---

#8 Henderson State (3-0, 3-0 GAC) at SWOSU (0-3, 0-3 GAC) Saturday, September 24, 6:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (ASAP Energy Field) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Live Audio SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Football returns home for the first time since opening night to face No. 8-ranked Henderson State on Parents Day in Weatherford
- The Bulldogs are mired in a three-game slump to open the season, while the Reddies are one of two unbeatens that remains in the GAC
- Henderson State has won four straight meetings against the Bulldogs, including two consecutive trips to Weatherford, but SWOSU defeated the last top-ten opponent to visit ASAP Energy Field, taking down No. 9 Ouachita 58-38 last September
- The Reddies come to Weatherford riding a 12-game regular season winning streak, including a 33-0 shutout of the Dawgs last season in Arkadelphia
 
The Series
- The series between SWOSU and Henderson State dates back to the 1980 season, with HSU holding a 5-2 advantage all-time against the Bulldogs
- SWOSU and HSU played a home-and-home series in 1980-81, with each team winning on their home field
- Henderson State owns a 4-1 advantage against the Bulldogs in GAC play, with SWOSU winning in Arkadelphia 17-13 in 2011
- The last four meetings in the series have gone to the Reddies, with HSU defeating the Dawgs by an average of 25.8 points per contest
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 29-50 (Eighth Season)
- Has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2009, leading the Bulldogs to two winning seasons in the past three years
- Earned four Coach of the Year Awards following the 2015 season, including: Great American Conference, AFCA Region 4, HERO Sports Region 3 and OklahomaSports.Net Small College
- Ranked 7th in career wins at SWOSU with 29, needing one more to move into a share of sixth place on the list with Jake Spann (30, 1939-48)
- Has a record of 1-4 against Henderson State, including a record of 0-2 against the Reddies in Weatherford
 
Henderson State: Scott Maxfield, 83-40 (12th Season)
- Winningest coach in Great American Conference history and has the second-most wins of any coach at Henderson State
- Has led the Reddies to three of the five regular season GAC Championships and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs (2012, 2013, 2015)
- Two-time GAC Coach of the Year (2012, 2013) who was also named the AFCA Super Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2013
 
The Last Meeting (Sept. 26, 2015)
- After committing just one turnover in the first three games of the season, SWOSU was done in by their five turnovers in a 33-0 defeat at Henderson State
- SWOSU's best chance for points was on their opening drive, which ended on an interception deep in HSU territory
- The Bulldogs were held to a season-low 220 yards of offense and they were shut out for the first time in five years
- Evans finished 23-for-43 for 178 yards, but he was held without a touchdown pass for the first time this season and set a new school record with fi ve interceptions thrown
- Karltrell Henderson had 80 yards on three receptions and 33 yards rushing on 14 carries
- Conner Bays led the Bulldog defense with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss while Austin Loomis had nine tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss
 
Last Time Out (Sept. 17, 2016)
- Ouachita scored 21 unanswered points to end the first half and held off a SWOSU comeback attempt to retake the Paul Sharp Cup with a 48-28 win on Saturday evening
- The game went back-and-forth in the first half, with each team trading offensive blows and SWOSU went up 14-10 with 10:38 to play before halftime
- Ouachita scored three touchdowns in the final 4:09 of the first half, taking a 31-14 lead to the break and they never led by less than 10 points in the second half
- Karltrell Henderson carried the ball 14 times for the Bulldogs, rushing for 47 yards and two touchdowns
- Derrick Styles caught eight passes for a career-best 112 cards while D.J. Jones added six receptions and his second touchdown pass of the year
 
Checking the Standings
- Henderson State and Harding are tied atop the Great American Conference standings at 3-0 while four teams are right behind with a 2-1 conference mark
- SWOSU, meanwhile, is tied with Southern Nazarene at the other end of the standings list as both teams are still searching for their first win of 2016
- Two teams that the Bulldogs have faced in the first two weeks (Southern Arkansas, Ouachita) are currently 2-1 while Arkansas-Monticello is 1-2
- The next two opponents for SWOSU (Henderson State & Southeastern) are a combined 5-1, with the lone loss coming when they faced off on opening night
 
SWOSU Offensive Notes
- The Bulldogs were held to a season-low 74 rushing yards on 27 attempts against Ouachita, but two Karltrell Henderson touchdowns extended SWOSU's streak to nine straight regular season games with a rushing touchdown
- In scoring 28 points for the second straight week, the Bulldogs upped their season scoring average to 24.3 points per game, which ranks eighth in the GAC
- SWOSU's total offense (371.3 ypg) is ranked ninth in the GAC, with rushing offense (146.7 ypg) ranked seventh and passing offense (224.7 ypg) in ninth
- Marc Evans threw for a season-high 287 yards on 21-of-39 completions, but with two more interceptions he is now tied for the GAC lead with six this season
- Karltrell Henderson is the third-leading rusher in the GAC with 297 yards (99.0 ypg) and five touchdowns on the season, giving him 1,164 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns at SWOSU
- With six receptions for 79 yards and one touchdown at Ouachita, D.J. Jones is now the third-leading receiver in the GAC with 16 receptions for 319 yards to date
- SWOSU's offensive line allowed their first sack of the season at Ouachita, but they remain tied with Harding for the fewest in the league with one
- Derrick Styles caught a career-high eight passes for 112 yards against Ouachita, moving him to second on the team with 14 receptions on the year
 
SWOSU Defensive Notes
- The 560 yards of total offense allowed by the Bulldogs at Ouachita is the most since SWOSU gave up 523 total yards at Southern Arkansas in the 2015 season opener
- SWOSU is now ranked seventh in the GAC in total defense, allowing 411.3 yards per game, while the scoring defense of 34.7 points per game is ranked ninth in the league
- Austin Loomis finished one tackle off his career high at Ouachita with 11 stops, giving him 30 for the year, a number ranking him second on the team and fifth in the GAC
- The Bulldogs are holding opponents to 38.3% (18-of-47) on third-down conversions, but SWOSU opponents are 6-for-7 when attempting to convert on fourth down
- Kevin Joseph leads the Great American Conference and ranks second in NCAA Division II with three interceptions, helping the Bulldogs lead the league with five interceptions as a team
- Seven different players have helped SWOSU record six sacks over the first three games and the Bulldogs have totaled 19.0 tackles for loss
- With 10 tackles at Ouachita, Conner Bays surpassed the 200-career tackle mark and recorded the 10th 10+ tackle game of his SWOSU career
- Bays leads the Great American Conference and ranks eight nationall with 37 tackles (23 solo, 14 assist) this season
- Somali Smith made a career-best six stops (three solo, three assist) at Ouachita, including one-half sack and tackle for loss
 
SWOSU Special Teams Notes
- Sheldon Wilson helped breathe life into the SWOSU return game, returning his first kickoff in a Bulldog uniform 96 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Ouachita
- SWOSU is ranked sixth in the league in kickoff returns, averaging 22.9 yards per return, but the Dawgs have only returned three punts this season for an average of 1.0 yard per
- Tyler Peterson remains perfect on kicks this season, hitting his lone field goal attempts and all 10 extra points while averaging 58.3 yards on 15 kickoffs
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU is back at home next Saturday to host Southeastern Oklahoma State at 2:00 pm from ASAP Energy Field
- The Bulldogs are then on the road at East Central and Southern Nazarene before closing the season with three of their final four games at home