The 2015 edition of the East Central University football team will make their debut performance, Thursday, September 3 against No. 12 Ouachita Baptist at 6 p.m. at Norris Field at Koi Ishto Stadium.  The other Tigers were undefeated in the Great American Conference last year and were the preseason favorite in the GAC Poll.

Notes

Game Day Sponsor: Thanks to Landmark Bank for sponsoring the opening game of the 2015 season: Back to School Bash.  Landmark will be cooking hot dogs under their tent on the north side of the parking lot for fans on a first come-first serve basis.  Limit one per person.

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 19th consecutive season. Manos has worked 188 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.'

Scouting Ouachita Baptist: Ouachita Baptist finished the 2014 season with a 10-0 record in the GAC and a 10-1 mark overall, falling in the opening round of the NCAA Playoffs.  OBU will be looking to rebuild a little in 2015, with the loss of 20 seniors and the addition of 47 freshmen.  

OBU averaged 37.7 points per game in 2014 and allowed just 20.9 on a pretty even offense.  Ouachita recorded 2,607 yards rushing and 2,093 passing.  However, they did fumble 24 times and recovered 11.  The defense was key a year ago, with only 1,524 yards rushing and 2,697 yards passing allowed.  They also forced 19 fumbles, recovering 15 for themselves, and sacked the opponents quarterback 25 times.

Mike Williamson and Devin Price are two of six returners on the defensive side and the top two returners from a year ago.  Williamson garnered 77 (42-35) tackles, while Price added 65 (42-23).

The offense took the most losses, with the top two rushers and the quarterback gone for 2015.  The top returning rusher is Brandon Marks, with 705 yards and four touchdowns.  Back-up quarterback Lucas Reed saw action in all 11 games, but went just 8-13-0.  The key returner is their top receiver in Ke'Vontae Pope, with 564 yards on 37 catches and three TD's.

The Series: This Thursday's game will be the 19th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1947.  The series has not been kind to ECU, with a 5-13 overall record and a 2-5 mark when playing as conference opponents.  OBU has won the last two games, with the last ECU win coming Oct. 27, 2012 (37-27) at Norris Field.

Key Changes: After a season that brought the Tigers back to the postseason for the first time since 1993, the 2015 season is one of changes. ECU has several new coaches, including a new secondary coach (Jihad' Wright) and a new defensive coordinator (Chad Roark).  The 2014 starting quarterback  (Spencer Bond) has moved to the defensive back position.  There is not a standout sack producer on the defensive side of the ball as in the past few years.  And a new team (Oklahoma Baptist) has been added to the Great American Conference.

Preseason Attention: Senior Travis Hening has started right where he left off in 2014, earning 2015 preseason recognition.  The offensive lineman has already been named to the D2Football.com Preseason All-America First Team and to the College Football America Yearbook Starting Lineup.  The Yukon, Okla., native is one of two on the D2Football.com preseason team from the GAC and the lone member from the conference on the College Football American Yearbook list.

Up Next: The Tigers will return to the field, Thursday, Sept. 10 for another tough challenge when they face Henderson State at 7 p.m. in Arkadelphia, Ark.  The Reddies were picked to finish third in the GAC this season.

Next Time at Koi Ishto Stadium: ECU will be back at Norris Field, Saturday, Sept. 19 for the annual Chickasaw Appreciation Day.  The Tigers will face Southern Nazarene at 6 p.m.