The East Central University football team will start a two-game span away from home, with a bye week in between, Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. against Southern Nazarene in Bethany, Okla.  The Tigers will then get a bye week before traveling to Alva to face Northwestern Oklahoma State Oct. 18.

Game Notes

The Broadcast: ECU's radio home for Tiger football is Ada's KXFC, 105.5, FM 'The X-Factor'. Mike Manos returns to broadcast the games for his 18th consecutive season. Manos has worked 182 Tiger games since taking over the play-by-play duties in 1997.

The Coverage: Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video and the KXFC radio broadcast on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the football schedule page.  You can also download the KXFC radio app for your smartphone by searching '105.5 the X Factor.'

Coaches Show: Every Monday night fans are encouraged to come to the University Center on ECU's campus for the weekly Coaches Show on 105.5 the X-Factor.  Each week coaches from all 13 sports will be on hand to talk about the latest news from their teams.  Fans will be able to tweet in questions to @ECUTigersCoach or email them to ecu_coaches_show@ecok.edu.
 
Koi Ishto Stadium: At the 2014 ECU Tiger Kickoff Dinner and Auction, ECU President John Hargrave announced that the stadium at Norris Field would be renamed Koi Ishto Stadium in honor of the relationship between ECU and the Chickasaw Nation.  Koi Ishto means big cat in the Chickasaw language.  A formal dedication will be held, Saturday, Nov. 15 on Chickasaw Appreciation Day when the Tigers battle with Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Scouting Southern Nazarene: The Crimson Storm are 0-4 overall and in the Great American Conference so far this season.  SNU has struggled to get its offense going, as they average just seven points per game and allow 48.  The Crimson Storm has tallied 701 yards of total offense and allowed 1,844.  SNU is more of a passing team, with 503 of its 701 yards on the pass and 198 on the rush.

Lorenzo Alexander is the leading rusher for the Crimson Storm with 200 yards in 44 attempts.  Brian Yenor adds 110 yards in 37 attempts.  James Mauro is the new quarterback having gone 46-of-118 passing, with 10 interceptions for the year.  Austin Williams is one of his top receivers with 140 yard and two TDs, while Pierson Waugh adds 131 yards and a touchdown.

Josh Prince and Matthew Gregg are the top players on defense for SNU.  Prince has 31 (23-8) total tackles, 2.5 (six yards) TFL, two (15 yards) interceptions, three break ups and one forced fumble.  Gregg adds 30 (24-6) tackles, 2.0 (five yards) TFL, 1.0 (four yards) sacks, one interceptions (17 yards) and one break up.

Against the Crimson Storm: In 2013, the Tigers earned a 46-14 win at Norris Field in the Homecoming game for the season.  ECU recorded 491 total yards and allowed just 277.  The Tigers also came up big on defense with three forced fumbles and one interception.  

Senior JoJo Snell led the offense for ECU, with three TDs and 125 yards of total offense (35 rushing/90 receiving).  Junior Spencer Bond threw three touchdown passes and for a total of 377 yards.   

On the defensive side, senior Daniel Holland tallied 5.5 tackles, two sacks (13 yards) and 1.5 TFL (14 yards).  Fellow senior JuJu Turituri added two sacks (11 yards) and three TFL (15 yards).  

The top returner for the Crimson Storm is Brian Yenor, who rushed 28 times for 110 yards without scoring.

The Series: Saturday's night cap will be just the fourth meeting in the all-time series with the Crimson Storm.  The Tigers are 3-0 in all games and 1-0 when playing as a league game.  ECU also holds a 1-0 advantage when playing in Bethany, Okla.  The Tigers earned a 46-14 win in the last meeting (Oct. 5, 2013) and a 37-30 win the last time the teams met on the road (Oct. 11, 2008).

Against the Best: While playing the No. 7 team in the nation (Henderson State), the Tigers spared no fight.  ECU ended the game on the losing end, but scored more points against the Reddies than any other team that had faced them in 2014.  The Tigers also sacked quarterback Kevin Rodgers four times, two from senior Daniel Holland alone.  Rodgers had been sacked just once in the previous three games played in 2014.

Trick Plays: In the Tigers game against No. 7 HSU, ECU came out with a lot of tricks up its sleeves.  The Tigers used a fake field-goal attempt to earn a rushing TD by junior Spencer Bond, blocked a punt that was taken in the end zone and recovered by senior Deon Criss at the six and recovered on-side kick attempt that bounced off an opponent's shoe and right into the hands of junior Nathan Pickett.

Dangerous David: Sophomore David Moore has stepped up and proven that he is someone that you need to keep covered defensively.  Moore connected with junior Spencer Bond for three receiving touchdowns against Ouachita Baptist, tripling his TD performance from his freshman season.

Holland's Defensive Highlights: Senior Daniel Holland is having a good year on defense for the Tigers.  The Miami, Fla., native is currently ranked No. 15 in the nation in forced fumbles per game (0.50), No. 5 in sacks per game (1.50), No. 32 in TFL per game (1.8) and No. 41 in fumble recoveries (1).  Holland has recorded 12(9-6) tackles and 6.0 sacks for 44 yards this season.

Bond Gaining Recognition: After a standout performance against Southern Arkansas, junior Spencer Bond was named the GAC Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 15 and The Oklahoman State College Football Player of the Week.

Bond accounted for all six of the Tigers' touchdowns as he helped rally ECU back from a 0-20 deficit to defeat Southern Arkansas. The Madill, Okla., native threw for 339 yards with two scores and rushed for 134 yards and four touchdowns, including an 80-yard score. The 134 rush yards represented the fifth-highest total for a GAC quarterback. He placed two punts inside the 20-yard line.

Earning Attention: For the first time since 2004,  the Tigers earned a vote in the AFCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll for Sept. 15.  ECU earned one vote in the poll for Week 2.  ECU was one of four teams from the GAC in the poll in some fashion, with Henderson State being ranked No. 7, Harding ranked No. 20 and Ouachita Baptist also receiving votes (2).

Holland GAC Defender of the Week: Senior Daniel Holland came out of the gates ready to battle in his final season in an orange and black uniform and has claimed Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

In the opening game of the season against Arkansas-Monticello, Holland helped the Tigers (1-0) earn a 38-34 come-from-behind victory.  The Miami, Fla., native tallied four (3-2) total tackles, a quarterback hurry, forced one fumble and added 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks for 23 yards.   His TFL, sacks and sack yardage were all career highs and helped the defense hold UAM to just 22 yards rushing for the game.  The low yardage ranked ECU No. 4 in the nation for rushing defense after the opening weekend of NCAA DII action.  Holland was also ranked No. 6 in the nation in TFL (3.5) and No. 4 in Sacks (3.0)

All-American Play: In the final minute of the game at Arkansas-Monticello, senior Qumain Black came up with an All-American play to secure the Tigers' 38-34 win.  Black reached up for a pass at the same time as Boll Weevil Ivory Washington in the end zone, with Black coming away with the ball for the touchback.

Go JoJo Go: Senior JoJo Snell came out of the gates running, recording a career-high 157 rushing yards and 224 all-purpose yards against UAM.  It was the first time Snell tallied over 200 yards in a game.  The Moss Point, Miss., native also garnered two touchdowns.

Standing Tall at the Line: The defensive line stood strong for the Tigers in the opening game of the season, allowing just 22 yards on the rush.  

GAC Predictions: After finishing tied for sixth in the 2013 GAC standings, ECU has been picked to finish fourth in the 2014 GAC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.  The Tigers, who finished 5-5 overall and in the conference a year ago, claimed 63 points in the poll.  

Preseason Attention: Several members of the Tigers roster have been gaining attention during the preseason from different organizations.  Senior Qumain Black was a USA College Football Preseason All-America First Team Defense selection as well as a NewsOK.com Preseason All-Star selection.  

Senior JuJu Turituri also claimed USA College Football Preseason honors as a second team defensive pick and a NewsOK.com selection.

Junior Travis Hening (offense) and senior Kellan Taeatafa-De La Rosa (defense) were named to the USA College Football All-America Third Teams.  Hening was also selected to the NewsOK.com team, with junior Spencer Bond on offense.

From the Playing Field to Coaching: The majority of the ECU coaching staff consists of familiar names for Tiger football fans.  Eight of the current coaches were members of the ECU football program as collegiate athletes.  Rashad Jackson, Chad Roark, Austin Crisler, Fred Gaines, Dustin Lasell, Tyler McGrew, George Robbins and Reuben Tiller have all worn an orange and black uniform before moving to a leadership role.

Up Next: The Tigers will get a bye week and then travel to face Northwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Oct. 18 for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

Next Time at Norris Field: The next time the Tigers are at Norris Field will be for the 2014 Homecoming game against Southwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Oct. 25 at 4 p.m.  The 2014 Homecoming theme is 'A Haunting in Tigerland-Fear the Tiger.'