Box Score (html)
 
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU Football was unable to maintain a halftime lead as No. 25/24 Southern Arkansas scored 29 unanswered points to close out a 36-12 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday night at ASAP Energy Field in Weatherford.
 
SWOSU headed into the locker room with a 10-7 advantage following a 35-yard scoring strike from Casey Freeman to JR Omigie with less than two minutes to play in the first half. On SAU's ensuing drive, the Bulldogs defense sacked Mulerider quarterback Barrett Renner on two straight plays – the first by Dejai Johnson and the latter a combination of Jonathan Harris and Braden Sweet –  to bring even more momentum to the home side heading to the intermission.
 
After the break, SWOSU stopped the Muleriders near midfield and got back-to-back first downs before punting the ball back to SAU. Kane Bowen launched a perfect punt near the Mulerider goalline that was knocked out of bounds at the one-yard line. On SAU's next offensive play, SWOSU defensive end Tyreik Lusk broke through the offensive line untouched and crushed SirCharles Perkins in the end zone for a safety – the first safety recorded by the Bulldogs defense since September 5, 2015, which also happened against Southern Arkansas.
 
The Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on the newfound momentum, going three-and-out on their next offensive drive before punting the ball back to SAU. SWOSU had the Muleriders backed up and facing 3rd and 12, but Renner found a receiver for a 15-yard gain and extended a drive that would go on to cover 78 yards on nine plays and culminate with a touchdown that put the Muleriders up 14-12.
 
From that point forward, it was all SAU as the Muleriders scored the final 29 points of the game while also forcing three turnovers – two interceptions, one fumble – and sacking Freeman in his own end zone for a safety in the fourth quarter.
 
Freeman finished 19-of-39 passing for 208 yards and one score, but was also intercepted twice and sacked once. His top target by volume was Turner Jackson, who hauled in seven receptions but totaled just 34 yards with none of his catches going for more than nine yards. JR Omigie made multiple difficult receptions, finishing with five catches for 92 yards and the Bulldogs lone touchdown. Kyshawn Richards carried the bulk of the rushing load, going for 110 yards on 16 carries for his first 100-yard game as a Bulldog.
 
Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by TJ Harris, who finished with seven stops, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack, while Darrion Richards also had seven stops in the game. Jacob Rodman made six stops, including one for a loss, along with a pass breakup, and Braden Sweet had six tackles with a forced fumble and half a sack.
 
"I thought we did some good things tonight, but we aren't a good enough football team to make mistakes and leave points off the board right now," SWOSU Head Coach Chet Pobolish said following the contest. "I'm proud of the way we fought. I asked them to continue to get better, no matter the score and I thought we did a good job of that. We are never going to get over the hump until we play for four quarters no matter what the score is."
 
The loss drops SWOSU to 1-2 on the year heading into a trip to Arkadelphia, Ark., to face Henderson State next Saturday night.