Box Score (html)
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The SWOSU Football team snapped a three-game slide on Saturday with their second road win of the season, a 35-14 victory over Arkansas Tech at Thone Stadium in Russellville.
SWOSU's defense pitched a shutout for three quarters and closed out the game with a touchdown as
Clay Wilkerson snagged an interception he returned 57 yards for the score, icing the game with 1:02 to play after Tech scored twice in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs held ATU to 64 yards rushing and 334 yards of total offense while adding two takeaways, with
Braden Sweet also recording an interception in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs never trailed in the game after they received the opening kickoff and scored 10 plays later on a 16-yard strike from
Casey Freeman to
Alex Ramirez. SWOSU added two touchdowns in the second quarter, including their longest play from scrimmage of the season – a 72-yard pass from Freeman to
JR Omigie, who out ran the ATU secondary down the sideline for the score.
Jaden Knowles scored his first collegiate touchdown on a one-yard plunge late in the half to put SWOSU up 21-0 at the break.
SWOSU added to the lead late in the third quarter as
Jared Rayburn hauled in a nine-yard touchdown from
Tyler Marr, making it 28-0 at the end of the third. ATU got on the board with 12:37 to play and added a second touchdown with 2:54 to play before Wilkerson delivered the final blow.
Casey Freeman finished 10-for-15 for 218 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter. His replacement,
Tyler Marr, was 3-for-7 for 41 yards with one score and one interception, helping the Dawgs to 259 passing yards.
Jared Rayburn was the main recipient, making five receptions for 63 yards and one score, while
JR Omigie had a team-best 87 yards and one touchdown on just two catches.
Kedron Banks had 86 rushing yards on 16 carries while
Jaden Knowles finished with 42 yards and one score, also on 16 attempts.
The Bulldogs defense got contributions from several different players, with
Gerald White and
Jacob Rodman leading the way with eight tackles apiece, while Rodman added two quarterback hurries.
Derrius Franklin chipped in seven stops and two pass breakups while
Braden Sweet had six tackles and one interception.
"We tell our guys every week that it's all about us and I thought we had a great week of practice to prepare us for this game," SWOSU Head Coach
Chet Pobolish said after the contest. "I thought our defense was tremendous and this should be good for their confidence. This win helps us out, but we need to continue to improve and get ready for Oklahoma Baptist."
SWOSU improves to 3-5 on the year with the victory and they finish 3-3 against their Great American Conference rivals from Arkansas, with road wins at both Henderson State and Arkansas Tech. The Bulldogs close out the season against three in-state rivals, the first of which coming next Saturday (Oct. 27) as Oklahoma Baptist visits ASAP Energy Field for a 2:00 pm kickoff.
