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Northwestern Oklahoma State (2-7, 2-7 GAC) at SWOSU (3-6, 3-6 GAC) Senior Day Saturday, November 15, 2:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Fast Lane Field) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Listen Live SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Scene
- Bulldog football is back on their home field for the first time in nearly one month as they host rival Northwestern Oklahoma State on Senior Day to conclude the 2014 season
- SWOSU is coming off their bye week following a 27-24 overtime triumph at Southern Nazarene while Northwestern defeated the Crimson Storm 39-29 last weekend
- The Bulldogs are 3-6 overall on the year, one game ahead of the Rangers at 2-7
- It will be the first time since 2007 that Northwestern comes to SWOSU after the Bulldogs have made three consecutive trips to Alva
 
The Series
- The longtime rivalry between SWOSU and Northwestern dates back to 1907, making it the Bulldogs oldest rivalry among GAC foes
- The teams have faced off 81 times with SWOSU holding a 50-27-4 all-time lead
- SWOSU has won six consecutive meetings against the Rangers and nine of the last 10 dating back to 1992
- The Bulldogs have defeated Northwestern the last five times they made the trip south to Weatherford
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 21-42 (Sixth Season)
- Returned home to lead his alma mater in 2009 following a long, successful high school coaching career
- Led SWOSU to their first winning season since 2007 with a 6-5 record last season
- Earned his 21st win as the Bulldogs head man against Southern Nazarene (Nov. 1), tying him for seventh in all-time wins at SWOSU
- Has a record of 2-0 against Northwestern Oklahoma State
 
Northwestern Oklahoma State: Kevin Turco (2-6, First Season) *Interim Head Coach
- Named interim head coach of the Rangers on September 9 after head coach Alan Hall took a leave of absence to focus on his health
- Has led the Rangers to a 2-6 record this season while in charge
- In his third season with the Rangers, previously serving as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator
 
The Last Meeting (Nov. 16, 2013)
- SWOSU concluded the 2013 season in Alva by scoring 34 unanswered points in the second half as they cruised to a 62-17 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State
- The game was the first between SWOSU and NWOSU as conference foes since 1996 and the sixth consecutive win for the Bulldogs over the Rangers
- The victory ended the Bulldogs season at 6-5, securing the programs first winning season since 2007
- By scoring 62 points, SWOSU notched their second-most points scored in the NCAA Division II era and they marked their largest margin of victory under Coach Cocannouer
- Dustin Stenta finished 23-for-35 passing for 269 yards and four touchdowns, concluding his record-setting senior season
- Ryan Corbin grabbed 10 receptions for 100 yards, setting a new single-season receiving yardage record in his final game as a Bulldog
- Jim O'Brien tallied 17 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks in the final game of his career and was honored as the GAC Defensive Player of the Week for his effort
- Ryan Feller also finished with 12 tackles, giving him a final count of 101 for his senior season
 
Last Time Out (Nov. 1, 2014)
- Karl Hodge scored on SWOSU's first play of overtime to give the Bulldogs a 27-24 victory over Southern Nazarene
- Hodge carried the Bulldogs, finishing with a career-high 172 yards and three touchdowns on 24 rushes
- SNU tied the game at 21-21 with 1:46 to play in regulation to break the halftime score of 21-14 and force overtime
- The Bulldogs only touchdown not scored by Hodge came on a blocked punt by Daylan Dial that was recovered in the end zone by Troy Shoate
- Tanner Thompson and Tyler George both totaled a team-high 16 tackles, the most tackles in a single game by a Bulldog this season
- Conner Bays and Devin Benton each had eight tackles, while Benton had 3.0 tackles for loss to set a new SWOSU career record
 
Checking the Standings
- SWOSU has moved into a tie for seventh in the conference standings with Arkansas Tech at 3-6
- The Bulldogs are one game behind Southern Arkansas for sixth place but also just one game ahead of Arkansas-Monticello and Northwestern Oklahoma State
- SWOSU has finished with a share of seventh place in two of the previous three seasons as a member of the Great American Conference
 
Bulldog Offensive Notes
- Karl Hodge was named the GAC Offensive Player of the Week following his standout performance against Southern Nazarene two weeks ago
- Hodge rushed for career-highs of 172 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 800 yards and 10 scores on the year
- With one reception at Southern Nazarene, SWOSU senior Brad Smithey moved into a tie for fourth in career receptions with Chase Pratt (137, 2001-05)
- Smithey is the Bulldogs leading receiver this season with 32 receptions for 252 yards and one touchdown
- SWOSU's quarterback carousel is likely to come full circle this Saturday as the opening-game starter – sophomore Ryley Claborn – is listed as the starting quarterback for the game. The Bulldogs have a record of 2-1 this season in games that Claborn has started
- SWOSU was held to 295 yards of total offense against Southern Nazarene, their fourth-consecutive game with less than 300 yards gained. The Bulldogs are averaging 295.4 yards per game for the year, ranking eighth in the GAC
- The Bulldogs were held to a season-low 64 yards passing against SNU on 6-of-18 completions, dropping their season average to 168.3 passing yards per game
 
Bulldog Defensive Notes
- Senior defensive lineman Devin Benton enters his final game as a Bulldog as SWOSU's career leader in sacks (18.0) and tackles for loss (47.5) in the NCAA Division II era
- Benton currently leads the Great American Conference and ranks third in NCAA Division II with 20.5 tackles for loss, the third-most in a single season at SWOSU, and he ranks third in the GAC with 5.5 sacks on the year
- Kevin Joseph broke up three passes against Southern Nazarene, giving him a total of 16 passes defended (12 break ups, 4 INTs) on the year. That number leads the GAC and is tied for seventh nationally in the category
- With a career-best 16 tackles against SNU, Tanner Thompson upped his team-lead in tackles to 82 (39 solo, 43 assist) for the year. Thompson ranks seventh in the GAC in tackles
- Tyler George, who has made three consecutive starts at linebacker, also tallied a new career high with 16 tackles against SNU, giving him 34 for the year after missing the first four games of the season due to injury
- Kale Sawatzky has missed the last three games due to injury after appearing in the first 36 games of his career. He has 222 career tackles, needing four more to move past Charles Thomas (225, 2003-04) for fifth place in the NCAA Division II era at SWOSU
- Steven Townsley ranks second on the team with 63 tackles (33 solo, 30 assist) and he's also tallied 1.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, one fumble recovery and four pass breakups
- Austin Loomis has started all nine games in his redshirt freshman season and he currently ranks third on the team and 14th in the GAC with 62 tackles (27 solo, 35 assist), a number that is tops among freshman in the conference
 
Bulldog Special Team Notes
- True freshmen Dalton Jackson and Justin Tharp continue to split kicking duties for the Bulldogs
- Jackson booted a career-long 60-yard punt against Southeastern and he is now averaging 34.7 yards per punt on 51 attempts this season
- Tharp has assumed the kickoff role of late, averaging 57.1 yards on 20 attempts with three touchbacks
 
Scouting Northwestern Oklahoma State
- Earned their second win of the season last Saturday, defeating Southern Nazarene 39-29 in Alva to snap a five-game losing streak
- Statistical similar to SWOSU on offense, averaging 271.4 yards and 17.0 points per game with 138.3 yards per game coming on the ground
- Their defense has yielded 45.8 points and 487.0 yards per game this season, including allowing at least 28 points to each opponent
- Have earned just one road win in the past two seasons, a 62-17 victory over SNU late last season
- Junior linebacker Alex Hemberger leads the team and ranks second in the GAC in tackles with 114 stops (59 solo, 55 assist) on the year