Box Score (html)
DURANT, Okla. – The SWOSU Football team was held to 177 yards of total offense and shutout for the second straight game on Saturday afternoon, suffering an 8-0 defeat against Southeastern Oklahoma State in the lowest-scoring game in Great American Conference history.
The Bulldogs best chance for points came in the first quarter when first-time starting quarterback
Brooks Robertson was intercepted in the end zone to end a 13-play drive. SWOSU's defense routinely kept the Savage Storm from scoring until they cashed in a 12-play 66-yard drive for a field goal with 1:14 to play in the first half. After a SWOSU three-and-out, Southeastern used four plays to again get in field goal range and kick a 30-yard attempt as time ran out in the first half.
After the defense held Southeastern on their opening drive of the second half, the Bulldogs had their best drive and again got into Savage Storm territory before stalling. On the ensuing drive, SWOSU crossed midfield with back-to-back long runs from Robertson but they would get no further before being forced to punt.
SWOSU's defense was again up to the challenge early in the fourth quarter as Southeastern looked to put the game away. The interior defensive line for SWOSU, led by
Clinton Horn and
Dejai Johnson, stopped Southeastern on downs at the goal line, leaving the deficit at 6-0 with 12:34 to play and the offense coming back onto the field. With their backs up against the goal line, SWOSU attempted a screen pass on third down and
Karltrell Henderson was hauled down in the end zone for a safety, giving Southeastern the 8-0 lead with 11:29 to play.
The Bulldog defense again rose to the challenge, forcing a three-and-out and providing another chance for the offense, which again barely passed midfield before stalling. SWOSU punted, but would get the ball back one more time, with just under one minute to play. The final drive ended on downs, leaving Southeastern to take a knee and run out the clock.
"We had opportunities on offense, but they just took it to us," SWOSU Head Coach
Dan Cocannouer said in his postgame interview. "The defense is playing great, but it's ridiculous that the offense has gone eight quarters without scoring. That's a mental thing more than anything."
SWOSU has not scored in their last two games as they fall to 0-3 away from home this year. The Bulldogs have now been shutout in back-to-back games for the first time since 2005, when they were defeated by Midwestern State 49-0 and Eastern New Mexico 28-0 in consecutive games.
Conner Bays, the GAC's leading tackler, led the SWOSU defense with a 12 tackles as the Bulldogs surrendered 337 yards on 74 plays, including 217 passing yards and 120 rushing yards.
Michael Adefolarin added a career-high 11 stops while
Gentry Rogers and
Tyler George each had nine.
Robertson, making his first career start, was 11-for-22 passing for 60 yards and one interceptions while also leading the Bulldogs with 82 rush yards on 10 attempts.
D.J. Jones caught a team-best three passes for 29 yards while
JR Omigie had two receptions for 26 yards.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 2-3 on the year and in Great American Conference play, with each defeat coming away from ASAP Energy Field. SWOSU looks to snap their current two-game skid on Homecoming, next Saturday against East Central, with kickoff slated for 5:00 pm in Weatherford.
