There is no doubt that when these two teams tangle under the lights 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 6 at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, records can be thrown out the window as the Ouachita Baptist University football renews its annual rivalry at Henderson State in the 82nd installment of the Coleman Dairy Battle of the Ravine.
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The game, which can be seen on Charter Sports Southeast (CSS)/CoxSports and is part of the Gulf South Conference Game of the Week, features a pair of teams coming off victories last week. In fact, Ouachita (6-3 overall, 4-3 GSC) enters the contest with a season-high four game winning streak. Meanwhile, Henderson State (5-4, 4-3) comes into the game with a 33-32 homecoming win against Harding.
Ouachita, which has scored 30-or-more points in the last four games, needed three overtimes to defeat West Alabama, 45-43, during Senior Day at A.U. Williams Field last week.
The Tigers, who remained 10th in the latest NCAA Division II Super Regional Two poll, had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Zach Wright’s 34-yard field goal attempt was blocked and West Alabama was able to run out the final 49 seconds to force overtime. Neither team put points on the board in the first overtime, but Ouachita took advantage of a West Alabama penalty in the second overtime, as John Johnson scored from 1-yard run to give OBU a 37-30 lead.
West Alabama tied the contest at 37 after scoring a touchdown and went ahead 43-37 when Dameon Baylor scored on a 2-yard run. The 2-point conversion failed, opening the door for Ouachita.
The Tigers responded in a huge way as Lance Parker connected with Julius Pruitt for a 13-yard touchdown, and then on the 2-point conversation, Parker hit Jeremy Young for the game-winning play as Ouachita celebrated its sixth victory.
Parker, who is seventh in the Gulf South Conference in passing, is 179-of-283 with 16 touchdowns, while third in passing efficiency. He is averaging 229 yards a contest. He is second in passing yards in a single season and in total offense. The Bryant, Ark., native needs just 64 yards to be the OBU All-Time Single-Season leader in passing yards, surpassing Taylor Carter’s mark of 2,123 set in 2005. He also needs 73 yards to pass Carter’s mark of 2,189 set in 2005 for total offense.
KJ Johnson, who is second in the GSC in rushing behind Arkansas-Monticello’s Scott Buisson, has carried the ball 177 times for 932 yards and is averaging 103.6 a game. He needs just one touchdown to climb into the top five in the OBU All-Time Single-Season list.
Pruitt, who is second in the GSC in receptions with 67 and third in receiving yards (866), set the single-season mark for receptions last week and is the single-season holder in receiving yards with 866, surpassing Drew Timms’ 864 yards set in 1992. He also has 2,156 yards for his four-year career, which ranks second behind Doug Freeze’s mark of 2,353.
Young, who is second in all-purpose yards with 1,385 and is averaging 153.9 a contest, is just 10 yards shy of breaking Josh Holcomb’s single-season mark for kick return yards. Young has 629 yards and Holcomb set the record in 2003.
Wright, who is second in the GSC in scoring and first in field goal percentage, is second on the All-Time OBU career list in total points with 217 and is fourth in the single-season records in points scored with 72. He did surpass a major milestone last weekend against West Alabama. The Conway, Ark., native has booted 33 extra points this season, breaking Ouachita Director of Athletics David Sharp’s mark of 30, which nearly stood for 30 years.
Terrence Garrett paces the Ouachita defense and is third in the GSC with 84 tackles. Blake Burkett is 20th with 54 tackles and Mikhail Lindsay and Jerry McNeil are 27th and 30th, respectively with 50 and 49 tackles. McNeil leads the GSC in sacks with eight for a loss of 55 yards.
Henderson State had to rally last week to topple the Bisons at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.
Gary Dancer’s safety late in the third quarter gave the Reddies a 19-17 lead. However, Harding grabbed a 32-26 lead with 7:19 remaining. But Roch Charpentier scored on a 5-yard run with 18 seconds left to lift Henderson State to a 33-32 victory.
Charpentier is second in the GSC in passing, averaging 302.1 yards a game. He is 216-of-360 for 2,719 yards. He also ranks third in the conference in total offense.
Charpentier’s big target is Garett Manning.
Manning, who became Henderson State’s career leader in receiving yards last weekend, leads the conference in receptions with 80 and receiving yards with 1,071. Greg Godfrey is another big target as he leads the GSC in all-purpose yards. Godfrey does most of his damage on special teams and has racked up 1,393 all-purpose yards, averaging 154.8 a contest.
Bernard Palmer paces the Reddies’ ground game with 168 carries for 748 yards and eight scores.
DeMarcus Robinson leads Henderson State’s defense with 65 tackles and is 12th in the GSC. Darnei Bates has 52 tackles and is 23rd, while Devon Hughes is tied for 30th with 49 tackles. Hughes leads the GSC in passes defended with 17 breakups and three interceptions. Michael Castillo is fourth in conference in sacks with six for a loss of 39 yards.
Ouachita is fourth in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 33.1 points a game, with Henderson State just one spot back, averaging 32.4 points. The Reddies (26.8) are fifth in the GSC in scoring defense, while OBU (29.0) is sixth.
Both teams will look to pass the ball as Henderson State is second in the conference in that category, averaging 318.1 yards a game thru the air, while Ouachita is seventh, averaging 244.4 The ground game could be a major difference in decision who wins the contest. The Tigers average 181.7 yards on the ground, which ranks third in the GSC. Meanwhile, Henderson State is ninth, averaging 123.8.
The biggest difference could hinge on special teams.
Wright is 33-of-35 on PATs this season and 13-of-18 on field goals, including hitting a career-long 46-yarder two weeks ago against Southwest Baptist. Henderson State’s Justin Putnam is 5-of-8 on field goals with a long of 39 yards and is 35-of-39 on extra points.
Henderson State, which has taken the previous two contests, including an 18-0 victory last season, leads the intense series, 38-37-6.
The Tigers conclude the regular season 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 6 in the Coleman Dairy Battle of the Ravine at rival Henderson State. 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/
