It has been another exciting week at Ouachita Baptist University after the Tiger football team rallied from as many as 13 points in the first half last week to defeat Southwest Baptist, 47-45, to get their fifth victory of the season.
Ouachita can take another big step Saturday against West Alabama during Senior Day at A.U. Williams Field in a Gulf South Conference contest.
Both teams enter the game having won their last games. Ouachita (5-3 overall, 3-3 GSC) outlasted Southwest Baptist on the road and West Alabama (4-5, 2-4) routed West Georgia during its homecoming game, 48-10.
The Tigers, who are ranked in the NCAA Division II Super Regional Two rankings for the first time in school history, continue to mix a solid a running game with a strong passing attack. That combination was one of the main reasons Ouachita was able to defeat Southwest Baptist.
Lance Parker, who moved to second all-time in the OBU career record books in passing yards with 5,175, was 36-of-40 for 335 yards and three scores against the Bearcats. He completed 25 of those passes to Jeremy Young (14 receptions for 158 yards) and Julius Pruitt (11 for 102 yards). Meanwhile, KJ Johnson, the Gulf South Conference leading rushing among running backs, had 28 carries for 154 yards.
Johnson, who is averaging 98 yards a game, is just second in the conference in rushing among quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers with 146 carries for 783 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is second in the GSC behind North Alabama’s Mike McLendon in scoring touchdowns with 10, averaging 7.5 points a contest.
Despite being seventh in the conference in passing, Parker is 152-of-243 with 15 touchdowns. He ranked third in the GSC in pass efficiency with a 138.
Pruitt and Young continue to be one of the dominate wide receiving pairs in the conference. Pruitt, who is third in the all-time OBU career record books in receiving yards with 1,976, is first in the OBU record books in career receptions with 151. He is also second on the all-time single-season reception list with two games remaining. The senior from Newport, Ark., has caught 57 passes this season for 686 yards to lead the GSC.
Meanwhile, Young is sixth in receptions with 49 for 552 yards. However, the junior from San Diego, Calif., is 10th in the GSC in receiving yards, but leads the conference in all-purpose yards with 1,290 and is averaging 161.2 a game. He is third when it comes to kick returns, averaging 23.2 a return.
Defensively, Terrence Garret is third in the GSC in tackles with 71. Blake Burkett is 18th with 48 and Mikhail Lindsay is 29th with 44. Jerry McNeil leads the conference in sacks with seven for a loss of 47 yards. Bryan Church is tied for fifth in that category with four for a loss of 38 yards.
McNeil, who is fourth in forced fumbles, and Garrett are among the GSC leaders in tackles for loss.
Kicker Zach Wright is sixth in the conference in scoring with 59 points and fourth among kickers by averaging 7.4 points a game. The native of Conway, Ark., is third in field goals as he is 10-of-13 on the season with his career long of 46 yards coming last weekend against Southwest Baptist.
West Alabama, which posted 467 yards on the ground last weekend against West Georgia, set a single-season school mark in that category. Quarterback Terry Allen led the team in rushing with 176 yards and his total is the most by a West Alabama signal caller in school history and ranks fourth all-time in school history. Dameon Baylor also reached the century mark in rushing against the Wolves, recording 146 yards on the ground.
Much like Ouachita, West Alabama has a talented kicker in Mitch Warfield.
Warfield became the all-time leader scorer in West Alabama history with 172 career points.
Ouachita will recognize and honor 14 seniors – Eric Butler, Tyler Butler, Frank Espy, John Johnson, Chris McAlpine, Robert McKee, Josh Mills, Jerrad Nutt, Parker, Jimmy Pinkney, Pruitt, Bob Ruffing, Antwon Thompson and Wright — prior to the start of the game. Also Ouachita will honor five former athletes who will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame – Travis Jackson, Jim Dann, Doug Freeze, W.I. “Bill” Walton and John Floyd.
The Tigers conclude the home portion of the schedule with Senior Day 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 1 against West Alabama as Ouachita will also honor five former athletes, who will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, at A.U. Williams Field. The game can be heard on the Ouachita Football Network through the following stations: Arkadelphia (KYXK-FM 106.9); Hot Springs (KBHS-AM 1420); Magnolia (KVMA-AM 630); El Dorado (KELD-FM 106.5); Nashville (KNAS-FM 105.5); Mena (KQOR-FM 105.3) or on the web at: mms://rain.obu.edu/tigerathletics/
