SHAWNEE – The 2024 debut of Oklahoma Baptist football comes on Thursday, Sept. 5 when the Bison venture to Arkansas Tech. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium.
The Bison Sports Network crew of Todd Miller, Scott Wanish and John Brooks will be on site in Russellville for the call of the game with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. on KGFF 100.9 FM.
Be sure to follow the
Bison's Instagram and
X/Twitter accounts for updates as well.
GAME NOTES
IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
Expect quarterbacks
Aidan Thompson and
Kenny Rosenthal to each take snaps against the Wonder Boys. During spring ball and in fall camp, the top two returners went back and forth for the starting job but neither pulled past the other. Thompson has been on OBU's campus for multiple years now and has a good grasp of offensive coordinator
Daniel Eaton's system while Rosenthal brings very good athleticism and the ability to throw the deep ball. Thompson has played in 11 games the last two seasons and thrown for 2,088 yards and 17 touchdowns. As for Rosenthal, the sophomore from Houston appeared in three games last year, threw for 395 yards, two touchdowns and averaged 5.7 yards-per-carry.
QUALITY DEPTH
There will be plenty of options for Bison quarterbacks to throw to this fall. In fact, four of the top-five pass catchers from a year ago return.
Michael Marshall,
Nick Harris,
Charles Whitebear and
Haven Lysell accounted for 114 of the 231 catches last year for OBU. Marshall, a redshirt senior, hauled in a team-high 44 while Harris, another senior, grabbed 32 with a team-best seven touchdowns. Another player to look out for: transfer
Darius Melton, who wears the number nine jersey. He's got good deep speed, an aspect that was missing a bit last season.
A LOADED DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD
In 2023, the Bison secondary was awfully good.
Tainique Taylor had 15 pass break-ups,
Brandon Spencer II notched a team-high four interceptions and
Chase Whitebear came up with six PBUs and an interception. As a unit, OBU ranked eighth in the country in passing yards allowed per game (146.3). Good news for Bison fans: all three aforementioned players return. And to help compliment that trio is a player that's stood out in fall practice. His name is
Jylun Spence. A transfer from the University of Maine, the 6-foot-1 safety looks ready to fill a big role in defensive coordinator
Gabe Eliserio's scheme.
THEY CAN HIT
Another bright spot on the defensive end is the return of two quality linebackers:
Scooter Baker and
Brayden Johnson. In 2023, Baker was a two-time GAC Player of the Week, named an All-American honoree and became the first Bison linebacker to collect All-Region and All-Conference nods since Oklahoma Baptist joined the NCAA. He dominated his side of the ball, compiling a school-record 121 tackles (11.0 tackles/gm) in 11 games. Baker also also broke OBU's single-season assisted tackles record with 73 stops. As for Johnson, who stands 6-4 and checks in at 240 pounds, he ranked third on the team with 57 tackles. He also added 5.0 tackles-for-loss. The Ringling, Okla., native had one of the highlights of fall camp: stopping a running
Kenny Rosenthal at the goal line during team drills on August 17.
NEEDING A REPLACEMENT
Last season, sophomore defensive lineman
Brett Karhu had one of the best individual seasons by a Bison. He notched 11.5 sacks, an OBU D2 record, and registered 18.5 tackles-for-loss. That latter total was good for 16th in the nation. Additionally, Karhu's numbers paced the GAC, something no other Bison has ever done in the program's history. With that success, Karhu decided the test the NCAA Transfer Portal waters and ended up a Memphis Tiger. In addition to Karhu,
Ameer Johnson,
Nick Carpin,
Xavier Lott and
Jake Landers also registered multiple sacks for the Bison but either graduated or transferred.
MAXWELL TO BOOT
Sophomore
Patrick Maxwell is slotted at the top of the depth chart for kicking duties in week one. Last season, the 6-foot-4 Georgetown, Texas native registered 12 kickoffs with one touchback. He did not attempt a field goal, which went to then-freshman
Luke Watkins who made 9-of-12 attempts. Watkins had a long of 44 in 2023 and was a perfect 3-for-3 between 40-49 yards. During the fall, Watkins dealt with some sickness which catapulted Maxwell to the top of the Bison depth chart.
LAST TIME VS. ARKANSAS TECH
Last August 31st in Shawnee, the Bison jumped out to a 13-0 lead and with a late fourth-quarter field goal by Watkins, eventually won 23-21. OBU did a really good in the run game, with
EJ Moore rushing for 82 yards while
Aidan Thompson added 44 and 5.6 yards-per-carry. Defensively, the Bison allowed ATU to average a mere 1.9 YPC with a net total of 71 rushing yards. Individually,
Brett Karhu dialed up three sacks while
Brandon Spencer II had a 48-yard interception return. Also in the defensive backfield,
Chase Whitebear notched two pass break-ups. It was a real ball-control game and OBU did a better job by the end of the 60 minutes of competition. Plus, on top of Watkins' field goals, he punted six times, pinned three inside the 20-yard line and averaged 41.7 yards per punt.
SCOUTING THE WONDER BOYS
Three of the Wonder Boys' top playmakers return in 2024. Senior receiver Caleb Tanis notched team-highs with 48 catches for 533 yards and six touchdowns last season while junior tailback Deuce Wise carried 100 times for 468 yards. Plus, hybrid athlete Jordan Eddington returns after also tallying six touchdowns in 2023. Of note, the Wonder Boys do not have their top quarterback returning. Last year, Taye Gatewood passed for 2,015 yards with 13 touchdowns. Replacing him will be either Ethan Everson or Ethan Forrester, transfers from Northwestern Oklahoma State and Fort Hays State, respectively.
Defensively, ATU's top three tacklers from a season ago return. Junior safety Ben Stegall had 66.0 tackles with two interceptions while defensive lineman Vershaud Richardson posted 55 stops, 16.0 tackles-for-loss and 10.5 sacks. Additionally, Jyrin Steward registered 54.0 total tackles, 4.5 TFLs and a pair of quarterback hurries.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
The Bison are 1-3 on the road in Russellville. Their lone win came on Oct. 5, 2019 when the team poured in a 43-31 triumph. That 12-point margin of victory was OBU's biggest in the series dating back to the 2015 season as well. Overall, Arkansas Tech leads the rivalry 5-3.
