ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The highly touted rushing offense of No. 12 Ouachita Baptist (9-1, 9-1 GAC) hit on all cylinders today as the Tigers defeated Oklahoma Baptist (6-4, 6-4 GAC) 55-14 on Saturday afternoon.
The loss snaps OBU's three-game winning streak, its longest since 2021.
Despite compiling 311 yards of offense, the Bison gave up nearly 500 yards on defense, including 340 on the ground. On top of that, OUA's special teams, specifically their punting unit, were near flawless. The Tigers landed two punts inside the 20-yard line and charted one boot of 50-plus yards.
Ouachita's high-powered run game produced all of their scores, while OBU mustered just 84 rushing yards.
Oklahoma Baptist found the endzone through the air with touchdown pitches from Aidan Thompson and Nick Harris. Thompson finished the day with 207 yards on 25 completions and three interceptions.
For Harris, it was the first passing touchdown of his career and the first from a Bison wideout since Keilahn Harris tossed one a season ago. Harris paired his touchdown pass of 20 yards with five catches for 47 yards.
The recipient of his pass, Alex Nabavi, led the receiving corps with 53 yards on five grabs. Charles Whitebear hauled in his fourth score of the year, while Michael Marshall turned in a team-high in receptions (6) and 49 yards. On the ground, Edric Lambert tallied career-bests in yards (41) and rushes (11).
Scooter Baker racked up 18 total tackles, one shy of his program-best record of 19 stops set a week ago. Nine of Baker's tackles were unassisted. Jake Landers collected nine stops, forced a fumble, and got in on half of a sack.
KJ Price Jr. recovered the loose ball, coupling the stat with eight tackles, while Whitebear and Tyler King registered five stops.
The Oklahoma Baptist defense came out swinging, forcing an Ouachita three-and-out on the opening drive. OBU didn't find success when the field flipped, as they were also pushed off the field after three plays.
The Tigers took advantage of their next offensive opportunity as a Kendel Givens four-yard score yielded a 14-0 lead.
OBU responded with a 75-yard, seven-play drive, capped by a Whitebear touchdown catch from Thompson.
Unfortunately, the home team returned the favor on its next possession, along with a field goal to pin the Bison 31-7 going into the break.
Early in the fourth, Harris found Nabavi wide open on a trick-play pass, but the deficit was too great as Ouachita added two more cores to solidify the victory.
Next up, Oklahoma Baptist will make the short drive to Bethany for its regular-season finale against Southern Nazarene. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
