ARKADELPHIA- As an athlete, you always want to go out on top, and Ouachita Baptist senior quarterback Eli Cranor did just that, earning Gulf South Conference Football Player of the Week honors in the final week of 2010, officials announced on Monday.
Cranor earns his first-ever award after leading OBU to a 52-34 victory on the road against Southern Arkansas. The senior combined for 296 total yards, running for 124 yards on 22 carries and passing for 172 yards on 15-of-16 attempts. He also ran for two touchdowns and tossed one scoring pass. The Russellville native tied the GSC single-game record for completion percentage (93.8), becoming the first player since Valdosta State’s Lance Funderburck in 1993 to accomplish the feat. Cranor’s effort also set the Ouachita Baptist single-season record for passing yards (2,570) and total offense (3,083). The yardage eclipsed former Ouachita quarterback Lance Parker’s mark of 2,475 yards passing and 2,523 yards of total offense set in 2008.
The Tigers produced 553 yards of offense and held the football for 39:01, as Cranor led the offense in converting 11-of-15 third down conversions and 1-of-1 on fourth down opportunities. More importantly, among the efficiency was a zero-turnover outing for the Tigers.
On the season, Cranor completed 204-of-338 passes for 2,570 yards and 14 touchdowns, with 513 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. In his career, Cranor completed 386-of-663 passes for 4,712 yards and 28 touchdowns, including 792 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. In all, the senior finishes with 5,504 yards of total offense and 40 touchdowns. Both career totals for passing yards and total offense rank fourth all-time in Ouachita Baptist football history.
Harding defensive end Josh Aldridge earned GSC Defensive Player of the Week honors, while Arkansas Tech’s Cody Jones was named Special Teams Player of the Week.
