Tigers seek first playoff victory
ARKADELPHIA - For just the second time in school history, No. 4/3 Ouachita Baptist will be hosting the second round of the NCAA playoffs when No. 12/11 University of Indianapolis rolls into town today.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Ouachita Baptist (11-0) is appearing in just their third ever NCAA playoff game. This will be the second time in school history that the Tigers have hosted the second round of the playoffs, as they look to erase the zero in the win column tomorrow afternoon. The last time Cliff Harris Stadium held a playoff game, Minnesota-Duluth ended the Tigers season with a 48-45 overtime victory.
Luckily for Ouachita Baptist, they play their best football at home. Since the start of the 2014 season, Ouachita Baptist has gone a staggering 23-5 in home games. This season, the Tigers have gone 5-0 at home and have outscored opponents 183-25 in the process. Southern Arkansas is the only team to have cracked the double-digit mark inside Cliff Harris Stadium this season.
Ouachita Baptist is 8-5 all-time against the Great Lakes Valley Conference, holding an 8-3 record over Southwest Baptist and an 0-2 record against William Jewell (1952 was the last meeting). The Tigers last played Southwest Baptist in 2009 with Ouachita Baptist prevailing 14-10. A team coached by Todd Knight has never lost to a GLVC team. Ouachita Baptist’s last loss to a GLVC team came in the 1998 season.
Indianapolis (10-1) will be coming in hot tomorrow having won 10 straight games, including a 38-27 win over No. 19 Fort Hays State in the opening round. Since Bob Bartolomeo took over the program in the 2010 season, the Greyhounds have won six GLVC titles. Over the past two seasons, Indianapolis has compiled an overall record of 21-2.
Last season, fellow Great American Conference member Harding took the Greyhounds out in the opening round.
Both offenses will showcase their rushing offenses today.
Indianapolis sophomore running back Al McKeller enters the contest as the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year. McKeller ran the ball for a team best 1,093 rushing yards and 12 scores on the season. Freshman running back Toriano Clinton turned out to be a complimentary running back to McKellar this season. Clinton rushed for 763 yards and 10 touchdowns in route to a GLVC Freshman of the Year Award. Last week, the duo rushed for 243 yards against Fort Hays State.
Not to be out done, Ouachita Baptist showcases a three-headed monster at running back led by the Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Year Kris Oliver.
The trio of Oliver, Shun'cee Thomas and Brockton Brown have
accounted for 2,164 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns this season. Throw in dual-threat quarterback and GAC Freshman of the Year Brayden Brazeal, and you have one of the most formidable rushing offenses in the nation.
Brazeal has also thrown the ball for 1,054 yards and six scores on the year. The freshman has only turned the ball over once while completing 60 percent of his passes. Brazeal's favorite targets are Allie Freeman and La'Darius McElroy. Freeman leads the team in receptions with 39 and total yards with 411, while McElroy leads the team in touchdowns with three on the season.
The Tigers have found numerous ways to score this season, and it has become clear that it is difficult to stop them in the red zone, as they boast one of the best red zone offenses in the nation, scoring on 91 percent of their opportunities.
Out of 45 chances, the Tigers have scored 34 touchdowns, opponents have scored just 16 times in the red zone this season against the Tigers lockdown defense.
So far this season, the Ouachita Baptist defense has held opponents to just 9.6 points per game, that mark ranks the Tigers No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense. The Ouachita Baptist defense also ranks in the top 10 nationally in Intercepted passes (19), red zone defense (64%), team passing efficiency defense (94.13) and turnover margin (1.73).
Former Junction City standout Keandre Evans and Airric Parker have emerged as the leaders on a stout Tiger defense.
Evans is no doubt the leader of the secondary, raking in 51 tackles, four interceptions, 13 pass breakups, a blocked kick and a touchdown.
Parker on the other hand has been one of the Tigers biggest playmakers this season, leading the team in tackles with 66, recording a pair of interceptions, five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a touchdown.
The Ouachita Baptist secondary will be put to the test when Greyhound quarterback Jake Purichia is standing behind center.
Purichia this season has thrown for 1,811 yards, 15 touchdowns and has just three interceptions on the year.
Last week, Purichia passed for 182 yards and a pair of scores against Fort Hays State.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ouachita Baptist is going to have to key in on Joe Lambright, Erik Hart and Blake Luker. Lambright leads the team in total tackles with 94 and has 58 solo stops this season. Hart on the other hand leads the team in tackles for a loss with 11 1/2 and is second on the team in sacks with 5 1/2.
Luker currently leads the secondary with 34 tackles and has a team high three interceptions on the season.
If Ouachita Baptist wins, they will host the Super Region III final next week against the winner of Northwest Missouri State and Ferris State. If Indianapolis wins however, the Greyhounds will either be the host against Northwest Missouri, or they will have to travel for a second consecutive week up to Ferris State.