GAC Week 3 Rankings and Selections
GREAT AMERICAN CONFERENCE
(ARKANSAS TEAMS)
WEEK 3 RANKINGS
RK.—PV. TEAM (RECORD; WEEK 2 RESULT)
- ↔ 1. HARDING (2-0; beat SW Oklahoma State 37-14)
- ↔ 2. HENDERSON STATE (2-0) beat Oklahoma Baptist 66-9)
- ↔ 3. ARKANSAS TECH (2-0; beat NW Oklahoma State 34-29)
- ↔ 4. SOUTHERN ARKANSAS (1-1; beat Southern Nazarene 27-21)
- ↔ 5. OUACHITA BAPTIST (1-1; beat 23-17 SE Oklahoma State)
- ↔ 6. ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO (0-2) Much improved in close loss at East Central
SATURDAY’S GAMES
GAME OF THE WEEK
OUACHITA BAPTIST (1-1) at Arkansas Tech (2-0): Intriguing matchup here with former OBU defensive coordinator Roy Thompson taking on his old OBU boss, Todd Knight. Thompson’s first-year Wonder Boys beat Knight’s Tigers last fall at Cliff Harris Stadium. And this fall, Tech is making plays when it matters, especially on defense. The Wonder Boys turned away NW Oklahoma State’s last drive deep in Wonder Boys territory last week. Fernando Ventura’s 2 second-quarter field goals proved to be the difference. Ouachita looked sharp early, jumping to a 16-0 lead on SE Oklahoma State. OBU led by 6 with less than 3 minutes to play when OBU’s Kahlil Smith intercepted a pass to seal it. Ouachita wins its second in a row with big stops late.
WEEK 3 ARKANSAS SCHEDULE (Projected winner highlighted in orange)
Southern Arkansas (1-1) at HARDING (2-0): Harding found the going tougher in Week 2 at Weatherford, Okla., than it did in its 76-0 season-opening win in Searcy. The Bison trailed 7-3 early, then led 16-7 at halftime only to see the Bulldogs scratch within 16-14 late in the third quarter. That’s when true freshman Jeff Regan (Rogers) introduced himself to the GAC with a 98-yard kickoff return. Regan added a 40-yard TD run with 12 seconds to play to seal the 37-14 final score. Andrew Miller (34-178-2 rushing) scored on runs of 1 and 57 yards. Harding rushed for 314 yards and outgained SWOSU 320-254. SAU persevered through 2 lightning delays last week to beat Southern Nazarene 27-21, outgaining SNU 393-352, led by Torey Lambert (19-99 rushing, TD), Katrevion Thomas (14-83 rushing, TD) and freshman QB Drew Davis (6-31 rushing, TD; 7-8 passing, 54 yards).
UAM (0-2) at HENDERSON STATE (2-0): Keep an eye on this matchup. The Reddies are big favorites, but UAM looked like a different team last week on the road in its 42-37 loss to East Central. UAM quarterback Drew Forkner (27-34-316 passing, 3 TDs) and RBs Dave Alston (16-117 rushing) and Braylon Henry (10-24 rushing, 2 TDs) led an offense that gained 462 yards. The Boll Weevils led 31-28 with 9:48 to play in the fourth quarter. Henderson State outrushed Oklahoma Baptist 430-13 in a blowout win. Five Reddies scored at least 1 TD, led by Chris Gannaway (105 rushing), and the Reddies outgained Oklahoma Baptist 607 to 235. UAM keeps it closer than expected, but UAM will not be able to go score for score with HSU in Arkadelphia
GAMES INVOLVING OKLAHOMA TEAMS
OKLAHOMA BAPTIST (1-1) at NW Okla. State (0-2)
EAST CENTRAL (2-0) at Southern Nazarene (0-2)
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA STATE (1-1) at SW Okla. State (0-2)