SHAWNEE – After two weeks away from home, Oklahoma Baptist (2-7) is back at Crain Family Stadium on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. against ninth-ranked (AFCA) Ouachita (8-1).
The green and gold are coming off a heartbreaking 24-20 defeat at Arkansas-Monticello while the Tigers were dealt one of the biggest upsets in D2 history when it lost at home to Southern Nazarene (1-8) on Oct. 31.
Saturday's game will be broadcasted on the Bison Sports Network with Todd Miller, Scott Wanish and John Brooks on the call starting at 1:30 p.m.
Relying on Moore
EJ Moore delivered his fourth career 100-yard rushing effort last week at Arkansas-Monticello. He carried a career-high 32 times and tallied 135 rushing yards and one touchdown. The 135 yards were Moore's second-highest career output, bested only by a 153-yard performance last season at East Central. Here in 2024, the Leander, Texas native's 502 rushing yards are 12th-most in the GAC. Plus, Moore now has 1,202 career yards, fifth-most in OBU history.
Marshall's Highlight-Reel Grab
Early in the third quarter at UAM, redshirt senior
Michael Marshall turned in a Randy Moss-like catch which went for a touchdown. On a deep ball from
Camden McCrary down the middle, OBU's 6-foot-2 receiver leaped above a Boll Weevil defensive back and ripped the ball away before back pedaling into the endzone. The 55-yard scoring strike was a career-long for Marshall. He also tallied 66 yards in the game, a season-high.
That Was a Long Drive
Did you notice that the Bison produced a pair of 90-plus-yard scoring drives last week at Monticello? Their first drive saw offensive coordinator
Daniel Eaton dial up a 16-play, 96-yard drive that ended with a Moore two-yard touchdown. Thirteen of those plays were rushes. Then early in the third, OBU went 97 yards in three plays capped off by Marshall's scoring catch.
In OBU's D2 era, there have been 15, 90-yard scoring drives. Only one other game since 2015 has seen the Bison produce multiple drives that long in the same game. That came during the 2018 season when OBU had three drives of at least 90 yards, also against Arkansas-Monticello on Oct. 20.
An All-Around Effort
Junior
Chase Whitebear had one of his best career games last week against the Boll Weevils. The Haslet, Texas native intercepted a pass, returned it a career-long 60 yards and added a pair of pass break-ups. Plus, Whitebear recorded a team-best six tackles. For the imposing, 6-foot-3 corner, it was the first time in his career he recorded a pick with multiple PBUs.
Receiving Threats
Only one program in the GAC has multiple receivers with at least four touchdowns. That's Oklahoma Baptist.
Charles Whitebear has caught five, which are tied for the league lead, while
Darius Melton has pulled in four.
Historically Speaking
Ouachita owns an 8-0 series lead over the Bison. Some of these games have been close, such as in 2022 when the Tigers won in Shawnee 42-32. There have been other times, four of the eight games to be exact, that Ouachita has scored at least 50. In fact, a season ago, the Tigers won 55-14 in Arkadelphia.
The Tigers' Potent Attack
Ouachita possesses two of the best runners in the GAC. They are quarterback Eli Livingston and tailback Kendel Givens. Livingston ranks fifth in the league with 67.6 rushing yards per game. He has also scored four times and has the second-longest rush (79 yards) in the conference this fall.
Givens is one of Ouachita's all-time program greats. In his career, he has scored 69 touchdowns, rushed for 3,566 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. This season, the Little Rock native is fourth in the league with a 71.4 yards-per-game average as well as 12 rushing scores. That latter mark is tied for fifth in the nation.
Stacking Things Up
One of the biggest advantages Ouachita possesses is its defense. The Tigers allow 9.56 points per game, fourth-best in the country. Oklahoma Baptist sits at 12th in the GAC giving up 36.7 points. The Tigers are also slotted 12th in Division II in total defense at 251.9 yards per contest.
Offensively, the Bison have the fifth-best passing offense in the GAC at 169.6 yards per game while Ouachita sits in seventh (159.1). On the rushing front, the Tigers' 189.3 rushing yards per game is third while OBU's 99.9 yards is 11th.
Also of note, Ouachita's special teams are very good. They lead the conference in net kickoff yardage (46.2) and net punting (42.7). That punting effort also includes 17 fair catches to opponents, most in the league.
