# 2024 Ouachita Baptist Tigers football team

The 2024 Ouachita Baptist Tigers football team represented Ouachita Baptist University during the 2024 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Great American Conference (GAC). Led by twenty-fifth year head coach Todd Knight, the Tigers played their home games at Benson–Williams Field at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Knight was named the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4.
The Tigers finished the regular season with a record of 10–1, clinching a share of the GAC title. The Tigers were selected for the Division II Playoffs, falling to Central Oklahoma 31–38 in overtime in the first round.

## Preseason

The GAC released its preseason prediction poll on August 1, 2024. The Tigers were predicted to finish second in the conference, though they also received one first place vote.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 7:00 p.m. | SW Oklahoma State | No. 19 | Cliff Harris StadiumArkadelphia, AR | W 42–3 | 3,582 |
| September 12 | 6:00 p.m. | at NW Oklahoma State | No. 18 | Ranger FieldAlva, OK | W 56–2 | 1,834 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | at Southern Arkansas | No. 17 | Wilkins StadiumMagnolia, AR | W 25–20 | 6,869 |
| September 28 | 6:00 p.m. | Arkansas–Monticello | No. 16 | Cliff Harris StadiumArkadelphia, AR | W 49–14 | 3,452 |
| October 5 | 2:00 p.m. | at SE Oklahoma State | No. 14 | Paul Laird FieldDurant, OK | W 25–9 | 2,543 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | East Central | No. 10 | Cliff Harris StadiumArkadelphia, AR | W 40–0 | 5,875 |
| October 19 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 1 Harding | No. 9 | Cliff Harris StadiumArkadelphia, AR | W 17–13 | 7,322 |
| October 26 | 2:00 p.m. | at Arkansas Tech | No. 5 | Thone StadiumRussellville, AR | W 38–7 | 2,871 |
| October 31 | 6:00 p.m. | Southern Nazarene | No. 3 | Cliff Harris StadiumArkadelphia, AR | L 17–18 | 1,581 |
| November 9 | 2:00 p.m. | at Oklahoma Baptist | No. 9 | Crain Family StadiumShawnee, OK | W 55–0 | 2,226 |
| November 16 | 11:00 a.m. | at Henderson State | No. 9 | Carpenter–Haygood StadiumArkadelphia, AR (Battle of the Ravine) | W 27–20 | 9,736 |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 8 Central Oklahoma* | No. 9 | Chad Richison StadiumEdmond, OK (NCAA Division II First Round) | L 31–38 $^{OT}$ | 3,995 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| AFCA | 19 | 19* | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 3 (2) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 |
| D2 Football | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 |
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

## Game summaries
### SW Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| No. 19 Tigers | 7 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
* Date: September 5
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,582
* Referee: Darin Lair
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SWO | OUA |
| First downs | 17 | 15 |
| Total yards | 247 | 334 |
| Rushing yards | 97 | 128 |
| Passing yards | 150 | 206 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 39:45 | 20:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SW Oklahoma State | Passing | Kai Kunz | 13/21, 94 yards, INT |
| SW Oklahoma State | Rushing | Kai Kunz | 15 rushes, 85 yards |
| SW Oklahoma State | Receiving | Baylor Nash | 6 receptions, 48 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 8/10, 195 yards, 3 TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Eli Livingston | 9 rushes, 91 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Chris Henley Jr. | 1 reception, 73 yards, TD |

### at NW Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Tigers | 7 | 14 | 21 | 14 | 56 |
| Rangers | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
at Ranger Field, Alva, Oklahoma
* Date: September 12
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 1,834
* Referee: Dewayne Barbee
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OUA | NWO |
| First downs | 21 | 9 |
| Total yards | 535 | 134 |
| Rushing yards | 267 | 62 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 72 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 24:39 | 34:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 9/17, 171 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 18 rushes, 145 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Keemontrae McKnight | 2 receptions, 71 yards |
| NW Oklahoma State | Passing | Beck Moss | 12/26, 61 yards, INT |
| NW Oklahoma State | Rushing | Darian Gill | 14 rushes, 33 yards |
| NW Oklahoma State | Receiving | Mark Zamora | 4 receptions, 24 yards |

### at Southern Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 Tigers | 6 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 25 |
| Muleriders | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
at Wilkins Stadium, Magnolia, Arkansas
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 97 °F (36 °C)
* Game attendance: 6,869
* Referee: Allen Tatum
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OUA | SAU |
| First downs | 20 | 16 |
| Total yards | 356 | 297 |
| Rushing yards | 223 | 92 |
| Passing yards | 133 | 205 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:45 | 25:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 9/18, 133 yards, TD, INT |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Eli Livingston | 21 rushes, 120 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Bo Baker | 2 receptions, 48 yards, TD |
| Southern Arkansas | Passing | Judd Barton | 18/32, 205 yards, TD, INT |
| Southern Arkansas | Rushing | Judd Barton | 12 rushes, 38 yards, TD |
| Southern Arkansas | Receiving | Cole Williams | 4 receptions, 56 yards, TD |

### Arkansas–Monticello

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boll Weevils | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 16 Tigers | 21 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
at Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,452
* Referee: Michael Gervais
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UAM | OUA |
| First downs | 14 | 24 |
| Total yards | 255 | 385 |
| Rushing yards | 29 | 211 |
| Passing yards | 226 | 174 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:52 | 34:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Passing | Demilon Brown | 21/27, 213 yards, 2 TD |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Rushing | Tyler Reed | 9 rushes, 23 yards |
| Arkansas–Monticello | Receiving | Isaiah Cross | 3 receptions, 97 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 13/17, 156 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 19 rushes, 72 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Keemontrae McKnight | 3 receptions, 47 yards |

### at SE Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Tigers | 0 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 25 |
| Savage Storm | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at Paul Laird Field, Durant, Oklahoma
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 88 °F (31 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,543
* Referee: Brad Frisby
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OUA | SEO |
| First downs | 8 | 18 |
| Total yards | 240 | 393 |
| Rushing yards | 119 | 143 |
| Passing yards | 121 | 250 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 20:11 | 39:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 7/13, 121 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Eli Livingston | 8 rushes, 79 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Carter McElhany | 2 receptions, 62 yards, TD |
| SE Oklahoma State | Passing | Luke Hohenberger | 11/26, 162 yards, TD, INT |
| SE Oklahoma State | Rushing | D. J. Brown | 20 rushes, 69 yards |
| SE Oklahoma State | Receiving | Victor Taylor | 3 receptions, 56 yards |

### East Central

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| ECU Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 10 OUA Tigers | 14 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 40 |
at Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,875
* Referee: Chuck Scott
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ECU | OUA |
| First downs | 7 | 28 |
| Total yards | 88 | 505 |
| Rushing yards | 29 | 280 |
| Passing yards | 59 | 225 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 25:13 | 34:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Central | Passing | Sergio Kennedy | 10/20, 59 yards, INT |
| East Central | Rushing | Cade Searcy | 8 rushes, 20 yards |
| East Central | Receiving | Deqavius Bowens | 4 receptions, 22 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Nate TenBarge | 14/22, 151 yards, INT |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Nate TenBarge | 16 rushes, 110 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Connor Flannigan | 8 receptions, 80 yards |

### No. 1 Harding

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Bisons | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 9 Tigers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 7,322
* Referee: Brad Frisby
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | HAR | OUA |
| First downs | 15 | 12 |
| Total yards | 288 | 198 |
| Rushing yards | 218 | 85 |
| Passing yards | 70 | 113 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:02 | 26:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Harding | Passing | Cole Keylon | 5/12, 57 yards |
| Harding | Rushing | Cole Keylon | 14 rushes, 78 yards |
| Harding | Receiving | Darius Brown | 3 receptions, 38 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 10/18, 109 yards, INT |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 13 rushes, 47 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Connor Flannigan | 5 receptions, 62 yards |

### at Arkansas Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Tigers | 21 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
| Wonder Boys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Thone Stadium, Russellville, Arkansas
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,871
* Referee: Allen Tatum
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OUA | ATU |
| First downs | 15 | 16 |
| Total yards | 323 | 277 |
| Rushing yards | 195 | 100 |
| Passing yards | 128 | 177 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:41 | 37:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Nate TenBarge | 12/21, 128 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 14 rushes, 87 yards, 3 TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Connor Flannigan | 8 receptions, 90 yards |
| Arkansas Tech | Passing | Ethan Forrester | 16/31, 177 yards, TD, INT |
| Arkansas Tech | Rushing | Ethan Forrester | 15 rushes, 46 yards |
| Arkansas Tech | Receiving | Jared Long | 2 receptions, 45 yards, TD |

### Southern Nazarene

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Crimson Storm | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 18 |
| No. 3 Tigers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,581
* Referee: Jimmy Malone
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SNU | OUA |
| First downs | 14 | 14 |
| Total yards | 268 | 260 |
| Rushing yards | 92 | 196 |
| Passing yards | 176 | 64 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 31:35 | 28:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Nazarene | Passing | Bryson Evans | 15/28, 176 yards, TD, INT |
| Southern Nazarene | Rushing | Bryson Evans | 15 rushes, 70 yards |
| Southern Nazarene | Receiving | Dalen Smith | 4 receptions, 52 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 5/8, 43 yards |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 20 rushes, 123 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Connor Flannigan | 3 receptions, 27 yards |
Bill Connelly of ESPN ranked this game at no. 51 on his list of the "100 best college football games of the 2024 season", calling the Crimson Storm's victory the biggest upset of the 2024 season and one of the biggest in the history of college football.

### at Oklahoma Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Tigers | 7 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 55 |
| Bison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Crain Family Stadium, Shawnee, Oklahoma
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,226
* Referee: Michael Gervais
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OUA | OKB |
| First downs | 21 | 11 |
| Total yards | 401 | 191 |
| Rushing yards | 238 | 53 |
| Passing yards | 163 | 138 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 26:56 | 31:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Nate TenBarge | 9/17, 103 yards, 2 TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 20 rushes, 106 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Carter McElhany | 3 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TD |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Passing | Camden McCrary | 17/29, 104 yards, 2 INT |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Rushing | E. J. Moore | 13 rushes, 45 yards |
| Oklahoma Baptist | Receiving | Damorrion Brown | 3 receptions, 28 yards |

### at Henderson State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Tigers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 27 |
| Reddies | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
at Carpenter–Haygood Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 9,736
* Referee: Brad Frisby
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OUA | HSU |
| First downs | 19 | 17 |
| Total yards | 394 | 341 |
| Rushing yards | 233 | 82 |
| Passing yards | 161 | 259 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:39 | 29:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 8/17, 161 yards, TD, INT |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 24 rushes, 108 yards, 2 TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Bo Baker | 3 receptions, 70 yards, TD |
| Henderson State | Passing | Andrew Edwards | 23/40, 259 yards, TD, INT |
| Henderson State | Rushing | Jalen Abraham | 5 rushes, 38 yards |
| Henderson State | Receiving | Timieone Jackson | 7 receptions, 79 yards |

### at No. 8 Central Oklahoma (NCAA Division II First Round)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| No. 9 Tigers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 31 |
| No. 8 Bronchos | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Chad Richison Stadium, Edmond, Oklahoma
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,995
* Referee: Craig Demaree
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | OUA | UCO |
| First downs | 20 | 26 |
| Total yards | 397 | 537 |
| Rushing yards | 153 | 166 |
| Passing yards | 244 | 371 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:54 | 30:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ouachita Baptist | Passing | Eli Livingston | 13/22, 198 yards, TD, INT |
| Ouachita Baptist | Rushing | Kendel Givens | 11 rushes, 66 yards, TD |
| Ouachita Baptist | Receiving | Carter McElhany | 6 receptions, 138 yards, TD |
| Central Oklahoma | Passing | Jett Huff | 36/58, 371 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Central Oklahoma | Rushing | Jaylen Cottrell | 17 rushes, 151 yards, 2 TD |
| Central Oklahoma | Receiving | Terrill Davis | 14 receptions, 155 yards |