Muleriders struggle before putting away Rangers
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS 27, NW OKLAHOMA STATE 14
MAGNOLIA — It counts as a victory, and Southern Arkansas University Coach Bill Keopple won’t give it back even if his 21st-ranked Muleriders played in fits and bursts before putting away Northwestern Oklahoma State 27-14 on Saturday night at Wilkins Stadium.
The Muleriders put the game in a 13-point comfort zone with less than four minutes to play, but it was anything but comfortable before then.
“We got a win, an ugly win, and we got out of there,” Keopple said. “It’s just as important as those good-looking wins we had over Harding and Tech.”
SAU (4-0) failed to score on 4 of its 8 trips inside the Rangers’ 20-yard line. Senior quarterback Barrett Renner threw 2 interceptions; an 18yard field goal was missed; another short field-goal attempt was botched after a high snap; and a potential touchdown pass bounced off the helmet of tight end Dalton Wright.
“Things weren’t clicking on offense,” said Keopple, noting the Muleriders tried to counter the Rangers’ defensive scheme of taking away the four inside gaps. “Our answers weren’t good enough.”
It was a good thing the Muleriders’ defense came to play.
“The defense bailed us out,” Keopple said.
Two plays stood out with SAU clinging to a 20-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
True freshman safety Brock Floyd, lagging back on a first-and-20 situation for the Rangers at their 36, baited quarterback Isaiah Weed into throwing into double coverage. Floyd intercepted and returned the ball to the Rangers’ 25.
A chop-block penalty moved it back to the Rangers’ 40, but Lorenzo Alexander (16-82 rushing) broke a 40yard touchdown run — the Muleriders’ longest offensive play of the game — with 3:47 to play in the fourth quarter for a 27-14 lead.
SAU dominated the statistics, outgaining NWOSU 342-254 with an 18-9 advantage in first downs, and controlled the ball for more than 36 minutes.
But the Muleriders could not put the Rangers (1-3) away.
SAU left the door ajar for NWOSU one final time when it couldn’t convert on first and goal from the Rangers’ 2 with 8:00 to play.
Linebacker Malik Preston set up the Muleriders when he sacked Weed, forced a fumble and recovered the ball in front of the Rangers’ goal line.
But three SAU plays netted only 1 yard, and Austin Wilkerson’s 18-yard field goal attempt slipped wide right with 6:36 to play and the Rangers were given renewed hope.
SAU caught a break moments before Preston’s big play.
NWOSU had a first down at its 6 with 9:15 to play when Tyson Gatewood (11-90 rushing, 1 TD) broke free for an apparent 94-yard touchdown run that would have tied the game. But a yellow flag thrown at the Rangers’ 5 negated the score, putting the ball back on the NWOSU 3. Preston’s sack, strip and recovery followed on the next play.
Preston said it was a break they had to capitalize on.
“It was big to get a penalty on that play and to get a stop right there,” said Preston, praising the blitz call from the sideline. “It just really set us up, a second chance.”
SAU led 20-7 after Wilkerson’s 22-yard field goal with 12:31 to play.
The Rangers got back in the game at the 11:46 mark when Weed (9-of-23 passing, 151 yards) connected with Gavin Garner for a 74-yard touchdown on a tipped ball.
Garner (4-127, 1 TD) accounted for all but 24 of the Rangers’ receiving yards.
OUACHITA BAPTIST 42, EAST CENTRAL (OKLA.) 0
ARKADELPHIA — Brockton Brown rushed for three touchdowns and Ouachita Baptist held East Central (Okla.) to 148 yards of total offense in a shutout victory at A.U. Williams Field.
Brown scored on runs of 6, 4 and 35 yards, finishing with 64 yards on 11 attempts. Ouachita rolled up 343 rushing yards and all six of the Tigers’ touchdowns came via the run.
Kris Oliver led Ouachita (4-0, 4-0) with 76 yards on six carries. He also led the team in receiving, catching one pass for 33 yards.
Brayden Brazeal completed 8 of 10 passes for 68 yards and he scored on a 17-yard TD run. Allie Freeman caught a team-high four passes for 27 yards.
Ouachita scored 21 second-quarter points to put the game away.
Shun’cee Thomas scored on a 1-yard run with 32 seconds left before halftime to give Ouachita Baptist a 28-0 halftime lead.
T.J. Cole added a 29-yard TD run. Jonathan Harris and Jon Johnson each intercepted a pass for Ouachita.
East Central was limited to 82 yards on the ground and eight first downs.
HARDING 56, OKLAHOMA BAPTIST 7
SEARCY — Tristan Tucker, Cole Chancey and Preston Paden all rushed for 100 yards or more as Harding mauled Oklahoma Baptist at First Security Stadium.
Harding (3-1, 3-1) racked up 508 yards of total offense, 457 of which came on the ground as the Bisons jumped out to a 35-7 halftime advantage.
Paden ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. Paden ran 13 times for 100 yards, scoring on runs of 11 and 53 yards. His lone completed pass went for a 51-yard TD to Taylor Bissell.
Tucker ran for a game-high 119 yards on only six carries. His TD run went for 48 yards. Chancey ran 11 times for 118 yards, scoring on runs of 5 and 25 yards.
Harding also picked up fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 9 yards by Romar Reades and 36 yards by Dakota Endsley.
V’Onte Williams intercepted a pass for Harding. Sam Blankenship led the Bisons in tackles with 8. Blankenship also had one sack.
ARKANSAS TECH 24, SOUTHERN NAZARENE 10
RUSSELLVILLE — Bryan Allen rushed for 175 yards on 33 carries and the Wonder Boys rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit to down the Crimson Storm at Thone Stadium.
Allen’s 6-yard run with 12:20 remaining put Tech on top for good.
Held to 141 yards of total offense in the first half, the Wonder Boys (2-2, 2-2) finished with a 377-116 advantage in total yards.
Tanner Gaines scored twice on runs of 2 and 1 yards. He finished with 26 yards on eight carries.
Carter Burcham completed 10 of 19 passes for 137 yards. Terrez Hampton had a team-high four catches for 59 yards.
Trailing 10-0 at the half, Tech got its first touchdown with 2:02 left in the third quarter on a 2-yard run by Gaines. Tech’s second touchdown came after Andrew Craig forced a fumble that D.J. Williams recovered on the Southern Nazarene 22.
A 21-yard pass from Burcham to Hampton set up Allen’s TD run that gave Tech a 14-10 lead.
Gaines added his second touchdown with 6:27 to play and Carson French capped the scoring with a 45-yard field goal with :55 remaining.
SW OKLAHOMA STATE 35, HENDERSON STATE 31
ARKADELPHIA — Casey Freeman hit J.R. Omigie for a 15-yard touchdown with 28 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a victory over the Reddies at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.
Freeman, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 377 yards, drove Southwestern Oklahoma 80 yards on seven plays in 1:00 on the winning drive. The Bulldogs finished with 492 yards of total offense. Henderson State (1-3, 1-3) compiled 449 yards of offense.
Henderson quarterback Richard Stammetti completed 34 of 55 passes for 365 yards. He tossed touchdown passes of 52 yards to John Murray, 18 yards to Ben Johnson and 6 yards to Doug Johnson, whose catch gave Henderson a 31-28 lead with 5:32 to play.
Ben Johnson hauled in 11 passes for 126 yards. Murray’s 9 receptions resulted in a team-high 135 yards.
Omigie led all receivers with eight catches for 219 yards.
Henderson was held to 84 yards on the ground. Cobra Jones led the Reddies in rushing with 76 yards on 13 carries.
Henderson led 24-14 at the half.
SE OKLAHOMA STATE 21, ARK.-MONTICELLO 7
MONTICELLO — Southeastern Oklahoma limited Arkansas-Monticello to 195 yards of total offense on its way to a victory over the Boll Weevils at Cotton Boll Stadium.
UAM (1-3, 1-3) was held scoreless until the 10:41 mark of the fourth quarter when Cole Sears tossed a 15-yard TD pass to Jeremy Hampton to account for the final score.
The Boll Weevils managed only 79 yards on 36 rushing attempts. Sears completed 17 of 30 passes for 116 yards. Sears was also the team’s leading rusher with 24 yards on 12 carries.
Arkansas-Monticello was only 3 of 17 on third-down conversions and averaged only 2.9 yards per play.
Southeastern Oklahoma totaled only 232 yards but came up with scoring drives of 55 and 84 yards in the first half to take a 14-0 lead. The Savage Storm’s final touchdown was set up by a blocked punt by Maalik Hall and recovered by Luke Craddock on the UAM 1.
UAM’s scoring drive went for 75 yards on seven plays.