Great opportunity often arrives disguised as great hardship.
It is true that Ouachita Baptist University is 7-0 this football season, ranked No. 5 in the NCAA Division II national poll and in sole possession of first place in the Great American Conference.
It is true the Tigers own those distinctions, in part, because of their 17-13 victory over then-No. 1 Harding University to end the Bisons’ state-record 25-game winning streak last Saturday night.
And it is true that Ouachita Baptist has defeated Arkansas Tech University six consecutive times and in nine of their 11 meetings during the GAC era.
It might sound like a great burden, but this Saturday provides a great chance for the Wonder Boys to put the name Arkansas Tech on the lips of football fans around the state and the nation.
Kickoff for the ATU-OBU contest is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium in Russellville. Tickets are available at www.arkansastechsports.com/tickets.
“Opportunity has been the word of the week,” said Kyle Shipp, ATU head coach. “Our guys have an unbelievable opportunity in front of them. What will you do with it? Every snap, every play…if we do it together as a football team and take care of our individual jobs, we can win this game. I fully believe that, but guys have to do their job. They have to take advantage of the opportunity, and if they can do that, we could have a heck of a night. But we have to do it together.”
The recipe for an upset is certainly in place with Ouachita Baptist coming off one of the biggest wins — if not the biggest win — in the history of its program, while Arkansas Tech (4-3) is trying to bounce back from a disappointing 24-13 loss at the University of Arkansas-Monticello.
“We made too many mistakes in all three phases (offense, defense and special teams),” said Shipp. “Defensively we did some decent things, but the blocked punt for a touchdown gave (UAM) a lot of momentum early in the game and we made a lot of mistakes on offense that we can’t do and win games. There are a lot of things to fix, and that’s my job as head coach.”
Shipp said his team’s preparation for Ouachita Baptist has focused on fundamentals and physicality.
“If we can get back to playing physical football, I think that’s the main thing,” said Shipp. “We know Ouachita is going to bring that to the party. Our guys have to understand that we have to match their physicality from the jump.”
Live coverage of the ATU-OBU game will be available on KCJC 102.3 FM, the EAB Media Group app and www.arkansastechsports.com.
Talk to you on the radio.
Tech Tidbits is a column written by Sam Strasner, ATU director of university relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU football and basketball.
