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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Football closes out the 2017 season with three consecutive games against in-state foes, beginning this Saturday in Shawnee against Oklahoma Baptist
- This will be the third meeting between the Bulldogs and Bison as members of the Great American Conference, with SWOSU holding a 2-0 advantage against OBU
- SWOSU enters the game on a three-game slide while Oklahoma Baptist remains in search of their first win of the season
- In their last visit to Shawnee, the Bulldogs defeated Oklahoma Baptist 42-14 before earning a 37-35 victory over the Bison last year in Weatherford
- The Bulldogs are 1-3 on the road this season but they enter the game on a three-game road losing streak after winning the season opener 20-19 at Arkansas-Monticello
- SWOSU has won 10 of their last 11 games against Oklahoma schools in the GAC, but they had their 10-game winning streak against in-state conference foes snapped on October 7 at Southeastern
 
The Series
- SWOSU and Oklahoma Baptist have faced off 22 times on the gridiron in a series that dates back over a century to 1912
- Oklahoma Baptist joined the Great American Conference for the 2015 season and Saturday's game will be the third meeting between the teams as GAC foes
- SWOSU has won the previous two GAC meetings against OBU, claiming a 42-14 win in Shawnee in 2015 and a last-second 37-35 triumph last October at ASAP Energy Field
- With SWOSU victories in each of the last two seasons, the all-time series is now tied at 10-10-2
- SWOSU won the first six all-time meetings between the teams but the Dawgs were winless in their last seven contests against OBU before the Bison suspended their program
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 36-59 (9th Season)
- Has announced that he will retire following the 2017, his ninth as the head coach at his alma mater
- 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 fourth in SWOSU Football history for coaching victories with 36, three shy of Bob Mazie (39-37-2; 1978-85) for third place on the list
- Has a record of 2-0 against Oklahoma Baptist as the Bulldogs head coach, including a mark of 2-0 agains the Bison in Shawnee
 
Oklahoma Baptist: Chris Jensen, 16-36 (5th Season)
- Hired in 2012 to become the first Oklahoma Baptist football coach since 1940 and he is now in the midst of his fifth season coaching the Bison
- His team doubled their win total from his first season to the second, going 8-3 in 2014 but the Bison are just 4-26 since joining the Great American Conference for the 2015 season
 
The Last Meeting (Oct. 20, 2016)
- Marc Evans heaved a hail mary pass to the end zone and Collin Bricker hauled in the 41-yard touchdown on the final play for SWOSU to defeat Oklahoma Baptist 37-35
- The touchdown came after Oklahoma Baptist had taken a 35-31 lead with a seven-yard touchdown pass with just 15 seconds remaining on the clock
- The teams went back-and-forth all night, with neither team ever leading by more than seven points in the game
- Evans finished 27-of-46 passing for 362 yards and three touchdowns along with one interception while helping the Dawgs to 510 yards of total offense
- Karltrell Henderson rushed for 63 yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts, one of four different SWOSU ball carriers with more than 20 yards rushing
- Deric Robertson and Conner Bays led the Bulldogs defense with 12 tackles apiece
 
Last Time Out (Oct. 21, 2017)
- SWOSU turned the ball over six times on Saturday at Harding, including a pair of costly turnovers near the end zone that led to a 42-0 setback against the Bisons
- The Bulldogs trailed 4-0 in the early going after two safeties on the first two offensive drive before a fumble returned 96 yards for a score put Harding up 11-0 at the end of the first quarter
- SWOSU lost three fumbles in the game and threw three interceptions - including a 99-yard pick six in the fourth quarter for the final score of the game
- Defensively, the Bulldogs held the nation's top rushing offense to 272 yards, which is better than 60 yards beneath their yearly average
- Kedron Banks was the bright spot offensively, rushing for 106 yards on 11 carries, averaging 9.6 yards per attempt
- Dominic Blue led the Bulldogs defense with nine tackles while Bailey McKay added eight stops and two tackles for loss
 
Checking the Standings
- Consecutive losses by Southeastern Oklahoma State has dropped the Savage Storm into a four-way tie for the conference lead with Arkansas Tech, Ouachita and Southern Arkansas
- One game back and tied for fifth place are Arkansas-Monticello and Harding - the hottest team in the league with five straight wins
- Henderson State dropped to 4-4 with a loss to East Central and they are now alone in seventh, one game ahead of Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene in eighth
- SWOSU is now tied with East Central for 10th place in the standings at 2-6 while Oklahoma Baptist is still searching for their first league win of the season
 
SWOSU Offensive Notes
- SWOSU was limited to a season-low 137 yards passing against Harding and the Bulldogs are again the lowest-scoring team in the GAC with an average of 18.9 points per game
- In his first extended action of the season, Kedron Banks rushed for 106 yards on 11 carries against Harding for the second 100-yard rushing game of his career
- Despite Banks' 106 yards, SWOSU finished with just 87 total rushing yards and the Dawgs are now 12th in the league with a rushing attack of 115.9 yards per game
- After committing just 11 turnovers through the first seven games of the season, the Bulldogs lost three fumbles and three interceptions against Harding
- SWOSU's 17 turnovers for the year is tied with Northwestern Oklahoma State and Oklahoma Baptist for the second-most among GAC schools
- The Bulldogs have the league's 12th-ranked Red Zone Offense, scoring on 15-of-24 red zone chances this season with 13 touchdowns and two field goals
 
SWOSU Defensive Notes
- The contest against Harding marked the second straight game and the fourth time this season that the Bulldogs allowed an opponent to rush for more than 200 yards
- SWOSU is now ranked sixth in the GAC in Total Defense (383.8 yards per game) and 10th in Scoring Defense (35.0 points per game)
- Dominic Blue led the Bulldogs with nine tackles (four solo, five assist) against Harding, which moves him to second on the team in tackles with 46 for the year
- Austin Loomis added six stops against Harding, giving him a team-leading 58 stops for the year and 246 for his career
- Loomis now needs four tackles to pass Greg Franklin (249, 2005-08) and move into SWOSU's Top 5 for Career Tackles in the NCAA Division II era
- Bailey McKay had two tackles for loss against Harding while SWOSU had three fumbles forced in the game, with fumble recoveries by Gerald White and Colten Buie
 
SWOSU Special Teams Notes
- Jared Rayburn is ranked fourth in the GAC in Kickoff Returns, averaging 27.9 yards per on 17 returns this season with one touchdown
- SWOSU kickers have combined to hit 17-of-18 extra point attempts this year, but the Dawgs kickoff coverage has a league-low net average 29.4 yards
 
Looking Ahead
- Homecoming at SWOSU will be next Saturday when the Bulldogs host Southern Nazarene at 5:30 pm from ASAP Energy Field