Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Football will play their final road game of the season on Saturday with a trip to Bethany to face in-state rival Southern Nazarene
- The Bulldogs enter the contest one game ahead of SNU in the GAC standings, but the Crimson Storm are coming off a double overtime victory over Northwestern while SWOSU fell to Oklahoma Baptist 47-39 last Saturday
- SWOSU is 2-2 on the road this season with victories at Henderson State and Arkansas Tech while Southern Nazarene counters with a 1-3 record at home, getting their lone victory over East Central back on September 8th
- While SWOSU leads the overall series 7-0, two of the last four meetings have been decided by just three points, including a 20-17 Bulldog victory last season in Weatherford
- 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
- The all-time series between SWOSU and Southern Nazarene dates back to the 2003 season, with the Bulldogs coming out on top of all seven prior meetings
- The Bulldogs have faced the Crimson Storm in every season since 2012, when SNU completed their transition from NAIA to Division II and joined the Great American Conference
- SWOSU is 3-0 all-time in games against SNU played in Bethany, including a 35-14 victory in their last trip during the 2016 season
- Last year's matchup was decided in the final seconds as SWOSU came-from-behind for the 20-17 victory, tying 2014 for the closest game between the two teams
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Chet Pobolish, 3-6 (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
 
Southern Nazarene: Andy Lambert, 8-22 (3rd Season)
- Became the fourth coach in SNU Football history prior to the 2016 season and he doubled the Crimson Storm's win total from his first season to the second
- Spent the previous 12 seasons as the head coach at Sterling College in Kansas, where he compiled a record of 72-51 and was a three-time KCAC Coach of the Year
 
The Last Meeting (Nov. 4, 2017)
- SWOSU scored a touchdown with 1:24 to play then blocked a Southern Nazarene field goal attempt on the fi nal 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
 
Last Time Out (Oct. 27, 2018)
- Casey Freeman threw for a SWOSU single-game record 476 yards against Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday but the Bulldogs were stopped inside the red zone twice in the final two minutes as the Bison held on for the 47-39 victory at ASAP Energy Field
- The Bulldogs trailed 47-24 with 10:12 to play as OBU scored on a 10-yard pass that left SWOSU defensive back Darion Richards injured in the north end zone
- SWOSU scored 14 consecutive points to get within one score at 47-39 with 4:15 to play and got the ball back with 46 seconds to play and drove deep into OBU territory before a fumble inside the five-yard line was recovered by the Bison
- Freeman completed 33-of-56 passes for 476 yards and four touchdowns, throwing two scores apiece to JR Omigie and Jared Rayburn
- Omigie had a huge day, hauling in a career-best 10 passes for 204 yards along with the two scores for his second 200-yard receiving game of the season
- Clay Wilkerson led the Bulldogs defensively with 13 tackles (5 solo, 8 assist) along with 1.5 tackles for loss
 
Checking the Standings
- Ouachita has risen to the top five in the national rankings and they remain alone atop the GAC standings with an unblemished 9-0 record
- The Tigers will play second-place Southern Arkansas (8-1) this Saturday as one of the NCAA Division II Showcase Games of the Week
- Harding is third at 7-2, two games ahead of Henderson State and Southeastern
- SWOSU is in a four-way tie for seventh place with Arkansas Tech, Northwestern and Oklahoma Baptist
 
SWOSU Offensive Notes
- Casey Freeman completed 33-of-56 passes for 476 yards and four touchdowns against OBU, surpassing the previous single-game school record for passing yards held by Dustin Stenta, who threw for 445 yards in a game against Ouachita during the 2011 season
- JR Omigie surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for career receiving yards on Saturday and became the first player in SWOSU's NCAA Division II era with multiple games of more than 200 receiving yards
- Omigie is now second in the GAC in receiving yards with 769 (85.4 per game) and he leads the league with an average of 21.4 yards per reception
- Bulldog of the Week Jared Rayburn had his second 100-yard receiving game of the season with eight catches for 133 yards and two scores to go along with a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter against OBU
- Eddie Thomas IV hauled in a season-high seven receptions for 58 yards against OBU, moving him to third on the team with 15 catches for 152 yards on the year
- SWOSU matched their season low with just 19 rushing attempts for 58 yards on Saturday, led by Jaden Knowles who went for 24 yards on four carries
 
SWOSU Defensive Notes
- Clay Wilkerson recorded a career-high 13 tackles (five solo, eight assist) against Oklahoma Baptist, his second game this season with double-digit tackles
- Wilkerson continues to lead the Bulldogs with 53 stops (24 solo, 29 assist) along with 3.0 tackles for loss and one interception this season
- Jalen Carr brought in his team-leading second interception of the season on Saturday along with six tackles and two pass breakups, giving him 32 stops and 11 breakups for the season
- Jacob Rodman added seven tackles against OBU and he's second on the team with 49 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack this season
- CJ Jennings became the fifth SWOSU defender to record an interception this season with a fourth-quarter INT that gave the Dawgs possession in OBU territory late in the game
- TJ Harris was credited with three tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries against OBU, giving him 38 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss on the season
- Gerald White has had seven or more tackles from his safety position in three of the last four games, moving him to sixth on the team with 37 stops for the year
 
SWOSU Special Teams Notes
- Jared Rayburn returned five kickoffs for 136 yards on Saturday to give him 270 all-purpose yards for the game
- Jalen Carr took over the punt returning duties and had 21 yards on three returns along with his interception on defense
- Kane Bowen averaged 36.2 yards per punt on five attempts against OBU and he remains ranked eighth in the league with 39.0 yards per punt this season
- Jackson Wilhite was 1-for-2 on field goal tries against the Bison, connecting on a 24-yard attempt in the second quarter before misfiring on a 32-yard attempt in the third
 
Looking Ahead
- The 2018 season will conclude next Saturday (Nov. 10) when they welcome the rival Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma State to ASAP Energy Field for Homecoming