Resurgent Tigers Look to Keep Rolling
ADA, Okla. – East Central University, one of the hottest football teams in the Great American Conference, faces Oklahoma Baptist University Saturday in Shawnee. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at Crain Family Stadium.
The Tigers (4-2) are winners of four straight and have climbed to third in the latest league standings. OBU (1-5) is at the bottom tied with Southern Nazarene and Northwestern Oklahoma.
ECU Head Coach Kris McCullough said the preparation will be like what the Tigers have been doing in practice the last five weeks.
"Our primary focus is on ourselves," McCullough said. "We don't care who we are playing. We know if we play like we're capable, we will be tough to beat."
Team leader Kenny Hrncir won the GAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in a 31-10 victory over Henderson State. He has moved into third in the league, passing for an average of 236 yards a game.
ECU has had good balance on offense, running 214 plays and passing 196 passing times.
Nemier Herod twice has rushed for over 100 yards in a game. He leads the team with 548 yards on 97 carries and four touchdowns.
The Tigers have two other ball carriers, Miles Davis and Jawan King, have totaled over 100 yards.
La'Quan Wells has moved into the top 10 in receiving with 391 yards on 26 catches and five touchdowns. He has twice topped 100 yards in games against Southern Nazarene and Southern Arkansas.
Greg Howell and JayQuan Lincoln rank second with each nabbing 17 passes. Howell has 262 yards and is averaging a team best 15.4 yards a reception. Lincoln has 183 yards and is averaging 10.8 yards.
The Tiger defense has played well all season but has taken it up a level in recent games. ECU has forced 17 turnovers while committing just five. The Tigers turned Henderson State over four times in their last outing.
Devon Roush has moved into the tackle lead over teammate Cody Alexander. Roush had a season-high 12 tackles against Henderson and now has 48 tackles on the season. Alexander led the previous four weeks and is second with 46 stops.
Michael Onwuzurike has had a dominant season as well. He leads the team in tackles for losses with 5.5 and his three quarterback sacks are tops.
Although OBU is 1-4, the Bison are not without talent. They went undefeated in three consecutive seasons against the Oklahoma GAC teams.
"OBU has lost a few close games this year, but they are still dangerous," McCullough said. "They have a next-level wide receiver with a ton of talent (Keilahn Harris). They will try to get him the ball as many times as possible."
"Oklahoma Baptist has become a bit of a rivalry the last few years," McCullough said. "There's been a lot of battles in recruiting and on the field. I look forward to watching our guys get out on the field Saturday and playing a complimentary brand of football that you have seen the last four weeks."
