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ALVA, Okla. – The rivalry is back in name only. SWOSU football scored 34 unanswered points in the second half and cruised to a 62-17 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in Alva.
The game marked the first between the programs as conference foes since 1996 and the victory is the sixth straight for SWOSU over the Rangers, a first-year full member of the Great American Conference. The win also ends the season for SWOSU at 6-5, securing the programs first winning season since 2007 and their fifth in 17 seasons as a member of NCAA Division II.
SWOSU struck first, scoring on their opening drive when
Dustin Stenta found
Brian Robinson for an eight-yard touchdown to take the 7-0 lead less than six minutes into the game. Northwestern scored late in the first quarter to tie the score before
Matt Farris ran in his second touchdown of the season from three yards out to go on top 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Rangers again responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off when Jarion Tudman scored from six yards out to tie the game at 14-14.
Karl Hodge matched the distance of that drive in one play on SWOSU's ensuing drive as he broke free for the longest run of the season by a Bulldog and scored to give the lead back to SWOSU.
Ryan Corbin, who became the all-time leader in receptions and single-season leader in receiving yards in the game, caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Stenta on the Bulldogs next drive, making the score 28-14 with just over five minutes left in the half. NWOSU got a 22-yard field goal from Kevin Ditch with 1:01 to play, leaving the score 28-17 in favor of the good guys at halftime.
SWOSU quickly put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Corbin capped off the Bulldogs first two drives of the second half with short touchdown runs. The first was set up by a short Ranger punt while the second one came after
Tanner Thompson blocked a punt that gave SWOSU the ball at the Northwestern two yardline.
Another short NWOSU punt allowed Stenta to find
Brad Smithey from 33-yards out to go on top 49-17 with 8:53 to play in the third quarter. The Bulldogs fourth drive of the quarter also took just three plays as Stenta connected with
X'zavious Harrison for a 31-yard touchdown that made the score 56-17 heading into the final quarter.
In total, SWOSU needed just eight plays and just over two minutes of game time to score 28 points in the third quarter and all four of the drives lasted less than one minute.
SWOSU went against the wind in the fourth quarter, but that didn't stop Farris from finding paydirt for the second time in the game. The redshirt freshman capped off a 12-play, 99-yard drive with a 25 yard touchdown run that gave the Bulldogs a 62-17 lead and their most points scored in a game since 2000.
The 62-17 victory is the largest of the Coach
Dan Cocannouer era and the 62 points scored are the second-most by SWOSU football as a member of NCAA Division II. The Bulldogs had not scored more than 60 points since a 65-0 thrashing of Panhandle State in 2000.
While the SWOSU offense put up big numbers, the defense more than did their part as well. The Bulldogs limited Northwestern to 232 yards of total offense – the least amount allowed by SWOSU this season – and just 85 yards passing.
Two senior standouts made the most of their final game in a Bulldog uniform.
Jim O'Brien was a nightmare for the Ranger offensive line, living in the backfield where he made two sacks and four tackles for loss amidst his terrific 17-tackle performance.
Ryan Feller finished with 12 tackles, ending his season as the Bulldogs leading tackler with 101 total tackles. He becomes the first SWOSU player since Shane Scott in 2009 to record 100 tackles in a season.
Six different players finished with a tackle for loss as SWOSU set a season-best with 12.0 tackles for loss.
Offensively, two of the great careers in SWOSU football history came to a conclusion on Saturday but more records were set on their way out the door.
Dustin Stenta finished 23-35 for 269 yards and four touchdowns, giving him exactly 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns on the year, both single-season SWOSU records. He will leave Weatherford with nearly every game, season and career passing mark in the Bulldog football record book.
As has been the case all season,
Ryan Corbin was the top target for Stenta. The standout tight end made 10 receptions for exactly 100 yards, giving him 909 yards receiving this season and setting a new single-season receiving yardage record. The previous record of 908 yards set by Chase Pratt in 2003. Corbin wraps up his senior season with 77 receptions and his career with 182, both SWOSU record.
Several others performed well for the Bulldogs offense. Six different players carried the ball, with
Karl Hodge leading the way with 106 yards on just eight carries while Farris toted the rock 15 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
Stenta connected with nine different receivers in the game, including throwing a touchdown to four different teammates. Smithey had three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown while Robinson,
M.J. Porter and Hodge all had multi-reception games for the Dawgs.
SWOSU wraps up the 2013 season with a record of 6-5, giving them the first winning season in Coach Cocannouer's tenure. At 6-4, the Bulldogs finish tied for fourth place in the Great American Conference and they are the only Oklahoma team to finish in the top have of the conference standings.
