Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

ARKADELPHIA - A 21-point differential in the second half proved to be the difference on Saturday, as the No. 11 Ouachita Tigers (5-0, 3-0 GAC) stayed undefeated, dropping the visiting Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-4, 0-3 GAC) by a score of 33-12. The Tigers played their second straight game without a true starting quarterback, as Ty Towers handled quarterbacking duties. Towers played admirably though, completing 15 of his 18 pass attempts and leading the offense in a 428 yard performance.

Ouachita got things rolling quickly, as running back Chris Rycraw darted out of the backfield and scored on a 69 yard run. Unfortunately, the Tigers’ extra point attempt was blocked, but nonetheless, the Tigers held a 6-0 lead just about three minutes into the game. Rycraw’s run capped off a two-play, 77 yard drive.

The Tigers didn’t take long to stretch their lead. Ouachita’s Aaron Garrett recovered a fumble from Southwestern’s Aaron Wilson, recording a 14 yard fumble recovery and giving the Tigers the ball at the Southwestern five yard line. Following the Bulldog turnover, Towers connected with Drew White for a five yard touchdown pass. The Tigers attempted a two point conversion following the score, but were unable to cross the goal line, giving the Tigers a 12-0 lead with 11:26 left in the first quarter.

Southwestern finally got on the board with a little over four minutes left in the first quarter, marking the beginning of a 12-0 run for the Bulldogs, when Colton Rainey converted on a 25 yard field goal, making the score 12-3.

Southwestern scored their first touchdown of the game with 11:18 left in the second quarter due to a seven yard run from quarterback Dustin Stenta. Stenta’s run capped off a 12-play, 93 yard drive that ate up four minutes and eight seconds of game time. Southwestern’s Colton Rainey missed on the following PAT attempt, holding the Tiger lead at 12-9.

The Bulldogs weren’t done yet though, as they scored their second field goal of the afternoon as the half expired. Colton Rainey connected on a 30 yard field goal, marking the end of their 14-play 70 yard drive to end the first half of play. The halftime score stood at 12-12.

Ouachita came out in the second half with a chip on their shoulder, as they put it on the Bulldogs and racked up a 21-0 run and didn’t allow a single point from the opposition. Ouachita’s Peyton Tolliver was the first to score in the second half, receiving a 19 yard touchdown pass from Towers. Fowler’s kick was good, making the Tiger lead 19-12. His score was the end of an eight-play, 65 yard drive for the Tigers with 6:13 remaining in the quarter.

The rest of the third quarter expired without a score, but the Tigers notched their second touchdown of the second half with 9:12 remaining in the game. Spencer Knight found a hole in the defense and broke wide open downfield, catching a Towers pass for a 26 yard touchdown. Following the extra point conversion, the Tigers led 26-12.

The last score of the game came with 2:39 remaining, when Steven Kehner capped off a nine-play, 73 yard drive with a six yard touchdown run. Fowler’s PAT was good and the Tigers capped off their strong second half and making the score 33-12.

A huge drive for the Bulldogs looked promising, but Ouachita’s defense held strong. The Bulldogs drove 79 yards on the drive, but a fourth down conversion was not to be, as Ouachita’s Avery Lynch broke up a pass attempt from Stenta to Ryan Corbin.

Ouachita’s offense posted an unprecedented 428 yards of offense, including 274 rushing yards. Towers contributed almost half of the Tigers total offensive yardage, including 154 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He completed 15 of his 18 pass attempts during the game, but kept the defense guessing, adding 60 rushing yards. Rycraw recorded 149 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, including his 69 yard touchdown run.

Drew White led the receiving core for the Tigers, grabbing five passes for a total of 64 yards and a touchdown. Peyton Tolliver recorded six catches in the game, registering 49 yards and a touchdown.