# 2022 East Central Tigers football team

The 2022 East Central Tigers football team represented East Central University (ECU) in the 2022 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Great American Conference (GAC). The Tigers were led by Kris McCullough in his first and only season as head coach. The Tigers finished the season 9–3, going 8–3 in conference play to finish tied for third place in the GAC. This was the best finish in program history since the 1993 season when the Tigers finished 10–3 and won the NAIA Championship. The team played its home games at Koi Ishto Stadium in Ada, Oklahoma.
The Tigers were invited to the Heritage Bowl, defeating Texas A&M–Kingsville 38–21. Following the season, McCullough announced that he would be stepping down after accepting the head coaching job at UT Permian Basin.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

On March 12, 2022, head coach Al Johnson was hired to be Wisconsin's running backs coach, with offensive coordinator Kris McCullough being named the Tigers' interim head coach. McCullough was 26 at the time, making him the youngest head coach in all of college football. The interim tag was removed mid-season, with McCullough being hired as the full-time head coach on October 27.

## Preseason
### GAC coaches poll

The GAC coaches preseason poll was released on August 2, 2022. The Tigers were predicted to finish sixth in the conference.
GAC coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Harding |
| 2 | Ouachita Baptist |
| 3 | Southeastern Oklahoma State |
| 4 | Henderson State |
| 5 | Oklahoma Baptist |
| 6 | East Central |
| 7 | Arkansas–Monticello |
| 8 | Southern Arkansas |
| 9 | Arkansas Tech |
| 10 | Northwestern Oklahoma State |
| 11 | Southwestern Oklahoma State |
| 12 | Southern Nazarene |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 9 Harding | Koi Ishto StadiumAda, OK | L 12–29 | 2,500 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | at Arkansas Tech | Buerkle FieldRussellville, AR | L 13–35 | 4,613 |
| September 17 | 2:00 p.m. | at Southern Nazarene | SNU StadiumBethany, OK | W 44–21 | 1,500 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Koi Ishto StadiumAda, OK | W 31–3 | 2,000 |
| October 1 | 2:30 p.m. | at Southern Arkansas | Wilkins StadiumMagnolia, AR | W 34–22 | 4,728 |
| October 8 | 2:00 p.m. | Henderson State | Koi Ishto StadiumAda, OK | W 31–10 | 1,000 |
| October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | at Oklahoma Baptist | Crain Family StadiumShawnee, OK | W 34–20 | 3,561 |
| October 22 | 2:00 p.m. | Southwestern Oklahoma State | Koi Ishto StadiumAda, OK | W 42–28 | 3,201 |
| October 27 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Ouachita Baptist | Cliff Harris StadiumArkadelphia, AR | L 18–28 | 3,128 |
| November 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Arkansas–Monticello | Koi Ishto StadiumAda, OK | W 16–0 | 1,500 |
| November 12 | 2:00 p.m. | Southeastern Oklahoma State | Koi Ishto StadiumAda, OK | W 31–10 | 3,000 |
| December 3 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Texas A&M–Kingsville* | Tiger StadiumCorsicana, TX (Heritage Bowl) | W 38–21 | 2,000 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||
    Schedule source:

## Game summaries
### No. 9 Harding

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Bisons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Tigers | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
at Koi Ishto Stadium, Ada, Oklahoma
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 76 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,500
* Referee: Tommy Little
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | HAR | ECU |
| First downs | 15 | 11 |
| Total yards | 340 | 161 |
| Rushing yards | 219 | 14 |
| Passing yards | 121 | 147 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:54 | 24:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Harding | Passing | Cole Keylon | 3/6, 121 yards, 3 TD |
| Harding | Rushing | Will Fitzhugh | 14 rushes, 49 yards |
| Harding | Receiving | Kage Citty | 2 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TD |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 20/33, 147 yards, TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Miles Davis | 8 rushes, 14 yards |
| East Central | Receiving | Jayquan Lincoln | 6 receptions, 33 yards |

### At Arkansas Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Wonder Boys | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Buerkle Field, Russellville, Arkansas
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 84 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,613
* Referee: Michael Catton
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ECU | ATU |
| First downs | 23 | 19 |
| Total yards | 333 | 322 |
| Rushing yards | 124 | 165 |
| Passing yards | 209 | 157 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 35:47 | 24:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 19/42, 209 yards, 2 INT |
| East Central | Rushing | Nemier Herod | 13 rushes, 61 yards |
| East Central | Receiving | Greg Howell | 3 receptions, 54 yards |
| Arkansas Tech | Passing | Taye Gatewood | 13/23, 157 yards, 3 TD |
| Arkansas Tech | Rushing | Devontae Dean | 10 rushes, 58 yards |
| Arkansas Tech | Receiving | Matthew Rivera | 4 receptions, 39 yards, TD |

### At Southern Nazarene

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 14 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 44 |
| Crimson Storm | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at SNU Stadium, Bethany, Oklahoma
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 93 °F (34 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: Michael Catton
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ECU | SNU |
| First downs | 23 | 19 |
| Total yards | 471 | 416 |
| Rushing yards | 198 | 256 |
| Passing yards | 273 | 160 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 28:04 | 31:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 18/27, 217 yards, 3 TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Nemier Herod | 14 rushes, 80 yards, 2 TD |
| East Central | Receiving | La'Quan Wells | 5 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD |
| Southern Nazarene | Passing | Gage Porter | 10/17, 155 yards, 2 TD |
| Southern Nazarene | Rushing | Gage Porter | 21 rushes, 150 yards |
| Southern Nazarene | Receiving | Asa Robertson | 3 receptions, 95 yards, TD |

### Northwestern Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rangers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Tigers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
at Koi Ishto Stadium, Ada, Oklahoma
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 92 °F (33 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,000
* Referee: Kody Stephenson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NWO | ECU |
| First downs | 16 | 23 |
| Total yards | 254 | 452 |
| Rushing yards | 61 | 215 |
| Passing yards | 193 | 237 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:20 | 33:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| NW Oklahoma State | Passing | Tanner Clarkson | 21/35, 193 yards, INT |
| NW Oklahoma State | Rushing | Tanner Clarkson | 11 rushes, 27 yards |
| NW Oklahoma State | Receiving | Darian Gill | 1 reception, 57 yards |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 22/27, 237 yards, 2 TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Nemier Herod | 23 rushes, 193 yards, TD |
| East Central | Receiving | La'Quan Wells | 8 receptions, 88 yards |

### At Southern Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 7 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
| Muleriders | 6 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 22 |
at Wilkins Stadium, Magnolia, Arkansas
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 4,728
* Referee: Dan Wilson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ECU | SAU |
| First downs | 24 | 23 |
| Total yards | 523 | 484 |
| Rushing yards | 214 | 326 |
| Passing yards | 309 | 158 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 33:57 | 26:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 21/30, 309 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| East Central | Rushing | Nemier Herod | 25 rushes, 123 yards, TD |
| East Central | Receiving | La'Quan Wells | 4 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD |
| Southern Arkansas | Passing | Judd Barton | 10/22, 100 yards |
| Southern Arkansas | Rushing | Jariq Scales | 22 rushes, 173 yards, 2 TD |
| Southern Arkansas | Receiving | Cole Williams | 3 receptions, 59 yards |

### Henderson State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Reddies | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Tigers | 3 | 11 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
at Koi Ishto Stadium, Ada, Oklahoma
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,000
* Referee: Ken Roan
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | HSU | ECU |
| First downs | 20 | 23 |
| Total yards | 342 | 398 |
| Rushing yards | 150 | 102 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 296 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:01 | 34:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Henderson State | Passing | Landon Ledbetter | 14/22, 184 yards, TD, INT |
| Henderson State | Rushing | Korien Burrell | 13 rushes, 60 yards |
| Henderson State | Receiving | Xavier Malone | 7 receptions, 96 yards, TD |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 20/36, 296 yards, 3 TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Nemier Herod | 19 rushes, 84 yards |
| East Central | Receiving | Greg Howell | 3 receptions, 70 yards |

### At Oklahoma Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
| Bison | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
at Crain Family Stadium, Shawnee, Oklahoma
* Date: October 15
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,561
* Referee: DeWayne Barbee
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ECU | OKB |
| First downs | 28 | 20 |
| Total yards | 467 | 315 |
| Rushing yards | 213 | 68 |
| Passing yards | 254 | 247 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 38:22 | 21:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 21/34, 254 yards, 2 TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Nemier Herod | 21 rushes, 121 yards, TD |
| East Central | Receiving | Jayquan Lincoln | 3 receptions, 60 yards, TD |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Passing | Dayton Wolfe | 26/40, 247 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Rushing | Nate Anderson | 4 rushes, 27 yards |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Receiving | Keilahn Harris | 9 receptions, 95 yards, TD |

### Southwestern Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Tigers | 7 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at Koi Ishto Stadium, Ada, Oklahoma
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,201
* Referee: Jeremy Goodrich
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SWO | ECU |
| First downs | 23 | 22 |
| Total yards | 346 | 458 |
| Rushing yards | 242 | 219 |
| Passing yards | 104 | 239 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:26 | 33:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SW Oklahoma State | Passing | Tylan Morton | 14/30, 104 yards, TD |
| SW Oklahoma State | Rushing | Dexter Brown | 13 rushes, 93 yards, TD |
| SW Oklahoma State | Receiving | Jalen Lampley | 4 receptions, 35 yards |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 16/25, 239 yards, 3 TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Nemier Herod | 22 rushes, 151 yards, 2 TD |
| East Central | Receiving | Jayquan Lincoln | 3 receptions, 99 yards, TD |

### At No. 4 Ouachita Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| East Central | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
| No. 4 Ouachita Baptist | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
at Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
* Date: October 27
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,128
* Referee: Michael Catton
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ECU | OUA |
| First downs | 25 | 13 |
| Total yards | 400 | 348 |
| Rushing yards | 163 | 147 |
| Passing yards | 237 | 201 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 36:26 | 23:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 20/40, 237 yards, 2 INT |
| East Central | Rushing | Kenny Hrncir | 14 rushes, 73 yards |
| East Central | Receiving | Jayquan Lincoln | 4 receptions, 62 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Riley Harms | 10/19, 201 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | T. J. Cole | 22 rushes, 103 yards, 3 TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Connor Flannigan | 5 receptions, 81 yards |

### Arkansas–Monticello

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boll Weevils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tigers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
at Koi Ishto Stadium, Ada, Oklahoma
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: Darrell Robertson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UAM | ECU |
| First downs | 10 | 18 |
| Total yards | 164 | 272 |
| Rushing yards | 105 | 172 |
| Passing yards | 59 | 100 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 24:45 | 35:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Passing | Edwin Kleinpeter | 11/25, 59 yards, 2 INT |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Rushing | Gary Ferman | 9 rushes, 42 yards |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Receiving | Caleb Jacobs | 3 receptions, 16 yards |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 15/23, 100 yards, 2 INT |
| East Central | Rushing | Miles Davis | 14 rushes, 88 yards |
| East Central | Receiving | Greg Howell | 2 receptions, 29 yards |

### Southeastern Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Savage Storm | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Tigers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
at Koi Ishto Stadium, Ada, Oklahoma
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 48 °F (9 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,000
* Referee: Tommy Little
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SEO | ECU |
| First downs | 14 | 16 |
| Total yards | 216 | 257 |
| Rushing yards | 109 | 93 |
| Passing yards | 107 | 164 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:29 | 29:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SE Oklahoma State | Passing | Daulton Hatley | 14/29, 107 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| SE Oklahoma State | Rushing | Ryan Hirt | 18 rushes, 105 yards |
| SE Oklahoma State | Receiving | Braxton Kincade | 3 receptions, 52 yards |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 12/23, 164 yards, TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Miles Davis | 11 rushes, 48 yards |
| East Central | Receiving | Jayquan Lincoln | 4 receptions, 66 yards, TD |

### Vs. Texas A&M–Kingsville (Heritage Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 17 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
| Javelinas | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Tiger Stadium, Corsicana, Texas
* Date: December 3
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 51 °F (11 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,000
* Referee: Andy Dunklin
| Statistics | ECU | AMK |
| First downs | 17 | 14 |
| Total yards | 355 | 255 |
| Rushing yards | 208 | 64 |
| Passing yards | 147 | 191 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 35:17 | 24:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Central | Passing | Kenny Hrncir | 8/14, 147 yards, TD |
| East Central | Rushing | Miles Davis | 23 rushes, 127 yards, 3 TD |
| East Central | Receiving | La'Quan Wells | 2 receptions, 51 yards |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Passing | Jacob Cavazos | 14/31, 191 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Rushing | Christian Anderson | 14 rushes, 31 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Receiving | Craig Clemons | 5 receptions, 86 yards, 2 TD |