October 15th, 2024 6:00am
We’re halfway through the season and that means it’s time to hand out midseason grades. We’ve got a bit of everything in the GAC, and the grades reflect that as well. Let’s jump right in with recapping this past week of action.
Southern Arkansas 65, Oklahoma Baptist 10
SAU- Complete domination, minus two muffed punts. The best offensive output of the season for the Muleriders couldn’t have come at a better time, as they host Henderson State on Saturday. Terrific performance all the way around.
First half grade: B+
Sitting at 5-1 is great with two massive games still on the schedule. All the goals are still in front of the Muleriders. The defense has been really good, but the offense has been a bit inconsistent at times, both throwing and running. That’s the reason for the lower grade.
OBU- The defense was obviously not good, but the offense was arguably worse. Four interceptions thrown and just 38 yards on 30 carries on the ground. Also, the Bison were just 2-of-17 on third down.
First half grade: D
I think the only thing that keeps this from an F is the one W in the win column. The Bison have been mediocre at best in every statistical category. Most of it has been bad. They still can’t run the ball and the revamped defensive line has not been good at all. Quarterback uncertainty hasn’t helped, either.
Ouachita Baptist 40, East Central 0
OUA- The Tigers were without quarterback Eli Livingston and it didn’t matter. His status for this week’s Harding game is undetermined, but is THE storyline to watch in the conference this week. The defense was outstanding, holding the Tigers to 88 total yards, while the offense rolled up 505 yards, including 280 on the ground. Nice win. Now the big one against the Bisons.
First half grade: A-
The Tigers are undefeated and the defense has been outstanding through six games. The offense has some big play ability, but the run game just hasn’t been stellar. This was a theme last year we noted continuously and it hasn’t gotten any better. Perhaps we got spoiled with TJ Cole and the 2022 offensive line, but the last two iterations have been less than dominant. We’ll see if they can hold up against the Bisons on Saturday
ECU- After such a positive performance against UAM last week, this dud was really disappointing. Part of that is attributed to the Ouachita defense, but just 88 total yards is not great. The defense also got gashed after some good performances in the first half of the year, forcing the purple Tigers to punt just once.
First half grade: D+
The plus is for a moderately decent defensive performance. But the offense has had tremendous growing pains, particularly Sergio Kennedy at quarterback. The redshirt freshman has thrown 13 interceptions so far this season. We’ll see if there is continued growth, but early returns haven’t been great.
Southeastern OSU 27, Arkansas-Monticello 0
SEOSU- Not a pretty game overall, but the Savage Storm were able to ground and pound more than the Weevils, and that was the difference in the game. SE had a nine-minute advantage in time of possession. The defense forced three turnovers as well. Overall, a solid road win that moved the Savage Storm back to .500.
First half grade: B-
Things could’ve gone off the rails a lot more when quarterback Luke Hohenberger got hurt in the season opener, but the defense helped keep things afloat. We’ll see how the second half of the year unfolds, but the Savage Storm have been solid so far. Nothing outstanding, but just good enough.
UAM- Demilon Brown was left to do it on his own and just didn’t have enough help. Brown did rush for 98 yards, but also threw two interceptions. Overall, UAM averaged just 3.8 yards per play. The defense couldn’t get stops on the ground and ultimately that was the difference in the game.
First half grade: D
Four straight losses for the Weevils after a 2-0 start. Same song, different verse. We’ll see how the second half of the year goes, but it looks like UAM is careening toward another flameout. Which is unfortunate, because things looked alright early in the year. The defense was solid and they were running the ball well. Now? It all looks bad.
Henderson State 48, Southern Nazarene 21
HSU- Great performance by the Reddies, who forced four first half turnovers and held the Crimson Storm to just two yards in the first half en route to a 34-0 halftime lead. Andrew Edwards threw four more touchdowns to three wide receivers. This one was done at halftime and much of the credit goes to the dominant defense.
First half grade: B+
Much like SAU, the Reddies still have all their goals in front of them. Games against the Muleriders and Ouachita will determine how this season ends for the Reddies, but they have the pieces. Need to shore up some things on both sides, but overall, a really good team that got steamrolled by Harding. Who hasn’t?
SNU- The first half offensive performance was disappointing, even for a team going up against a really good defense and still unsure of the quarterback position. The four turnovers were bad and ended this game early. The second half offense was considerably better, which made the first half performance even more baffling. The run defense wasn’t great in the first half, and that was a big thing as well.
First half grade: F
I mean, what else? The Crimson Storm haven’t won a game and haven’t been able to generate much consistency on offense. Things are certainly moving in a positive direction, but there are just a lot of young guys learning on the fly and it’s looked that way. The defense has been a bright spot, particularly the run defense. But the defense isn’t dominant enough to keep every opponent down for the offense to catch up. Five games left to continue to build up these young guys.
Harding 62, Northwestern OSU 0
HU- Another dominating performance. Nothing to see here. They actually punted once, which was unexpected.
First half grade: A+
The Bisons have been so good this year. The only question is are they being tested enough for the playoffs? I tend to believe that’s overrated because they’re doing what they should against these opponents. They're not sleepwalking, they’re not being lazy. They’re destroying these teams. And i expect that to continue.
NWOSU- The Rangers actually got three first downs on the first few possessions of the game. But then didn’t get another the rest of the afternoon. Positive note, it was only 35-0 at halftime?
First half grade: D+
Things haven’t been awful, but they still haven’t been good. We’ll see how they continue to battle through the rest of the year. There are some standouts on defense that would be quality players on multiple teams in the GAC.
Arkansas Tech 29, Southwestern OSU 19
Tech- Not a great performance, but the ground game was good, rushing for 204 yards and two scores. The Wonder Boys’ defense held the Bulldogs to 4.9 yards per play and just 3.2 yards per rush. Solid showing against an improving team.
First half grade: B
The Wonder Boys haven’t had a winning season since 2017, but they’re well on their way at 4-2 with five games to play. The defense has been really good and the offense has been more consistent. Failing to hit six wins at this point would be a disappointment.
SWOSU- The offense just couldn’t get going, but three turnovers didn’t help matters. None was bigger than the fumble at the Tech seven-yard line as the Bulldogs were driving to make the lead. Tech went down and scored a touchdown to go up 10. Brutal sequence there to decide the game.
First half grade: B-
This may seem high, but relative to expectations, the Bulldogs have done quite well. They look like a competent football team, which is something that could not be said a year ago. The defense is solid and the offense is doing well controlling time of possession with a good ground attack. Love what Andrew Rice has done so far in year one.
This week: 6-0
Season results: 31-5