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SWOSU (6-3, 6-3 GAC) at (RV) Arkansas Tech (7-2, 7-2 GAC) Saturday, November 7, 2:00 pm Russellville, Ark. (Thone Stadium) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Live Audio SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Scene
- With a winning season clinched and a four-game winning streak under their belt, the SWOSU Football team is headed back to Arkansas one final time for a showdown with Arkansas Tech
- The Wonder Boys are one game up on SWOSU in the Great American Conference standings, receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 poll and ranked ninth in the Super Region 3 rankings
- SWOSU has won the last two meetings between the squads, including a 28-17 victory in their last trip to Russellville in 2013
- A SWOSU victory would give the Bulldogs their first five-game winning streak since 1993 and vault them into a tie for second place in the league standings, with a head-to-head tiebreaker
 
How To Follow
- Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=95022
- Watch Live: mms://wsmsrv.atu.edu/Football
- Live Audio: http://streamdb2web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWEY
- Twitter Updates: @SWOSUAthletics
 
The Series
- Saturday's meeting will be the 12th all-time matchup between the Bulldogs and Arkansas Tech in a series that dates back to 1968
- SWOSU leads the all-time series 6-5 with three wins apiece in Weatherford and Russellville
- SWOSU has won their last two contests against Arkansas Tech and three of four between the schools since the formation of the Great American Conference in 2011
- The Bulldogs have come home victorious in their past two trips to Russellville while also earning a forfeit win over ATU in 1991
- The four meetings between the teams as GAC foes have been decided by an average of 6.5 points
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 27-46 (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
 
Arkansas Tech: Raymond Monica, 15-16 (Third Season)
- In the midst of a breakout season in his third season at Arkansas Tech after going 5-6 and 3-8 in his first two years with the Wonder Boys
- Has coached nine All-GAC players, three all-region players and two All-Americans in his time at Arkansas Tech
- Previously spent seven seasons as the head coach at Kutztown University, leading the Golden Bears to two playoff appearances and their first PSAC Championship
 
The Last Meeting (Sept. 13, 2014)
- SWOSU scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat Arkansas Tech 27-23 in the Fast Lane Kickoff Classic
- After scoring their first touchdown of the fourth quarter, SWOSU's Dalton Jackson successfully executed an onside kick that gave the Bulldogs another possession and a huge boost of momentum
- Steven Townsley gave the Bulldogs their first lead with a 63-yard interception return with 5:11 to play in the game
- Ryley Claborn completed 24-of-42 passes for 253 and tossed two fourth-quarter touchdowns during the comeback
- Karl Hodge got the Bulldogs offense rolling in the fourth quarter and rushed for 167 yards in the game on 28 carries
- Devin Benton caused chaos for Arkansas Tech, recording 8 tackles (5 solo, 3 assist), 5.0 tackles for loss and one-half sack
 
Last Time Out (Oct. 31, 2015)
- The Bulldogs picked up their fourth straight victory on Saturday, defeating Harding 21-13 on Senior Day to finish unblemished on their home field this season
- Trailing 10-0 late in the first half, SWOSU's Marc Evans found Derrick Styles for a three-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half, giving the Bulldogs plenty of momentum heading into halftime
- Harding upped their lead to 13-7 midway through the third quarter, but the Bulldogs scored the final 14 points to earn the victory
- Kenneth Martey had 106 yards rushing on 25 carries, leading the SWOSU rushing attack as the Dawgs became the first team since 2011 to outrush the Bisons
- SWOSU's defense held Harding to 186 yards on 44 attempts, better than 200 yards below their season average
 
Checking the Standings
- With the second-longest winning streak in the league, SWOSU has propelled themselves into a tie for third place in the GAC standings
- The other three teams tied with SWOSU at 6-3 (East Central, Harding, Ouachita) are all teams the Bulldogs have defeated, giving them for tiebreaker in any head-to-head ties
- Henderson State remains atop the standings while Arkansas Tech is in second at 7-2, one game ahead of the Bulldogs
 
Bulldog Offensive Notes
- 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
- With 21 points against the Bisons, SWOSU has now scored 306 total points this season, the second-most in the NCAA Division II era (332 points, 2013)
- The Bulldogs current scoring pace of 34.0 points per game is also on pace to set a new school record, which currently sits at 30.2 points per game in 2013
- SWOSU's rushing attack is averaging 164.6 yards per game and they've tied a school record with 20 rushing touchdowns this season
- Marc Evans threw his 18th touchdown pass of the season against Harding, moving into a tie for third on the single-season list at SWOSU (Steve Day, 2008)
- With two games remaining, D.J. Jones has already set a single-season school record for all-purpose yards (1,318) and his six touchdown receptions is the fifth-most single-season total for the Bulldogs
- Karltrell Henderson leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 575 yards and eight touchdowns, while Kenneth Martey has added 385 yards and six scores while averaging 4.4 yards per carry
 
Bulldog Defensive Notes
- SWOSU's defense held Harding to a season-low 171 yards rushing, their lowest total of the year by more than 100 yards
- Trevon Hartfield had an interception and Clinton Horn recovered a fumble, giving SWOSU 16 takeaways for the year and a turnover margin of +5 for the season
- Kapena Olsen, Collier Ward and Horn each had a team-best six tackles and one tackle for loss against the Bisons while Tanner Thompson had two tackles for loss
- Conner Bays had a season-low five tackles against Harding, but he continues to lead the Bulldogs with 90 stops (46 solo, 44 assist) for the year
- Bays needs 10 tackles over the final two games to become SWOSU's seventh player of the NCAA era with 100 or more tackles in a season, and the first since 2013 (Ryan Feller, 102)
- Ward and Horn lead the Bulldogs with three sacks apiece and they are tied with Bays for the team lead with 5.5 tackles for loss on the year
- Hartfield has tied a single-season school record for passes defended with 16 (14 breakups, two interceptions). Kevin Joseph previously set the mark last season
 
Bulldog Special Team Notes
- D.J. Jones needs 41 yards to set a new single-season record for punt return yards at SWOSU (285, Chase Pratt, 2002) and he currently ranks second in NCAA Division II with an average of 22.3 yards per punt return
- Jones also leads the Dawgs with a 26.9-yard average on 14 kickoff returns, while teammate Trevon Hartfield is averaging 28.5 yards per return on eight attempts
- SWOSU's three kickers (Dalton Jackson, Tyler Peterson, Michael Perez) have combined to make 38-of-40 extra point attempts and 4-of-9 field goals
- Perez and Jackson have combined to average 32.8 yards per punt this season with 10 punts landing inside the opponents 20-yard line
 
Scouting Arkansas Tech
- Ranked eighth in NCAA Division II with an average of 296.2 rushing yards per game, led by running back Bryan Allen, who has had four games with better than 100 yards rushing
- Quarterback Arsenio Favor is a two-time GAC Player of the Week and he's rushed for 13 touchdowns while throwing 12 touchdown passes this season
- Linebacker Logan Genz leads the Wonder Boys with 82 tackles and five tackles for loss
- The ATU defense is holding opponents to just 18.4 points and 319.7 yards per game this season, including just 107.8 yards per game on the ground
- Jermaine Murdock is the Wonder Boys leading receiver with 33 catches for 380 yards, but five other players lead ATU with two receiving touchdowns apiece
 
Looking Ahead
- The 2015 regular season ends next Saturday with rivalry action when the Bulldogs head to Alva to face Northwestern Oklahoma State