Finally, college football season has arrived.

And it won’t be the usual boring nonconference opponent for the Razorbacks. No, ESPN will telecast a battle of two ranked teams in Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon. It could prove to be quite a test for the Hogs.

On Thursday night, meanwhile, former Hog head man Bobby Petrino brings his Missouri State Bears to Conway to take on the University of Central Arkansas Bears.

Arkansas State and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff are both home on Saturday. ASU hosts Grambling in Jonesboro, and UAPB hosts tiny Lane College in Pine Bluff.

All of the Great American Conference schools start the season Thursday night. The six Arkansas schools play the six Oklahoma schools. Remember, all games are conference games, and there are no bye weeks, just a grueling 11 consecutive weeks of conference play.

Four of the six Arkansas GAC schools are on the road. The two schools that are home are Henderson State University and Southern Arkansas University.

Let’s get to the picks:

Arkansas 31, Cincinnati 27 — Hopes are high on the hill as Arkansas comes off a 9-4 season. The No. 19 Razorbacks will have their hands full against No. 23 Cincinnati. There’s a deeper receiving corps this year for quarterback KJ Jefferson. That could make the difference if the Razorbacks get in a shootout Saturday afternoon. At the start of the season last year, offensive coordinator Kendal Briles was still trying to figure out how to best use Jefferson’s talents. Now, he knows.

Arkansas State 40, Grambling 24 — The 2021 season was a nightmare in Jonesboro as the Red Wolves went 2-10. Coach Butch Jones has shown he can recruit, though, so there should be improvement in 2022. Just how much improvement is anyone’s guess. Last year was the worst record in Jones’ career as a head coach. He was 85-54 as head coach at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Tennessee. The only Red Wolf victories in 2021 were over UCA and Louisiana-Monroe. Remember, this is an ASU program that played in a bowl game every year from 2011-19.

Missouri State 30, UCA 22 — UCA teams qualified for the playoffs in three of the past six seasons. Last year wasn’t one of them as the Bears slumped to a 5-6 record. Four of the six losses were by 10 points or less. The roster has been revamped. There are a ton of question marks as UCA begins play in the ASUN Conference. Quarterback Breylin Smith is among those who are gone. Petrino obviously would love to start the season with a victory in the state he once called home.

UAPB 32, Lane College 14 — The Golden Lions began a less-than-stellar 2021 season with a 34-16 victory over Lane. You should expect a similar margin this year. The Lions finished the 2021 season with a 2-9 record as the team was beset by injuries. The only other victory came against Grambling. UAPB returns six offensive and five defensive starters.

Harding 29, East Central Oklahoma 15 — Last season saw Harding win its second GAC title with an 11-2 record. The Bisons reached the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs and are picked by the GAC coaches to repeat as champions. Harding’s flexbone offense averaged 390.1 rushing yards per game last year, the highest average in Division II since 2014. But Harding must replace the conference’s all-time leading rusher, Cole Chancey.

Ouachita 33, Oklahoma Baptist 23 — Ouachita came into last season having won three consecutive GAC titles and five of the previous nine conference crowns. The Tigers return 10 offensive starters and six defensive starters off a 9-2 team. Ouachita has a combined regular-season record of 40-4 the previous four seasons. The coaches picked the Tigers second and Oklahoma Baptist fifth in the preseason poll. Ouachita will have a new quarterback in Riley Harms, a transfer from Kearney State in Nebraska.

UAM 43, Southern Nazarene 39 — The Boll Weevils went 5-6 in 2021. They return seven offensive and four defensive starters for head coach Hud Jackson, who is 39-71 in 10 seasons at the school. The preseason poll has the Boll Weevils seventh and Southern Nazarene last. UAM defeated Southern Nazarene by a final score of 30-23 in the opener a year ago. The key to the first game and the season will be the play of UAM quarterback Demilon Brown.

Southeastern Oklahoma 36, Arkansas Tech 19 — Southeastern was the only GAC team to defeat Harding last year and one of the two teams (along with Harding) to defeat Ouachita. Southeastern is picked third in the preseason poll; Tech is ninth. The Wonder Boys finished 4-7 last year after starting 0-4. Tech has an experienced team, however, with seven offensive and eight defensive starters returning. After being picked 11th in the 2021 poll, the Savage Storm went 9-3 and won the Live United Bowl against Emporia State.

Henderson 37, Southwestern Oklahoma 28 — The Reddies finished 9-2 last year and would have shared the conference title with Harding had they defeated Ouachita in the Battle of the Ravine. Ouachita kicked a 53-yard field goal late for a 31-28 victory. Henderson returns six offensive and nine defensive starters. Quarterback Adam Morse and All-American wide receiver L’liot Curry are gone. Henderson is picked fourth and Southwestern is picked 11th in the preseason poll.

Southern Arkansas 25, Northwestern Oklahoma 16 — Brad Smiley will be SAU’s third head coach in three seasons. The Muleriders were 4-7 a year ago and lost starting quarterback Hayden Mallory. SAU still has Jariq Sales, the 2021 GAC Freshman of the Year, who rushed for 1,475 yards and nine touchdowns. SAU was eighth and Northwestern was 10th in the preseason poll.

Isn’t it nice to be competitive again in the really big games?

Alabama’s 42-35 victory over Arkansas on Saturday had everything you could ask for in a college football game. The CBS crew seemed thrilled to finally be calling a game in Tuscaloosa that wasn’t a blowout.

How far has this Arkansas program come in a short time?

Consider this: In the previous four games between these two schools, Alabama won by a total of 156 points. It was 52-3 last year.

KJ Jefferson threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns.

Treylon Burks had 179 receiving yards and two scores. That puts Burks at No. 9 on the Arkansas single-game list.

Unfortunately for Arkansas, Alabama’s Bryce Young passed for a school record 559 yards and five touchdowns. The previous best by an Alabama quarterback had been Scott Hunter’s 484 yards against Auburn in 1969.

The most yards allowed by an Arkansas defense were 508 by Dak Prescott for Mississippi State in 2015.

Alabama has now won 15 consecutive games against Arkansas. The Tide reached 10 victories in a season for a 14th consecutive year.

Nick Saban is 18-2 against Arkansas. His last loss to a Razorback team was the 2002 Miracle on Markham when Saban was head coach at LSU.

How impressive was the fact that Arkansas stayed in this game until the very end?

Consider these facts:

— Alabama has a 70-17 record against nationally ranked teams since 2008.

— Saban is 266-66-1 in 26 seasons as a head coach. He’s 96-8 in home games at Alabama. Alabama is 61-2 in its past 63 games in Tuscaloosa.

Truly, it’s a new day in Fayetteville.

I was 4-1 on the picks last week to make the record 73-20 for the 2021 season.

Here are this week’s games:

Arkansas 31, Missouri 23 — Missouri beat Florida in overtime last Saturday, and just like that, Dan Mullen is gone. The Tigers elected to go for two after scoring in overtime and converted for the win, 24-23. Missouri comes into Friday’s game at Fayetteville 6-5 overall and 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference. This is a game the Razorbacks should win. Any realistic Arkansas fan would have taken an 8-4 record in a heartbeat coming into this 2021 season.

Arkansas State 22, Texas State 20 — A long season will come to an end in Jonesboro on Saturday afternoon. The Red Wolves fell to 2-9 overall and 1-6 in Sun Belt Conference play with a 28-20 loss in Atlanta last Saturday to Georgia State. ASU finished with 270 yards of total offense but had a negative three rushing yards. Georgia State rushed for 283 yards and four touchdowns. This is a winnable game for the Red Wolves as Texas State limps in with a 3-8 record. The wins were by scores of 23-17 over Florida International, 33-31 over South Alabama and 27-19 over Louisiana-Monroe. The losses have been by scores of 29-20 to Baylor, 42-24 to Incarnate Word, 59-21 to Eastern Michigan, 31-28 to Troy, 28-16 to Georgia State, 45-0 to Louisiana-Lafayette, 38-30 to Georgia Southern and 35-21 to Coastal Carolina. In a battle of two struggling teams, let’s give a slight advantage to the home team.

Harding 24, Northwest Missouri 19 — It seems as if Northwest Missouri is the team that always knocks Harding out of the NCAA Division II playoffs. This might be the year that changes. Harding improved to 11-1 Saturday in Searcy with a first-round playoff victory over Washburn. It wasn’t as close as the 30-14 final score indicated. Harding dominated. The Bisons outgained Washburn 409-38 over the first three quarters. Harding kept the ball for 47:24 of the 60 minutes and had 29 first downs to just seven for Washburn. The Bisons had 419 rushing yards; Washburn had minus two. The Bisons led 20-7 at the half and 27-7 after three quarters. Cole Chancey carried the ball 41 times on the beautiful November afternoon for 176 yards. Northwest Missouri is 10-1 with its one loss coming to none other than Washburn, 17-16. Since then, the Bearcats haven’t had a close game. They’ve defeated Northeastern Oklahoma 59-7, Nebraska-Kearney 66-13, Missouri Southern 49-7, Emporia State 35-7 and Central Washington 50-21.

The Battle for the Golden Boot. The Battle of the Ravine. Even Arkansas State’s victory.

They all came down to late field goals. It was quite a Saturday for teams from this state.

Cam Little kicked a 37-yard field goal in overtime to power Arkansas to a 16-13 victory at LSU. It was his third field goal of the game. The last one followed a Montaric Brown interception on LSU’s first overtime possession. Little has made 17 field goals this season.

Little has been such a pleasant surprise that he could probably give Sarah Huckabee Sanders a run for her money in the governor’s race if the election were this November rather than next November. As it is, the Razorbacks move to 7-3 overall and 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference with two games remaining in the regular season.

Arkansas broke a five-game losing streak in the series against LSU and has its first seven-win season since 2016. Sam Pittman evened his record at 10-10 as the Razorback head coach.

LSU falls to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the SEC under its lame-duck coach. The Tigers outgained the Hogs 308-218, but Arkansas won the takeaway battle 3-0.

Alabama looms in this week’s CBS game.

I was 4-3 on the picks last week to make the season record 69-19.

Here are this week’s games:

Alabama 35, Arkansas 26 — Arkansas has the ability to hang around for at least three quarters in this one. This is a good Alabama team, but it’s not the best team in the nation. The Tide warmed up last Saturday with a 59-3 nonconference win over 1-9 New Mexico State. Alabama is now 9-1. Bryce Young was 21 of 23 passing for 270 yards and five touchdowns. Alabama led 49-3 at the half. Arkansas must hope that the Tide is looking ahead to the Iron Bowl.

Georgia State 33, Arkansas State 31 — The Red Wolves downed Louisiana-Monroe by a final score of 27-24 after making a 42-yard field goal with 1:17 left on the clock. ASU scored 17 of the game’s final 20 points. An interception with 20 seconds left sealed the victory. It was ASU’s first win since Sept. 4 and ended an eight-game losing streak. The Red Wolves are now 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana-Monroe fell to 4-6 and 2-5. This week’s opponent, Georgia State, is 5-5. The wins have come by scores of 20-9 over Charlotte, 55-21 over Louisiana-Monroe, 28-16 over Texas State, 21-14 over Georgia Southern and 42-40 over Coastal Carolina. The losses have been by scores of 43-10 to Army, 59-17 to North Carolina, 34-24 to Auburn, 45-16 to Appalachian State and 21-17 to Louisiana-Lafayette. The game is in Atlanta.

UCA 28, Tarleton State 25 — The Bears fell to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play with a 27-14 loss to Stephen F. Austin, which improved to 7-3 and 3-2. UCA’s offense was held to a season low of 304 yards. Breylin Smith was 17 of 27 passing for 163 yards. UCA makes a road trip to Stephenville, Texas, this weekend to battle Tarleton State. The game will determine which team has a winning season and which one has a losing season since Tarleton is also 5-5. Its wins have come by scores of 54-7 over Fort Lewis, 40-21 over New Mexico Highlands, 41-20 over Dixie State, 17-14 over Midwestern State and 42-21 over Lamar. The losses were by scores of 20-10 to Stephen F. Austin, 40-35 to Southern Utah, 20-3 to Eastern Kentucky, 45-27 to Sam Houston State and 29-3 to Abilene Christian.

Alabama A&M 30, UAPB 20 — The Golden Lions will end a disappointing season with a trip to Huntsville, Ala., to take on Alabama A&M. UAPB fell to 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the SWAC last Saturday with a 37-7 loss to Florida A&M in Pine Bluff. The Rattlers are 8-2 overall and 6-1 in conference play in their first year in the SWAC. Florida A&M finished the game with 570 yards of offense. Alabama A&M is 6-3 overall and 4-3 in SWAC play. The wins have been by scores of 42-41 over South Carolina State, 30-27 over Bethune-Cookman, 45-35 over Tuskegee, 42-28 over Alabama State, 42-14 over Mississippi Valley State and 52-49 over Texas Southern. The losses were by scores of 37-28 to Grambling, 61-15 to Jackson State and 35-31 to Florida A&M.

Harding 27, Washburn 19 — Harding is 10-1 and the Great American Conference champion following a 31-0 victory at 4-7 Arkansas Tech. The Bisons led just 7-0 at halftime but scored on their first four possessions of the second half. Cole Chancey rushed for 210 yards on 28 carries with 181 of those yards coming in the second half. Harding hosts a first-round NCAA Division II playoff game Saturday afternoon in Searcy. Washburn is 9-2. Harding has the ability to go deep into the playoffs because teams from outside the GAC haven’t seen anything like the Bisons’ double-slot option offense.

The kick veered badly to the left, Mike Leach announced an open tryout for kickers at Mississippi State and Arkansas became bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.

Arkansas 31, Mississippi State 28.

It was a fun finish as the Razorbacks drove 75 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, which came with just 21 seconds remaining. The Hogs moved to 6-3 overall and 2-3 in the Southeastern Conference while Mississippi State fell to 5-4 and 3-3.

With LSU down this year, an 8-4 finish now seems possible. It’s remarkable how far this program has come in two years.

Meanwhile, it’s Battle of the Ravine week in Arkansas. The Battle of the Ravine is to small-college football what the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn is to FBS football — an intense rivalry that divides families right down the middle and is talked about 365 days a year.

It’s the only college football game in the country in which the visiting team walks to a road game rather than taking a bus or airplane. I still believe that one of these years ESPN will decide to bring “College GameDay” to Arkadelphia to experience that walk.

Henderson will walk across U.S. Highway 67 this year to take on Ouachita at 1 p.m. at Cliff Harris Stadium. Both teams are nationally ranked. The two teams have a combined record of 17-3. In other words, there will be some good football played Saturday afternoon.

Two years ago, Sports Illustrated devoted eight pages to the Battle of the Ravine, the largest spread in SI for a sports event in this state that I can remember. This rivalry deserves that kind of national attention.

Every Arkansan should experience the Battle of the Ravine at least once.

I was 8-2 on my picks last week, making the record 65-16 for the year.

Arkansas 29, LSU 27 — Let’s stick with the Hogs for another week even though the game is in Baton Rouge. They certainly showed their grit in Fayetteville last Saturday afternoon. It was the latest winning touchdown for an Arkansas team since a Greg Childs touchdown reception with 15 seconds left against Georgia in 2010. The Hogs are now 18-13-1 in the series against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs missed all three field goal attempts. Cam Little, an Arkansas freshman, made field goals of 51, 48 and 46 yards. He’s the first Razorback kicker since 1997 to make three field goals of 45 or more yards in the same game. LSU may have a lame duck in Coach O, but the Tigers didn’t play like it Saturday against Alabama. The Tide (8-1, 5-1) struggled to beat LSU (4-5, 2-4). It wasn’t over until the final play when an LSU pass fell incomplete in the end zone, allowing Alabama to escape with a 20-14 victory. It should be a close, exciting game in Death Valley this Saturday night.

Henderson 35, Ouachita 25 — Henderson is 9-1, and Ouachita is 8-2. With a victory, the Reddies will clinch at least a share of the Great American Conference championship and a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Ouachita, which had won the previous three GAC titles, saw its hopes for a fourth consecutive crown go up in flames with a 35-21 loss to 8-2 Southeastern Oklahoma. It ended a 19-game conference winning streak for Ouachita at Cliff Harris Stadium. The Tigers, of course, would love nothing more than to spoil Henderson’s party. Ouachita has won the past four Battles of the Ravine. Henderson stayed on track for a GAC title when David Heaton kicked a 43-yard field goal in Shawnee, Okla., as time expired for a 36-34 victory over 6-4 Oklahoma Baptist. Henderson began the winning drive 99 yards away with no timeouts and 2:14 on the clock after a goal-line stand by its defense. It was truly the stuff that championship teams are made of. Reddie quarterback Adam Morse was 28 of 50 passing for 373 yards and two touchdowns.

Harding 51, Arkansas Tech 22 — The Bisons are 9-1 (having only lost to that same Southeastern Oklahoma squad that knocked off Ouachita) and on a roll. They beat 0-10 Southwestern Oklahoma by a final score of 55-7 Saturday, rushing for 459 yards and seven touchdowns. Six different Bisons scored first-half touchdowns as Harding sprinted to a 41-0 halftime lead. They certainly won’t let off the gas this Saturday with at least a share of the GAC title on the line. Arkansas Tech improved to 4-6 with a 56-21 win over 1-9 Northwestern Oklahoma. Senior quarterback Jack Lindsey passed for 185 yards and three touchdowns for the Wonder Boys. Tech led 35-0 at halftime.

Southern Arkansas 21, UAM 19 — Both SAU and UAM are 4-6 entering the final game of the season. Southern Arkansas beat 1-9 Southern Nazarene 31-10 as freshman Jariq Scales rushed for 195 yards and one touchdown. UAM, meanwhile, lost 35-10 to 6-4 East Central Oklahoma as East Central jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead. The Boll Weevils have lost four consecutive games. This week’s game is in Magnolia. Give a slight advantage to the home team.

Louisiana-Monroe 40, Arkansas State 37 — This is a winnable game for the Red Wolves, but it’s hard to have much confidence in a team that’s now 1-8 with eight consecutive losses. The Red Wolves fell 48-14 to Appalachian State (7-2, 4-1) in Jonesboro on Saturday. ASU had just 199 yards of offense in that game. Louisiana-Monroe is 4-5 overall but 4-1 at home, and the game is in Monroe. The victories have come by scores of 12-7 over Jackson State, 29-16 over Troy, 31-28 over Liberty and 41-31 over South Alabama. The losses have been by scores of 45-10 to Kentucky, 59-6 to Coastal Carolina, 55-21 to Georgia State, 59-28 to Appalachian State and 27-19 to Texas State.

Stephen F. Austin 32, UCA 26 — The Bears are 5-4 following a 63-3 homecoming win over an NAIA opponent, Texas Wesleyan. By halftime against the outmatched visitors, UCA already had 49 points, 538 yards of total offense and 410 yards through the air. This is a Texas Wesleyan team that goes to Batesville to play Lyon this week, if that gives you any idea what kind of mismatch this was. Stephen F. Austin is 6-3 with wins of 20-10 over Tarleton State, 58-13 over Mississippi Valley State, 61-13 over Lincoln University of California, 37-20 over Dixie State of Utah, 41-27 over Abilene Christian and 31-17 over Eastern Kentucky. The losses were by scores of 28-22 to Texas Tech, 21-20 to Sam Houston and 38-24 to Jacksonville State.

Florida A&M 41, UAPB 20 — The UAPB losing streak ends at seven games. The Golden Lions are now 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the SWAC after beating Grambling (3-6, 2-4) on Saturday afternoon in Pine Bluff by a final score of 33-26. The opponent will be much tougher this week. Florida A&M comes to Pine Bluff with a record of 7-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The Rattler wins have been by scores of 34-7 over Fort Valley State, 28-0 over Alabama State, 30-7 over South Carolina State, 35-31 over Alabama A&M, 31-28 over Mississippi Valley State, 26-3 over Grambling and 29-17 over Southern University. The losses were by scores of 7-6 to Jackson State and 38-17 to South Florida.

College football fans in Arkansas have plenty of choices this Saturday. And the weather promises to be perfect.

There are college games in 10 Arkansas cities — Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Conway, Pine Bluff, Arkadelphia, Searcy, Russellville, Monticello, Little Rock and Batesville.

Never can I remember that many college games in the state on the same day.

Both FBS teams from the state play at home.

Both FCS teams from Arkansas are home.

Four of the six NCAA Division II programs have home games.

Hendrix, which competes in NCAA Division III, plays at Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium.

And Lyon, which plays in the NAIA, is home in Batesville.

I went 8-1 on the picks last week, am 14-1 during the past two weeks and now have a season record of 57-14.

Let’s get to the predictions for this week’s games:

Arkansas 30, Mississippi State 29 — The Hogs got a needed break. They had an easy nonconference game at War Memorial Stadium against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and that was followed by an open date. So it will have been three weeks since the previous Southeastern Conference contest when the ball is kicked off in Fayetteville this Saturday afternoon. Given that time for injuries to heal, along with the fact that the Razorbacks play at home, don’t be surprised if they manage to beat Mississippi State. This is a Mississippi State team that’s getting better. In Starkville on Saturday, the Bulldogs shocked Kentucky by a final score of 31-17. The Wildcats fell to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC while Mississippi State improved to 5-3 and 3-2. Will Rogers was 36 of 39 passing for 344 yards for the Bulldogs.

Appalachian State 40, Arkansas State 28 — The misery continued for Arkansas State last Saturday with a 31-13 loss at South Alabama. The Jaguars ran off 28 consecutive points to start the game, scoring touchdowns on each of their first four possessions. South Alabama outgained ASU 352-70 in the first half. The Red Wolves fell to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in conference play. South Alabama improved to 5-3 and 2-3. Appalachian State brings a 6-2 record to Jonesboro this week. The victories have come by scores of 33-19 over East Carolina, 44-10 over Elon, 31-30 over Marshall, 45-16 over Georgia State, 30-27 over Coastal Carolina and 59-28 over Louisiana-Monroe. The losses have been by scores of 25-23 to Miami and 41-13 to Louisiana-Lafayette.

Grambling 33, UAPB 18 — The Golden Lions are 1-7 after losing 59-17 to Texas Southern on Saturday. UAPB led 3-0 early. Skyler Perry was one of the few bright spots for the Golden Lions as he was 25 of 37 passing for 311 yards. Grambling brings a 3-5 record to Pine Bluff on Saturday. The three victories were by scores of 16-10 over Tennessee State, 37-28 over Alabama A&M and 34-20 over Texas Southern. The losses have come by scores of 37-0 to Southern Mississippi, 45-0 to Houston, 24-10 to Prairie View A&M, 24-20 to Alcorn State and 26-3 to Florida A&M.

UCA 64, Texas Wesleyan 10 — Conference realignment created scheduling scrambles, which means the FCS Bears play an NAIA team in Conway (a team that will later play Lyon if that gives you any idea). UCA will be able to name the score Saturday. The Bears evened their record at 4-4 last Saturday with a 38-14 win over Jacksonville State in Alabama. UCA intercepted three passes and returned two of them for touchdowns. On offense, Darius Hale rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Breylin Smith was 22 of 35 passing for 229 yards and one touchdown. Texas Wesleyan is 6-2, but the wins have come against the likes of Arizona Christian, Oklahoma Panhandle, Wayland Baptist, Southwestern Assemblies of God, Louisiana College and Texas College. The losses were to Ottawa University out of Arizona and Langston.

Ouachita 27, Southeastern Oklahoma 24 — Ouachita, Harding and Henderson remain tied for the Great American Conference lead with just two weeks to go. All three teams are 8-1. Ouachita has the stiffest test of the bunch this week as the Tigers host 7-2 Southeastern Oklahoma (the only team to beat Harding so far this season) at Cliff Harris Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Ouachita, which has won 35 of its past 36 GAC games, trailed by 11 points near the end of the third quarter Saturday at East Central Oklahoma. Senior Hayden Lassiter from Warren returned an interception for a touchdown on the final play of the quarter. That began a run of 26 consecutive points by the Tigers and resulted in a 43-28 victory over 5-3 East Central. T.J. Cole had 226 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 32 carries for Ouachita. Freshman Kendel Givens out of Little Rock Christian had his 20th rushing touchdown of the season.

Henderson 39, Oklahoma Baptist 36 — Oklahoma Baptist, which is 6-3, has the talent to give the Reddies all they can handle in Shawnee on Saturday. The Reddies defeated 1-8 Southern Nazarene by a final score of 34-3 in Arkadelphia last Saturday. Senior quarterback Adam Morse passed for 237 yards and rushed for another 66. The Reddie defense added a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown. Neither Ouachita nor Henderson can afford to look ahead just yet to the Nov. 13 Battle of the Ravine.

Harding 57, Southwestern Oklahoma 19 — The Bisons are on cruise control. They get 0-9 Southwestern Oklahoma in Searcy this Saturday. Harding defeated 1-8 Northwestern Oklahoma 73-14 last Saturday. The Bisons rushed for a school record 674 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns. Harding scored touchdowns on six of its seven first-half possessions, added a 54-yard field goal and led 45-0 at the half. The Bisons had three freshmen rush for more than 100 yards each. This week’s game should play out pretty much the same way.

Arkansas Tech 17, Northwestern Oklahoma 16 — The Wonder Boys kept Southwestern Oklahoma winless as Jesus Zizumbo kicked a 36-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining for a 15-14 road win last Saturday. Tech scored nine points in the final five minutes of that game. There’s another winnable game this week for the Wonder Boys, who improved to 3-6.

Southern Arkansas 37, Southern Nazarene 25 — The Muleriders fell to 3-6 with a 44-40 loss in Magnolia last Saturday to Oklahoma Baptist. The visitors scored two touchdowns in the final 7:32 after Southern Arkansas had gone up by 10 points at 40-30 with 10:49 left in the game.

East Central Oklahoma 23, UAM 15 — The Boll Weevils have lost three consecutive games and are now 4-5. Southeastern Oklahoma jumped out to a 17-0 lead against UAM last week and never looked back, cruising to a 34-14 victory.