Setting the Scene
After suffering their first defeat of 2013, SWOSU football will look to get back on track Saturday when Arkansas-Monticello comes to town. The teams enter the game with identical 2-1 records, with all games played being against Great American Conference opponents.
SWOSU defeated Harding and Arkansas Tech to open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2007. Last Saturday, the Bulldogs were downed by Southern Arkansas 20-17 and denied a chance to start 3-0 for the first time since 1992.
Arkansas-Monticello started the season on the road at East Central, where they suffered their lone loss of the season by a score of 46-22. Since, the Boll Weevils have defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State 42-34 and Northwestern Oklahoma State 22-20 to eclipse their win total from the 2012 season.
The Series
The all-time series between SWOSU and Arkansas-Monticello coincides with the inception of the Great American Conference in 2011. That year, SWOSU made their only trip to Monticello and suffered a 35-21 loss to the Boll Weevils. Last season, SWOSU defeated UAM 38-21 at Fast Lane Field. The series is tied at 1-1 with each team winning once on their home field.
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 14-32 overall at SWOSU and 1-1 against Arkansas-Monticello.
Hud Jackson is in his third year as the head coach at UAM. He led the Boll Weevils to a 5-6 record during his first year before finishing 1-10 in 2012. Overall, Jackson has a record of 8-17 at UAM. Prior to taking the UAM job, Jackson had served the previous six seasons as associate head coach at University of Central Arkansas.
The Last Meeting
SWOSU sent its seniors out as winners with a dominating 38-21 victory over Arkansas-Monticello in the final home game of the 2012 season.
SWOSU put the game away with a 61-yard drive in the third quarter that ended with a 25-yard touchdown run by
Aaron Wilson with 6:49 left in the third. Wilson finished the game with 289 yard on 30 carries for an average of 9.6 yards per carry. His 289 yards is the third-most in a single-game in SWOSU football history.
The Bulldogs had a number of players play well defensively. SWOSU's Damarcus Miller lead the Bulldogs with 14 tackles while
Ryan Feller added eight.
Devin Benton,
Kale Sawatzky,
Sean Gordon,
Jesse Wright and
Jim O'Brien each had one sack.
Offensively, the Bulldogs had 594 yards of total offense compared to UAM's 322. SWOSU out rushed UAM, 389-169, led by Wilson's 289 rushing yards. As a team, the Bulldogs averaged 8.7 yards per rush. Stenta had a total of 222 passing yards, completing 14 out of 19 attempts, with one interception.
Check the Standings
Saturday's lost dropped SWOSU from atop the Great American Conference standings into a tie for third place. Among the team's they are tied with are this week's opponent, Arkansas-Monticello, and the two previous opponents, Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas. Those four teams sit 2-1 in conference play while Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist are unblemished at 2-0.
Records in Sight
The senior season for SWOSU quarterback
Dustin Stenta is off to a great start that could be getting better very soon. Stenta threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-41 passing against Southern Arkansas last Saturday, giving him 756 yards and eight TDs so far in 2013.
Stenta currently ranks fourth in the Great American Conference in passing, averaging 252.0 yards per game through three weeks. His eight touchdown passes is the fourth-best mark in the conference. Stenta leads GAC quarterbacks in rushing with 170 yards on 24 attempts, giving him 926 yards of total offense for the year.
Saturday's game will mark the 33rd career start for Stenta at SWOSU, including every game since the Bulldogs have been a member of the Great American Conference. After recently surpassing the 7,000-yard milestone for his career, Stenta has his sights set on SWOSU's career passing records, held by his quarterback coach
Steve Day.
For his career, Stenta is 660-for-1,215 for 7,269 yards and 45 touchdowns in 35 total games. He now needs just 214 yards and two touchdowns to surpass Day's career passing record of 7,482 yards and 46 TDs set during his career at SWOSU from 2005-09.
Some of Stenta's numbers also have him ranked among the best active quarterbacks in NCAA Division II. He ranks second among active QBs in total plays (8.046) and passing attempts (1,215), fourth in passing completions (660) and seventh in passes per game (34.71). Additionally, his 7,269 passing yards is 11th-most among current NCAA Division II QBs.
Picked Off
With two interceptions on Saturday at Southern Arkansas, the SWOSU defense upped their season total to five, a number that ranks the Bulldogs second in the Great American Conference. SAU, who picked off three SWOSU passes on Saturday, leads the conference with seven interceptions in three games with SWOSU two behind.
Abram Piggee is tied for the conference lead as one of six players in the GAC with two interceptions so far this year.
Terrance Franklin,
Kale Sawatzky and
Brandon Washington have each picked off one pass as well.
Be Like Mike
SWOSU wideout
M.J. Porter has made the most of his opportunities early in his senior season. The Killeen, Texas, native has made five receptions through three games, with three of them winding up in the end zone, including two touchdowns last Saturday against Southern Arkansas. Porter has five catches for 169 yards for an average of 33.9 yards per receptions. He has been the big-play threat for SWOSU, catching TDs of 40, 33 and 60 yards. While his number of receptions is ranked fourth on the team, his yardage number is good for third and he leads SWOSU in TD receptions.
Think Twice
In three games, teams have converted on 41.3% (19-of-46) of third-down conversions, a number which ranks sixth in the GAC. Additionally, SWOSU's opponents have attempted five fourth-down conversions and been denied a first down each time.
Two Top Tacklers
The Bulldog linebackers have been the most active in making stops so far with
Kale Sawatzky and
Ryan Feller tied for the team lead and seventh-best mark in the GAC with 22 stops. Both players have made nine solo tackles and 13 assists for an average of 7.3 tackles per game. Reserve linebacker
Tyler George ranks third on the team with 20 tackles after his 10-tackle performance against Southern Arkansas.
Scouting Arkansas-Monticello
Arkansas-Monticello was picked to finish ninth in the Great American Conference following a 1-10 (0-8 GAC) record in 2012. The Boll Weevils, however, have already exceeded last season's win total and they will be looking for a three-game winning streak on Saturday.
Sophomore quarterback Colton Morrison directs the UAM offense, which is averaging 382.0 yards and 28.7 points per game. Morrison is throwing for 235.3 yards per game and he has one of the top completion percentages in the conference. The UAM offense, however, ranks last in the GAC with an average of just 66.3 yards per game on the ground.
On the flip side, the Boll Weevils defense is allowing an average of 33.3 points per game with both of their first two opponents scoring 34 or more points. UAM is allowing 385.3 yards per game and an average of 4.9 yards per play. Strong safety Anthony Hughes and rover Keith Reynolds are both tied for the team and GAC lead with 28 tackles while defensive end Shittu Salami leads the conference in sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (6.5).
A SWOSU Win Would..
- Improve the Bulldogs to 2-1 all-time against Arkansas-Monticello
- Give SWOSU a 3-1 record for the second time in the last three seasons
- Be their 4th consecutive win at Fast Lane Field, dating back to last season
- Give SWOSU five wins in their previous seven games, dating back to last season
- Improve the Bulldogs record to 64-109 as a member of NCAA Division II
- Move SWOSU to 8-12 all-time in Great American Conference contests
- Halt the Boll Weevils two-game winning streak
A SWOSU Loss Would..
- Even the Bulldogs' record at 2-2 on the year
- Be the first consecutive losses for SWOSU since late in the 2012 season
- Deny SWOSU a two-game winning streak against UAM
- Make SWOSU 7-13 all-time in Great American Conference contests
- Drop SWOSU to 63-110 as a member of NCAA Division II
Looking Ahead
SWOSU will host consecutive home games for the first time in 2013 as they welcome Ouachita Baptist to Fast Lane Field next Saturday (Oct. 5) for a 2 pm kickoff.
