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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Football goes for their second consecutive home victory on Saturday evening as they welcome the defending Great American Conference champions, Ouachita Baptist, to ASAP Energy Field
- The Tigers are 2-0 on the year while SWOSU evened their record at 1-1 with a commanding 50-20 victory over Arkansas-Monticello in the ASAP Kickoff Classic
- Saturday's game marks the third annual Paul Sharp Cup and it will also be the second annual 'Honoring America's Warriors' game hosted by the Bulldogs
 
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The Series
- SWOSU has faced Ouachita Baptist 11 times on the gridiron in a series that dates back to the 1988 season
- The Tigers lead the series 8-3, with one of SWOSU's victories being a forfeiture by OBU in the game played in 1990 in Weatherford
- All three of SWOSU's victories against Ouachita have come on their home field, with the most recent a 14-3 victory on October 2, 1999
- Ouachita Baptist has won all four meetings between the teams as Great American Conference members, leaving the Tigers as the lone GAC team that SWOSU has yet to defeat
- OBU defeated SWOSU 54-21 last season in Arkadelphia
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 22-44 (Seventh Season)
- Has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2009
- Earned his 22st 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 0-4 against Ouachita Baptist, the only Great American Conference team he is yet to defeat as head coach at SWOSU
 
Ouachita Baptist: Todd Knight
80-82 (16th season)
- Longest tenured college football coach in the state of Arkansas, now in his 16th season at OBU
- Has led the Tigers to two GAC Championships and one NCAA Division II playoff appearance
- Two-time GAC Coach of the Year
 
The Last Meeting (Oct. 4, 2014)
- After SWOSU took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, Ouachita scored 51 unanswered points to defeat SWOSU 54-21 and claim the second annual Paul Sharp Cup
- OBU scored three defensive touchdowns in the game
- Klark Ashmore made his first start, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns
- Kapena Olsen led the defense with 12 tackles
 
Last Time Out (Sept. 12, 2015)
- SWOSU earned a commanding 50-20 victory over Arkansas-Monticello last Saturday in the ASAP Kickoff Classic in Weatherford
- Marc Evans completed 23-of-32 passes for 331 yards and three TDs, including two to D.J Jones, who finished with 116 yards receiving on just three receptions, all in the first half
- SWOSU running backs Karltrell Henderson and Kenneth Martey each scored the first two rushing touchdowns of their Bulldog careers, combining for 135 yards rushing
- JR Omigie had a team-high six receptions while Derrick Styles added five catches for 90 yards and one touchdown as 10 different receivers caught a pass in the game
- Conner Bays led the defense with eight tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception and a pass breakup
 
Paul Sharp Cup
- The series between SWOSU and Ouachita Baptist took on the name of the 'Paul Sharp Cup' in 2013 in remembrance of the former SWOSU Head Coach and Ouachita Baptist alum
- Sharp is the Bulldogs' all-time winningest coach with 92 victories from 1986-2004, including the 1996 NAIA National Championship
- Sharp received a Bachelor of Science degree from Ouachita Baptist University in 1975 and a Master of Science in education in 1977
- Ouachita Baptist is 2-0 in the Paul Sharp Cup series with victories of 31-14 and 54-21 over the Bulldogs in the past two seasons
- The SWOSU Football locker room was dedicated in Sharp's honor prior to the last meeting in Weatherford (2013) and now dons the name of the "Paul Sharp Locker Room"
 
Field Takes New Name
- The home field of the SWOSU Football team will don the name 'ASAP Energy Field' at Milam Stadium beginning this season
- The name change on the field reflects an announcement made by Rick Koch, President of ASAP Energy Inc., this summer that what were formally known as Fast Lane Stores will now be known as ASAP General Stores
 
Checking the Standings
- The Great American Conference standings are balanced after two weeks with four teams unblemished at 2-2, four who have split at 1-1 and four teams remaining winless
- SWOSU is in the middle pack, tied for fifth in the standings at 1-1 following their victory over Arkansas-Monticello
- Ouachita Baptist sits tied atop the standings after wins over East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma State
 
Bulldog Offensive Notes
- The SWOSU offense is ranked third in the GAC in scoring with 74 points (37.0 points per game) through two weeks, but seventh in total offense with an average of 409 yards per game
- Marc Evans threw for 331 yards against Arkansas-Monticello, the eighth-most yards in a single game at SWOSU in the NCAA Division II era and the first 300-yard passing game by a SWOSU quarterback since November 2, 2013 (Dustin Stenta vs. Southern Nazarene)
- Evans was also very efficient, completing 23-of-32 passing attempts for a 71.8% completion percentage, the fourth-best single game mark at SWOSU in the NCAA era
- SWOSU ranks fourth in the league with an average of 154.0 yards rushing per game behind Karltrell Henderson, who has 135 yards and two TDs, and Kenneth Martey with 93 yards and two scores
- D.J Jones and Derrick Styles are the top pass catchers for SWOSU with Jones leading the team in yards with 155 on five receptions while Styles leads with eight grabs for 149 yards and three TDs
- Jones also leads the league in kick return average (40.5 yards per return) and all-purpose yards with 415 yards (207.5/game) to his credit
- With 116 yards in the first quarter against UAM, Jones set a new high mark for the most receiving yards in a quarter at SWOSU in the NCAA Division II era (1997-present)
- SWOSU started the same across the front line against UAM with Garrett Luke (LT), Nathan Butler (LG), Zach Britton (C), Kevin Blessing (RG) and Kaleb Prough (RG) forming the line
- The Bulldogs have converted on all seven fourth-down attempts the past two weeks, a mark that leads all of NCAA Division II for attempts and conversion percentage
 
Bulldog Defensive Notes
- Defensively, SWOSU has held their first two opponents to an average of 24.0 points per game, a mark that ranks fourth in the GAC while they also rank sixth in total defense by allowing an average of 441.5 yards per contest
- With two fumble recoveries and three interceptions gained and just one fumble lost, SWOSU leads the Great American Conference with a +4 turnover margin
- Safety Conner Bays leads the Bulldogs and ranks second in the GAC with 21 tackles (11 solo, 10 assist) in the first two games, one behind the league leader
- Tanner Thompson is also among the league leaders, tied for seventh in the GAC in stops with 18 (six solo, 12 assist)
- Collier Ward recorded SWOSU's first sack of the season against Arkansas-Monticello for a 12-yard loss and he ranks seventh on the team with nine tackles
- Bays recorded the third interception of SWOSU career on Saturday, the first of three by the Bulldogs as Cameron Nix and Dominic Blue both earned their first collegiate interception
- SWOSU's linebacker trio of Austin Loomis, Gentry Rogers and Tyler George have combined for 37 tackles, one tackle for loss and two fumble recoveries
- Kapena Olsen is the team's third-leading receiver with 16 stops (five solo, 11 assist) and he leads the team with two pass breakups and two passes defended
 
Bulldog Special Team Notes
- Tyler Peterson connected on a 35-yard field goal against UAM, his first as a Bulldog, improving him to 1-for-2 in field goal attempts this year
- Peterson also misfired on one of his extra point attempts against the Weevils, but he is 6-for-7 on point after attempts for the year
- Michael Perez is averaging 33.8 yards per punt on 13 attempts the past two games with four placing opponents inside the 20 yard line and a long of 51 yards
- D.J Jones is the primary return man for SWOSU, averaging 15.7 yards per punt return and 40.5 yards per kickoff return to lead the GAC
 
Scouting Ouachita Baptist
- Defending Great American Conference regular season champions enter the week currently ranked 9th in the AFCA Top 25 Poll and 15th in the D2Football.com poll
- Have won 12 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to the final game of the 2013 season against Henderson State
- One of four teams in the GAC entering the third week of the season unbeaten with victories at East Central and at home against Southeastern
- Ranked fourth in the GAC in scoring offense with 36.5 points per game scored, primarily on the strength of their rushing attack, which ranks third in the league with an average of 262.0 yards per game on the ground
- Their defense is allowing opponents to score 32.0 points per game, but they've been strong against the run allowing just 77.0 yards per game rushing
 
Looking Ahead
- Two road games await for SWOSU as the Bulldogs travel to Henderson State next Saturday before heading to Durant to face Southeastern Oklahoma State