Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU Football fell to Arkansas Tech 24-20 Saturday afternoon after a four-yard pass from
Marc Evans intended for
D.J. Jones in the end zone fell to the ground as time expired. The Dawgs turned the ball over twice in the final 15 minutes to allow ATU to score 10 points off the two turnovers that ended up dooming the Bulldogs.
SWOSU started the scoring off in the first quarter after Evans found
Derrick Styles for the six-yard touchdown pass that capped off a five play, 80-yard drive on the Bulldogs second possession of the game. Each side traded drives with nothing doing before the Wonder Boys finally answered SWOSU's score with a 68-yard strike through the air to knot the game up at 7-7 with 10:16 left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs were able to get another touchdown pass right before the half from Evans to
JR Omigie and went into the locker room with a 14-7 lead.
After back-to-back punts to start the second half, Arkansas Tech utilized an eight play, 57-yard drive ending with a power goal-line run to tie the game back up at 14-14 in the middle of the third quarter.
Tyson McDaniel took the ensuing kickoff 72 yards to give SWOSU great field position following the score. After a pass interference call that moved the offense 15 yards closer,
Karltrell Henderson pounded the ball twice up the middle for the go-ahead score, but the extra point was blocked, giving SWOSU a 20-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Arkansas Tech scored the game's final 10 points in the fourth quarter after a fumble and interception cut two Bulldog drives short. The Dawgs had a chance however, starting their final drive trailing 24-20 with 1:13 left in the game. Two 11-yard gains moved the offense down the field before Evans targeted Styles for a 42-yard heave into traffic that the junior was able to come down with. A fourth down pass interference call in the end zone extended the drive but with the clock running low, the Bulldogs were limited on their chances. With seven seconds on the scoreboard, on the Wonder Boy four-yard line, Evans threw two incomplete passes including the final pass as time expired to a diving Jones that was just out of the receiver's reach in the corner of the end zone.
Evans ended the game completing 25 of his 46 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Henderson was limited to just 38 yards on 15 touches from his running back position, but was able to score one touchdown. The Dawgs had a pair of 100-yard receivers in Jones and Omigie who caught eight and six balls for 139 and 106 yards respectively. Styles and Omigie each came down with a touchdown grab in the game. Despite the loss, the offense outgained ATU 414-378 in the game on nine fewer plays.
Conner Bays led the defense with 14 tackles, followed by
Colton Wright at 11 and
Kevin Joseph and
Deric Robertson with nine each. SWOSU forced one turnover (Mike Adefolarin) in the game after stuffing ATU on fourth and two which was recovered by
Gentry Rogers.
The defeat drops the Bulldogs to (4-6, 4-6 GAC) on the season heading into their final game against rival Northwestern. That game, which is also SWOSU's homecoming, will be the played on ASAP Energy Field next Saturday starting at 5:30 pm.
