Game Notes (pdf)
Setting the Scene
After nine consecutive weeks against foes from the Great American Conference, SWOSU football heads south to Stephenville, Texas to meet up with an old foe from the Lone Star Conference in Tarleton State.
SWOSU enters the game as winners of two of their last three games, including a 42-14 victory over Southern Nazarene on Senior Day. The Bulldogs offense set a new season-high with 42 points scored, the highest scoring output by SWOSU since
Dan Cocannouer took over as head coach in 2009.
Tarleton State is trending the opposite way after losing two straight games before a 45-20 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville last weekend. The Texans have claimed at least a share of the Lone Star Conference regular season championship and they are currently ranked No. 8 in Super Region 4.
The Series
The series between SWOSU and Tarleton State dates back to the 1932 season with the Texans holding a 14-11 all-time advantage. SWOSU won 10 of the first 15 meetings between the programs, but have managed just one victory against TSU since joining NCAA Division II.
Tarleton State has won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series, including the last six straight as members of the LSC. SWOSU's last victory over TSU came in Weatherford in 2003 by a score of 21-17.
The Coaches
Dan Cocannouer enters his fifth season as the head coach of the Southwestern Oklahoma State University football team in 2013. He returned home to lead his alma mater in 2009 and helped the team better its won-loss record in each of his first three seasons. After finishing 1-10 in his inaugural season, SWOSU improved to 5-6 in 2011, the first season of the Great American Conference. In 2012, the Bulldogs slipped slightly in the win column, finishing 3-7 (2-6 GAC) with three losses of 10 points or less. Overall, Cocannouer is 17-35 overall at SWOSU and 0-1 against Tarleton State.
Cary Fowler is in his fourth season as the head coach at Tarleton State following a two-year stint as the Texans defensive coordinator. Fowler, who is 21-19 as the head coach at TSU, also spent time at Midwestern State and Murray State before taking over at Tarleton.
The Last Meeting
The Bulldogs suffered through bad luck, misfortune and a number of other difficulties in the lopsided 66-3 setback to undefeated Tarleton State on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009.
TSU (5-0) scored through the air, on the ground, by fumble and with an interception to keep the Bulldogs winless through five games. Tarleton chewed up 453 yards against the SWOSU defense and had the game won by the first half leading 38-3 at the break.
SWOSU was limited to 184 yards of offense and turned the ball over five times. The Bulldogs struggled to find consistency and ended up punting the ball back eight times, four times were after a three-and-out series.
SWOSU's offensive bright spot was tight end Joe Sawyer who had his best game of the season. He caught six passes for 65 yards, including a 45-yarder that led to the Bulldogs only score.
Defensively, SWOSU had a number of players with a high tackle count led by linebacker Fred Leak with nine. He was followed closely by Jaron Burgess, Shane Scott and
Jesse Wright with eight apiece.
Last Time Out
A senior class consisting of 15 players played the leading role as SWOSU defeated Southern Nazarene 42-14 on Senior Day at Fast Lane Field. The Bulldogs rolled up 609 yards of offense and scored two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters as they earned their fifth win of the season.
After receiving the opening kickoff, SWOSU marched 73 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 lead on an eight-yard pass from
Dustin Stenta to
Teverick Boyd. The SWOSU defense made a quick stand on defense, allowing Stenta to connect on a second touchdown pass. For the second consecutive week,
Hunter Dinkines was the target and this touchdown pass of 78 yards became the longest play from scrimmage for SWOSU this season.
Southern Nazarene got on the board late in the first quarter with a 61-yard touchdown pass from Trey Hills to Alex Reed that made the score 14-7 with 3:57 remaining in the first.
Early in the second quarter, Stenta laid claim to another SWOSU single-season record as he threw his 20th touchdown pass of the season. Stenta found
Ryan Corbin from 10 yards out to put SWOSU on top 21-7 with 14:24 to play in the half. After two huge defensive stands from the Bulldogs defense, Stenta again found Corbin, this time from 39 yards and the senior tight end leapt into the end zone to extend the lead to 28-7.
SWOSU kept the ball on the ground for the majority of the second half, but the run game was working.
Karl Hodge and
D.C. Walker both had big afternoons on the ground and it was Walker that capped off a six-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. SWOSU then upped the lead to 42-7 as Stenta scored on an 11-yard run with 7:43 to play in the third.
Hill found Jarod Martin for a five-yard touchdown pass late in the third to cut the lead to 42-14 and both teams completed the fourth quarter scoreless, allowing SWOSU to earn the victory with that final margin.
Stenta posted one of the more memorable performances of his career on Saturday, completing 22-of-29 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns. He spread the ball around to seven different receivers, finding Boyd seven times for 120 yards and Corbin seven times for 88 yards.
Hodge and Walker finished with 100 and 88 yards, respectively, on the ground as the Bulldogs rolled up a season-high 253 rushing yards.
The Bulldogs defense also posted their best effort of the season, limiting Southern Nazarene to 243 yards of total offense, including just 71 yards on the ground. SWOSU finished with three sacks and a season-high 12 tackles for loss, with nine different players contributing.
Ryan Feller finished with a team-high nine tackles, one sack and three tackles for loss while
Jim O'Brien,
Tanner Thompson and
Tyler George each posted seven tackles.
Steven Townsley intercepted two SNU passes in the end zone, ending drives and taking away scoring opportunities from the Crimson Storm.
Checking the Standings
Saturday's victory over Southern Nazarene improved SWOSU to 5-4 overall and in conference play, allowing the Bulldogs to move into sole possession of fifth place in the Great American Conference. Ahead of the Bulldogs are four teams from Arkansas with Henderson State alone in first with Harding and Ouachita Baptist two games behind and tied for second. Southern Arkansas is currently 5-3 and in fourth place. The final conference foe for SWOSU is Northwestern Oklahoma State who currently sits 10th at 1-7 in GAC action.
Player of the Week
SWOSU quarterback
Dustin Stenta made his final game at Fast Lane Field a memorable one and for his efforts he was named the Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Week. The conference office announced the weekly awards on Monday.
Stenta completed 22-of-29 passes for a season-best 336 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's 42-14 Senior Day victory over Southern Nazarene. The yardage mark is fifth-best single-game total in school history and the four touchdowns ties a career high and is the second-best single-game mark in SWOSU history.
During the game, Stenta also set a new single-season SWOSU record for touchdown passes and he now has 21 for the year. His 2,291 passing yards is currently the fourth-best single-season mark in SWOSU football history and earlier this season Stenta set new career records for passing yards and touchdowns.
Closing In
The senior season for tight end
Ryan Corbin has progressed nicely. After being named a Preseason All-American by the Beyond Sports Network, Corbin has backed up the accolades on the field and now he is on the verge of some prominent SWOSU receiving records.
Corbin has 57 receptions for 705 yards and six touchdowns through eight games and he ranks third in the Great American Conference with an average of 6.3 receptions per game. Last weekend he moved into second place in the single-season and career receptions at SWOSU.
Corbin needs seven receptions the eclipse the single-season SWOSU record for receptions, held currently by Bruce Hatton who had 63 receptions in 2011. With 12 more catches, Corbin can become the career receptions leader at SWOSU. The current mark is held by Johnathan Haggerty who made 173 catches as a Bulldog from 2006-09.
Looking Ahead
Next weekend the Bulldogs head up the road to Northwestern Oklahoma State to conclude the 2013 regular season. It will be the first meeting between the two rivals since 2011 and the rekindling of annual series that is the third-most played in SWOSU football history. Kickoff in Alva is slated for 1 pm.
