ARKADELPHIA — Trying to slow down 16th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University’s offense was a big-enough task for the University of Arkansas at Monticello, but the Tigers’ defense and special teams units got into the scoring act as well.
Ouachita scored in all three phases on its way to a 49-14 win in front of 3,452 at Cliff Harris Stadium on Saturday night.
UAM (2-2 overall and Great American) dropped two in a row to perennial powers Harding University and Ouachita for the second year in a row after a 2-0 start. Against Ouachita, the Boll Weevils started all but one drive from its own 25 or behind. The two UAM drives that ended in Ouachita scores began at the 12 and 11-yard lines.
The Weevils spent the past nine days trying to get the bad taste of a 63-3 home loss to No. 1 Harding out of their mouths. But before they could score Saturday, the Tigers (4-0) had already scored on a 1-yard Kendel Givens carry and Mikey Gonzalez fumble recovery in the end zone off a strip-sack by Chance Taylor. UAM has scored only 10 points against ranked teams after averaging 36.5 points in wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
“When you’ve got opportunities, you can’t spot them 14 from a fumble and a blocked punt. That’s the frustrating part about it,” Weevils Coach Hud Jackson said. “You go into it with a game plan you feel real good about, and then you get backed up and your mind starts trying to think too much and adjust to that to try to make a play in the game. You can’t do that. Against great teams, you cannot make the mistakes we made. That cost us.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAM lost one of three fumbles while Ouachita never coughed up the ball. Ouachita converted 11 of 14 first downs, compared to UAM’s 7 of 16.
“We got them to third down a ton in the first half, and we can’t let them convert that,” Jackson said. “We talk about it all the time; you’ve got to be good on third down. We were horrible.”
Beset by six interceptions over the past two games, Brown completed 21 of 27 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns without a pick.
“We just had to execute,” Brown said. “We went back and watched film from the last time, like 16 missed opportunities to make big plays and put points on the board, so it was really executing, practicing hard and trying not to miss any opportunities this time.”
The Weevils pulled within 14-7 after Isaiah Cross shook off two defenders and scored on a 52-yard catch-and-run from Brown’s delivery. It was the Weevils’ first touchdown since their 29-point upswing at Southwestern Oklahoma State two weeks earlier. Cross caught four passes for 97 yards.
Malique Reliford recovered a blocked punt in the end zone to give Ouachita a 21-7 lead with 1:01 left in the opening quarter, evoking memories of the Tigers’ 21-0 first quarter in Monticello last year en route to a 45-25 victory.
Ouachita expanded the lead to 35-7 by halftime after Connor Flannigan’s 16-yard scoring rush and Eli Livingston’s 3-yard keeper. Livingston completed 13 of 17 passes for 156 yards and rushed nine times for 55 yards.
A 42-yard scoot by Livingston midway through the quarter was called back for a blindside block, but Flannigan scored again on a 7-yard reception from Livingston to give the Tigers a 42-7 edge.
UAM senior tight end Joshua Dixon was helped off the field after being undercut on an incomplete pass with 3:46 left in the period. Backup tight end D.J. Russell, from Dumas, hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Brown with 17 seconds left in the frame.
Ouachita backup quarterback Nate TenBarge scored on a 19-yard keeper with 5:26 left in the game to fashion the final score.
UAM was held to 0 yards on 17 first-half carries and earned 29 on 11 second-half totes. Tyler Reed carried 9 times for 23 yards.
The Weevils totaled 255 yards to the Tigers’ 385 yards. Givens rushed 19 times for 72 yards and Kee McKnight had three catches for 47 yards for the Tigers.
NEXT UP
The Weevils will take on East Central University next Saturday in Ada, Okla. Kickoff at Koi Ishto Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m., the first afternoon game of the season for UAM.
Ouachita will head to Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant for a 2 p.m. kickoff next Saturday.
Ouachita Baptist wide receiver Jeremiah Turner catches a 21-yard pass as UAM defensive back Robert Jones forces him out of bounds in the second quarter. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)