SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (6-4, 6-4 GAC) looks to capture the third seven-win season of its Division II era in a matchup with rival Southern Nazarene (5-5, 5-5 GAC) on Saturday afternoon. The showdown is set for 2 p.m. at SNU Football Stadium in Bethany.
This will be the eighth all-time matchup between the two programs, with the Bison holding a 4-3 advantage in the series.
The game will be called on the Bison Radio Network with the play-by-play commentary of Todd Miller, Scott Wanish, and John Brooks. Fans can also watch the game live on the SNU Athletics YouTube channel.
Game Notes
BACK-TO-BACK
Scooter Baker tied his own school record with another 19-tackle performance last week at Ouachita. Nine of those were solo stops and by the end of the game, he boosted his GAC-leading total to 115.0. This season, Baker is ranked third in the country in total tackles and his 46 solo stops are good for 33rd. With one game remaining at Southern Nazarene, Baker has a chance for one of the greatest GAC single-seasons ever. His total of 115 is already slotted tied for ninth in GAC history. Should he keep on his current pace, he'd finish in the top-four in conference lore.
His performance against Ouachita earned him the OBU single season record for tackles (107), once held by Josh Arnold. Furthermore, his 19 stops was the third-straight game with double digit tackles.
This season, Baker has reached the double-digit feat six times. No other Bison has done so since Zach Bishop matched the action in 2015. That year, Bishop racked up 106 tackles, including a four-game streak with 10 or more stops. The Jacksonville, Texas, native approaches 300 career tackles, sitting at 258 in 42 games of work.
CONTINUING TO SHINE
Cornerback Tainique Taylor registered another pass break-up against the Tigers last week. That moved his record-setting OBU season to 15 PBUs. That tally is good for sixth in Division II. With the 15 he has right now, Taylor moved into the top-10, GAC single-season record book for passes defensed. In conference history, Southwestern Oklahoma State's Trevon Hartfield secured 25 PBUs during the 2015 campaign.
ANOTHA' ONE
Brett Karhu's consistency on the defensive line has been a major reason for the program's turnaround 2023 season. Last game at Ouachita, he moved his season total to 10.5 sacks, good for fourth in the nation and first among the GAC. Karhu is just two off the national lead of Missouri Western's Dakari Streeter as well. The sophomore is now one of just six players in GAC history (2012-present) to ever attain double-digit sack totals in a season. In 2014, East Central's Daniel Holland registered 14.5, the current best season in conference history.
KARHU CONTINUED
Also of note, Karhu's 16.5 tackles-for-loss are just outside the GAC's top-10 single-season record book. Another TFL on Saturday at Southern Nazarene will tie him with three others.
D-FENCE
The OBU pass defense has put forth its best season since the program became Division II. As it stands, Oklahoma ranks 11th in the country for most passing yards allowed (1,473) and second in the Great American Conference in completion percentage (51.2%). Those figures are a product of an outstanding pass rush, led by aforementioned sack artist Brett Karhu. But, he is not alone.
Teammates Rian Fields, Ammer Johnson, and Brayden Johnson add to the havoc caused. Fields has a career-best 7.0 TFL, more than he accumulated in his career at Fresno State (2018-2022). Johnson, a true freshman, pairs the third-most sacks (3.0) on the team with 4.5 TFL while B. Johnson adds 5.0 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. B. Johnson came into the season with only 1.5 TFL and 17 tackles.
The active hands of defensive backs Chase Whitebear, Brandon Spencer, and Tyler King have accounted for 16 pass break ups. Combine the figure with Taylor's total (15) and seven others from remaining players, OBU has 38 passes defensed. It is the most since the 2016 defense matched the amount, highlighted by 10 from D'Ante Meeking.
MR. ONE-THOUSAND
Senior wideout Michael Marshall stepped into elite company as he went over 1,000 receiving career yards last week. Marshall (1,019 yds) joins two others who have eclipsed the peak in the last three seasons on Bison Hill. Their names are Keilahn Harris (2,510) and Josh Cornell (2,322).
Marshall adds 87 receptions and seven touchdowns in 33 career games. He is having is his best season yet with team leads in catches (42) and yards (534), the latter ranking fourth the conference. Furthermore, he has three touchdown catches, also a career best.
STOPPING SNU
A season ago, Southern Nazarene quarterback Gage Porter accounted for 398 yards and six touchdowns against the Bison. The then-fifth year quarterback, who is back again this year, accounted for nearly 70 percent of the Storm's total offense (581 yards). His performance helped SNU win in Shawnee.
Fast forward to this coming Saturday, Porter is the GAC leader in rushing yards (1,553) and has accounted for 21 rushing touchdowns and 10 passing scores. It goes without saying, but the Bison will have to slow him down. OBU will bring in the nation's 11th-best passing defense into the game (147.0 yards per game allowed), 63rd team tackles-for-loss (65.0) and the 20th-best sacks total (30.0).
TURNING THINGS AROUND
Head coach Chris Jensen put on quite the turnaround this season, a significant jump from a year that saw one win in 2022. Jensen and staff have directed the 70-plus new faces to new heights as the program approaches yet another seven-win season. There have only been two other in OBU's DII era, 2019 and 2021. The latter featured a program-best eight victories and a the first-ever bowl win. Oklahoma Baptist has a chance to repeat the record-setting mark with a win on Saturday and a postseason bowl bid.
STEPPING UP WHEN CALLED UPON
There is a new running back in the starting lineup this week, Edric Lambert. The sophomore from Norman, Okla., got the call late in last week's game versus Ouachita Baptist and made the most of it. He racked up a team-high 41 yards on 11 totes, both career bests. Coming into the game, he'd only carried the ball once for two yards.
The success is needed from a running back room that has dealt with alot this season, especially the loss of starting tailback EJ Moore after week five. He still leads OBU with 391 yards and two scores.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
Southern Nazarene comes into Saturday hoping to capture its first winning season in the program's Division II era (2015-present). A season ago, they came close, pairing five wins with six losses.
SNU couples the league's fifth-best scoring offense (30.5 ppg) with the nation's third-best rushing attack that averages 281.6 yards per game. Though not as effective in the passing game (180.3 ppg), the Crimson Storm put up 462.1 yards per contest, which is 10th in the country.
Aside from Gage Porter's efforts, Southern Nazarene boasts a balanced attack. In the backfield, three have 200 or more yards rushing: Jarrell Farr (293), Donald May (229), and Angel Ramirez (216). On the receiving end, junior Asa Robertson has team leads in receptions (31) and yards (418), while Farr adds the most touchdown catches (4). Also of note is tight end Dalen Smith's 353 yards and three scores. It is the most by his position in SNU's DII tenure.
Defensively, linebacker Carter Brock leads the team with 69.0 tackles and 10.5 TFL. Defensive back Jalen Mays adds 50 tops while Jake Wright totals 48 tackles and 9.0 TFL. Josh Johnson has three interceptions, a part of the squad's 10 on the season, which ranks fourth in the GAC. Overall, the Crimson Storm allow 357.7 yards per game.
