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SWOSU (2-1, 2-1 GAC) at Arkansas-Monticello (0-3, 0-3 GAC) Saturday, September 27, 6:00 pm Monticello, Ark. (Willis "Convoy" Leslie Cotton Bowl Stadium) SWOSU Game Notes Live Stats  |  Listen Live  |  Watch Live

Setting the Scene
- Riding high with a two-game win streak, the SWOSU Football team now heads on their longest road trip of the season to face Arkansas-Monticello
- The Bulldogs enter the game 2-1 while UAM is winless following a 34-28 defeat at Northwestern Oklahoma State last weekend
- It will be the first trip for SWOSU to Monticello since a 35-21 defeat in the 2011 season finale
- SWOSU is 2-8 in conference road games played in Arkansas since the formation of the Great American Conference
- The Bulldogs are 2-1 for the second time in the last three seasons and they're looking to start the year 3-1 for the second straight year
 
The Series
- SWOSU and Arkansas-Monticello are new foes who have faced off in each of the past three seasons
- The series between the two schools coincides with the creation of the Great American Conference
- The Bulldogs have hosted UAM the past two seasons, winning both games by an average of 17.5 points per game
- UAM won the only previous meeting on their home field, a 35-21 victory in 2011
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 20-37 (Sixth Season)
- Returned home to lead his alma mater in 2009 following a long, successful HS coaching career
- Led SWOSU to their first winning season since 2007 with a 6-5 record last season
- Became the eighth coach in SWOSU history to reach the 20-win plateau with last weekend's victory over Southern Arkansas
- With his next victory, will tie Joe Milam (1926-31) for seventh on the all-time wins list at SWOSU with 21
- Has a record of 2-1 against Arkansas-Monticello
 
Arkansas-Monticello: Hud Jackson, 11-25 (4th Season)
- Was named UAM's 25th head football coach in December 2010
- Led the Boll Weevils to a fourth-place finish in the GAC's inaugural year of 2011
- Finished seasons one game under .500 at 5-6 in both 2011 and 2013
- Spent six seasons as associate head coach at Central Arkansas prior to UAM
- Holds a record of 1-2 against SWOSU
 
The Last Meeting (Sept. 28, 2013)
- SWOSU defeated Arkansas-Monticello 35-17 at Fast Lane Field to improve their record to 3-1
- Dustin Stenta passed for 343 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing former Bulldog QB and current Pass-Game Coordinator Steve Day's all-time records for passing yards and touchdowns
- All-American Ryan Corbin caught nine passes for 158 yards while also carrying the ball twice for seven yards and two touchdowns
- SWOSU racked up 587 yards of total offense, their second-highest total of the 2013 season
- Ryan Feller led the defense with 13 tackles while Cliff Nyagesiba and Steven Townsley had 10 apiece
 
Last Time Out (Sept. 20, 2014)
- SWOSU overcame a double-digit defecit in the fourth quarter for a second straight week, scoring the final 14 points to defeat Southern Arkansas 27-24
- Backup QB Tim Morovick entered the game late in the first half and threw for 153 yards and one touchdown in relief of Ryley Claborn
- SAU led 24-13 with 13:49 to play following a five yard INT return for a touchdown
- Steven Townsley made a big defensive play for the second straight week, picking up a fumble forced by Tanner Thompson and taking it back to the three-yard line to set up a score
- Karl Hodge scored on the ensuing drive to get SWOSU within five at 24-19
- Matt Farris capped off a 7-play, 40-yard drive with a one-yard TD plunge and the two-point conversion gave SWOSU a 27-24 lead with 4:09 to play
- Townsley and Kale Sawatzky had a team-high 12 tackles apiece while Thompson had 11
- Brad Smithey hauled in a five-yard TD in the first quarter, moving himself into fifth all-time in receptions at SWOSU
- SWOSU's defense recorded nine tackles for loss, including three more by senior DT Devin Benton
- Kevin Joseph made four tackles and broke up four SAU pass attempts
 
Checking the Standings
- The win last weekend improved SWOSU to 2-1 in conference action and keeps the Bulldogs near the top of the GAC standings
- Three teams remain unbeaten in conference play: Harding, Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist
- Harding and OBU are both 2-0 while Henderson State is 3-0 with a win over FCS Nicholls State to their credit
- SWOSU is tied with Arkansas Tech and East Central at 2-1
- Arkansas-Monticello is one of two teams (Southern Nazarene) winless on the year
 
Bulldog Offensive Notes
- SWOSU have converted on 5-of-16 (31.3%) 4th-down conversions this year and they lead NCAA Division II in 4th-down attempts
- The Bulldogs offense ranks ninth in the GAC in both scoring (20.0 ppg) and total offense (285.0 ypg)
- Karl Hodge is ranked fifth in the GAC in rushing with an average of 84.7 yards per game and his three touchdowns is third among conference running backs
- A trio of quarterbacks have seen action for the Bulldogs this year and combined to throw for 208.3 yards per game
- Ryley Claborn ranks 10th in the conference in passing yards with 472 (157.3 ypg)
- Tim Morovick saw his first action as a Bulldog last week, throwing for 153 yards and one touchdown in relief of Claborn
- Cameron Nix has been used in reserve role primarily for rushing purposes and his 24 yards on five carries making him the Bulldogs second-leading rusher
- Brad Smithey is tied for fifth in the conference in receptions with 16 (5.3/game) and he's the Bulldogs leading receiver with 149 yards and one TD to his credit
- Smithey took sole possession of fifth place on the career receptions list against Southern Arkansas and he has 121 to his credit, needing 17 to overtake Chase Pratt (137, 2001-05) for fourth place
- X'zavious Harrison and Teverick Boyd have been the second-most targeted receivers for SWOSU, with both making nine receptions in three games
- Carlos Smith has emerged as the big-play receiving threat for SWOSU with six receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. His 43-yard catch and run against SAU is the second-longest pass play by SWOSU this season
- Tight end Collin Bricker caught his first career touchdown pass against SAU, an 8-yard pass from Morovick in the third quarter
 
Bulldog Defensive Notes
- Devin Benton now leads all of NCAA Division II with 10.0 tackles for loss through three games. His 5.0 TFL is the third-most in a game this season by a Division II player
- Benton leads the team with 16 solo tackles and he's tied for fourth with 25 total stops
- Jake Doyle has 5.5 tackles for loss and ranks behind only Benton among GAC players in that category
- Doyle added another sack to his total against SAU and he now leads SWOSU and ranks third in the conference with 2.0
- Kevin Joseph broke up four passes against Southern Arkansas and now has six for the season, ranking him second in the GAC
- Five players on the SWOSU defense have made 20 or more stops, led by team-leaders Kale Sawatzky and Tanner Thompson with 28
- Steven Townsley ranks third on the team with 26 tackles and he's also made big plays with one interception returned for a TD and a fumble recovery last week that sparked the comeback against SAU
- Kapena Olsen was credited with a career-high nine tackles against SAU and he ranks fifth on the team with 23 stops
- SWOSU has allowed 202.7 yards per game through the air, ranking fifth in the GAC
- The Bulldogs have forced six turnovers this season, including four interceptions
- SWOSU's four leading tacklers all rank among the top ten in the Great American Conference, with Sawatzky and Thompson tied at fifth
 
Bulldog Special Team Notes
- True freshman Dalton Jackson continues to handle both kicking and punting duties for the Bulldogs
- Jackson booted a career long 56 yard punt against Southern Arkansas, upping his average to 35.9 yards per punt
- SWOSU attempted their first field goal of the season on their first drive against SAU, but Jackson pushed his first career attempt wide left from 29 yards out
- Teverick Boyd, Matt Farris and Jared Rayburn have combined to make all 15 kickoff returns for the Bulldogs, averaging a combined 18.2 yards per attempt
- Boyd ranks fourth in the GAC with an average of 23.4 yards per kick return
 
Scouting Arkansas-Monticello
- Winless at 0-3 following a 34-28 defeat at Northwestern Oklahoma State last Saturday
- Previously dropped two shootouts against East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma State
- Ranked third in the GAC in scoring with an average of 37.0 points per game but ninth in scoring defense, allowing 41.3 points on average
- Have used two quarterbacks extensively, including Hunter Leppert, who has thrown for 645 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions the past two games
- Running backs Rod Smith and Hunter Leppert have both rushed for more than 100 yards on the year
- Kick returner Mike Early leads the GAC with an average of 37.3 yards per return and he was named GAC Specialist of the Week on September 8
- Defense is led by lineman Louis Curry, who has 18 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble
 
Quick Notes
- Zach Britton made his first start at SWOSU in place of injured right guard Landen Carson
- Conner Bays and Navajo Smith made their first career starts against SAU with Bays replacing Kapena Olsen at strong safey and Smith in place of Collier Ward on the defensive line
- The Bulldogs are the only team in the GAC to attempt an onside kick this season
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU is back in Arkansas next weekend when they make the trip to Arkadelphia to face Ouachita Baptist for the second annual Paul Sharp Cup
- The Tigers are the only Great American Conference team that SWOSU has not defeated since the formation of the conference
- Will be the first of two straight games against teams atop the GAC standings (Henderson State)