Setting the Scene- For the third consecutive season, SWOSU Football will conclude the regular season by facing the long-time rival Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma State
- SWOSU heads to Alva this season, a place where they defeated Northwestern 62-17 in the final game of the 2013 season
- On the heels of a five-game winning streak, SWOSU is one of the hottest teams in the Great American Conference and they've moved into a four-way tie for second place in the standings
- SWOSU holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over each other team they are tied with, meaning a victory coupled with Henderson State making the playoffs would put the Bulldogs in position for their first postseason appearance since joining NCAA Division II
- The top team from the Great American Conference that does not make the playoffs will earn a bid to the Live United Texarkana Bowl, which is played on December 5th
- The Bulldogs have come home victorious from Alva in their last three trips, but the Rangers snapped a six-game winning streak by SWOSU last season with a 28-6 win over the Dawgs
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@SWOSUAthletics 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 82 times with SWOSU holding a 50-28-4 all-time lead
- SWOSU has won nine of the last 11 meetings against Northwestern Oklahoma State dating back to 1992
The CoachesSWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 28-46 (Seventh Season)- Has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2009, leading the Bulldogs to two winning seasons in the past three years
- 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 2-1 against Northwestern Oklahoma State, with both wins coming on Ranger Field in Alva
Northwestern Okla.: Matt Walter, 3-7 (First Season)- Concluding his first season as the head coach and offensive coordinator at Northwestern Oklahoma State, his alma mater
- Standout athlete at NWOSU in the late 1990's and early 2000's, where he was a member of the 1999 NAIA National Championship team and an honorable mention All-American in 2000
- Previously served as the offensive coordinator at Emporia State for six seasons, helping the Hornets turn around their program and reach the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2013
The Last Meeting (Nov. 15, 2014)- SWOSU concluded the 2014 season with a 28-6 setback against Northwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, finishing the year 3-7
- The Rangers scored 28 unanswered points to end the game after SWOSU scored late in the second quarter on a 3-yard TD run by
Karl Hodge- Hodge led the Bulldogs with 180 yards rushing on 28 carries, ending his senior season just shy of 1,000 yards rushing for the year
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Steven Townsley had a team-high 11 tackles for the Bulldogs while
Austin Loomis added nine
Last Time Out (Nov. 7, 2015)- SWOSU picked up their fifth consecutive win on Saturday, defeating Arkansas Tech 28-14 to improve to 7-3 on the year
- The win gave the Bulldogs their first five-game winning streak since 1993 and moved them into a tie for second place in the GAC standings
- SWOSU scored 14 points off of turnovers, turning two interceptions by
Trevon Hartfield into touchdowns, including the game-clinching TD pass from
Marc Evans to
Derrick Styles with 2:38 to play
- Five different defenders reached double figures tackles, led by
Conner Bays with 14,
Tyler George with 13 and
Gentry Rogers with 12
-
Marc Evans finished 16-for-37 passing for 276 yards and three touchdowns
Checking the Standings- SWOSU has steadily climbed up the Great American Conference standings the past five weeks and they are now tied for second with Arkansas Tech, Harding and Ouachita, all teams the Bulldogs have a head-to-head victory over
- Henderson State clinched the GAC Championship last weekend and they can secure their spot in the NCAA Division II Playoffs with a win over Ouachita on Saturday
- If the Reddies make the playoffs, SWOSU needs to defeat Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday and the Bulldogs would earn a bid to the Live United Texarkana Bowl
- Northwestern Oklahoma State is alone in ninth place in the standings at 3-7
Bulldog Offensive Notes- With one game still remaining on the schedule, SWOSU has already set a new single-season scoring record for the NCAA era with 334 points (33.4/game) this season
- The previous record of 332 points was set just two years ago as the Bulldogs went 6-5 in 2013 by averaging 30.2 points per game
- SWOSU also set a single-season record for rushing touchdowns with 21 this season, topping the previous NCAA era mark of 18, which was set in both 2001 and 2002
- Quarterback
Marc Evans has his name in several of SWOSU's single-season passing categories as he ranks fifth in passing yards, second in yards per game, second in passing touchdowns and fourth in completion percentage
-
D.J. Jones has already set a single-season school record for all-purpose yards with 1,454 (145.4/game), a mark that ranks first in the Great American Conference
- SWOSU's rushing attack, which averages 152.4 yards per game, was held to their second-lowest yardage output of the season against Arkansas Tech, totaling just 43 yards on the ground
-
Karltrell Henderson leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 603 yards and nine touchdowns, while
Kenneth Martey,
Kwame Tate and
Kedron Banks have better than 155 yards and two touchdowns apiece
- Six different receivers have combined for 21 touchdown receptions this season, led by
D.J. Jones with seven and
Derrick Styles with six
- SWOSU has three wide receivers (Jones, Styles,
Carlos Smith) averaging better than 14 yards per reception while Henderson also averages 11.8 yards per catch
- In finishing unbeaten at ASAP Energy Field, SWOSU outscored their opponents 240-109 at home this season, averaging 48.0 points per game with three games of better than 50 points scored
Bulldog Defensive Notes- SWOSU has held their last four opponents to 14 points or less, the longest such streak since the Bulldogs held five straight opponents to less than two touchdowns to open the 1992 season
- Senior Cornerback
Trevon Hartfield was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording a career-best 10 tackles and two interceptions at Arkansas Tech on Saturday
- Hartfield has set a new single-season school record for the NCAA era with 21 passes defended (17 pass breakups, four interceptions) this season
- The Bulldogs have improved to third in the conference in scoring defense (20.6 points per game) and fourth in total defense (347.2 yards per game)
- Without a turnover in the past two games, SWOSU has moved back into a tie for second in the GAC with a turnover margin of +7 that includes six fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions this season
-
Conner Bays tied a career-high with 14 tackles against Arkansas Tech, his seventh career game with 10 or more tackles, giving him 104 (54 solo, 50 assist) for the season
- Bays becomes the first Bulldog since Ryan Feller in 2013 to reach the 100-tackle plateau and he's currently ranked thid on the single-season list at SWOSU for the NCAA era
- The Bulldogs rank ninth in the GAC with 17 sacks on the year, led by
Collier Ward with five and
Clinton Horn with four
- SWOSU's current scoring defense average of 20.6 points per game would rank as the fourth-best of the NCAA era
Bulldog Special Team Notes- The GAC's leading punt return man,
D.J. Jones, needs just 25 yards to set a new single-season record for punt return yards at SWOSU (285: Chase Pratt, 2002) and he currently ranks third in NCAA Division II with an average of 20.1 yards per punt return
- SWOSU's three kickers (
Dalton Jackson,
Tyler Peterson,
Michael Perez) have combined to make 42-of-44 extra point attempts and 4-of-9 field goals
-
Michael Perez booted a career-long 67 yard punt against Arkansas Tech and he is now averaging 34.7 yards per punt on 32 attempts
Scouting Northwestern Oklahoma State- Ranked 10th in the GAC in scoring offense with an average of 29.5 points per game, while opponents are putting up 37.4 points per game against the Rangers
- Top passing offense in the conference with 318.2 yards per game through and 31 touchdowns through the air
- Linebacker Devin Peyton leads the GAC with 108 tackles on the year while cornerback Jordan Norris is the league-leader with seven interceptions
- The NWOSU defense has forced 32 turnovers this season, the most in the GAC, but they've also turned the ball over 30 times for a turnover margin of just +2
Looking Ahead- SWOSU's postseason fate likely rides on the outcome of Saturday's game. A victory likely means the Bulldogs will play in their first NCAA Division II postseason game and their first postseason game since the 1996 NAIA National Championship game
