OBU plans for home football playoff game
ARKADELPHIA — Ouachita Baptist earned a bye this week in the first round of the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs as the Tigers will next be at home on Nov. 24 in the second round.
Ouachita (11-0), the Great American Conference champion, was ranked No. 2 in each of the first three weeks of the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 rankings. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion Ferris State (11-0), in Big Rapids, Mich., was ranked No. 1 each week.
The Tigers leapfrogged the Bulldogs with a 38-10 win on Saturday in the 92nd edition of the Battle of the Ravine against Henderson State (5-6) at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium and Ruggles Field. The win evened the historical series, 43-43-6.
Ferris State closed the regular season Saturday with a 47-6 win over Great Lakes Valley Conference member William Jewell (1-8, 1-6). Super Region 3 features 41 teams from the GAC, GLIAC, GLVC and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
The top seven teams in the region qualified for the playoffs. Ouachita earned a bye as the region’s top seed.
Ferris State, as the No. 2 seed, will next host Harding (9-2) on Saturday in one of three Super Region 3 quarterfinals. The Bisons closed out the regular season Saturday with a 28-0 shutout of Arkansas Tech (3-8).
Harding entered the weekend as the No. 8 team in the region. The No. 7 team, Southern Arkansas (83) lost, 20-17, against rival Arkansas-Monticello (6-5).
Ouachita is ranked No. 4 in Division II by both the American Football Coaches Association and D2Football.com. Ferris State is ranked No. 2 in both polls.
The winner between Ferris State and Harding will meet Grand Valley State (10-1) or Northwest Missouri State (9-2). Ouachita will host either Indianapolis (9-1) or Fort Hays State (9-2) in the regional semifinals on Nov. 24.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Cliff Harris Stadium.
Ouachita announced Monday season ticket holders will be able to purchase their current seats through Friday. Season ticket holders are encouraged to email Athletic Director David Sharp at sharpd@obu.edu or call 870-245-5182.
After Friday, those seats will be released for public sale. Current Ouachita students will receive complimentary admission to the game by showing their university identification at the gate on game day.
Premium reserved tickets are $20 each, bench reserved tickets are $15, general admission is $8 and students in grades 12 and lower can enter for $5. K-12 students tickets will only be available for purchase on game day.
Advance purchase tickets for bench reserved seats and general admission are available online. They will be made available at the will call window on game day.
Premium reserved tickets will not be available for purchase online. Stadium lot parking passes will be honored for the playoff game.
Grand Valley State is ranked No. 8 by both the AFCA and D2Football.com. Indianapolis is ranked No. 12 by AFCA, Northwest Missouri State is No. 19, Fort Hays is No. 22 and Harding is No. 25. D2Football.com’s poll has Indianapolis 11th, Northwest Missouri 14th, Fort Hays 17th and Harding 21st.