SHAWNEE – A resilient effort from Oklahoma Baptist (0-1, 0-1 GAC) in Thursday night's season-opening contest against No. 17 Ouachita Baptist (1-0, 1-0 GAC) was to no avail as the Tigers defeated the Bison 42-32 inside Crain Family Stadium at the Hurt Complex.
The Bison showed promise early, as the new-look defense held a highly touted Tiger rushing attack to 55 yards. Success was found on the offensive side of the ball, too, as freshman Dayton Wolfe made his collegiate debut as the OBU signal caller.
Wolfe and company racked up six first downs, a part of an inaugural quarter that saw 48 passing yards. Conversely, Ouachita tallied a mere two yards through the air.
OBU struck gold first, courtesy of a Ouachita safety following a high snap on a punting attempt midway through the first quarter. Then, the Tigers reached pay dirt with a 16-yard TJ Cole rush to take an 7-2 lead in the second.
Shortly afterward, Wolfe gave the Bison a breath of air, connecting with Keilahn Harris for a 75-yard touchdown to chart his first touchdown on Bison hill. The OBU momentum was short-lived as the opposition countered with a score to mark the tally 14-12 going into the break.
Ouachita widened the gap in the third, tacking on 14 points to go up 28-12.
Down, but not out, Oklahoma responded with a 20-point fourth quarter. First, Wolfe found tight end Sam Sharp on a 14-yarder and then freshman running back EJ Moore earned his first career touchdown after a three-yard rush. Sophomore wide-out Jaiden Henry rounded out the high-scoring quarter with a 24-yard catch with a little over a minute remaining in the contest.
However, the Tigers weren't held silent in the final quarter as 14 more sealed tonight's season-opening victory.
Wolfe posted the best freshman quarterback debut in program history, finishing the night with 397 passing yards and three touchdowns. He completed 34-55 of his passing attempts.
The signal-caller connected with 11 different receivers tonight, including Harris, who went for a career-high 179 yards and a score. Henry snagged the first touchdown of his young Bison career, while Sam Sharp was the third recipient of Wolfe's touchdown passes. Furthermore, Michael Marshall recorded four receptions for 46 yards, and Julian Clarke accounted for 40.
Freshman tailbacks Buddy Bizzell and Moore also made their debuts, combining for 80 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Nick Carpin led the way with seven tackles, while Trajan Lands and Jake Landers added six apiece. Additionally, Landers recorded the first sack of his career.
Oklahoma Baptist will look to next week as they'll travel to Monticello for a September 10 matchup with the Boll Weevils of Arkansas-Monticello (1-0, 1-0 GAC). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Cotton Boll Stadium.
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