ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Ouachita Baptist has had its fair share of ups and downs this season — namely, one big win and one big loss.
On Oct. 19, the Tigers took down Harding, who was the defending national champions and the No. 1 team in the nation at the time.
It was a raucous environment at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia, one in which fans stormed the field after the 17-13 win.
"Beating Harding just gave us confidence that we can play with anybody in the country," senior running back Kendel Givens said.
But just 12 days later, the Tigers were on the wrong end of an upset, losing 18-17 to Southern Nazarene who hadn't won a game prior to the matchup.
"That wasn't a good feeling," senior defensive back Josiah Johnson said. "It left a bad taste in my mouth, left a bad taste in all the other teammates' mouths, and I just feel like that's a feeling that we don't want to feel again."
Head coach Todd Knight, who was recently named the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year, said oftentimes you learn more from a loss than a win.
"Some of those highs are great for you, but the lows are good for you too," Knight said. "I think you learn the most through adversity. And I think our team learned a lot about each other."
As brutal as that loss was for OBU, it seemed to teach them a valuable lesson.
"It made us realize that we can't take any game for granted, no matter who it is or where we're at," Givens said. "We got to play every game like it's our last."
It's a sentiment shared by Johnson who added, "we can't take a team for granted, and when we're high, we got to stay high and just play our best football."
Now, as the Tigers head into the first week of the playoffs, they're more confident than ever.
"To be honest with you, our practices probably have been the best over the last three weeks, and it says a lot about our senior leadership, our coaching staff, and the way these guys have responded," Knight said. "That's life. How do you respond to the tough things? And that's what our guys have done."
"I told the guys early in the summer that we won't be defined by how good we are, we'll be defined by how we respond," Givens said. "I think we're peaking at the right time, and it just so happens to be playoff time."
OBU will be on the road this Saturday in a top-10 matchup against No. 8 Central Oklahoma.