Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The SWOSU defense held the vaunted offense of No. 7 Henderson State to their lowest scoring output in a GAC contest in over three years, but the Bulldogs were unable to put enough points on the board to pull the upset, falling 28-14 on Homecoming at Fast Lane Field.
SWOSU forced four Reddie turnovers, including three interceptions of All-American quarterback Kevin Rodgers, scoring both of their touchdowns following the picks. HSU scored first, converting a five-play drive for a touchdown following a
Klark Ashmore fumble and taking a 7-0 lead with 3:38 to play in the opening quarter.
Steven Townsley intercepted Rodgers on the second play of the second quarter, leading into one of the Bulldogs three drives that last 10 or more plays. The Bulldogs got going on the ground, with
Karl Hodge and
Matt Farris carrying the ball for 12-of-14 plays on the drive and Farris taking it the final yard for the game-tying touchdown with 7:48 to play in the half. The drive spanned 7:10 on the clock and 63 yards on the field as the Bulldogs tied the game at 7-7.
HSU responded quickly as Rodgers hit Darius Davis for a 61-yard touchdown on their third play of the ensuing drive, retaking the lead, 14-7, with 6:56 to play in the half. After SWOSU went three-and-out,
Kevin Joseph picked off Rodgers and returned the ball to into Reddie territory, but the Bulldogs next drive was halted on fourth down after Ashmore's pass to
X'zavious Harrison was off the mark.
Joseph picked off Rodgers again near the end of the half, returning the ball 60 yards and deep into Henderson State territory, setting up another game-tying score. On the Bulldogs third play after the pick, Hodge took the ball 11 yards up the middle and ran untouched into the end zone to tie the score at 14-14 heading to the break.
Henderson State took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched down 75 yards in 10 plays to regain the lead at 21-14 with 11:27 to play in the third. SWOSU's offense began to sputter in the second half, controlling the clock and moving the ball but they were unable to cash in their drives. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs four times in the second half – twice on drives of 13 plays or more – and the final drive ended when Ashmore threw his only interception of the night.
The Reddies added their final score of the evening after taking over in Bulldog territory following a fake punt attempt that ended unsuccessfully for SWOSU. HSU needed just five plays to add their final score of the game, making it 28-14 with 8:43 to play in the game.
SWOSU held the Reddies to 374 yards of total offense and 266 yards in the passing game while holding them to their lowest scoring total in a GAC game since the Bulldogs defeated the Reddies 17-13 in 2011. This game also marked the first time that HSU was held beneath the 30-point mark by a NCAA Division II foe in the past two seasons.
Kapena Olsen led the Bulldogs in tackles for the second straight week, finishing with 10 (2 solo, 8 assist) and one tackle for loss from his safety position.
Tanner Thompson had another strong outing, finishing with nine tackles while
Devin Benton continued his dominance up front, adding four tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries to his season totals.
Kevin Joseph had two interceptions and one pass breakup, returning his two picks for a combined 109 yards, a single-game record at SWOSU in the NCAA Division II era. Townsley added his second interception of the season while
Jake Doyle recovered a fumble for the Bulldog defense.
Conversely, the Bulldogs finished with 275 total yards of offense with almost mirroring numbers of 139 pass yards and 136 on the ground. In his first start in front of the home faithful, Ashmore was 15-of-34 passing for 125 yards and one interception while
Cameron Nix completed his only pass of the game for 14 yards. Nix was again an effective part of the ground game for SWOSU, carrying the ball seven times for 22 yards.
Hodge anchored the run game, carrying the ball 24 times for 87 yards and a score while Farris racked up 50 yards and a score on 16 carries. Seven different receivers caught a pass for the Bulldogs, with
Collin Bricker leading the way with five receptions for 30 yards.
The loss is the third consecutive defeat for the Bulldogs, who now fall to 2-4 (2-4 GAC) on the year. They finish the season with four games against in-state foes, beginning next Saturday (Oct. 18), when Southeastern Oklahoma State visits Weatherford for the first time since 2009. That game will kick off at 2 pm from Fast Lane Field.
