SHAWNEE – Saturday brings week seven of Great American Conference football action as Oklahoma Baptist welcomes East Central to Shawnee for a 6 p.m. matchup on Homecoming at Crain Family Stadium.
OBU brings a 14-10 all-time series advantage into the contest. The Bison have won three straight against the Tigers.
Live video of the contest will be available on OBUBison.com and fans can listen to the broadcast on the Bison Radio Network with the trio of Todd Miller, Scott Wanish, and John Brooks.
Game Day information regarding tailgating policies, parking instructions, and the OBU clear bag policy can be found here.
Game Notes
OPENING KICKOFF
- OBU suffered a 34-13 loss to Arkansas Tech last weekend after giving up 521 yards of offense. After falling into a 21-0 hole early in the second quarter, the Bison stormed back with 13 points to close the gap going into the break. However, the Bison were shut out in the closing half as the Wonder Boys tacked on 10 more points to claim the victory.
LAST TIME VS. EAST CENTRAL
- A season ago, Oklahoma Baptist made history. The Bison beat the Tigers 47-20 to earn its 14th consecutive win over an in-state opponent. After scoring six in the opening stanza, OBU erupted for 21 points in the second quarter to take a 27-13 lead going into halftime. Oklahoma Baptist added 20 more by the game's end to cement the October 16th triumph.
- OBU racked up nearly 600 yards (574) of offense as Preston Haire threw for 353 yards and a program-record-tying six touchdowns. Four of which were to wide receiver Josh Cornell. Cornell set a school record for touchdowns as four of his five receptions reached the endzone. Tyler Stuever and Haire accounted for 180 of the Bison's 221 yards on the ground. Stuever went for 138 yards on 25 carries, while Haire recorded 52 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per tote.
- Defensively, Will Kohman charted 10 tackles, while Nick Boone collected eight stops and a sack.
UNTIMELY WOES
- Injuries have plagued the Bison at the worst times this season. Just when OBU starts to develop a rhythm, an untimely disturbance occurs on the offensive line or at the quarterback position to stunt the growth attained. This week, the Bison hope to rewrite its misfortune with key players like offensive lineman Zach Frazier returning to the lineup.
PROTECT THE ROCK
- Coming into Saturday, East Central has forced a league-best 13 fumbles and recovered 12. Nationally, the figure ranks second, while the amount of recoveries is third. Additionally, ECU adds five interceptions to its turnover total of 17, that is No. 2 in the nation. The offense has conceded just five turnovers, which is tied for first in the GAC.
- The Tigers have two or more takeaways in every contest and have given up no more than three to chart a turnover margin of +12 that ranks No. 1 in the country. Here's the margin breakdown: Harding (0-3); Arkansas Tech (3-2); Southern Nazarene (0-3); Northwestern Oklahoma State (1-2); Southern Arkansas (1-3) and Henderson State (0-4). Put simply, East Central doesn't make many mistakes on either side of the ball.
- Conversely, Oklahoma Baptist has a turnover margin of -3 after charting nine takeaways and committing 12 turnovers.
DYNAMIC DUO
- The tandem of quarterback Dayton Wolfe and receiver Keilahn Harris have been on point this season. They've connected 35 times for 540 yards and four touchdowns, excluding the game against Harding, where Wolfe didn't play due to injury.
- Wolfe eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last week to become the first freshman since Preston Haire to reach the figure in the Division II era. Wolfe's 1,076 passing yards rank sixth in the conference, while his total completions (101) are fourth.
- Harris is the only player in the GAC and one of six in DII with over 1,000 all-purpose yards. The Richardson, Texas, accomplished the feat for a second straight year with 701 receiving, 428 kick return, and 53 punt return yards. He adds five touchdowns and 47 catches, which ranks sixth in the nation. The junior is already the all-time program leader in all-purpose yards (3,496) and has the chance to claim the career receiving yards, touchdowns, and receptions titles this season. He needs 161 yards, four touchdowns, and 13 receptions to break the records set by Bison great Josh Cornell.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The OBU defense recorded two interceptions against Arkansas Tech to post its second-best turnover total in a game this season. The season-high occurred in week three when the Bison forced four turnovers versus Northwestern Oklahoma State. Kaleb Peters and Chase Whitebear each charted their second picks of the year, bringing the team total to five. The figure is fourth in the GAC, while both players are tied for third in the category.
A NEW LEADER
- A week after setting a career-high for tackles in a season, linebacker Elijah Tomlin has reached another milestone. Tomlin posted a career-best 12 stops versus Arkansas Tech. The performance was only six stops less than his tackle total in 2021 (18). He moves his season mark to a team-best 47 tackles, which ranks No. 2 in the conference. After totaling one tackle in week one, Tomlin has eight or more in five straight games.
TRENCH WORK
- Nick Carpin leads all Bison defensive lineman in tackles (34), tackles-for-loss (4.0), and sacks (2.0). All figures are career-best for the sophomore from Frisco, Texas. Teammate Peter Popoola follows with 18 stops, needing two to pass last season's total (19) and six for his career-best (23) from 2019. Popoola notched a career-best for TFLs (3.0) in a season after his September 9 performance against NWOSU.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- East Central (4-2, 4-2 GAC) comes in on a hot streak under first-year head coach, Chris McCullough. The Tigers have won four straight, beating their opponents by 12 points or more and scoring at least 31 points in every contest.
- Much of ECU's success is attributed to its time of possession this season. It reads 31.48 minutes per game, which is third in the GAC and 37th in the nation. The Tigers also fare well in redzone offense and defense, ranking second in the league in both categories. East Central has reached the endzone on 80.8% (21-26) of its attempts inside the 20-yard line, and kept opponents out 57.9% (11-19) of the time.
- Quarterback Kenny Hrncir leads the third-best passing attack in the conference, averaging 245.2 yards per game. Hrncir totals 1,415 yards, 12 touchdowns with just three interceptions. La'Quan Wells has been the favorite target, catching 26 passes for 391 yards and five touchdowns. Not far behind is senior Greg Howell, who has 262 yards on 17 receptions, while running back Nemier Herod ranks fifth in the GAC with 548 rushing yards.
- Defensively, Devon Roush and Cody Alexander have 48 and 46 tackles. Alexander adds three forced fumbles, which is tied for No. 2 in the country. Linebacker Michael Onwuzrike has wreaked havoc in opposing backfields all year, totaling a team-best 3.0 sacks and 5.5 TFLs. Five different Tigers have an interception, including defensive back Keonte Lust, who leads ECU with three pass break-ups.
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