ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Delta State senior linebacker Lardester Hicks-Green tied one team record and moved closer to another, but it was the Ouachita Baptist Tigers who were celebrating at game's end Saturday.

Ouachita Baptist, ranked No. 21 in the NCAA Division II American Football Coaches Association poll, reeled off its second consecutive upset of a ranked conference foe in a 38-14 win over the No. 9-ranked Statesmen.

The Tigers, who defeated then No. 16-ranked Valdosta last week, improved to 4-0 and are now 2-0 in Gulf South Conference play. The Statesmen (2-2 overall) fell to 1-1 in the conference standings.

Hicks-Green had a career game for the Statesmen, taking part in 18 tackles, including two for loss, which tied his own team record for most tackles in a game. He set the record in Delta State's loss to North Alabama in the NCAA playoffs last season.

Hicks Green, a 6-foot-1-inch linebacker out of Chicago, now has 299 tackles as a Statesman, moving past Rory Bell (282) and Pete Golding (285) into third place on the school's all-time list. He is only 37 tackles away from tying the all-time record by Jimmy Wilson, who played for Delta State from 1987-1990.

However, one of the factors in Hicks-Green's record-tying day was the ball control of the Ouachita Baptist Tigers. The Tigers ran 82 plays, totaling 409 yards of total offense, and held the ball more than 37 minutes.

The Statesmen managed 57 plays for 228 yards.

Eli Cranor completed 16-of-25 pass attempts for 179 yards for the Tigers. His favorite target was Jeremy Young, last week's Division II and GSC Player of the Week. Young caught 12 passes for 151 yards.

K.J. Johnson led the OBU ground attack with 116 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.

Garrett DeWitt had a rough night behind center for the Statesmen, as he was limited to 14 completions on 31 attempts for 160 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception.

Trevar Deed had five catches for 63 yards and led the Statesmen in rushing with 97 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Eldred King caught four passes for 74 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown pass.

The Tigers took control of the game in the first quarter and never looked back. The Ouachita defense held the Statesmen to 2 yards of total offense on nine plays. Their counterparts, meanwhile, ran 22 plays for 117 yards during the opening 15 minutes.

Johnson opened the scoring with 1-yard touchdown run with 9:20 remaining in the opening period. The score capped a 10-play, 56-yard drive that helped put the Tigers up 7-0.

After going three-and-out on their first four drives of the half, the Statesmen were finally able to move the ball deep into OBU territory midway through the second quarter, thanks to a 59-yard run by Deed. However, the drive stalled at midfield, and then the Statesmen offense returned to the sideline empty-handed as Matt Dean's 41-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

The turnover kept the momentum swinging in Ouachita's favor as the Tigers put together a systematic 8-play, 65-yard drive that ended with DeMarcus Collier scoring on an 18-yard touchdown run. The score gave OBU a 17-0 lead with 5:36 remaining before halftime.

Down but not out, the Statesmen needed less than a minute to answer the OBU's score. A personal foul on the kick return moved Delta State back to its own 21-yard line, but a 25-yard by Deed gave the Statesmen a first down at midfield.

On the very next play, the DeWitt found King up the middle and single coverage, and King sprinted the last 20 yards for a 54-yard touchdown reception. Dean's extra point cut the OBU lead to 17-7.

The Statesmen would get no closer the rest of the way, as their final drive ended of the second quarter ended with a punt.

The Tigers saw their first drive of the second half end with a punt, which set the Statesmen up on their own 10-yard line. But just as soon as the Statesmen got the ball back, they gave it away, as DeWitt's pass on the first play from scrimmage was tipped and ended up in the hands of OBU's Clayton Goree.

Goree's interception was immediately followed by a 12-yard touchdown run by Johnson, giving the Tigers a 24-7 lead with 12:49 left in the third quarter.

The Statesmen would only get two more possessions in the third quarter, and both of those ended with punts. Delta State managed only one first down in the third quarter, and 10 for the game.

The Tigers all but assured themselves of victory when they capped a 14-play drive with a nine-yard touchdown run from Jamie Harris with 13:37 left in the game. Young would add a 10-yard score later in the period.

The Statesmen will only have a few days to prepare for their next game, a Thursday night home contest against Valdosta State. Kickoff from McCool Stadium is set for 7 p.m.