Box Score (html)
BETHANY, Okla. – Karl Hodge carried the ball 24 times for a career-high 172 yards and three touchdowns, including a walk off on SWOSU's opening drive of overtime as the Bulldogs defeated Southern Nazarene 27-24 on Saturday afternoon.
The Crimson Storm scored with 1:46 to play in regulation to knot the game at 21-21 after SWOSU's defense stopping them on fourth down inside the three yard line on two occasions in the second half. The Bulldog offense fell stagnant after the break, but two first-half scores by Hodge and a blocked punt by
Daylan Dial provided enough of a cushion for SWOSU to withstand the storm.
Hodge put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with a two-yard touchdown plunge on SWOSU's opening drive but the Crimson Storm tied the game just seconds later with a 71-yard flea flicker touchdown. SNU then took the lead in the second quarter with a 10-play drive that was capped off with a two-yard touchdown run before SWOSU scored the final two touchdowns to end the half.
Hodge again reached paydirt with a 19-yard run that tied the game at 14-14 with 9:56 to play before the Bulldog special teams came through with the go-ahead score.
Troy Shoate recovered a punt blocked by
Daylan Dial in the end zone, putting SWOSU up 21-14 with 2:02 to play in the second quarter, a score that would hold up until late in the game.
SWOSU's defense came up clutch, making two fourth-down stops deep in their own territory, but SNU finally tied the game at 21-21 on their third try with a 1-yard touchdown run by Lorenzo Alexander with 1:46 to play that forced overtime.
The Bulldogs won the toss in overtime and went on defense to start, holding SNU three-and-out and forcing a 36-yard field goal, which Ross Moore banged through to make it 24-21. Hodge needed little time to end the game, taking his first handoff from
Ryley Claborn and breaking around the left side and tip toeing down the sideline for the 25-yard touchdown.
Hodge finished with a career-best 172 yards on the ground – more than half of SWOSU's total offense – and also tallied a career-best three rushing touchdowns.
Cameron Nix added 45 yards on eight carries while the SWOSU passing game was held to just 6-of-18 passing for 64 yards and one interception.
Defensively, SWOSU allowed 352 yards to the SNU offense but buckled down when they needed to and got several key stops.
Tyler George and
Tanner Thompson came up big with 16 tackles apiece while
Conner Bays and
Devin Benton each added 8. Benton also had 1.0 sack and 3.0 tackles for loss, giving him career totals of 18.0 sacks and 47.5 tackles for loss, both SWOSU records in the NCAA Division II era.
The Bulldogs had 10 tackles for loss in the game and
Abram Piggee added an interception while
Kevin Joseph added three more pass breakups, giving him a team-leading 16 for the year.
The win snaps a five-game slide for the Bulldogs and improves SWOSU to 3-6 (3-6 GAC) on the year heading into the bye week. SWOSU will return to action in two weeks, facing Northwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford for Senior Day with a 2:00 pm kickoff.
