The Ouachita Tigers not only had a winning season, but they won seven games and beat rival Henderson State in dramatic fashion last Thursday.
The Tigers were able to come away with a 43-36 win that many are calling one of the best Battles of the Ravine games ever.
[podcast]https://www.obusignal.com/podcasts/postseason.mp3[/podcast]
It was a back-and-forth game marked by big plays from both offenses — for Ouachita it was the Lance Parker to Julio Pruitt connection.
Pruitt finished the game with 10 receptions for 250 yards and four touchdowns, but it was the defense that came up with the big plays in the end for the Tigers.
Jamerson Tolbert intercepted a pass in the back of the end zone on a potential game-tying drive for the Reddies, and then Denzell Brown intercepted the Hail Mary attempt from Henderson on the last play of the game to give Ouachita the win.
It was considered a successful year in the eyes of Ouachita Head Coach Todd Knight.
“Wrapping up the season, we were able to attain a lot of the goals we had set,” Knight said, “and that is fun to look back and see what we wanted to do and we accomplished a lot of those things. It says a lot about our seniors and our coaching staff.”
“It [the season] was great,” said red-shirt sophomore Eli Cranor. “Morale was way up, practices became much more fun and the season just seemed to fly by.”
Cranor also added, “To achieve our winning record we set up team goals last spring. We followed these goals. They became our mantra, and by the end of the season we had achieved, most of our goals. However there were still goals left unreached, and that gives us something to work for next year.”
The seniors who helped lead this team will be missed.
“Those guys were difference makers, even guys who did not get a lot of snaps were difference makers in their leadership and what they brought to the team,” Knight said.
The Tigers had an up and down start to the beginning of the year dominating their first two opponents, Fort Lewis and West Georgia, but then dropping their next three to nationally-ranked Valdosta State, Delta State and University of Arkansas at Monticello.
The Tigers, however, came back strong winning their last five against Harding, Southern Arkansas, Southwest Baptist, West Alabama and Henderson.
“There was a lot to overcome because we went back-to-back to Valdosta and Delta State, and that was really tough,” Knight said. “So we kind of had a worn out football team at mid season, but these guys really had their mind made up that they could have a good year, they were going to make plays and get our program where it needed to be. They just had that mind set, and they made it happen.”
The Tigers were able to go 5-3 in a tough conference. North Alabama, Valdosta State and Delta State all made it to the playoffs.
Valdosta is the defending national champion.
“I don’t think there is any other conference that has three playoff teams and almost had four with us, in the country,” Knight said. “From top to bottom our conference is as good as there is anywhere in the nation.”
The Tigers will begin their off-season drills in the coming weeks, and Knight is encouraged by what he sees.
The freshman and sophomore classes are the biggest the Tigers have had.
Knight said it is always hard to replace a good senior class, but he is encouraged by the youth of the football team.
The Tigers have numerous young players contributing on both sides of the ball, headlined by Jerry McNeil, the Gulf South Conference sack leader with 10, Terrance Garrett who had 91 tackles, Bryan Church who had 11 quarterback hurries and Tolbert who had four interceptions on defense.
On offense the Gulf South leading rusher among running backs, K.J. Johnson, returns. Johnson was just four yards short of 1,000 yards.
Receiver Jeremy Young also returns. Young had 61 receptions for 686 yards and six touchdowns last year as well as 713 yards on kick returns.
Kyle Barnard and David Hollis return to anchor the offensive line.
That depth allows the Tigers to go into spring practice two deep at every position, something that is a plus for a team that has oftentimes not had enough to run proper spring drills.
“We are looking forward to a great spring, with more numbers and great players than we have ever had,” Cranor said. “The upcoming year should be another promising year. We have the same schedule, and a ton of guys coming back. It’s one thing to have a great year, but it’s another thing to establish a winning tradition, and that is what we plan to do over the next few years.”
Before all that begins, there is still a little time to savor the great year produced by the 2008 version of the Ouachita Tigers.
“It’s been a good year. We really appreciate the students,” Knight said. “Man, the way they came out at Henderson made it great. Our band, our cheerleaders and our administration worked hard to make it a great year.”
“This season laid the foundation,” Cranor said. “It showed all the young guys how to win and what it takes to win. With that said, it is what it is, and we have to build on the foundation that was laid this year. We are taking this season as our first step to becoming a major team in the GSC and in all of D2 football.”
