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SWOSU (0-1, 0-1 GAC) at Arkansas-Monticello (0-1, 0-1 GAC) Saturday, September 10, 6:00 pm Monticello, Ark (WCL Cotton Boll Stadium) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Live Audio SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting The Scene
- The first road trip of the season for the SWOSU Football team will be their longest, as the Dawgs travel nearly 500 miles to face Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday evening
- Both teams enter the season after suffering a close lose on opening night, with the Dawgs falling 21-17 to Southern Arkansas while UAM dropped a high-scoring 59-56 contest against Northwestern Oklahoma State
- SWOSU and UAM have faced off five times as members of the Great American Conference, with the home team winning each contest by at least two touchdowns
- The Bulldogs bring a three-game road win streak into the Saturday's game after winning at Oklahoma Baptist, Arkansas Tech and Northwestern Oklahoma State to end last season
 
The Series
- The series between SWOSU and Arkansas-Monticello dates back to the 2011 season, when the teams were founding members of the Great American Conference
- The home team has won each meeting in the series, with UAM winning at home in 2011 and 2014 while the Bulldogs have home victories from 2012, 2013 and 2015
- SWOSU leads the all-time series 3-2, with an average margin of victory of 19.6 points per game when the teams meet
- In two prior visits to Monticello, UAM has outscored SWOSU by a combined score of 68-35, an average of 16.5 points per game
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 29-48 (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 3-2 against Arkansas-Monticello, but the Bulldogs are searching for their first win against the Boll Weevils in Monticello
 
Arkansas-Monticello: Hud Jackson, 14-41 (Sixth Season)
- Now in his sixth season as the head coach at Arkansas-Monticello after being hired prior to the 2011 season
- Led the Weevils to a 5-6 record in his inaugural season, finishing fourth in the GAC, but UAM has finished with more than two wins just once in the past four seasons
- Prior to taking the UAM job, he served the previous six seasons as associate head coach at Central Arkansas, an FCS school
 
The Last Meeting (Sept. 12, 2015)
- SWOSU earned a commanding 50-20 victory over Arkansas-Monticello last Saturday in the ASAP Kickoff Classic in Weatherford
- Marc Evans completed 23-of-32 passes for 331 yards and three TDs, including two to D.J Jones, who finished with 116 yards receiving on just three receptions, all in the fi rst half
- SWOSU running backs Karltrell Henderson and Kenneth Martey each scored the first two rushing touchdowns of their Bulldog careers, combining for 135 yards rushing
- JR Omigie had a team-high six receptions while Derrick Styles added five catches for 90 yards and one touchdown as 10 different receivers caught a pass in the game
- Conner Bays led the defense with eight tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception and a pass breakup
 
Last Time Out (Sept. 1, 2016)
- The history of close games between SWOSU and Southern Arkansas continued as the Muleriders defeated the Dawgs 21-17 in the ASAP Kickoff Classic
- SWOSU built a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, but they were held scoreless for the final 40 minutes while SAU came from behind for the victory
- D.J. Jones had a career-high 141 yards on seven receptions, including an 86-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter
- SWOSU's defense forced six turnovers, including four interceptions of 2015 First Team All-GAC Quarterback Barrett Renner, with two of those coming from Kevin Joseph
- Austin Loomis led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles (six solo, five assist) and a fumble recovery while Michael Adefolarin had 10 stops and several big hits
 
SWOSU Offensive Notes
- Marc Evans found D.J. Jones for an 86-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter against SAU, marking the third-longest pass completion at SWOSU in the NCAA Division II era
- Jones caught seven passes for a career-high 141 yards, his fourth career 100-yard receiving performance, and he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for career receiving yards at SWOSU
- After the first week of the season, SWOSU is ranked eighth in the Great American Conference in scoring offense (17.0 per game) and total offense (380.0 yards per game)
- Saturday's defeat against Southern Arkansas snapped a five-game home winning streak for the Bulldogs, one that spanned the entire 2015 season
- SWOSU was held to 146 yards rushing, an average of 3.7 yards per carry, after averaging 180.0 yards and 5.0 yards per carry at home last season
- Karltrell Henderson was the Bulldogs top rushing threat, carrying 15 times for 80 yards with a long rush of 17 yards against the Muleriders
- Kenneth Martey got the start for SWOSU in the backfield and had 32 yards on 11 carries against SAU
- Martey fumbled while crossing the goal line on SWOSU's opening possession, but left tackle Garrett Luke recovered the fumble in the end zone for his first career touchdown
- Evans finished the game completing 18-of-41 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown, but he was intercepted three times
- As a junior, Evans did not throw his third interception until the fourth game of the season at Henderson State
- Seven different receivers caught a pass for the Bulldogs against SAU, led by Jones with seven and Hunter Dinkines with three for 51 yards
- SWOSU's opening-day offensive line featured four players who started at least three games last season (Luke, Brandon Roe, Justin Bigelow, Kevin Blessing) and a first-time starter at right tackle in redshirt freshman Elijah Britton
 
SWOSU Defensive Notes
- SWOSU's defense forced six turnovers (four interceptions, two fumble recoveries) against Southern Arkansas, the most by a Bulldog defense since 2000 and a mark that ties the school record for most of the NCAA Division II era (Panhandle State, 2000; Ouachita, 1999)
- The four interceptions by the Bulldogs is the most since also grabbing four against Southeastern Oklahoma State on October 18, 2014
- Kevin Joseph returned to the lineup and grabbed two interceptions for the third time in his career against SAU (Arkansas Tech & Henderson State, 2014)
- Joseph and Conner Bays both recorded their sixth career interceptions against the Muleriders, leaving both players needing one interception to move into the top five in career picks at SWOSU in the NCAA era
- Austin Loomis led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles against SAU, one off of his career high of 12 from his freshman season against East Central, and he recovered a fumble for the Dawgs
- Michael Adefolarin was also one tackle off his career high against the Muleriders, recording 10 stops in the first game of his senior year
- In his first game as a Bulldog, Deric Robertson had three tackles (two solo, one assist) along with one pass breakup and a 27-yard fumble recovery and return
- SWOSU had three tackles for loss against SAU, led by TJ Harris with 1.5 TFL and a sack in his first game as a Bulldog
- Quinton Gale recorded one tackle and his first career interception while making his first career start at cornerback against SAU
 
SWOSU Special Teams Notes
- D.J. Jones got just two return attempts against SAU, bringing back one punt 12 yards and a kickoff 17 yards in the game
- Tyler Peterson knocked through his lone field goal attempt from 21 yards and went 2-for-2 on extra point attempts in the season opener
- Dalton Jackson had a long punt of 51 yards and averaged 31.5 yards on four punts against the Muleriders
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU heads back into Arkansas next Saturday for another night game, this time against Ouachita beginning at 7:00 pm
- The Bulldogs return home on September 24 to host Henderson State, the reigning GAC Champions and preseason favorite to again claim the conference crown