Box Score (html)
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Ouachita scored 17 unanswered points to end the second quarter and held off a SWOSU comeback attempt in the second half to retake the Paul Sharp Cup with a 48-28 victory on Saturday evening at Cliff Harris Stadium.
Both teams traded blows offensively in the first half, with SWOSU holding Ouachita to a field goal on their opening drive before the Dawgs went 67 yards in five plays to take a 7-3 lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from
Marc Evans to
D.J. Jones. The Tigers responded with an eight-play drive that capped off with the final play of the first quarter, a six-yard touchdown run on fourth and inches, and Ouachita took a 10-7 lead to the second.
SWOSU had an answer to start the second quarter, using a 10-play drive to cover 67 yards and take a 14-10 lead on a one-yard touchdown run from
Karltrell Henderson with 10:38 to play until halftime. An interception and a blown coverage by the Bulldogs, however, led to 21 unanswered points by the Tigers as they built a 31-14 lead as the game reached intermission.
The Bulldog offense was again hitting on all cylinders to open the second half, marching down the field methodically with a 10-play, 77-yard drive that ended when Henderson again found paydirt from 10 yards out to make it a 10-point game at 31-21. SWOSU got a stop on defense and had a chance to cut further into the lead, but ended up punting after one first down. Ouachita ended the quarter with another touchdown and took a 38-21 lead to the fourth.
Big plays highlighted the fourth quarter, with a SWOSU interception leading to a field goal by Ouachita. On the ensuing kickoff, it was
Sheldon Wilson breaking through the Ouachita coverage and outrunning the Tigers for a 96-yard touchdown, the first kickoff return TD by a Bulldog since 2013. That touchdown made it a 41-21 game, but the Tigers responded with a long touchdown run on their next drive to put the game away.
Ouachita rolled up 560 yards of total offense against the Bulldogs, including 292 yards on 50 rushing attempts. SWOSU conversely did the bulk of their offensive damage through the air with 287 yards passing on the night. Evans was 21-for-39 for 287 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.
Derrick Styles was his primary target, catching eight balls for 112 yards. Henderson rushed for 47 yards on 14 carries and had two touchdowns.
Austin Loomis led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles (five solo, six assist), finishing one stop off his career high.
Conner Bays had nine stops in the game and eclipsed the 200-career tackle mark during the first half of the game.
SWOSU is now 0-3 (0-3 GAC) on the year heading into a home matchup against No. 7-ranked Henderson State next Saturday night at ASAP Energy Field.
