Moments after his Boll Weevils ground out a last-minute win over Oklahoma Baptist, University of Arkansas at Monticello football Coach Hud Jackson couldn’t be found anywhere near Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium.
Contrary to rumors of health-related reasons, Jackson said he wanted to take in the 24-20 victory privately with his wife, adding he is perfectly healthy.
“There was a moment at the end of the game (when I was) very emotional, so much going on,” Jackson explained. “I’ll just be honest with you, as a 56-year-old man, you think about a lot of things. You’re grateful for a lot of things and a lot of those moments. I lost my mother in 2018 and my father in ’21, two very important people to me. All I do is think about their memory. In that moment, at the end of the game, I remember I said, ‘Mom and Dad, I never ask God to help me win a game. I just ask Him to help me handle situations that come into my life, but I’m asking you two guys to help win this game. They did. They came through for me, so it was emotional.”
Jackson and his staff also asked sophomore quarterback Buddy Taylor to give the Weevils — who trailed 17-3 with 11:55 left in the third quarter — a much-needed spark to come from behind. Taylor delivered with two rushing touchdowns, the last a 27-yard carry in which he rode a big push from his teammates within the 5-yard line, to go ahead with 34 seconds remaining.
When all was done, Jackson left the postgame questions to his coordinators, Steve Wright on defense and Josh Qualls on offense.
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“There are two things that I get the most comfort from, that’s my faith in God and my beautiful wife,” Jackson said. “In that moment, I wanted to be with her. I sort of snuck around the building. It was just emotional. I didn’t want anybody to see me be that emotional. I’m not ashamed of it, but it was an emotional moment.”
Wins have been hard to come by for UAM since its move from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics to NCAA Division II in 1995, a reason Jackson cited for the enormity of last weekend’s feat. The Weevils have never been championship contenders in either the Gulf South Conference (before 2011) or Great American Conference, but the win kept alive hopes of just the program’s sixth winning regular season in 31 years.
“That purpose intensifies the longer you’re here,” said Jackson, winding down his 14th season in Monticello. “I’m not saying that’s the win that really pushes UAM, but in the past we might not have won that game. I felt like this program has got fight in it. In my personal opinion, that fight is going to get us to be more competitive in the future. I mean that in a way that all the facilities we are building, the renovations we are doing, what the future holds in that department, as well … all of that comes down to that game, and in that game, our kids fought.”
UAM (4-5 overall and Great American) improved to 3-2 at Leslie Cotton Boll. Now the Weevils return to Oklahoma, where they earned their only road victory of the season nearly two months ago in comeback fashion, no less, and take on a Southern Nazarene team that knows a thing or two about massive upsets.
Kickoff at SNU Stadium in Bethany is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Crimson Storm (1-8) found an improbable time to pick up their first win of the season, shocking then-No. 3 Ouachita Baptist 18-17 in Arkadelphia on Oct. 31. Ouachita had beaten then-No. 1 and defending national champion Harding two weeks earlier.
Kameron Van Prooyen converted 4 of 4 field goals, and Bryson Evans — who has thrown for 813 yards this season — completed an 11-yard pass to Dalen Smith with 24 seconds left.
How do the Weevils avoid a similar fate and build on an emotional high by calming the Crimson Storm?
“They’re very disciplined. They’re going to be very well coached. Their players are going to do exactly what is told of them,” Jackson said. “I’m sure they’re really good at film study. I’m sure they understand tendencies in all three aspects of football. … They’re not undisciplined because undisciplined teams are the ones who get beat. These guys are 1 and 8; I get it. But when it gets to be a matchup of the physicality aspect, that might catch up with them. These guys play extremely hard.”
Southern Nazarene has been outgained 404.8-246.2 in total yards but offensively tries to make defenses undisciplined with shifts and motions to throw off reads, Jackson said.
Regarding UAM’s offense, Jackson stated regular starter Demilon Brown and Taylor will see playing time against SNU, but he stopped short of saying who would start.
“Demilon Brown, I’m loyal to that young man,” Jackson said of the sixth-year signal caller from Rivercrest High School, the team’s leading passer (1,253 yards, 5 touchdowns) and rusher (526 yards, 6 touchdowns). “He’s loyal to this program and has been. Making that change and putting Buddy in the game and giving Buddy a shot and putting a little energy into the offense, that was a tough decision. That was a tough decision for any coach.”
Brown handled the change in an “unbelievable” manner, Jackson remarked, adding he and Taylor genuinely care about each other.
“Demilon Brown is a great leader and great friend,” Taylor said last Saturday. “In meetings, we’re talking. When he comes to the sideline, I tell him what I see and he tells me what he sees. It’s always a good communication between each other. He always helps uplift me if I miss a read or something. He always tells me to keep my head and get the next play going.”
Taylor has thrown for 203 yards on 15-of-29 passing with 3 interceptions in 6 games. Brown has completed 124 of 215 with 13 picks in 9 games.
The quandary, Jackson noted, makes for a “beautiful thing” to occur.
“Whatever decision I make is going to be the best for this team,” Jackson said.
Great American Conference
Football standings
Ouachita Baptist: 8-1
Harding: 8-1
Henderson State: 7-2
Southern Arkansas: 7-2
SE Oklahoma State: 5-4
Arkansas Tech: 4-5
UA-Monticello: 4-5
East Central: 4-5
NW Oklahoma State: 2-7
Oklahoma Baptist: 2-7
SW Oklahoma State: 2-7
Southern Nazarene: 1-8
Week 9 scores
Southern Nazarene 18, Ouachita Baptist 17
Harding 56, SE Oklahoma State 14
Southern Arkansas 48, SW Oklahoma State 14
East Central 23, Arkansas Tech 13
UA-Monticello 24, Oklahoma Baptist 20
Henderson State 44, NW Oklahoma State 10
Saturday’s games
SW Oklahoma State at Henderson State, 1 p.m.
Arkansas Tech at SE Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.
UA-Monticello at Southern Nazarene, 2 p.m.
Harding at East Central, 2 p.m.
Ouachita Baptist at Oklahoma Baptist, 2 p.m.
NW Oklahoma State at Southern Arkansas, 2 p.m.