Setting the Scene
Following an exciting 27-23 win over No. 25 Harding to open the season, the SWOSU football team will make their first road trip this Saturday, heading to Russellville, Ark., to meet the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys. It will be a matchup of 1-0 teams as ATU knocked off Northwestern Oklahoma State 38-10 in their season opener in Alva.
The Series
SWOSU and Arkansas Tech will be meeting for the third consecutive season as members of the Great American Conference, with both prior meetings being played in Weatherford. Prior to the formation of the GAC, the team's had not met since 1993. SWOSU first travelled to Russellville in 1968, then the Bulldogs and Wonder Boys faced off five times between 1988 and 1993. Arkansas Tech leads the all-time series 5-4, including a 45-37 win last season. This will be the first time SWOSU visits ATU since October 9, 1993, a 46-22 Bulldog victory.
The Coaches
Dan Cocannouer is in 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. Overall, Cocannouer is 13-31 overall at SWOSU and 1-1 against Arkansas Tech.
Raymond Monica is 1-0 as the new Wonder Boys head coach after spending the last seven seasons as the head coach at Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pa., leading the Golden Bears to a cumulative overall record of 45-34, two NCAA Division II Playoffs appearances (2010 and 2011) and their first Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference championship (2011).
Last Time Out
Facing a 20-7 deficit early in the third quarter, the Southwestern Oklahoma State University football team outscored Harding 20-3 over the game's final 29 minutes to pick up an exciting 27-23 victory on Thursday night in the Fast Lane Kickoff Classic.
Dustin Stenta tossed two TDs to
Teverick Boyd and ran in the game-winning touchdown with 1:54 to play to give SWOSU the season-opening victory. The Bulldog defense would withstand the final Harding offensive drive, forcing four consecutive incompletions to close out the victory.
The Last Meeting
Southwestern Oklahoma State University's football team couldn't hold off the Wonder Boys of Arkansas Tech University losing 45-37 in Great American Conference play on October 12. Despite the loss, SWOSU's
Aaron Wilson rushed for 290-yards on 27 carries for two touchdowns, second best rushing effort in SWOSU history.
SWOSU scored the first 17 points of the game, but the game began to turn following a brief weather delay due to lighting. ATU scored 14 second-quarter points to cut the gap to 17-14 at the break. The Bulldogs held a 10-point lead twice in the second half but Arkansas Tech outscored SWOSU 31-20 in the second half to get the victory.
Chasing Coach Day
SWOSU senior quarterback
Dustin Stenta added 240 yards and two touchdowns to his career marks against Harding and he is now within 247 yards of becoming just the second quarterback in SWOSU history to throw for more than 7,000 yards. Stenta currently has 6,753 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, marks that rank second in SWOSU football history, trailing his quarterback coach
Steve Day in both categories. Day passed for 7.482 yards and 46 TDs from 2005-09.
Stenta has now started 30 games under center for SWOSU, including each game since the Bulldogs have been a member of the Great American Conference. His 240 yards against Harding was the sixth-most in the GAC during the opening weekend but the fourth-most efficient performance from a conference quarterback.
Sharing the Load
A duo of senior running backs –
D.C. Walker and
Karl Hodge – were called upon to carry the running game for SWOSU against Harding. Walker got the start and carried the ball 24 times for 81 yards and one touchdown while Hodge got 10 carries in relief work, covering 29 yards. Hodge was also a target of Stenta's, catching three passes for 31 yards.
The Bulldogs rushed for 150 yards against Harding, giving them the sixth-best effort in the conference during the opening week. Walker currently ranks seventh in the GAC in rushing yards.
Touchdown Teverick
It took just one game for sophomore wide receiver
Teverick Boyd to match the number of touchdown catches from his freshman season. Boyd hauled in a team-high seven receptions for 69 yards against Harding, with two going for touchdowns. Boyd played in all 10 games last season as a freshman, catching 27 passes for 282 yards and two TDs.
Plenty of Options
SWOSU had three players aside from Boyd catch multiple passes against the Bisons: tight end
Ryan Corbin, wide receiver
Brad Smithey and running back
Karl Hodge. Corbin, named a second team Preseason All-American by Beyond Sports Network, hauled in five passes for 55 yards and Smithey added four catches for a team-high 70 yards. The only other wideout to catch a pass was senior
M.J. Porter, whose 15-yard catch went for a crucial first down in the Bulldogs final drive of the game.
Seniors Lead the D
A pair of seniors, linebacker
Ryan Feller and defensive end
Jim O'Brien, led the SWOSU defense with eight tackles apiece against Harding. Facing the vaunted triple option provided several opportunities for the Bulldog defenders and nine players recorded four or more tackles in the game.
SWOSU held Harding to 337 yards of total offense, with 232 yards on the ground. While the rushing mark is in the lower half of the GAC rankings, SWOSU held allowed Harding just 105 yards through the air and the Bulldogs total defense mark currently ranks fourth in the conference.
New Names in the Secondary
Some of the biggest plays on the defensive side of the ball came from newcomers. Junior transfer
Abram Piggee made seven tackles, including one for loss, from the cornerback position and his interception of Harding quarterback Jacob Moore came with SWOSU trailing 20-7 and set up a touchdown drive that seemed to turn the momentum in favor of the home team.
Redshirt freshman
Noe Kipulu got the start at strong safety in his first game as a Bulldog and made several big stops against the Bisons' run-heavy offense. Kipulu finished with six tackles (four solo, two assist) against Harding and he was routinely making stops at or near the line of scrimmage.
Benton's Back
After being named the Great American Conference Freshman of the Year in 2011,
Devin Benton put together another strong season as a sophomore last season. Benton made 52 tackles (27 solo, 25 assist) in 2012, including 14 for loss and five sacks, earning first team All-GAC honors for his efforts. Benton was a primary focus of the Harding offensive line, which limited him to just one assisted tackle in the first game of the season.
Scouting Arkansas Tech
Like SWOSU, Arkansas Tech is among the team's receiving votes in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The Wonder Boys defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 38-10 to open the year 1-0 under new head coach Raymond Monica.
The Wonder Boys were balanced offensively against NWOSU, running 39 pass plays and 42 rushing attempts against the Rangers. Nine different players carried the ball, with seven of those seeing at least four carries, to roll up 132 yards on the ground. Starting quarterback Luke Halpin went 25-of-34 for 272 yards and two touchdowns, with both TD strikes going to wideout John Sipmson. Halpin spread the ball around effectively, with 11 different players catching a pass in the game.
On defense, Arkansas Tech limited NWOSU to just 214 yards of total offense, with 159 of that coming on the ground and 83 through the air. Linebackers Nick Akins, Logan Genz and Wesley McKinney each tallied a team-high four tackles in the game. Four different players recorded a sack for ATU in the game and six different players had a tackle for loss.
A SWOSU Win Would..
- Even the all-time series between SWOSU and ATU at five games apiece
- Give SWOSU four wins in the last six meetings against Arkansas Tech
- Snap an 8-game road losing streak, dating back to Oct. 1, 2011 (W 23-20 at SE)
- Give SWOSU four wins in their previous five games, dating back to last season
- Improve the Bulldogs record to 63-108 as a member of NCAA Division II
- Move SWOSU to 7-11 all-time in Great American Conference contests
A SWOSU Loss Would..
- Give Arkansas Tech consecutive wins over the Bulldogs
- Drop SWOSU to 1-4 in road openers under Head Coach
Dan Cocannouer
- Improve Arkansas Tech to 6-4 all-time against SWOSU
- Drop SWOSU to 62-109 as a member of NCAA Division II
Looking Ahead
The Arkansas road swing for SWOSU continues next Saturday with a trip to Magnolia to face the Muleriders, a team that the Bulldogs have never defeated. That game will kickoff at 6 pm from Wilkins Stadium.
