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 1723 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.