Box Score
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WEATHERFORD, Okla. – An emotional Saturday at Fast Lane Field honored man a great with ties to both Ouachita Baptist and Southwestern Oklahoma State University: former SWOSU head coach Paul Sharp. In the end, it was Sharp's alma mater, OBU, downing his former team, SWOSU, 31-14 to claim the inaugural cup named in his honor.
After dedication the Paul Sharp Locker Room within the Cecil Perkins Football Complex, the excitement stayed high for the Bulldogs as the game started.
After OBU received the opening kickoff, Tigers quarterback Benson Jordan made his biggest mistake of the afternoon on the game's opening play. Trying to find a running back in the flat, Benson instead found SWOSU defensive end
Jim O'Brien who picked off the pass and returned it 29 yards for the first touchdown of his Bulldog career.
O'Brien gave SWOSU the early 7-0 lead but OBU quickly rebounded and drove 49 yards on 10 plays to get a 32 yard field goal and cut the SWOSU lead to 7-3. The Bulldogs ensuing drive was halted after six plays, but
Brandon Washington forced a fumble on the Tigers punt return and
Jeff Smith hopped on it to give SWOSU possession at the OBU 23 yard line.
SWOSU was held to a field goal attempt on the drive, but
Michael Perez's attempt was blocked, nullifying a scoring opportunity for the Bulldogs. The team's traded punts on their next possessions before OBU put together a long 14-play, 88-yard drive capped off by a two-yard TD run from Steven Kehner that put them on top 10-7.
The Bulldogs offense remained ineffective the rest of the first half and OBU scored 10 more points, including a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jordan to Kendall Bruce with 10 seconds remaining in the half, to take a 20-7 lead to the break.
The focus of the SWOSU offense turned to the running game to open the second half, with
Karl Hodge carrying the ball on seven consecutive plays to open the Bulldogs first drive. SWOSU drove the ball 69 yards in 12 plays to open the half, capped off with a 15-yard touchdown reception by
Stephen Castiglione from
Dustin Stenta. With 10:36 to play in the 3rd quarter, SWOSU was within six at 20-14, but they would get no closer.
Ouachita Baptist had chances in the third quarter to extend the lead, with the best chance halted when O'Brien forced an Austin Warford fumble that
Terrance Franklin picked up at the goal line and returned to the SWOSU 13.
OBU would eventually break through and add to their lead on the fourth play of the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run. After the Tigers two-point conversion failed, they held a 26-14 lead. OBU held SWOSU on three straight plays the next drive and proceeded to march 77 yards in 14 plays, milking 8:32 off the clock, and picking up a field goal to go up 29-14.
Stenta was sacked in the end zone on SWOSU's next drive, giving OBU two more points and the 31-14 advantage which would hold up as the final score.
Offense was tough to come by for SWOSU on Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs were held to 133 yards of total offense, with 94 of that coming on the ground. Stenta was held to 6-of-23 passing for 39 yards, the first time he's been held under 100 yards passing since taking over as the Bulldogs starting quarterback midway through his freshman year of 2010.
Hodge had 52 yards on the ground and
D.C. Walker ran for 34 yards while
Brad Smithey was the only receiver to catch more than one pass, finishing with three receptions for 14 yards.
Defensively, the Bulldogs faced 89 plays from the Tigers, allowing 460 yards, 364 of which came through the air. Making his second consecutive start at safety,
Steven Townsley led SWOSU with 16 tackles (six solo, 10 assist) while Franklin and
Ryan Feller added 10 apiece.
