April 16, 2004
For Immediate Release—FOOTBALL
Ten-Game Schedule, I-AA Opponent Await Tigers in 2004
Chris Babb
ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University Tigers will play eight games in the state of Arkansas and a game against an NCAA I-AA opponent for the first time in the program’s history as a part of the 2004 football schedule as released by the athletic department.
The Tigers will open at Sam Houston State on September 4 in Huntsville, Texas. The Bearkats were 2-9 last year as a member of the Southland Conference of NCAA Division I-AA.
The first home game of the season will feature Valdosta State on Saturday, September 11 at 7 p.m. Ouachita will then have two consecutive road games at West Georgia and Southern Arkansas before returning home to face West Alabama on October 2.
October 9 will see the Tigers traveling to Monticello to face the Boll Weevils of Arkansas-Monticello before hosting Arkansas Tech on Family Day October 16.
Ouachita will end the season with two out of the last three games at home. The Tigers will face Central Arkansas on the road on October 23 before hosting Delta State on October 30 and then Harding on November 6 as the Homecoming game.
Noticeably absent from the 2004 schedule is cross-town rival Henderson State. As a part of the Gulf South Conference rotating schedule, the game rotates off of the conference schedule every third season.
In order for the two teams to play, the game has to be scheduled as a non-conference game. With the shortened calendar for Division II playing season beginning in the 2004 season to allow for an additional round of playoff games, there are only two dates for teams in the GSC to schedule non-conference games.
Both Henderson State and Ouachita scheduled a I-AA opponent as the 10th game of the season, which is how many games Ouachita has traditionally played in a season.
“We understand the importance of the football Battle of the Ravine to both universities and to the city of Arkadelphia,” said Ouachita Athletic Director David Sharp. “However, in order for us to play Henderson State on the first playing date of August 28, we would have had to bring our players in on August 5 and have one game between that date and our next playing date of September 11.
“We do not feel that scenario is either fiscally responsible or in the best interest of our student-athletes,” Sharp said.
Ouachita head coach Todd Knight also would have liked to play Henderson, but knows that the non-conference game that Ouachita will play in will also be a good test in preparing his team for GSC play.
2004 Ouachita Tiger Football Schedule
“We would have loved to have played Henderson because of what it means to everybody, but it just didn’t work out,” said Knight. “A ten game schedule has traditionally been the best for our program, and we’re moving on to prepare for this season and we look forward to playing them in 2005.”
2004 Ouachita Tiger Football Schedule
Date Opponent Site Time
Sept. 4 Sam Houston State (TX) Huntsville, TX 6:00 p.m.
Sept. 11 *Valdosta State (GA) OBU 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 18 *West Georgia Carrollton, GA 7:00 p.m. EDT
Sept. 25 *Southern Arkansas Magnolia, AR 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 2 *West Alabama OBU 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 9 *Arkansas-Monticello Monticello, AR 2:00 p.m.
Oct. 16 *Arkansas Tech - Family Day OBU 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 *Central Arkansas Conway, AR 6:00 p.m.
Oct. 30 *Delta State (MS) OBU 1:30 p.m.
- Hall of Fame Game
Nov. 6 *Harding (AR) – Homecoming OBU 1:30 p.m.
* -- indicates Gulf South Conference game
All times Central unless otherwise noted
For more information, contact:
Chris Babb
Sports Information Director
Ouachita Baptist University
OBU Box 3650
Arkadelphia, AR 71998
Phone: 870-245-5186
Fax: 870-245-5084
