Ouachita Baptist football jumps to No. 14 in AFCA Poll

After a 38-14 victory over then-No. 9 Delta State at home on Saturday, Sept. 26, Ouachita Baptist University jumped to No. 14 in the recent American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Poll.
Ouachita (4-0, 3-0) remains undefeated and continues to add to the current win streak to a school-record nine consecutive games. Head Coach Todd Knight has guided the Tigers to their highest ranking since joining the Gulf South Conference in 2000.
The victory over Delta State snapped the 25-game Conference winning streak that the Statesmen compiled in the last 3.5 years of GSC play. Even more impressive, Ouachita has used a balanced attack in averaging 40.5 points per game, while only allowing 12 points per game. Senior running back Keldrick Johnson leads the GSC in rushing with 136 yards per game, while junior Eli Cranor leads the conference in passing efficiency with a 171.1 rating. Senior Jerry McNeil and sophomore Taurus Williams are both tied for the lead in sacks for all GSC defenders with 3.5 sacks per contest.
At the top of the AFCA top-25 Poll is Grand Valley St. with a 5-0 record, followed by No. 2 Abilene Christian (5-0), No. 3 GSC-member North Alabama (5-0), No. 4 Bloomsburg (5-0) and  No. 5 Central Washington (5-0). Delta State (2-2), despite having two losses and a .500 record, remains in the top-25 at No. 25. The Statesmen are the only team in the AFCA Poll with two losses and are the third GSC-member team in the poll. Valdosta State, whom the Tigers beat 24-14 on Sept. 19, received 13 votes outside the top-25 teams.
Ouachita travels to Monticello to face Arkansas-Monticello for another GSC matchup on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m.