week, the first of his career. Freshman Malik Allen and Oklahoma State transfer Robert Lolofie were disruptive all night as Allen collected his first career sack and Lolofie forced his first fumble. Lolofie also recorded 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack in the game.

NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE NUMBERS

• Freshman Nick Harris forced a fumble off an attempted UAM punt that Brandon Spencer scooped and scored for the first touchdown of his young Bison career. Nick Boone is second in the conference with 21 total tackles, averaging 10.5 per game. Josh Arnold ranks seventh with 15 total, averaging 7.5 per game. Jay Jordan is tied for first in the nation and conference with two interceptions this season. Jordan also ranks third in the GAC with three passes defended, averaging 1.50 per game. Tailback Tyler Stuever ranks seventh in the league with 171 rushing yards, averaging 85.5 yards per game.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Bison rocked Crain Family Stadium with a home-opening 45-20 blow-out win of the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils. The Bison offense produced over 490 yards of offense while the defense forced five turnovers to send the Weevils packing back to Arkansas. OBU outgained the Weevils 493-371 and possessed the ball over 10 minutes longer. This largely came because Oklahoma Baptist converted on 11 of their third-down attempts while UAM squeezed out a mere two. Oklahoma Baptist got to work right out of the gate as they scored 21 points in the first quarter. Two scores came through the air, compliments of Preston Haire and Keilahn Harris, while the other came off a forced fumble that turned into a touchdown. From there, the OBU offense added two more scores to lead UAM 35-0 going into the break.A Haire to Harris connection and a field goal from Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez cemented the Bison's 45-20 win over the Weevils.
• The Oklahoma Baptist offense set an all-time school record with 35 first downs, the most since 2018 when the Bison registered 34 against Arkansas-Monticello. Harris and Haire connected 11 times through the air, as the wideout broke the all-time school record for receiving touchdowns in a single game with three.
• The Bison defense's turnover total was the most since OBU caught five interceptions against Northwestern Oklahoma State in 2015.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS

• Northwestern Oklahoma State comes to Shawnee with an 0-2 record, dropping their first two matchups to Southern Arkansas and Henderson State. The Rangers are coming off a tough road loss at the hands of the Reddies, as they fell 55-7 in Arkadelphia last week. After scoring once in the first quarter, NWOSU struggled to find their rhythm the rest of the game, gaining 227 yards of offense. Senior receiver Gavin Garner caught five balls for 80 yards and a touchdown while tailback Calion Baker rushed for 95 yards.
• Quarterback Tanner Clarkson has thrown for 546 yards and two touchdowns so far, ranking him fifth in the conference. His favorite target, Garner, has 10 receptions for 181 yards and a score. Tailback Baker leads the team with 116 yards rushing on 29 attempts. 
• Defensively, senior linebacker James Ellis leads the GAC and Rangers with 22 total tackles, including 16 solo tackles. Ellis' solo tackles total ranks him fourth in the nation and first in the GAC. Freshman defensive back Jeremiah Hall is not far behind Ellis with 16 tackles, ranking fifth in the conference. Dax Benway and Brian Holiday also find themselves in the league rankings as Benway has defended three passes, and Holiday boasts 3.0 tackles-for-loss.
• Last season, the Bison held off a late NWOSU comeback, as they defeated the Rangers 34-25 in Alva. This defeat marked the ninth straight win over an Oklahoma school opponent for OBU. Tyler Stuever put on one of the best performances of his career, with 184 yards on the ground, averaging nearly 10 yards a carry and three scores. Oklahoma Baptist totaled 476 yards, including 286 through the air and 22 first downs. The Bison defense held the Rangers to 346 total yards of offense and 241 yards passing. The Rangers had the advantage in time of possession at 33:02 to 26:58, but the Bison were able to force a pair of turnovers.
• Defensively, Felipe Alvear totaled 10 tackles, including six solos and one tackle-for-loss. Alvear also caught one interception that he returned 34 yards. Safety Trajan Lands also collected a pick that he took the other way for 18 yards.