the
VOLUME 130, ISSUE 1
SIGNAL
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F O U A C H I TA B A P T I S T U N I V E R S I T Y
CONTENTS PAGE 2 | WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM
COVER STORY.............................3 NEWS......................................4-5 ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT...............6 OPINIONS................................... 7 SPORTS......................................8
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Sara Patterson
SIGNAL
MacKenzie Hall
Langley Leverett
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
NEWS EDITOR
Wyatt Ashlock
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT & OPINIONS EDITOR
Dr. Jeff Root Adviser
Ryan York
SPORTS EDITOR
COPY EDITOR
Valeria Gomez SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Dr. Deborah Root Adviser
Caroline Derby
AD COORDINATOR
Abby Blankenship PHOTO EDITOR
Levi Dade
PHOTO EDITOR
Jackson Carter Online Adviser
Ouachita Baptist University Office: Evans Student Center Email: signal@obu.edu Phone: (870) 245-5210 The Signal is the student newspaper of Ouachita Baptist University, and is published twice a month on Thursdays during the fall and spring semesters when school is in session. The newspaper is distributed free of charge; 1,200 copies are placed in more than 20 locations across campus. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the newspaper staff or university. The Signal is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press and is printed by the Nashville Leader. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Letters to the editor are encouraged and accepted, unless libelous, irresponsible or obscene. Letters should be typed and include a signature and contact phone number, and must be less than 500 words. The Signal reserves the right to edit letters for space and style. Letters should be sent via campus mail to Box 3761 or via email to signal@obu.edu.
COVER STORY WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM | PAGE 3
Anderson shares gospel with Mission of Hope BY JULIA SHANDS Staff Writer
Junior Christian studies major Emma Anderson was in the middle of her freshman year when she fervently began to pray about her unknown summer plans. She did not exactly know what to do with her summer, but she knew that her heart was set on mission work. She reached out to her discipleship group leader, Paige Fett, who recommended that she apply to Mission of Hope, an organization that seeks to bring life transformation to the people of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Key West. Fett worked with the organization in the Summer of 2019 and had a great experience. That conversation was enough to convince Anderson to sign up for a summer abroad, expectant that the Lord would place her where she needed to be. Mission of Hope assigned Anderson to the Dominican Republic for the summer of 2020, which was later postponed until the summer of 2021 due to COVID-19. Although her internship was delayed, the year-long waiting period only heightened Anderson’s excitement to make memories and touch lives in a new environment. Anderson left for the Dominican Republic in June. While there, she was in charge of leading church groups in various activities and making sure they got to their work sites safely. “I was the person that went to the airport and picked up the church groups and took them to all of their project locations throughout the week,” Anderson said. “On VBS weeks, we would work with a pastor in the community and host around 100 kids. We would do stations like crafts, health (we taught them how to brush their teeth and wash their
On the cover: Anderson served on “Team Hope” as she ministered in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Key West with Mission of Hope. (photo by Levi Dade) On this page: Anderson and coworkers spend free time together. Anderson says she will miss the relationships she built with her coworkers and the locals (photo courtesy of Emma Anderson)
hands) and then we would play games to build relationships with them through jump rope, chalk, soccer, basketball and baseball, but most importantly, we would share the gospel with them.” Anderson left the comforts of her own home to enter into a summer of no air conditioning and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches everyday for lunch, but she would not have had it any other way. “I am so grateful for this summer because it taught me to listen to
the Lord’s voice and go where he wants me to go and not to rely on my own strength,” Anderson said. “I began to listen when he tells me to go talk to someone, even if it’s starting a conversation with a random stranger.” The opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus allowed Anderson to witness lives changed by the gospel. She returned home with many heartwarming stories to share. “One day I was with a translator,
and we were talking to this lady, but the whole time we were talking with her, I was looking at another woman across the village and I just felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me to go talk to her, so after my conversation had ended, I grabbed another team member and went over to this woman and asked if she had ever heard of what Jesus had done for her,” Anderson said. “She said ‘no,’ so I began to explain the gospel to her and who Jesus is. After that, my team member
asked her if she wanted to become a Christian and she said ‘yes’ so we prayed for her and got to explain what salvation means. When I was talking, I felt like the words coming out of my mouth weren’t even mine, so it definitely was just the Lord guiding me through that conversation.” While working to build God’s kingdom is rewarding, it is also hard work. Anderson grew to know this kind of work well through long days on the mission field. “We’d wake up around 6:30 a.m. and have a staff meeting, then we would eat breakfast at 7:30 a.m., so we were always up early,” Anderson said. “We’d leave by 8:30 a.m. for the day and then we wouldn’t get back until around 4 p.m. Then we’d just hangout, worship, debrief the day, eat dinner, go to bed and do it all over again.” Dominicans speak Spanish, Creole and French. Despite the language barrier, Anderson was able to show the love of Jesus through her actions and utilize the help of translators. “The language barrier was hard, but we always had translators, so we could talk to anyone as long as a translator was with us,” Anderson said. “One of the pastor’s sons was adopted and abandoned as a kid, and even though we couldn’t talk much because he speaks Creole, it was just fun to get to love on him.” Now that she is back home, Anderson feels slight culture shock as she assimilates back into her daily routine. While she is happy to be back, Anderson misses the relationships she built this summer. “I miss the hospitality and friendliness of locals,” Anderson said. “They were just really inviting. We would knock on their door, and they would invite us in and sometimes give us coffee, so just the relationships I built, I miss having that.”
NEWS
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Apartment updates provide new housing opportunities BY CAROLINE DERBY Staff Writer
President Dr. Ben Sells delievers the convocation chapel speech. This was the first in-person chapel since March 2020. (photo by Madison Melcher)
Chapel resumes in hybrid form BY ANGELA WEBB Guest Writer
“As a public expression of Ouachita’s identity and purpose as a Christ-centered learning community, the university’s chapel program is designed to deepen students’ spiritual lives, to broaden their cultural appreciation and to realize their role as a part of the Ouachita community,” James Taylor, director of Campus Ministries, said last week at Ouachita’s first in-person chapel celebrating its 136th year. President Ben Sells delivered a message drawn from Galatians 5:7 and Galatians 5:19-26. He also presented the 2021-2022 chapel theme: “Vision, Integrity, Service.” Ouachita faculty and staff are working to maintain the health and safety of students while reviving gatherings like chapel that have been put on hold for the past year. “This year we will have what is called a “hybrid chapel” in which
all of Ouachita’s students will be separated into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A met at JPAC for in-person chapel at last Tuesday’s first chapel of the 20212022 school year while Group B watched it online along with a quiz as proof of their viewing of chapel,” Taylor said. Taylor hopes that chapel will be at 100% capacity after fall break. Elaina McKenzie, senior English major from Gulfport, Mississippi has had several different chapel experiences in her time at Ouachita. “Last year, we weren’t able to have our normal in-person chapel due to COVID-19. Instead, students, members of faculty and staff and occasionally other speakers, would put together a recorded chapel program that each student would watch online individually during the week,” McKenzie said. Though students were unable to gather in Jones Performing Arts Center, online chapel still gave students a chance to learn together.
“One thing I loved about our chapel videos was that I would always watch chapel with a friend or with my roommates. That kept a sense of community alive for me, even in times of social distancing which made community-building such a challenge,” McKenzie said. “This community made all the difference in creating a positive chapel experience.” Noah Barker, sophomore nursing major from Batesville, experienced in-person chapel for the first time with Group A last Tuesday. “What I like about this year’s chapel is being able to witness all of Ouachita come together under one roof and worship the Lord. I find myself paying attention a lot better than last year when it was all online. I am liking this year’s chapel situation a lot more than last school year,” Barker said. Students in both groups have weekly opportunities to learn in community, whether they are watching online or in person.
Ouachita plans to break ground on a 144-bed and $12.6 million apartment complex that will be completed in 2022. This new apartment complex is part of Ouachita’s “Project Foresight,” an initiative meant to clean up the area surrounding campus. This apartment complex will provide another housing option for qualifying juniors and seniors. Along with this new addition, Ouachita is renovating current apartments. Tatman Corner Apartments, formerly Pine Square, was renovated during the summer. Kinsey Potts, a senior musical theatre major from Wylie, Texas, lived in Tatman Corner before and after the renovations. “There was originally carpet throughout the entire apartment with the exception of the bathroom and kitchen. Now, there are hardwood floors, new appliances and new paint,” Potts said. “We had problems. Last year, our dishwasher broke and there was damage in the walls. We made it homey last year, but we would never turn on the overhead lights because they were fluorescent. We had lamps everywhere.” Potts didn’t know what to expect from the renovations. She returned to campus pleasantly surprised. “We were told there would be updates, but we were never told just how many updates,” Potts said. “Now, it’s gorgeous.” For students looking for apartments for the next school year, Potts said that a benefit of living in Tatman Corner was not only the updates, but also the convenient distance from campus. Tatman Corner, unlike a majority of Ouachita’s other apartment com-
Ouachita plans to open a new 144-bed apartment complex next fall. The new apartment is part of a larger effort to renovate areas surrounding campus. (rendering by Lewis Architects Engineers)
plexes, is within a short walking distance from campus. Caitlin Hetzel, director of housing and assistant director of residence life at Ouachita, is excited to witness the new apartment complex being built over the next year. “The new apartments are two-bedroom apartments, two people per room, four to one apartment with two bathrooms, one living room and kitchen,” Hetzel said. Hetzel enjoys seeing students form a community at college. Throughout the years of her job, she sees a lot of that community take place in the context of campus housing. “I love that apartments are a unique situation for students as they take that step into independence and adulthood. You know all of your neighbors around you, and it’s all of the people who are OBU students and it provides a unique dynamic,” Hetzel said. “144 students will be in one spot, and that provides another opportunity to form a community dynamic.” The new apartment complex is projected to be open and ready for use in the Fall of 2022. Tatman Corner is still being renovated on the exterior. Those renovations are expected to be complete soon.
NEWS
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Ouachita traditions welcome new students BY MALLORY GATSON
Staff Writer The first year of college means a new beginning: a new town, new place of living, new faces, new professors and a chance for a fresh start. A new school year provides students with opportunities to practice self-discipline and time-management, to meet new people and to learn new school traditions. While so much change at one time can be overwhelming, Ouachita works to make it easy for new students to adapt. Ouachita, like many other colleges, allows their new students to move to campus a few days early for new student orientation. New students are assigned to family groups comprised of their peers and upperclassmen leaders to experience Welcome to Ouachita’s World (WOW). The four-day event offers activities and resources for new students to meet fellow Ouachitonians while getting involved in the campus community. This year, these activities included a worship celebration, ice cream with faculty, a scavenger hunt, water games and a student panel discussion, as well as the traditional “Tiger 4 Life” beanie ceremony and the Purple and Gold party. Not only does WOW help new students acclimate to a new environment, but it also gives older students an opportunity to pour into new students and make an impact on their Ouachita journey. “Being a WOW leader was such a great experience. You are the first impression that these students have of Ouachita,” sophomore WOW leader Rebekah Van Namen said. “Everyone should be a WOW leader, knowing that they are more at ease, having a friendly face on campus makes it all worth it.” For freshman Tiffani Chew, the
positive energy of her peers and WOW leaders alike proved to be contagious. “Seeing all of these new students coming in with excitement and expectation of a great year made my excitement for the year even stronger,” Chew said. “I felt set up for success by getting awesome WOW leaders who I know I can go to with any questions or help that I need.” This year’s freshman class is the largest yet. There are 481 new students living in freshman on-campus housing. This number does not include the 39 transfer students and
“Being a WOW leader was such a great experience. You are the first impression that these students have of Ouachita.” -Rebecca Van Namen new students who live off campus. Even with the lingering effects of COVID-19, Ouachita’s appeal to students remains strong. “Ouachita’s sense of community and location is what brought me here,” freshman Sam Bennet said. “The faculty and staff care about my well-being.” Students navigating this unique season of life are met with the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones during their time at Ouachita. Freshman Brandon Holloway found this to be true during his first few days on campus. “I love being at Ouachita, but it takes me out of my comfort zone, which I am learning to be okay with.” Though the class of 2025 has not known a normal school year for the past two years, they seem to be adjusting well to Ouachita’s world.
Top: The class of 2025 participates in the “Tiger 4 Life” beanie ceremony in the ampitheater. (photo by Abby Blankenship) Bottom left: A WOW group sings karaoke at the Purple and Gold party. Rebekah Van Namen (left) thinks everyone should be a WOW leader because of the impact they get to have in welcoming students to their college home. (photo by Abby Blankenship) Top right: Students participate in the WOW scavenger hunt. WOW groups were assigned a variety of tasks related to Ouachita spirit and traditions. (photo by Abby Blankenship) Bottom right: Freshman student finishes her ride down the slip-n-slide at WOW water activities. (photo by Abby Blankenship)
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 6 | WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM
Tiger Tunes theme reveal sparks excitement BY SARA PATTERSON Editor-In-Chief
If the excitement of the return of Tiger football wasn’t enough, OSF (The Ouachita Student Foundation) announced early last week that Tiger Tunes show themes would be revealed at the first football game on Thursday, Sept. 2 as part of the halftime show. Students cheered in the stands as each show was announced in a high-spirited video playing from the scoreboard. Students quickly posted themes to social media, where alumni could then learn the themes and look forward to seeing them performed live at the end of the month. Freshmen and upperclassmen not in social clubs may perform with Campus Ministries or Student Life. Directed by Kallen Smith and Kaylie Green, The Men and Women of Campus Ministries will bring the spirit and the praise in the “Church Choir.” Directed by Cannon Fisher, Kyleigh Stephens, Kylie Radabaugh and Kaitlin Bolton, The Men and Women of Student Life will learn the ropes of
outdoor survival as “Scouts.” Women’s social clubs are presenting a variety of themes. Audiences can expect to see everything from flapper dresses to pajamas on stage. Directed by Emily McMaster and Katie Gray, The Women of EEE will journey all the way back to the club’s founding decade with “The Roaring TwentiEEEs.” “The EEEs have existed longer than trampolines, microwaves and post-it notes. In order to honor that history, and to pay homage to the founders of our club, we decided we wanted to create a Tunes show that captured the essence of the decade in which EEE was founded,” Gray said. Directed by Hanah Green, Anna Claire Newman and Kyla Williams, The Women of Chi Delta will take the audience on a retreat into nature as “Campers.” Directed by Elizabeth Hall, Bri Penn and Erin Bagley, The Women of Chi Mu will join the audience’s cheers as “Fangirls.” Directed by Natalie Moore, Hannah Herrington and Piper Fain, The Women of Gamma Phi
will perform “Gamma’s Angels,” their own take on the classic 70s action movie, “Charlie’s Angels.” The club was re-established in 2019, so this year will be their first live Tunes performance since making their return to campus life. Directed by Kate Vernon, Erin Lee Williams and Julia Letcher, The Women of Tri Chi will invite the audience for a night full of pillow fights and not much sleep in their show, “Sleepover.” Men’s social clubs never disappoint in making the audience laugh, and it looks like this year will be no exception. Directed by Craig Crawford, Josh Sutton and Nic Hazlett, The Men of Kappa Chi will hone their chemistry skills in their show, “Pharmacy.” Directed by Harry Jeffrey, Keaton Goodrum and Braden Crawley, The Men of Eta Alpha Omega are going back a few centuries as “Vikings.” Directed by Chris McCuistion, Alex Savage, Crosse Deaton and Isaac Sanders, The Men of Rho Sigma are bringing the bull riding and barrel racing in “Rodeo.” Directed by Parker Zucha, Anderson Fulton
proposes to produce an all-female play to the president of the Oberon. “The show is all about assembling this cast of all women and then, as it goes on, we add more to the unexpected team of the cast,” Director Matthew Murry said. “It’s all about collaboration, persistence, acceptance, challenging one’s own mindset and then growing from that challenge.” The production offers audiences humor and heart as the women navigate taking on the role of their husbands. They pioneer a new standard for the status quo. “Several characters in the play
are met with challenges needing to adapt to the world and the way they view other people, and most of them make positive changes from their challenges,” Murry said. “The play is kind of a vehicle for the underrepresented. Women during war time, most of them were to stay at home before the war and not work. And then, when the men went away, they were needed to fill the position that was previously filled by men.” Ashlynn Lockhart, a senior musical theater major, plays the lead role of Maggie Dalton, the director of the all-female
The Women of Tri Chi cheer as their Tiger Tunes theme is revealed. Clubs will perform their shows at Tiger Tunes Sept. 30-Oct. 2. (photo by Levi Dade)
and Harrison Shuffield, The Men of Beta Beta will show off their Ninja skills in “Dojo.” After a year without a live show, Tiger Tunes 2021 is highly anticipated by students and alumni alike. “Tunes season always brings the excitement of raising more scholarship funds, but this year I’m especially excited to see the community Tiger Tunes brings that we’ve been missing the past two years. Nothing else brings our campus together quite like it, and I’m so excited for the chance to play a part in making that happen,”
Anna Roussel, OSF President, said. To keep viewers and performers safe, Ouachita will sell tickets for half-capacity seating in Jones Performing Arts Center and has added an additional Friday show to provide more opportunities for families, friends and alumni to see the show. For the latest information on Tiger Tunes tickets and show times, visit the OSF website at www.obu.edu/osf. For those who can’t make it to JPAC, Saturday’s final performance will be live streamed on The Signal’s website, www.obusignal.com.
production. As she prepares to tell Maggie’s story, Lockhart hopes the audience will experience the sense of community among the characters. “I want the audience to take away that there is space for everyone in storytelling and telling other people’s stories. This play is about giving opportunities to people who haven’t had those opportunities to tell stories before,” Lockhart said. “It really drives the point home that we’re all in this together. I hope it brings a sense of community and the audience takes away that.” Lockhart is also excited to see
other cast members in the play. The crew has a tight-knit community that she believes will be evident during the performance. “The rest of the cast is going to tell the story perfectly. They are talented in their roles; we all blend well,” Lockhart said. “The cast and crew are continuously encouraging. The atmosphere is healthy, and we are all trying to create theater and tell the story together. It’s nice to all be on the same page and lifting one another up, it is very edifying.” For tickets and more information, visit obu.edu/boxoffice, or call the box office at 870-245-5555.
Theatre to perform ‘Into the Breeches’ BY MACKENZIE HALL Staff Writer
The OBU theatre department is hard at work preparing for their newest production, “Into the Breeches,” set to run Sept. 23-27 at Verser Theater. The play is set in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the fall of 1942 and the Oberon Play House has shut down due to World War II. The theater’s leading men are fighting for their country while the women are left to produce their own theater production. The director’s wife gathers her husband’s notes and
OPINIONS
Summer adventures in new city lead to growth BY LANGLEY LEVERETT Copy Editor
Leverett spent the summer interning in New York City. The change of environment presented challenges that ultimately led to personal growth. (photo courtesy of Langely Leverett)
Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood is not linear. It is a process that includes soaring, sputtering and backtracking movements. It is a commotion of action, emotion, undoing and consistent relearning. College years are dense. There is so much personal development that takes place in such a short amount of time, and it can be hard to separate other’s opinions and expectations from your own. It is hard to carve your own path and set the bar for yourself. Traveling, experiencing a different culture, meeting new people and being forced to rely wholly on your own judgments, in my opinion, is the best guide through that commotion. Simone de Beauvoir writes in her journals of New York, “I feel like I’m leaving my life behind. I don’t know if it will be through anger or hope, but something is going to be revealed—a world so full, so rich, and so unexpected that I will have the extraordinary adventure of becoming a different me.”
This idea of becoming something different, though heavily mysterious, equally stirs excitement. Traveling and embracing a new environment gives endless possibilities of change and cultivation of character. That in itself has immense power. I am a woman from the middle of nowhere, Arkansas. My comfort zone is pine trees, gravel roads and an open highway. However, after spending my summer interning in New York and resting in California, I am starting to realize that my comfort zone is no longer solely tied to the piece of land I grew up on. Like Beauvoir, I felt like I was leaving my life, my home, behind on the DFW tarmac. I was overwhelmed and a little scared. But mostly, I was ready. I was ready to take home with me. I was ready to show my home to others, to let them hear what home means to me. I had the power of embracing a new environment and I did. There were days where I soared at my internship. There were days of being overjoyed at my adventure, but there were also days of sputtering. I would backtrack on my own insecurities—my own pitfalls—and I would question myself until tears came. In those moments, when I felt the absence of breathing space in Brooklyn, I would climb to the roof and dwell in pastures. Those moments of sitting and allowing myself to feel the un-romanticised emotions that come with travel helped me to see the beauty of my nonlinear growth process. Growth may be hard at times, but it is necessary. Traveling has opened my eyes to new adventures. I have learned that growth, like travel, may be uncomfortable and unpredictable, but it is always overwhelmingly good.
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‘Finally’: Ouachita community reminds of hope for heaven BY SARA PATTERSON Editor-In-Chief
After experiencing four years of first days here, I think I have the credibility to make this claim: There is nothing like the feeling of a new school year at Ouachita. The gratifying soreness resulting from moving into a new dorm or apartment, the delight of reuniting with old friends, the excitement of meeting new people and the anticipation of attending a new set of classes all signal the start of a new semester. These milestone moments never fail to make me step back and sigh, “finally.” Before COVID changed how college is done, I didn’t fully grasp how good this “finally” feeling really is. It took the especially boring summer of 2020 for me to truly appreciate all the beautiful elements of campus life. Moving back to campus in the Fall of 2020 was a relief. Everyone was elated to see friends in real life, even though masks covered smiles most of the time. We were finally able to be together after months of uncertainty and isolation. This fall, that “finally” feeling hit me differently. At the end of last year, I thought the pandemic would be completely over at this point, but the reality is that COVID is still a buzzword on and off campus. We still monitor our symptoms, keep a mental list of who we have spent time around, weigh the risks of attending events and worry about getting sent home. Things are still not as we hoped they would be. However, there is still some relief in knowing that this year offers a little more to look forward to than last year did. Chapel is returning from the computer screen to Jones Performing Arts Center, football games are being played
Ouachita decorated its campus to welcome students home for the fall semester. The joy of being a part of the Ouachita community reminds students and faculty of a greater joy to come. (photo by Abby Blankenship)
at Cliff Harris Stadium with a live audience and alumni will be welcomed back for homecoming weekend. Finally, we are together doing a little more of what we love about Ouachita. It is nowhere near a perfect fulfillment, but it still brings joy. COVID has not only stirred my hope for a normalcy in college, though. This difficult season has also heightened my longing for a place where pain, hatred, suffering, sickness and death no longer reign in the world. This makes me wonder what the ultimate “finally” feeling will be like. What depths of joy we will experience when these longings meet their perfect fulfillment in heaven? Living in expectance of a final and perfect fulfillment, believers can direct their hopes to heaven with full confidence, free of uncertainty and worry. How freeing it is to hope knowing that this hope will be fulfilled for all of eternity! Seeing the fulfillment of our
eternal hopes will require a lot more patience than just waiting out the summer between college semesters, but even the wait is a good gift from God. Even when our hopes haven’t been fulfilled, we can rejoice as we earnestly anticipate their fulfillment. In his devotional book “Morning and Evening,” Charles Spurgeon puts it this way: “Blessed is that hunger, since it comes from God: if I may not have the full-blown blessedness of being filled, I would seek the same blessedness in its sweet bud-pining in emptiness and eagerness till I am filled with Christ.” Believers do not have to lose hope when the world disappoints us. Instead, we can let the world’s imperfection stir our longings for an eternity spent in the presence of God. We can rejoice in these small glimpses of fulfilled hope that God blesses us with on earth. Let us allow them to direct our hopes to heaven, to the God who will fulfill our present hopes forever.
SPORTS
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Junior Grant Allen hands off the ball to junior TJ Cole in an offensive drive for the Ouachita Tigers. The Tigers beat the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison in their first game of the regular season. (photo by Levi Dade)
Tigers beat OKBU Bison in first home game BY CAROLINE JOHNSON Guest Writer
The Tiger football team came roaring back to life to face the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison last Thursday. This game ended the 649-day drought of football on Ouachita’s campus due to COVID-19. “Everyone was excited to get back to the Cliff. It was one of the loudest I have ever heard the stadium,” Offensive Coordinator Jay Derby said. The fans really had something to cheer about once the Tigers won the first game of their season 38-31 over the Bison. At the start of the game, Xaylon Falls from Camden returned the opening kickoff 93 yards to put the Tigers ahead. The Tiger defense
followed suit by getting a threeand-out stop during OKBU’s opening offensive series. The momentum stayed with the Tigers after the defensive stop as the Tiger offense drove 48 yards down the field in their first possession. This 48-yard campaign was capped off with a 1-yard touchdown run by Kendel Givens, freshman running back from Little Rock. This put the Tigers up by two touchdowns. The lead held until OKBU’s quarterback threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter. After a missed PAT from the Bison, the Tigers still led 14-13. As the game reached the end of the first half both teams traded field goals. leaving the score 17-16. After the half, OKBU took the lead after a 75-yard drive down the field. The Bison held onto the 17-
23 lead until late in the third quarter when Givens scored another touchdown. This was followed by a Gabe Goodman PAT bringing the score to 24-23 with the Tigers in front. The Bison scored a rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter to take the lead back. It was short lived as Ouachita’s TJ Cole, a junior from Texarkana, TX, scored to tie the game with just over eight minutes remaining. After a 97-yard march down the field Givens scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter to put the Tigers ahead 38-31. In the final minute of the game Andrew Hayes, sophomore from Bryant, forced a turnover during the Bison’s last scoring attempt. The interception by Hayes helped seal the victory for the Tigers. “Our coaches did a fantastic job
of preparing us for what OKBU threw at us,” Kenta Jones, a junior free safety from Marion, said. “The first game there are always kinks to work out. We knew that they were going to come at us with all that they’ve got and we were ready for it,” senior linebacker Austin Guymon said. Although the Tigers were successful despite the first game kinks, coach Derby hopes to improve on the team’s third down conversions and keep developing his new quarterback, Grant Allen, a junior from Springdale. Unlike Allen, 11 Tiger football players made their college football debut Thursday night. There is a larger number of freshmen players because they actually make up two groups. “We have two groups of freshmen: the COVID freshman and the
true freshman,” Keemontrae McKnight, a wide receiver from Warren, said. “COVID freshmen” is a term used by the team to describe the sophomore class that did not have a freshman season. With many new faces and the challenges of missing a season, senior leadership is more important this year than ever. “As seniors we have to take what the coaches have taught us over the past four years, and help teach that to the younger guys,” Jack Pillow, a senior fullback from Conway said. To cap off a great game the Stadium’s namesake, Cliff Harris, was welcomed home and honored in his Pro Football Hall of fame jacket during the game. The Tigers will play at Cliff Harris Stadium again on Sept. 18 against Arkansas Tech.