Setting the Scene
- A matchup between two teams tied in the Great American Conference standings will take place on Saturday in Russellville as the Bulldog Football team meets Arkansas Tech
- Both teams enter the game having dropped three straight contests after SWOSU was upended by #24 Harding last Saturday while ATU was shut out in their trip to Northwestern Oklahoma State
- Arkansas Tech has won the last two meetings in the series - both in Weatherford - but SWOSU is 2-0 in their previous trips to Thone Stadium during the GAC era
- The game will feature two of the four lowest-scoring offenses in the GAC as SWOSU averages 20.7 points per game while Tech ranks 11th with 15.6 points per contest
- SWOSU will play the 2018 season with a heavy heart as they mourn the loss of Jake Simmons, a freshman member of the Bulldog Football team who passed away on Saturday, September 8th due to injuries sustained in a vehicle accident on August 26th
 
The Series
- SWOSU and Arkansas Tech have met 14 previous times on the gridiron in a series that is deadlocked at 7-7 following wins by ATU the past two seasons
- The first meeting between the programs was in 1968, the lone matchup until the series was resumed in each season from 1988-94
- Since resuming the series as members of the Great American Conference, SWOSU holds a 4-3 advantage, including wins in 2013 and 2015 in Russellville
- The Bulldogs have been victorious in their last three trips to ATU, with Tech's last home win over SWOSU coming during the 1991 season in a game that would later be forfeited
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Chet Pobolish, 2-5 (1st Season)
- First-year head coach guiding the Bulldogs into the 2018 season with 17 years of collegiate coaching experience
- He most recently served as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at Missouri Western during the 2017 season
- Also has experience at the FCS level, having coached at Southeastern Louisiana four seasons following stints at Emporia State and Delta State
- Played at Emporia State, where he was a four-time All-MIAA selection and a three-time team captain for the Hornets
 
Arkansas Tech: Raymond Monica, 33-31 (6th Season)
- Has led the Wonder Boys to four consecutive winning seasons, including two bowl game appearances: Heart of Texas (2015), Agent Barry Live United (2017)
- Previously spent seven seasons as the head coach at Kutztown University, leading the Golden Bears to two playoff appearances and their first PSAC Championship
 
The Last Meeting (Oct. 14, 2017)
- SWOSU junior running back Karltrell Henderson rushed for a season-best 127 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas Tech, but it was the Golden Suns who earned the 38-21 victory
- ATU scored the first 21 points of the game on three rushing touchdowns and the Wonder Boys led 21-6 at halftime
- Henderson became SWOSU's career rushing leader for the NCAA Division II era in the game - passing Jimmy Jenkins for the top spot on the list
- Arkansas Tech outgained SWOSU with 440 yards of total offense compared to 276 for the Dawgs
- Austin Loomis had a team-high eight tackles for SWOSU while Dominic Blue added seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss
 
Last Time Out (Oct. 13, 2018)
- Bulldog Football dropped to 2-5 in GAC play following a 50-10 defeat to #24/23-ranked Harding on Saturday afternoon
- The Bisons were in control from the start, taking their first six possessions of the game in for touchdowns and scoring their final points of the game midway through the third quarter
- SWOSU got all 10 of their points in the fourth quarter as Tyler Marr led scoring drives that ended with a 23-yard field goal by Jackson Wilhite followed by a two-yard touchdown run from Kedron Banks
- Garrett Kilpatrick led the Bulldogs defensively with seven tackles to go along with a fumble recovery while TJ Harris added six stops and Clay Wilkerson & Braden Sweet chipped in five apiece
 
Checking the Standings
- Ouachita is now the lone remaining unbeaten team in the conference following Southeastern's victory over Southern Arkansas last Saturday
- SAU is now one game back in second place, while Harding and Southeastern are tied for third at 5-2
- Henderson State is alone in fifth place in the standings at 4-3, just ahead of a loghame with the next six teams separated by just one game
- SWOSU is one of four teams tied for eighth place at 2-5
 
SWOSU Offensive Notes
- SWOSU was limited to a season-low 135 yards of total offense against Harding, including just 62 passing yards - their fewest through the air since throwing for 64 yards in an overtime victory at Southern Nazarene on November 1, 2014
- The Bulldogs are now ranked ninth in the GAC in scoring offense (20.7 ppg) and 10th in total offense (316.3 ypg)
- Jared Rayburn hauled in a team-leading six receptions for 24 yards against the Bisons and he's now second on the team with 14 catches, including two touchdown receptions
- SWOSU's leading rusher Jaden Knowles carried the ball 16 times for 43 yards on Saturday against Harding, giving him 279 yards on 77 carries for the year
- Kedron Banks found the end zone for the second straight week on Saturday, giving him 13 rushes for 40 yards and two scores over the past two games
- JR Omigie remains the GAC leader with 19.9 yards per reception this season despite being held to just one reception by Harding
- Tyler Marr completed 3-of-4 passes for 32 yards while rushing for 23 yards as he led the Bulldogs to two fourth-quarter scoring drives against Harding
 
SWOSU Defensive Notes
- Garrett Kilpatrick paced the Bulldogs with a career-high seven tackles against Harding to go along with a fumble recovery
- SWOSU recovered two fumbles in the game, giving them nine takeaways on the season (seven fumbles, two interceptions)
- Jalen Carr, Derrius Franklin, Colten Buie and Bo Granger all recorded tackles for loss against Harding, giving SWOSU 46 total tackles for loss for the year
- Clay Wilkerson finished with five tackles in the Harding game, improving his team-leading total to 38 stops for the year and surpassing the 100-tackle total for his career with 103 (49 solo, 54 assist)
- With six stops against the Bisons, TJ Harris now has 33 tackles for his career with career totals of 121 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks
- Jacob Rodman ranks second on the team with 34 tackles (21 solo, 13 assist) for the year after finishing with three tackles and a fumble recovery against Harding
- SWOSU ranks ninth in the GAC with 9.0 sacks this season, led by Harris and Dejai Johnson with 2.5 each
 
SWOSU Special Teams Notes
- Jackson Wilhite connected on his second career field goal against Harding, putting a 23-yard attempt through the uprights during the fourth quarter
- Ryan Buchanan averaged 58.2 yards per on four kickoff attempts on Saturday, which is just above his 57.0 yard average for the season
- Jared Rayburn handled kick return duties against Harding and was held to just 75 yards on six returns, with a long of 18 yards
- Kane Bowen averaged 40.3 yards per on his three punts, moving to ninth in the GAC rankings with a 38.4-yard average on 66 punts this seasons
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU plays two of their final three games at ASAP Energy Field to close out the season, beginning next Saturday against Oklahoma Baptist
- The Bulldogs then head to Bethany on November 3rd to face Southern Nazarene before ending the season with a rivalry contest against Northwestern on November 10th