Box Score
Box Score (html)
DURANT, Okla. – After entering the fourth quarter trailing Southeastern Oklahoma State by a touchdown on Friday night, SWOSU outscored the Savage Storm 17-0 in the final period and improved to 4-3 on the year with a 37-27 victory.
Trailing 27-20 at the start of the fourth, SWOSU quickly capped off a 12-play, 82-yard drive with a 26-yard field goal from
Kevin Cantrell to cut the deficit to 27-23. The Bulldogs defense responded by holding Southeastern's next drive to five plays, ending with a punt that gave SWOSU the ball on their own 30 yard line.
It took the Bulldogs just five plays to travel 70 yards as quarterback
Dustin Stenta found
Ryan Corbin and
Teverick Boyd downfield and
D.C. Walker carried the ball 15 yards down to the Savage Storm eight yard line. Stenta again found Corbin on the next play and the Bulldogs tight end dove into the end zone to give SWOSU the lead, which was pushed to 30-27 on Cantrell's extra point.
The SWOSU defense came up with a clutch turnover to end the next drive by Southeastern. Facing a third-and-nine, Savage Storm quarterback Nick Sioson was intercepted by SWOSU's
Steven Townsley, giving the Bulldogs possession in Southeastern territory with 7:35 to play.
Karl Hodge carried the ball three times on the next drive and Stenta connected with
Brad Smithey on a key third down as SWOSU again moved down the field. SWOSU called timeout facing fourth-and-five at the SOSU eight and Stenta found Corbin in the end zone for the third time in the game, putting the Bulldogs on top by 10, 37-27, with 4:52 to play.
Southeastern had two final drives against the Bulldogs defense but each one ended on fourth down as SWOSU held Sioson to 7-of-15 passing over that span. The Savage Storm's final incompletion allowed the Bulldogs to take over with five seconds remaining and line up in the victory formation, claiming their fourth victory of the season.
SWOSU struck first in the game with Stenta finding Corbin from 14-yards out to cap off an eight-play, 80-yard drive to open the game. SWOSU held the 7-0 lead until Southeastern's Nelson Akinwande scored on a five-yard run with 7:03 to play in the first quarter. SOSU would then take the lead 14-7 with a 45-yard run from Ladarius Adams early in the second quarter.
Stenta connected with
M.J. Porter on a 20-yard touchdown in the middle of the second quarter, bringing SWOSU within one at 14-13 after Cantrell's extra point was unsuccessful. After Southeastern's next score, a six-yard pass from Sioson to Anthony Foster, the Savage Storm's extra point was also missed, allowing SWOSU to tie the game following a 97-yard kickoff return by
Terrance Franklin. The return sent the two teams to the break tied at 20-20.
Southeastern scored the only points of the third quarter on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Siosn to Anthony Foster, which put the Savage Storm up 27-20 heading into the final stanza, which was owned by the Bulldogs.
SWOSU put up 473 yards of total offense, including a season-high 352 passing yards and four touchdowns from Stenta, who eclipsed the 8,000 yard mark for his career in the victory. He completed 26-of-37 passing attempts, finding seven different receivers in the game. Stenta's top target was Corbin, who tied his career high with 10 receptions and set new career bests with 164 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Karl Hodge, making his second consecutive start in the backfield, rushed for 81 yards while
D.C. Walker added 57 yards on 14 carries.
Brad Smithey caught six passes for 63 yards while
Teverick Boyd and
Brian Robinson were each the recipient of three passes from Stenta.
The SWOSU defense's streak of holding teams under 100 yards rushing was snapped after the Savage Storm rushed for 199 yards but the Bulldogs held Southeastern to 233 passing yards and outgained them by 40 yards.
Ryan Feller made 13 tackles (five solo, eight assist) to lead the Bulldogs defense with
Jim O'Brien adding nine stops, one sack and one tackle for loss. Townsley and
Kale Sawatzky each made eight tackles and Townsley recorded the game's only interception.
The Bulldogs improve to 4-3 (4-3 GAC) on the year with the win while dropping Southeastern to 2-5 (2-4 GAC). SWOSU returns to Fast Lane Field for their final two home games of 2013 over the next two weeks. Next Saturday night the Bulldogs host East Central for Homecoming, a game that will kickoff at 6 pm.
