Setting the Scene- SWOSU Football looks for their fourth consecutive win on Saturday as the Bulldogs host Harding for Senior Day at ASAP Energy Field
- The Bulldogs have won three straight games and they are searching for their first four-game winning streak since 1996
- Harding sits just ahead of SWOSU in the GAC standings at 6-2, leaving the 5-3 Bulldogs just one game out of second place
- SWOSU Football will honoring 15 seniors, who will be playing their final home game at ASAP Energy Field, prior to kickoff of Saturday's game
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@SWOSUAthletics The Series- SWOSU and Harding have faced off 10 times on the football field in a series that dates back to the 1994 season
- The Bulldogs faced the Bisons in six straight seasons from 1994-99, with each team winning three meetings during that span
- Harding has won three of four contests between the teams in the Great American Conference era, but the Bulldogs won the prior meeting in Weatherford, a 27-23 victory to open the 2013 season
- Three of the four meetings between the teams since 2011 have been played in Searcy, where SWOSU is 2-5 all-time while holding a 2-1 record against Harding in Weatherford
The CoachesSWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 26-46 (Seventh Season)- Has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2009
- Earned his 22nd win as the Bulldogs head man against Arkansas-Monticello (Sept. 12, 2015), moving into seventh on the all-time wins list at SWOSU
- Has a record of 1-3 against Harding, including a victory over the Bisons the last time they came to Weatherford
Harding: Ronnie Huckeba, 55-37 (Ninth Season)- Became the 12th head coach in Harding football history in 2007 after 21 seasons as an assistant coach
- Has won nine games in three consecutive seasons, taking the Bisons to three postseason games
- In his time as Harding head coach, his players have garnered 42 all-region and 14 All-America honors along with three NFL contracts, one Harlon Hill Award national finals and one Gene Upshaw Award regional finalist
The Last Meeting (Sept. 6, 2014)- Harding defeated SWOSU 42-6 in the 2014 season opener
- SWOSU turned the ball over four times and added three turnovers on downs in the game
- Bulldog offense was limited to seven yards rushing and 197 yards of total offense
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Karl Hodge capped off an 11-play, 62-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter for SWOSU's only score
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Steven Townsley led the Bulldog defense with 12 tackles while
Kale Sawatzky and
Devin Benton had 10 apiece
- SWOSU totaled 10 tackles for loss in the game, led by 2.0 by Benton and
Jake Doyle-
Brad Smithey hauled in a team-best six receptions for 34 yards
Last Time Out (Oct. 24, 2015)- SWOSU Football scored in all three phases last Saturday as they earned their first road win of the season, defeating Oklahoma Baptist 42-14 in Shawnee
- The Bulldogs scored twice on special teams, with
Daylan Dial blocking a punt that was recovered by
Dominic Blue for a touchdown and
D.J. Jones returning a punt for a touchdown for the second straight week
- Making his second career start,
Brooks Robertson threw for 108 yards and carried the ball for the first rushing touchdown of his career
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Conner Bays led the defense with eight tackles and he took back his team-leading third interception 41 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter
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Kenneth Martey had 70 yards rushing on 17 carries, including two touchdowns while
Karltrell Henderson rushed for 97 yards on 16 carries
Checking the Standings- SWOSU remains within one game of second place in the Great American Conference standings, but now they are joined with two teams who picked up their third defeat of the season
- Just three teams sit ahead of the Bulldogs in the standings, including their next two opponents: Harding and Arkansas Tech
- Henderson State has a one-game lead on the field at 7-1 with three games to play
Bulldog Offensive Notes- SWOSU has scored a combined 153 points in the past three games, scoring 30 or more in three consecutive games for just the second time since joining NCAA Division II in 1997
- The Bulldogs are currently averaging 35.6 points per game, a mark that ranks fourth in the Great American Conference and is on pace to break the single-season school record (NCAA era) of 30.2 points per game from 2013
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Karltrell Henderson is ranked ninth in the GAC in rushing, averaging 63.9 yards per game with seven touchdown runs, a mark that is tied for third in the league and ranks fourth at SWOSU in the NCAA era
- SWOSU's offensive line, which has seen multiple new faces play in recent weeks due to injuries, has allowed just 10 sacks this season, the second-fewest in the league
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D.J. Jones grabbed six receptions for 39 yards against Oklahoma Baptist, upping his team-leading totals to 33 receptions for 568 yards and six touchdowns
- Jones leads the Great American Conference in all-purpose yards this season with 1,251 (156.4 per game)
- SWOSU is ranked sixth in the GAC in rushing offense this season (161.4 yards per game) and the Bulldogs have rushed for 19 touchdowns on the year
Bulldog Defensive Notes-
Conner Bays was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording a team-leading eight tackles with an interception returned for a touchdown against Oklahoma Baptist
- Bays leads the Bulldogs in tackles (85), tackles for loss (5.5) and interceptions (3) this season and his second career pick-six is tied for the school record in the NCAA era
- The Bulldogs rank third in the GAC in scoring defense (22.4 points per game) and total defense (354.9 yards per game)
- SWOSU's rushing defense, which is averaging just 145.2 yards per game, will be tested on Saturday by Harding, the league's top rushing team at 395.4 yards per game
- The Bulldogs are eighth in the GAC with 14 takeaways (five fumbles, nine interceptions) and they rank fifth in the league with a turnover margin of +3
- SWOSU had 10 tackles for loss against Oklahoma Baptist and they've recorded 21 TFL over the past two games, giving them a total of 50 for the season
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Clinton Horn and
Collier Ward each have 4.5 tackles for loss on the year and three sacks apiece to lead the Bulldogs
Bulldog Special Team Notes- For the second straight game,
D.J. Jones returned a punt for a touchdown against Oklahoma Baptist, taking one back 69 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter
- Jones is now leads all of NCAA Division II with a punt return average of 22.3 yards per game and he's just 41 yards away from setting a single-season school record for yardage
- Jones also becomes the first player in school history with two punt return touchdowns in one season and it ties the career mark, held by Chase Pratt (2001-05) and Patrick Weaver (2005-08)
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Trevon Hartfield returned the opening kickoff against OBU 87 yards to the Bison nine-yard line and he's averaging 28.7 yards per return for the year
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Dalton Jackson was 15-for-15 on extra point attempts in wins over East Central and Southern Nazarene while hitting 2-of-3 field goal attempts
- Between Jackson and
Michael Perez, SWOSU punters are averaging 33.5 yards per punt this season on 37 attempts
Scouting Harding- Ranked second in NCAA Division II with an average of 395.4 rushing yards per game and 44 rushing touchdowns
- The rushing attack includes four of the top ten rushers in the GAC, including QB Park Parish, who leads the team with 78.1 yards per game and 17 TDs
- Harding is the highest-scoring team in the GAC and ranked sixth in NCAA Division II with an average of 42.8 points per game
- Daylan Skidmore leads the defense with 60 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss while DeAndre Baines has a team-high three interceptions
Looking Ahead- The Bulldogs conclude the season with two straight road games that includes visits to Arkansas Tech and Northwestern Oklahoma State
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