Today’s Great American Conference games
NW OKLAHOMA STATE AT OUACHITA BAPTIST
WHEN Noon WHERE Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia RADIO Ouachita Radio Network: FM101.1, KDXE (Little Rock), FM-100.9, KESA (Eureka Springs). FM-97.1 KAMD-FM (Camden), AM-1340/FM97.9/FM-105.5 (KZNG,Hot Springs), FM-105.5 KNAS (Nashville), FM-105.3 KQOR (Mena), FM-KFTB 98. (Pine Bluff), FM-KHGG, 103.5 (Fort Smith), FM-102.1 KILX (De Queen)
INTERNET obutigers.com
RECORDS OBU (3-1, 3-1 GAC); NWOSU (0-4, 0-4)
COACHES Todd Knight: 126-97 in 22 seasons at OBU, 154-129-2 in 28 seasons overall; Matt Walter: 20-39 in 6 seasons at NWOSU
SERIES OBU leads 9-3, 7-0 in GAC
LAST WEEK Harding def. OBU 38-21; NWOSU lost to East Central (Okla.) 2017 in overtime
LAST MEETING Ouachita Baptist won 3111 in Arkadelphia in 2019
NOTEWORTHY OBU had its 30-game GAC winning streak end with its loss at Harding, but the Tigers remain ranked — No. 19 in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 and at No. 17 in the D2football.com Top 25. … OBU took the opening kickoff against Harding and drove 81 yards in 9 plays to take a 7-0 lead, but it was all Bisons from that point on. Senior RB TJ Cole (17-106 rushing) threw a 35-yard TD pass to Hayden
Waller to make it a 24-14 game early in the third quarter. … Sophomore QB
Grant Allen (10-14 passing, 88 yards, 1 TD vs. Harding) is 28 of 47 for 366 yards and 2 TDs. … NWOSU is led QB Tanner Clarkson (92-149 passing, 1,134, 7). Clarkson’s favorite targets are
Gavin Garner (22-359, 3) and Torrence Stevens (25-305, 2).
ARKANSAS TECH AT SOUTHERN NAZARENE
WHEN 1 p.m. Central WHERE SNU Football Stadium, Bethany, Okla. RADIO FM-102.3, KCJC, Russellville INTERNET arkansastechsports.com RECORD Arkansas Tech (0-4, 0-4 GAC); Southern Nazarene (0-4, 0-4)
COACHES Kyle Shipp: 3-12 in 2nd season at ATU; Dustin Hada: 0-4 in 1st season at Southern Nazarene
SERIES ATU leads 6-1
LAST WEEK ATU lost to Arkansas-Monticello 27-20; Southern Nazarene lost to SE Oklahoma 31-10
LAST MEETING Southern Nazarene def. ATU 41-24 in Bethany, Okla., in 2019. NOTEWORTHY Tech QB Jack Lindsey
(570 passing, 174 rushing) is coming off his best statistical game (247 yards total offense) in the loss to UAM. He threw one interception, and it was a costly one. The Wonder Boys were at the UAM 12 trailing by 7 late in the fourth quarter when
Greg Hooks intercepted Lindsey and returned it 77 yards for a game-clinching touchdown. … The Wonder Boys are averaging 18.5 points on offense but are yielding 29 points per game. Tech’s four opponents are a combined 12-4 on the season. … Senior Caleb Batie (62-189, 2) is ATU’s leading rusher. Third-year freshman WR Joyrian Chase (14-147, 1) has caught 11 passes the past two games. … SNU outgained undefeated Southeastern Oklahoma 393-257 last week. The Crimson Storm are last in the GAC in total offense (259.8 ypg) and scoring (12.2 ppg). QB Jarvis Davis (581 yards total offense) has passed for 422 and rushed for 159.
HARDING AT OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
WHEN 2 p.m. Central WHERE Crain Family Stadium, Shawnee, Okla. RADIO FM-95.3, KVHU, Searcy INTERNET hardingsports.com RECORDS Harding (3-1 3-1 GAC); Harding (2-1, 2-1)
COACHES Paul Simmons: 33-10 in 4 seasons at Harding; Chris Jensen: 33-48 in 8 seasons at OKBU
SERIES Harding leads 5-0 LAST WEEK Harding def. Ouachita Baptist 38-21; OKBU def. Southwestern Oklahoma 31-27
LAST MEETING Harding def. Oklahoma Baptist 50-33 in 2019 at Shawnee, Okla. NOTEWORTHY This is a matchup of distinctly contrasting styles, with Harding ranking No. 1 of 163 Division II teams in rushing (387.2 ypg), while Oklahoma Baptist (305.8 ypg) is second in the GAC and 18 in Division II in passing. OKBU senior QB Preston Haire has thrown for 1,210 yards and is completing 67.9 percent of his passes. He has thrown more TD passes (14) than Harding QB Preston
Paden (5-13, 103, 1 TD) has attempted. Harding has 7 RBs with at least 90 net yards, led by the GAC’s all-time leading rusher Cole Chancey (4,089 rushing, 49 TDs in his career). OKBU has 2 of the GAC’s top 4 receivers with Keihlan Harris (41-470, 7) and Josh Cornell (26-308, 3). RB Tyler Stuever, the GAC’s offensive player of the week, has rushed 90 times for 529 yards and gives OKBU a balance on offense that Harding does not possess.
HENDERSON STATE AT SE OKLAHOMA STATE
WHEN 2 p.m. Central WHERE Paul Laird Field, Durant, Okla. RADIO Henderson State: Network 1 Sports FM-KYXK, FM-KVRC, FM-KDEL INTERNET hsusports.com RECORDS Henderson State (4-0, 4-0 GAC); SEOSU (4-0, 4-0)
COACHES Scott Maxfield: 111-57 in 16 seasons at Henderson State, 140-68 in 20 seasons overall; Tyler Fenwick: 5-10 in 2 seasons at SEO, 42-39 in 8 seasons overall
SERIES Henderson State leads 24-6, and is 9-0 vs. SEO in GAC play
LAST WEEK Henderson State def. Southern Arkansas 56-49; SEO def. Southern Nazarene 31-10
LAST MEETING Henderson State def. SE Oklahoma 41-27 in 2019 in Durant, Okla.
NOTEWORTHY The winner of this matchup will sit alone atop the GAC standings with a 5-0 record. … Henderson, No. 13 in the latest AFCA Top 25 poll, leads Division II in scoring (50.0 ppg) and is second in total offense (528.2 ypg). The Reddies lead the GAC in turnover margin (+1.25), turnovers gained (12), are No. 2 in the GAC and Division II in first downs (118) and rank No. 1 in the GAC and No. 2 in Division II in Red Zone scoring. Kicker Temo Martinez was named the GAC Special Teams Player of the Week after making 8 of 8 extra points and hitting a pooch kickoff that the Reddies recovered during a 35-point second quarter against Southern Arkansas. … SEO is led by QB Daulton Hatley (984 passing, 8 TDs, 2 INTs), WR Braxton Kincade (17-211, 4) and RB CJ Shavers (44-283 rushing, 1 TD).
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS AT EAST CENTRAL (OKLA.)
WHEN 2 p.m. Central WHERE Koi Ishto Stadium in Ada, Okla RADIO FM-99.1 KVMZ, Magnolia RECORDS SAU (2-2, 2-2 GAC); ECOU (3-1, 3-1)
COACHES Mike McCarty: 2-2 in 1 season at SAU; Al Johnson: (9-17) in 3 seasons at ECU SERIES SAU leads 14-7, 7-2 in GAC LAST WEEK Southern Arkansas lost to Henderson State 56-49; ECU def. NWOSU 20-17 in OT
LAST MEETING SAU def ECU 24-23 at Ada, Okla., in 2019.
NOTEWORTHY SAU gained 577 yards and intercepted 4 Henderson State passes, but the Muleriders had 4 turnovers of their own in a loss to the Reddies. The Muleriders also lost possession of a pooch kick that allowed Henderson State to complete a 35-point second quarter. Senior QB Hayden Mallory
(1,084 passing, 12 TDs, 5 INTs) leads an offense that is averaging 33.2 points and 438.2 yards per game. Freshman
Jariq Scales (88-544, 4) leads the GAC in rushing and WR Micah Small (35389 receiving, 6) is third in the GAC in catches and receiving yards. … ECU is 11th of 12 GAC teams in scoring (18.2 ppg), 12th of 12 in time of possession (26:03) but is second in the GAC in scoring defense (17 ppg) and total defense (310.0 ypg). The. Tigers’ offense revolves around QB Kenny Hrncir (716 passing, 6 TDs) and RB Ontario Douglas (391 rushing, 2 TDs).
SW OKLAHOMA STATE AT ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO
WHEN 2 p.m. WHERE Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium
RADIO 93.7-FM KHBM, Monticello INTERNET uamsports.com
RECORDS UAM (2-2, 2-2 GAC); SWOSU (0-4, 0-4)
COACHES Hud Jackson: 36-67 in 10 seasons at UAM; Chet Pobolish: 6-20 in 3 seasons at SWOSU
SERIES SWOSU leads 5-4
LAST WEEK UAM def. Arkansas Tech 27-20; SWOSU lost to Oklahoma Baptist 31-27
LAST MEETING UAM def. SWOSU 41-9 in 2019 in Monticello
NOTEWORTHY Freshman DB Gregg Hooks of Osceola intercepted an Arkansas Tech pass and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown with 3:28 to play last Saturday to secure victory for the Boll Weevils. UAM won despite committing 16 penalties for 152 yards. The Boll Weevils did it behind the play of dual-threat QB Demilon Brown, who passed for 161 yards and rushed for 113 yards and 2 TDs. Brown, a sophomore from Rivercrest, is fourth in the GAC in total offense (295.0 ypg). He has rushed for 5 scores and thrown 6 TD passes. SWOSU QB Tanner Griffin (1,007 passing, 8 TDs) is 4th the GAC in passing yards but did not play in last week’s 31-27 loss to Oklahoma Baptist in Weatherford, Okla. Griffin’s replacement, Jalil Kilpatrick, passed for 229 yards and 3 TDs and rushed for a touchdown. Kirkpatrick is a transfer from Indiana State. … SWOSU is winless, but the Bulldogs have lost to four teams with a combined record of 13-3 in the GAC.