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LIVE UNITED TEXARKANA BOWL Central Oklahoma (6-5) vs. SWOSU (8-3) Saturday, December 5, 2:00 pm Texarkana, Ark. (Razorback Stadium) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Listen Live Game Notes: UCO  |  SWOSU

Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Football heads to Texarkana to face an old foe in Central Oklahoma in the third annual Live United Texarkana Bowl, played this Saturday afternoon at Razorback Stadium
- The game will mark the eighth postseason game in SWOSU Football history, and their first as a member of NCAA Division II
- The Bulldogs won their last postseason appearance, defeating Montana Tech 33-31 to win the 1996 NAIA National Championship
- SWOSU won six straight games to end the regular season at 8-3 and earn the bowl bid, while Central Oklahoma won six of their last seven games to reach bowl eligibility
- The Live United Texarkana Bowl is now in its third year of existence, pitting an automatic qualifier from the Great American Conference against an at-large opponent from the Lone Star Conference or MIAA
- GAC schools are 1-1 in the Bowl game, with Harding defeating Texas A&M-Commerce 44-3 in 2013 before Central Missouri defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State 48-21 last season
- Central Oklahoma is SWOSU Football's oldest rival and a team that the Bulldogs have faced 88 times overall, most recently in 2011 before the Bronchos joined the MIAA while SWOSU went to the Great American Conference after breaking away from the Lone Star Conference
 

The Series
- Central Oklahoma is SWOSU's oldest rival in football, with the series history dating back to the first-ever game played by the Bulldogs in 1905
- The teams have met on the gridiron 88 times, with UCO leading the all-time series 59-26-3, which includes an 8-7 advantage for the Bronchos with both teams as members of NCAA Division II
- SWOSU is looking for their third straight victory over the Bronchos, a mark that would tie their longest winning streak ever against UCO (1950-52, 2000-02)
- Central Oklahoma has seven instances in series history with a win streak of four games or better against SWOSU, including a best of 10 straight wins from 1915-1924
- The Live United Texarkana Bowl will mark the first-ever postseason game between the Bulldogs and Bronchos
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 29-46 (Seventh Season)
- 2015 Great American Conference Coach of the Year
- 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 Central Oklahoma, which included home wins over the Bronchos in 2010 and 2011
 
Central Oklahoma: Nick Bobeck, 18-25 (Fourth Season)
- Has led the Bronchos to a 14-9 record the past two seasons after going 4-16 in his first two years back at his alma mater
- Guided UCO to its first winning season since 2008 and first eight-win season since 2004 last year when the Bronchos finished 8-4 and advanced to the Mineral Water Bowl
- Became UCO's 13th head coach in 2012 following a sparkling four-year head coaching stint at junior college powerhouse Navarro College in Texas
 
The Last Meeting (Sept. 24, 2011)
- SWOSU put away Central Oklahoma 27-20 to improve to 3-1 at the start of the 2011 season, handing UCO their 10th straight defeat
- D.C. Walker scored the game's winning touchdown with a four-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds to play after SWOSU's defense got a three-and-out to get the ball back
- All-American cornerback Clarence Laster tied a single-game school record with three interceptions, including an 85-yard touchdown return as he earned GAC Defensive Player of the Week honors following the game
- Kicker Colton Rainey also earned GAC honors after making a pair of field goals and three extra points for nine total points
 
Last Time Out (Nov. 14, 2015)
- Big plays helped the SWOSU Football team build a 21-3 halftime advantage, but the Bulldogs still had to hold off the rival Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma State for a 31-17 victory in the regular season finale
- Kenneth Martey and Karltrell Henderson each broke off long touchdown runs and finished with over 100 yards rushing as SWOSU controlled the ground game with 299 rushing yards
- Trevon Hartfield finished with a career-high 14 tackles, including 13 solo stops as the Rangers passing attack continually tried to test the Bulldogs star cornerback
- The Bulldogs defense was swarming and finished with seven sacks, better than a quarter of their total number of sacks for the season
- SWOSU finishes the regular season with a six-game winning streak, their best single-season record since they transitioned to NCAA Division II in 1997
 
 
Checking the Standings
- With six straight wins to close out the regular season, SWOSU moved into a share of second place in the final GAC standings, the highest finish for the Dawgs as a member of the conference
- SWOSU was tied for second at 8-3 with Arkansas Tech, a team they defeated 28-14 to earn the tiebreaker for a bid to the Live United Texarkana Bowl
- Henderson State won their third Great American Conference Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs before falling to Emporia State
 
Bulldog Offensive Notes
- Four members of the SWOSU offense earned All-GAC honors with RB's Karltrell Henderson & Kenneth Martey, WR D.J. Jones and OL Garrett Luke being named Honorable Mention selections
- Henderson and Martey both ran for over 100 yards against Northwestern Oklahoma State, helping the Bulldogs to their second-highest rushing total (299 yards) of the season
- SWOSU has averaged 165.7 rushing yards per game this season, second-best in the NCAA Division II era, and the Bulldogs have set a new school record with 24 rushing touchdowns
- The Bulldogs feature the most prolific offense in school history, averaging 33.2 points per game to nearly double their scoring output of 17.9 points per game from last season
- Marc Evans is the third-most efficient quarterback in the GAC and he ranks second in touchdown passes (22) & yards per game (264.4) and fourth in passing yards (2380) at SWOSU in the NCAA era
- SWOSU's offensive line has allowed just 14 sacks this season, a mark that ranks second in the GAC behind run-oriented Harding
- The Bulldogs finished unbeaten at ASAP Energy Field this season, outscoring their opponents 240-109 at home this season and averaging 48.0 points per game on their home field
 
Bulldog Defensive Notes
- Two members of the SWOSU secondary earned postseason recognition, with CB Trevon Hartfield named a First Team All-GAC selection and S Conner Bays earning second team honors
- Hartfield has set a new single-season school record with 22 passes defended as he leads the team with four interceptions and 18 breakups
- Bays is SWOSU's leading tackler, ranking fifth in the GAC with 105 tackles (55 solo, 50 assist), a mark that ranks third at SWOSU in the NCAA era
- The Bulldogs finished with a season-best seven sacks against Northwestern Oklahoma State, upping their season total to 24, the second-best mark in the GAC
- Hartfield is one of three players tied for second on the team with 65 tackles, joining Tyler George and Kapena Olsen
- Senior defensive end Collier Ward leads the Bulldogs with 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks, while Clinton Horn has added 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks from the defensive tackle position
 
Bulldog Special Team Notes
- The GAC's leading punt return man, D.J. Jones, was named a First Team All-GAC return specialist and he needs just 11 yards to set a new single-season record for punt return yards at SWOSU (285: Chase Pratt, 2002)
- Jones currently ranks second in NCAA Division II with an average of 19.6 yards per punt return with two return touchdowns, a new single-season SWOSU record
- SWOSU's three kickers (Dalton Jackson, Tyler Peterson, Michael Perez) have combined to make 46-of-48 extra point attempts and 5-of-11 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 38 attempts
 
Rivalry Notes
- SWOSU Defensive Coordinator Eric Gibson is a two-time graduate of Central Oklahoma, earning degrees from UCO in 2000 & 2003 and beginning his coaching career with the Bronchos as a graduate assistant in 2002-03
- Central Oklahoma graduate assistant Tony Savino holds a master's degree from SWOSU and he coached the Bulldog linebackers from 2011-12
- SWOSU has two players on their roster who transferred from UCO in QB Brooks Robertson and RB Kwame Tate while UCO DL Chantz Woodberry started his collegiate career as a Bulldog
 
Scouting Central Oklahoma
- Won six of their last seven games to overcome an 0-4 start to the season and advance to a Bowl Game for the second straight season
- Third-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA, averaging 35.8 points per game while allowing their opponents to score 27.5 points per game
- UCO had 15 players earn All-MIAA recognition, including First Teamers Kenny Allen (DE), Landon Chappell (OL) and Clay McKenzie (RB)
- The Bronchos have two QBs with 3,000-plus passing yards in their career in T.J Eckert, who has started the last six games, and Chas Stallard