WEEK 7 GAME NOTES (PDF)

MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello football team is set to host nationally 11^th-ranked Ouachita Baptist this Saturday for Homecoming seeking to end a five-game losing streak and continue UAM’s four-game homecoming winning streak in the process.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium. The game can be heard on the UAM Sports Network at KHBM-FM 93.7 in Monticello and online at uamsports.com. There will also be live streaming video available at uamsports.com. The live video and live audio links can be found at the following website: http://www.uamsports.com/sports/2010/10/18/listenlive.aspx?tab=liveaudio.

UAM enters Saturday’s game with a 1-5 overall record and a 0-4 record in Great American Conference games following a 71-0 loss to then-ranked No. 14 Henderson State on the road last Saturday. OBU is 5-0 overall and 3-0 in GAC games coming off a 33-12 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State last Saturday at home.

UAM head coach Hud Jackson visited with uamsports.com on Thursday to discuss this week’s homecoming matchup with No. 11 Ouachita Baptist. The full interview can be viewed at the following link: http://youtu.be/chtBTBOoUCk. The video will also be available at uamsports.com.

WEEK 7 STORYLINES

HOMECOMING WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE
The Boll Weevils host No. 11 Ouachita Baptist on Saturday for UAM’s 80th Homecoming. The Boll Weevils are currently on a four-game winning streak on Homecoming, starting with a 27-14 win over West Alabama in 2008 and continuing through a 24-20 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State last season.
UAM is 40-38-1 all-time in Homecoming games.

FIVE GAME LOSING SKID
The Boll Weevils are currently suffering through a five-game losing streak with the only win coming in a 78-0 victory over College of Faith in the 2012 season opener. UAM looks to end that streak on Saturday against nationally 11th-ranked Ouachita Baptist. The last time UAM played OBU in Monticello resulted in a 34-32 win for UAM to upset the then-ranked No. 14 Tigers.

THE OPPONENT: OUACHITA BAPTIST
Ouachita Baptist enters Saturday’s game with an overall record of 5-0 and a Great American Conference record of 3-0 following its 33-12 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State at home last Saturday. For the second consecutive week, the Tigers are ranked No. 11 in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, the highest ranking for a GAC team. OBU started the season with a 55-3 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State, followed with a 31-0 win at Stillman College and then posted three consecutive GAC victories. The first conference win came with a 31-24 victory at Arkansas Tech, followed two weeks ago by a nail biting 27-24 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State before OBU scored 21 unanswered points in the second half of last week’s win over SWOSU. OBU is ranked seventh in the nation in total defense (264.4 yards allowed per game) and sixth in scoring defense (12.6 points allowed per game). The Tigers also rank in the top 10 nationally with an average of just 0.4 sacks given up per game, which ranks fourth. Individually, the Tigers are led by running back Chris Rycraw, who has totaled 110 carries for 535 yards with six touchdowns. The top OBU receiver is Drew White with 23 catches for 324 yards and six touchdowns. Jackson Guerra is leading the defense with 50 total tackles, including eight for losses. OBU has a total of 47 tackles for losses this season and a total of 15 sacks.

THE UAM-OBU SERIES
Today’s game against Ouachita Baptist marks the 72nd all-time meeting between the two schools on the football gridiron. OBU leads the all-time series 38-32-1. UAM leads the series in games played at Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium 18-13-1, including the last time - a 34-32 win over OBU in 2009. OBU was then ranked No. 14 in the AFCA Top 25 Poll. UAM has won three of the last four meetings with the only loss coming last season in the Boomtown Classic by a final score of 38-20.

SECOND CONSECUTIVE RANKED OPPONENT
Today’s game against OBU marks the second consecutive week UAM has played a nationally-ranked opponent and the third consecutive week UAM has played an undefeated team (fourth overall). Last week, UAM lost 71-0 to then-ranked No. 14 Henderson State, which has now jumped two spots to No. 12. Among the undefeated opponents for UAM this season is Harding, which entered the top 25 poll this season at No. 23 with a 5-0 record, and Southern Arkansas, which is receiving votes in this week’s poll at 4-1.

THE COACHES
UAM is led by second-year head coach Hud Jackson, who has a 6-11 record since joining the green and white sidelines prior to the 2011 season. Prior to taking over at UAM, Jackson served the previous six seasons as associated head coach at Central Arkansas following a 13-year high school coaching career in the state of Louisiana, most recently the athletic director and head coach at Central Catholic High School in Morgan City... OBU is led by Todd Knight in his 14th season with the Tigers. Knight led the Tigers to the inaugural GAC championship last season and now sports a 55-75 record at the school. Prior to OBU, Knight was the head coach at Delta State from 1993-98 following a seven-year career as an assistant coach at Texas-El Paso and Delta State. He has a overall coaching record of 83-107-2 in 23 seasons.
 
LAST TIME OUT: HENDERSON STATE 71, UAM 0
The Boll Weevils are coming off a 71-0 loss on the road to then-ranked No. 14 Henderson State. UAM held the Reddies to just seven points in the first quarter, but HSU’s nation-leading scoring offense posted 35 points in the second quarter, 13 points in the third quarter and 16 points in the fourth quarter to hand UAM its fifth consecutive loss. UAM quarterback Damon Wicker was 23-of-44 through the air with 131 yards with another 70 yards added on the ground on 15 carries. Ian Levine led the UAM receivers with eight catches for 61 yards. UAM completed at least one pass to 11 different receivers in the loss, including Trey Taylor, who completed 4-of-5 passes for 14 yards in a backup effort at quarterback. HSU quarterback Kevin Rodgers completed 23-of-30 passes for 326 yards with five touchdowns. His favorite target was Robert Jordan, who caught five catches for 143 yards. HSU running back Jarvis Smith had seven carries for 119 yards. The HSU defense forced six turnovers in the contest, including four interceptions.

COACH’S PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Head Coach Hud Jackson and his coaching staff has named freshman receiver Trey Taylor, sophomore defensive lineman Jalen Garmon and sophomore punter Reagan Wise the offensive, defensive and special teams players of the game for their performances during UAM’s 71-0 loss to Henderson State last Saturday on the road. Taylor hauled in four catches for 13 yards, had five carries for six yards and also completed 4-of-5 passes for 14 yards. Garmon totaled four tackles in the loss, including 1.5 tackles for a loss and one sack, and also recorded one pass breakup. Wise punted five times for a total of 193 yards for an average of 38.6 yards per punt, including his longest punt of 48 yards. Wise is a two-time UAM special teams player of the game. Garmon picks up his second overall honor and first defensive award. Taylor is a first-time honoree.

UP NEXT: ARKANSAS TECH
The Boll Weevils are the road again next Saturday, October 20 in Russellville to face Arkansas Tech, which has posted two consecutive victories and sport a 3-3 overall record with a 1-2 record in conference games following a 45-38 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State last Saturday at home. Next Saturday’s kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Thone Stadium on the ATU campus