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Arkansas-Monticello (0-1, 0-1 GAC) at SWOSU (0-1, 0-1 GAC) ASAP Kickoff Classic Saturday, September 12, 6:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (ASAP Energy Field) Live Stats  |  Listen Live  |  Watch Live Weekly Notes: UAM  |  SWOSU

Setting the Scene
- After a season-opening defeat at Southern Arkansas, SWOSU Football returns home to host Arkansas-Monticello in the ASAP Kickoff Classic
- The Bulldogs will be looking to win their home opener for the fourth consecutive season
- Both teams enter the meeting 0-1 after UAM was defeated by Northwestern Oklahoma State last Saturday in Monticello
- The home team has won all four meetings between SWOSU and UAM with the Bulldogs defeating the Weevils 35-17 in their last trip to Weatherford in 2013
 
How To Follow
- Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/swosu/football/
- Watch Live: http://livestream.com/accounts/5503429
- Live Audio: http://streamdb2web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWEY
- Twitter Updates: @SWOSUAthletics
 
The Series
- SWOSU and Arkansas-Monticello have met four times on the gridiron, dating back to the formation of the Great American Conference prior to the 2011 season
- The series stands tied at 2-2 with the home team winning each previous contest
- In two prior meetings in Weatherford, SWOSU has defeated the Boll Weevils by an average of 17.5 points, including a 35-17 victory over UAM in 2013
- UAM defeated the Bulldogs 33-14 in Monticello last season
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 21-44 (Seventh Season)
- Has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2009
- Led SWOSU to their first winning season since 2007 with a 6-5 record in 2014
- Earned his 21st win as the Bulldogs head man against Southern Nazarene (Nov. 1), tying him for seventh in all-time wins at SWOSU
- Has a record of 2-2 against Arkansas-Monticello
 
Arkansas-Monticello: Hud Jackson
13-31 (5th season)
- Named the 25th Head Coach at UAM prior to the 2011 season
- Led the Weevils to a 5-6 record in his inaugural season, finishing fourth in the GAC
- Previously served as the associate head coach at FCS Central Arkansas
 
The Last Meeting (Sept. 27, 2014)
- SWOSU's two-game winning streak was halted by Arkansas-Monticello by a score of 33-14
- Four quarterbacks saw time under center for the Bulldogs, including true freshman Klark Ashmore, who had his redshirt lifted for the second half
- Karl Hodge rushed for 99 yards and scored a touchdown on the Bulldogs opening drive of the game
 
Last Time Out (Sept. 5, 2015)
- SWOSU took a 24-22 lead in the fourth quarter before Southern Arkansas scored a late touchdown to defeat the Bulldogs 28-24 in the 2015 season opener
- Marc Evans was 14-for-32 passing for 179 yards and three touchdowns, directing the SWOSU offense to 331 yards of total offense on 67 plays
- Top targets for Evans included Carlos Smith and Derrick Styles, who each had three receptions while Styles hauled in a pair of touchdown passes
- The SWOSU Defense forced two turnovers with Tyler George and Gentry Rogers each recovering fumbles that the Bulldogs would convert into 15 points
- Tanner Thompson led the Bulldogs with 13 tackles and he blocked a punt through the end zone for a safety, giving SWOSU a 24-22 lead with 8:55 to play
- SAU scored the go-ahead 75-yard touchdown with 6:24 to play, but SWOSU held on the two-point conversion to keep the deficit at 28-24
- Conner Bays also had 13 tackles while George and Kapena Olsen had 10 apiece
 
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
- The wording of 'ASAP Energy Inc.' was installed on the playing field at the 25-yard line on both sides with an 'ASAP General Stores' logo on the west side of each end zone
- A new 'ASAP Energy Inc.' logo measuring 40 x 15 feet was also added south of the playing field, making it visible from the Skyview Suite of the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
 
Checking the Standings
- With a now-balanced conference schedule, SWOSU is one of six teams that opened up the season with a defeat last weekend
- UAM also suffered a defeat in their first game, falling to Northwestern Oklahoma State 52-31 in Monticello
- In a week full of crossover contests, the Boll Weevils were the only team from Arkansas to suffer a defeat as the UAM teams went 5-1 on the opening week
- The road teams also held a 5-1 advantage on the opening week of games, with SWOSU being the lone guest team to not come away with a victory
 
Bulldog Offensive Notes
- SWOSU totaled 331 yards of offense against Southern Arkansas with 152 yards on the ground and 179 yards passing
- Quarterback Marc Evans was one of six first-time starters on the offense, connecting on 14-of-32 passing attempts for 179 yards and three touchdowns
- Six different receivers caught a pass in the game, with Carlos Smith and Derrick Styles each recording three receptions
- Karltrell Henderson got the start at running back and carried the ball 21 times for 83 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry
- D.J Jones led SWOSU in all-purpose yards with 46 yards rushing on two carries, 39 yards receiving on two catches along with 114 kick return and 18 punt return yards
- Nathan Butler made his 22nd consecutive start on the Bulldogs offensive line, but he has switched from center to left guard for his senior season
- Left tackle Garrett Luke (5th career start) and center Zach Britton (2nd) were returning starters for SWOSU while right guard Kevin Blessing and right tackle Kaleb Prough each made their first career starts against SAU
- Tight end Collin Bricker hauled in a 14-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter at SAU, his second career TD reception with both coming against Southern Arkansas
 
Bulldog Defensive Notes
- SWOSU faced 87 plays against Southern Arkansas, allowing 6.0 yards per play and a total of 523 yards of offense to the Muleriders
- The Bulldogs forced a pair of turnovers as Collier Ward and Colton Wright forced a pair of fumbles that were recovered by Tyler George and Gentry Rogers
- Tanner Thompson and Conner Bays each recorded 13 tackles apiece, with Thompson adding 2.0 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry and a blocked punt
- George and Kapena Olsen both added 10 tackles while Olsen had a team-high two pass breakups
- SWOSU's starting defensive line, consisting of ends Collier Ward & Jake Doyle and tackles Tyler Follis & George Woods, combined for 11 tackles against SAU with Ward leading the way with six
- Woods also blocked a Southern Arkansas extra point attempt in the third quarter
- Sophomore Austin Loomis, making his 11th career start at linebacker, made seven tackles (three solo, four assist) and an assist tackle for loss
 
Bulldog Special Team Notes
- Junior Tyler Peterson handled the kickoff and place kicking duties in the season opener, averaging 60.0 yards on four kickoffs but missing his lone field goal attempt from 39 yards
- Punter Michael Perez is back after a medical redshirt and he averaged 35.6 yards on nine punts with a long of 51 yards and two that pinned SAU inside their own 20-yard line
- Redshirt freshman Zach Moore is handling the longsnapping duties for SWOSU this season and he was credited with his first career tackle while on special team's duty
- D.J Jones returned three kickoffs for 114 yards, including a long of 63 yards, and he had two punt returns for 18 yards
- Tanner Thompson made the special teams play of the day with a blocked punt, the first for SWOSU since Daylan Dial blocked one at Southern Nazarene last November
 
Scouting Arkansas-Monticello
- Picked right behind SWOSU in the Great American Conference preseason coaches poll, coming in 9th after finishing 2-8 last season
- Enter the game 0-1 after losing a 17-0 lead against Northwestern Oklahoma State during a 52-31 season-opening setback
- Averaged 4.8 yards per play in running up 418 yards of offense against the Rangers, but they lost four costly fumbles during the game
- Allowed 459 yards of total offense, including 379 yards passing as their defense allowed 6.0 yards per play
- QB Hunter Leppert was 25-of-51 for 300 yards, four touchdowns and one INT, completing at least one pass to ten different receivers during the game
- Four different players - Marquez Massey, Denzel Expose, Byron Miller, Ofisa Kose - tied for team-high honors with seven tackles against the Rangers
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU plays their second consecutive home game next Saturday as they host Ouachita Baptist in the second-annual 'Honoring America's Warriors' game
- The schedule then sends the Bulldogs back on the road for consecutive games against Henderson State and Southeastern Oklahoma State