ARKADELPHIA -- It was time for the Ouachita Baptist University football team to celebrate its second consecutive Great American Conference championship.
Senior wide receiver Drew Harris led the way as the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock in front of 5,850 at Cliff Harris Stadium, taking the final snap in victory formation, raising his arms to the sky and thrusting the football into the air.
Harris, who has been slowed much of the season by a knee injury, caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Brayden Brazeal to give the Tigers (10-0 GAC) a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 35-10 victory over Southern Arkansas University (8-2).
The victory enhanced the resume of an OBU team that is No. 4 in the national polls and No. 2 in the Region III playoff rankings.
The Tigers have one regular-season game left to play next week, a notable one across the street against archrival Henderson State.
SAU, which came into the game ranked No. 20 in the AFCA Top 25 poll and No. 6 in the Region III rankings, is still in position to make the Division II playoffs with a victory next week over the University of Arkansas-Monticello (5-5).
"We've got to see if we can regroup," SAU Coach Bill Keopple said. "UAM would love nothing more than to beat us."
The Muleriders came into Saturday's game with high hopes, but they vanished amid another hard-hitting, opportunistic effort by an OBU team that is more impressive on the scoreboard than on the stat sheet.
"It's just a mirror of us peaking in game 10 and playing in all phases," Coach Todd Knight said, "and do what we had to do to beat a good football team."
SAU's outlook took a negative turn on OBU's third offensive play.
It was third and 4 at OBU's 31 when Brazeal spotted Harris about 20 yards behind the SAU secondary, but he couldn't get the ball to him.
Brazeal's pass was intercepted by SAU's Brock Floyd, who returned it to the OBU 31, but SAU defensive end DaVondrick Lison was flagged for his hit on Brazeal. The interception was nullified, and momentum turned right there.
OBU punted on that drive, and SAU drove from its 16 to the OBU 30, where it failed to pick up a first down on third and 2 and fourth and 1.
This time, Brazeal did connect with Harris.
Brazeal (4-of-5 passing, 104 yards, 1 TD; 10-19 rushing, 1 TD) hit Harris in stride, and he zigzagged to the end zone to put OBU up 7-0 with 1:17 to play in the first quarter.
Harris scored his second touchdown of the season after reaching the end zone 26 times a year ago.
"I thought I was going to get caught," Harris said. "It was a big momentum play."
Brazeal has as many rushing touchdowns (5) as touchdown passes (5) this season.
"I'm just out here playing my game," said Brazeal, who rose to the occasion in his matchup with SAU senior quarterback Barrett Renner (21-of-29 passing, 215 yards). "10 and 0, that speaks for itself."
OBU's defense responded with another momentum play on SAU's next drive, stopping the Muleriders on third and 1 at the 21 to hold SAU to a 38-yard Austin Wilkinson field goal.
OBU put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive to go up 14-3 with 3:49 to play in the half, and SAU never got closer.
"They played great," Keopple said of OBU. "We couldn't get any breaks, but they made their breaks. It wasn't one of our better days. Disappointing."
The Tigers outgained the Muleriders 344-251, scored on 4 of 5 red-zone chances and averaged 7.3 yards on their 47 plays.
SAU was held to 36 rushing yards on 30 attempts.
Juniors Shun'cee Thomas (13-132 rushing, 2 TDs) and Kris Oliver (7-75) accounted for 207 of the Tigers' 240 rushing yards.
Thomas picked up 74 of those yards after OBU's Keandre Evans blocked a Wilkinson field-goal attempt from 31 yards out that could have made it a 21-6 game at the outset of the fourth quarter.
Thomas' run finished off any lingering hope SAU had.
"I thought I was going to make it all the way," said Thomas, who was knocked out of bounds by SAU cornerback Kaseem Smith at the Muleriders' 4. "He had a good angle on me."
OBU, which came into the game leading the nation in scoring defense (9.5 ppg) and ranking No. 2 in turnover margin, did nothing to hurt itself in those categories.
"We worked hard in the offseason to get where we are right now," Thomas said. "We've got to keep playing Ouachita football."
Sports on 11/04/2018