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Setting the Scene
- The 2017 season of SWOSU Football will conclude on Saturday afternoon in Alva when the Bulldogs take on Northwestern Oklahoma State
- The final weekend of the Great American Conference schedule pits rivals against each other and SWOSU will face Northwestern for the 85th time, with kickoff set for 4:00 pm
- SWOSU enters the game 3-7 following a dramatic 20-17 victory over Southern Nazarene last Saturday on Homecoming
- Northwestern Oklahoma State also brings momentum into the game following a 31-24 victory over Oklahoma Baptist last Saturday that improved the Rangers to 4-6 on the year
- SWOSU is 3-1 against Northwestern since the teams became Great American Conference rivals, including back-to-back wins and a 31-17 victory in their last trip to Alva in 2015
- Saturday's game will mark the final contest for Dan Cocannouer as the head coach of the Bulldog Football program
- Cocannouer announced in September that he will retire at the end of the 2017 season, his ninth as the head coach at SWOSU
 
The Series
- The longtime rivalry between SWOSU and Northwestern Oklahoma State dates back to 1907, making it the Bulldogs oldest rivalry among GAC foes
- The teams have faced off 84 times on the gridiron, with SWOSU holding an advantage of 52-28-4 in the all-time series
- SWOSU has won 11 of the last 13 meetings against Northwestern Oklahoma State, dating back to 1992 and they have a 6-1 advantage during the NCAA Division II era
- Since Northwestern joined the GAC in 2013, SWOSU holds a series edge of 3-1 and the Dawgs have won four straight games against the Rangers in Alva dating back to 1995
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Dan Cocannouer, 37-60 (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 37, two shy of Bob Mazie (39-37-2; 1978-85) for third place on the list
- Has a record of 4-1 against Northwestern Oklahoma State as the Bulldogs head coach, including a mark of 3-0 against the Rangers in Alva
 
Northwestern Okla.: Matt Walter, 11-21 (3rd Season)
- Third-year head coach at Northwestern, where he was a standout player in the late 1990's and early 2000's and a player on the 1999 NAIA National Championship team
- Previously served as the offensive coordinator at Emporia State for six seasons, helping the Hornets turn around their program and reach the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2013
 
The Last Meeting (Nov. 12, 2016
- SWOSU outscored Northwestern Oklahoma State 27-9 after halftime and closed the 2016 season with a 47-16 rivalry victory on Homecoming at ASAP Energy Field
- The Bulldogs accumulated exactly 500 yards of total offense, getting 274 yards passing from Marc Evans, who set a new single-season school record with 3,048 passing yards
- Kenneth Martey rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns in his final game as a Bulldog while Karltrell Henderson added 59 yards on the ground
- Conner Bays finished with 12 tackles and set a new NCAA era school record with 295 career tackles in his four-year career at SWOSU
- SWOSU finished the 2016 season with a 5-6 record, sweeping all five of the Oklahoma teams in the Great American Conference while going 0-6 against the Arkansas opponents
 
Last Time Out (Nov. 4, 2017)
- SWOSU scored a touchdown with 1:24 to play then blocked a Southern Nazarene field goal attempt on the final play to hold on for a 20-17 Homecoming victory on Saturday
- Tyler Marr tossed the game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass to Kedron Banks on 4th and 10 after the ball was tipped up in the air and into Banks hands with 1:24 remaining
- SNU drove down into Bulldog territory and lined up to attempt a 48-yard field goal, but the attempt found the outstretched arm of Dejai Johnson instead as time expired
- Johnson was named the GAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts, which included two sacks in the second half
- Banks was the offensive star for SWOSU, rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown to go along with three receptions for 30 yards and a score
- Braden Sweet led the SWOSU defense with seven tackles while Dominic Blue had six stops and one tackle for loss
 
Checking the Standings
- Arkansas Tech and Ouachita enter the final weekend of the regular season tied atop the Great American Conference standings with matching records of 8-2
- Both teams control their own destiny to a conference championship with a one-game lead over Harding at 7-3
- Three teams are tied for fourth place in the standings at 6-4: Henderson State, Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southern Arkansas
- Arkansas-Monticello is 5-5 and alone in seventh place, one game ahead of Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene at 4-6
- SWOSU's victory on Saturday has the Bulldogs sitting 10th in the conference at 3-7, one game ahead of East Central and two clear of Oklahoma Baptist
 
SWOSU Offensive Notes
- Kedron Banks rushed for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns on Saturday, giving him five career touchdowns as a Bulldog - all of which have come against Southern Nazarene
- JR Omigie finished with a season-high seven receptions for 98 yards against SNU, giving him 32 catches for a team-leading 503 yards and two touchdowns this season
- Making his first career start, sophomore quarterback Tyler Marr threw for 234 yards on 20-for-33 passing against SNU and engineered the go-ahead touchdown drive in the final minutes
- The Bulldogs remain 12th in the GAC rankings with a scoring offense of 19.5 points per game with the passing offense ranked ninth with 208.8 yards per game
- SWOSU has had their two best rushing outputs of the season over the past two weeks, including 194 yards on 36 rushes against SNU
- Saturday will be the final collegiate game for a pair of the Bulldogs starting offensive lineman - LT Garrett Luke and RG Kevin Blessing
 
SWOSU Defensive Notes
- SWOSU recorded six tackles for loss against Southern Nazarene, led by defensive tackle Dejai Johnson with two sacks totaling seven yards in losses
- Austin Loomis had 1.5 tackles for loss among his three tackles against SNU, giving him 253 career stops heading into his final game with the Bulldogs
- Terry McMillon made the most of his Senior Day, recording four tackles and three pass breakups on Saturday against Southern Nazarene
- The Bulldogs defense had their best performance of the season in terms of opponent's yardage on Saturday, holding SNU to 240 yards of total offense and just 66 yards passing
- Braden Sweet led the Dawgs with seven tackles (five solo, two assist) against the Crimson Storm
- TJ Harris recorded his first interception as a Bulldog against SNU and finished with five tackles and one-half tackle for loss
- Rashad Jackson had four tackles and one quarterback hurry to highlight his Senior Night
 
SWOSU Special Teams Notes
- For the second time this season, SWOSU had a player named the Great American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after Dejai Johnson earned the honor this week
- Johnson claimed the award after blocking a SNU field goal attempt that could have tied the game in the final seconds
- Dominic Blue previously earned the honor after also preserving a victory with a blocked field goal against Arkansas-Monticello