Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – After inclement weather delayed the start of SWOSU Football's showdown with No 8/11-ranked Henderson State by almost two and a half hours, the Bulldogs battled the Reddies to a standstill for almost the entire first half. A jump-ball touchdown as time expired started a stretch of 28 straight points for HSU as the Reddies downed the Dawgs 45-17 on Saturday evening at ASAP Energy Field.
Kickoff, originally scheduled for 6:00 pm, didn't come until just after 8:30 pm as the Bulldogs and Reddies waited out for a torrential storm to move through the area. Once the game finally kicked off, the teams traded field goals and they were tied at 3-3 early in the second quarter. Henderson State got the first touchdown a few minutes later, taking a 10-3 lead before SWOSU would tie the game on a 30-yard touchdown pass from
Marc Evans to
D.J. Jones with 2:05 to play before half.
That left enough time for the Reddies to strike, with Al Lasker outjumping multiple SWOSU defenders for a 31-yard touchdown pass on a deep ball as time expired in the first half. Henderson State outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 in the third quarter to break the game open with a 38-10 lead and both teams scored once in the fourth quarter to reach the final margin. Making his first collegiate action, SWOSU's
Tyler Marr hit
Collin Bricker for an 11-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter for the Dawgs final score.
Henderson State accumulated 405 yards of total offense, compared to 339 yards for the Bulldogs, who threw for 210 yards while rushing for 129. The Reddies averaged 4.7 yards per carry and grounded the Dawgs for 219 yards on 47 rushing attempts.
Karltrell Henderson rushed for 86 yards on 16 carries to lead the Bulldogs while
Kenneth Martey covered 28 yards on seven carries.
Marc Evans was 11-for-21 with 131 passing yards and one touchdown before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter.
Tyler Marr made his college debut and had similar stats, with 10-of-21 passing for 79 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
D.J. Jones was the leading receiver on the night with eight receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown while
Collin Bricker had four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown after being held without a reception the past two weeks.
Defensively,
Conner Bays had another busy night, totaling 16 stops (six solo, 10 assist) and one tackle for loss, while
Gentry Rogers had nine tackles (five solo, four assist) and recovered a fumble for the Bulldogs.
BJ Kellogg snatched his first interception in a Bulldog uniform and
Dustin Johnson had one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry in addition to four tackles.
SWOSU's slow start to the 2016 season leaves the Bulldogs with an 0-4 record at the end of September, their first 0-4 start since 2010. The Bulldogs will look to leave that in the past and rebound next Saturday when Southeastern Oklahoma State visits ASAP Energy Field, with kickoff scheduled for 2:00 pm.
