Ouachita Stories

After guiding the Ouachita Baptist University Tigers football team to its first 10-0 season in program history, Head Coach Todd Knight has been named the unanimous choice for Great American Conference Coach of the Year.

A conference-best 18 members of the 2014 Ouachita Tigers earned All-GAC honors. Six Tigers were named to the All-GAC First Team, including senior running back Steven Kehner who also was a unanimous selection.

Coach Knight, who also was named GAC Coach of the Year in 2011, led the Tigers to the program’s first undefeated, untied regular season and first NCAA Division II postseason berth. The Tigers, who are ranked No. 7 nationally and No. 1 in Region Three, will host a second round playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 29, at noon at Cliff Harris Stadium.

Among Ouachita earning all-conference honors, Kehner ran for 1,080 yards this season and set a GAC single-season record with 16 rushing touchdowns. He averaged just over five yards per carry and 108 yards per game. The three-time GAC Player of the Week led the conference in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.

Joining Kehner on the First Team offense are a trio of offensive lineman, seniors Aaron Sprinkle and Brent Calhoun and junior Michael Russell. These three anchored a line that enabled the Tiger offense to average 232.6 rushing yards per game, second best in the conference and 19th in Division II. The line also finished third in the GAC, allowing only 1.2 sacks per game. This was Sprinkle's third All-GAC selection and second consecutive First Team selection.

Senior safety Zack Mitchell was selected to the First Team defense after finishing the season with a career-high six interceptions. Mitchell led the conference in interceptions and finished 11th in the nation in that category. He also had two fumble recoveries and 45 tackles.

Senior return specialist Etauj Allen led the nation with three returns for touchdowns and finished second in the nation in averaging 18.7 yards per return. He set the Ouachita single-season record in punt return yardage this season with 392 yards.

Senior quarterback Kiehl Frazier was selected to the All-GAC Second Team after finishing with 2,357 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns. Frazier threw only four interceptions this season, the fourth-lowest total in Division II.

Senior wideout Drew White earned Second Team honors after averaging a team-best 58.43 receiving yards per game. He caught 26 passes in 2014, with three going for touchdowns.

Junior receiver Ke'Vontae Pope was named the Second Team utility player after turning in a career-high 527 receiving yards and averaging 99.8 all-purpose yards per game.

Senior defensive end Kyle Lamothe was named to the Second Team after a career year that included earning two GAC Player of the Week honors. He set career highs in sacks with seven, tackles for loss with nine and defensive touchdowns with two on fumble recoveries.

Joining Lamothe on the Second Team defense is senior tackle, Dion Young. Young finished the season with 27 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks.

Senior cornerback Jeremy Small also earned All-GAC Second Team honors. Small finished the regular season with three interceptions and seven pass break-ups. He had 22 tackles and one tackle for loss.

Senior kicker Matt Ehasz went 10-13 on field goal attempts and 34-34 on extra point attempts, earning him a Second Team roster spot. Ehasz hit the game-winning field goal in overtime to defeat Harding at Searcy.

Freshman punter Shelton Wooley also earned All-GAC Second Team honors. Wooley averaged 37.2 yards per punt, dropping 21 inside the opponent’s 20 yard line.

Senior long snapper Eric Ashburn, senior fullback Spencer Knight, junior tight end Jonathan Powell and junior linebacker Mike Williamson all earned honorable mentions for their efforts in the 2014 season.

 

By Kyle Parris, OBU sports information director