The East Central University football team will host Southern Arkansas, Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. in a game set to honor the members of the Oklahoma National Guard and the area Boy and Girl Scouts.
Game Notes I
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Live Radio
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 21st consecutive season. Manos has worked 216 Tiger games since taking over the play-by-play duties in 1997.
This year fans in the stadium will have a chance to rent or buy a Smart Bug. The Smart Bug will let you listen to The X-Factor radio broadcast from the stands, through the post-game show, and for a chance for exclusive content during broadcast breaks. Cost is $15 to purchase and use for the entire 2017-18 season at football and basketball, or $10 to rent with a $5 return when the unit is checked back in after the game.
The Series: The Tigers and the Muleriders have battled on 18 previous occasions, with SAU holding an 11-7 overall advantage, a 4-2 mark in GAC action and a 4-3 mark when playing in Ada.
Last Meeting: In 2016, ECU dropped a 37-24 decision to Southern Arkansas at home.
The Tigers saw scoring from four different players, with three touchdowns and a field goal in the game. The game was a true team effort, with no player recording more than 31 yards rushing or receiving.
Dezmon Jackson was the top receiver in the game with 31 yards, a TD and 50 kick return yards.
The Muleriders started the scoring in the first quarter, for the 7-0 advantage.
ECU tied the game on an 18-yard pass that capped off an 11-play; 84-yard drive.
SAU regained the advantage in the second quarter, netting a rushing touchdown and a 14-7 lead.
The Tigers countered with a 39-yard field goal to cut the deficit to four (14-10).
Both teams would score again before the end of the half, with SAU earning a passing TD. ECU had a 30-second drive and gave the ball back to the Muleriders late in the stanza, so it looked like the Tigers would be trailing 21-10 at the half.
However, the Tiger defense kept up the pressure and
Trinity Benson blocked a punt, which was returned by
Lexus Jackson for a touchdown and a 21-17 score.
The third quarter is when SAU took control of the game, earning two touchdowns.
ECU added one final score in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to seven (31-24). But the Muleriders secured the victory taking a 37-24 lead on the final touchdown of the game.
Douglas Turns Up the Intensity: Freshman
Ontario Douglas had the game of his short career against Southwestern. Douglas finished the game with 280 all-purpose yards, 206 rushing and 74 receiving and all four of ECU's offensive touchdowns.
Benson Bringing in Passes: Junior
Trinity Benson has been a bright spot for the Tigers, despite the losing record. Benson has recorded 393 receiving yards on 33 passes, with three TDs this season. His 65.5 reception yards per game average and 5.5 receptions per game rank him in the top-5 in the GAC standings.
Holle Named GAC Offensive Player of the Week: After his first game of the 2017 ECU football season, junior quarterback
Noah Holle was named the Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 4.
Holle, went 20-of-27 in his debut in an orange and black uniform, throwing for 351 yards and five touchdowns. He used seven different receivers and connected for touchdowns with five of those receivers.
Holle also set up two more touchdowns on the rush, helping the Tigers to 546 total offensive yards, the most since Sept. 19, 2015.
Williams Starts Off Season on High Note: Senior
Devyn Williams gave the Tigers a great start to the 2017 season, by returning the opening kickoff of the first game of the season (Sept. 2) 91 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time since Sept. 14, 2013 that any kickoff during a game had been returned for a TD. The last time was when LaQuan Harper returned a kickoff, in the middle of the game, 94 yards for TD against Southern Arkansas.
Up Next: The Tigers will hit the road for a game at Henderson State, Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. The next and final time to see ECU at home this season is Oct. 28 for the annual Homecoming and Senior Day game against Arkansas Tech at 4 p.m.
