Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Football heads to Ada on Saturday in search of their second straight road victory as they face in-state rival East Central at 6:00 pm
- The Bulldogs defeated Henderson State 35-31 last Saturday night in Arkadelphia, evening their record at 2-2 for the year
- East Central dropped a 42-0 decision across the street at #9 Ouachita, falling to 1-3 on the season
- SWOSU has won three consecutive meetings in the all-time series, including a 41-7 victory over the Tigers in their last trip to Ada in 2016
- SWOSU and East Central are the two Great American Conference teams with new head coaches in 2018 as Chet Pobolish is in his first season leading the Bulldogs while Al Johnson was hired last offseason to coach the Tigers
- 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 has faced East Central more times than any other opponent with 95 meetings between the two programs on the gridiron dating back to 1915
- East Central leads the all-time series with 49 wins, while SWOSU has defeated the Tigers 44 times and the teams have tied twice
- SWOSU and East Central have faced off in every season since the end of World War II in 1946 and the last time the teams did not play in a year when games were played was 1926
- ECU holds a 12-9 advantage during the NCAA Division II era (1997-present) but the Bulldogs have won three straight meetings against the Tigers, including a 48-37 victory last season in Weatherford
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Chet Pobolish, 2-2 (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
 
East Central: Al Johnson, 1-3 (1st Season)
- Named the 19th head coach in Tiger football program history last offseason after previously serving as the assistant offensive line coach at the University of Wisconsin
- Played offensive line in the NFL for seven seasons after being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft
- Started his coaching career in 2013 as the co-owner and lead offensive line coach of the Al Johnson Line Camp and offensive coordinator at Southern Door HS
 
The Last Meeting (Sept. 30, 2017)
- Bulldog Football erupted for 34 second-half points, overcoming an early 10-point deficit to defeat East Central 48-37 on Parents Day at ASAP Energy Field
- ECU scored the first 10 points of the game before Jared Rayburn got SWOSU on the board with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown
- SWOSU trailed 17-14 at halftime and 30-27 at the end of three quarters despite touchdowns from Cedric Cooper and Jordan Jackson in the third
- The Bulldogs outscored ECU 21-7 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory with scoring plays from Rayburn, Cooper and Jackson
- Casey Freeman set a new career-high with 314 passing yards and three touchdowns while spreading the ball to nine difference receivers
- Austin Loomis led the way for the SWOSU defense with eight tackles and two tackles for loss while Jaylen Ellis had six tackles in his first collegiate start
 
Last Time Out (Sept. 22, 2018)
- Casey Freeman fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to JR Omigie with 28 seconds to play, lifting the SWOSU Football team past Henderson State, 35-31, on Saturday night at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium
- SWOSU went 80 yards in seven plays, using exactly one minute of game time to score the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of play
- Henderson State had one last chance, but their final pass attempt was batted away by Tony Johnson in the end zone to end the game
- Omigie had a career night, securing eight receptions for 219 yards and one touchdown, becoming the first SWOSU wideout since 2005 to record more than 200 receiving yards in a game
- Freeman directed the Bulldogs to 492 yards of total offense, completing 18-of-33 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns
- Derrius Franklin led the Bulldogs with nine tackles while Jalen Carr added six stops and two pass breakups from his cornerback position
 
Checking the Standings
- Ouachita and Southern Arkansas remain atop the standings and unbeaten at 4-0 to this point, while Harding sits one game back of the top duo at 3-1
- SWOSU improved to 2-2 with their victory at Henderson State and the Bulldogs are tied with Arkansas Tech, Oklahoma Baptist and Southeastern for the fourth spot in the standings
- The other five GAC schools are all 1-3 through four weeks of play
 
SWOSU Offensive Notes
- Through four weeks of play, SWOSU leads the Great American Conference in total offense (416.0 yards per game) while ranking sixth in scoring offense (26.0 ppg)
- The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Casey Freeman, who has completed 69-of-122 passes for 1,105 yards and a league-leading 11 touchdowns
- JR Omigie has been named the GAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week following his career game at Henderson State that included eight receptions for 219 yards and the game-winning touchdown
- Omigie now leads the GAC with an average of 20.8 yards per reception and ranks third with 93.5 yards per game while averaging 4.5 receptions per contest
- Jaimarian Biscoe became the first SWOSU player to record a rushing touchdown this season, reaching the end zone twice on 13 carries against Henderson State
- Kevin Fox, Jr., also scored a rushing touchdown at HSU, carrying the ball in from two yards out on his first and only rushing attempt of the season
- Zach Hill became the seventh different SWOSU receiver to haul in a touchdown pass this season with a 21-yard reception from Freeman in the fourth quarter against the Reddies
 
SWOSU Defensive Notes
- Making his first career start, freshman safety Derrius Franklin led the Bulldogs with nine tackles (six solo, three assist) against Henderson State
- SWOSU's other true freshman starter in the secondary, cornerback Jalen Carr, was second on the team with five tackles and two pass breakups at HSU
- The Bulldogs totaled a season-high 10 tackles for loss against Henderson State, giving them 18 combined TFL over the past two games
- Tony Johnson had a big game against the Reddies with five tackles, one forced and recovered fumble along with a pass breakup on the final play of the game
- Braden Sweet moves into the team lead in tackles (19), tackles for loss (4.5) and sacks (2.5) after posting four stops, two sacks and two pass breakups at Henderson State
- TJ Harris also had 2.0 tackles for loss against the Reddies, giving him 4.0 TFL and three quarterback hurries for the year
- SWOSU's total defense average of 463.5 yards allowed is ranked 12th in the conference, but the Bulldogs rushing defense is eighth among league schools with 179.8 yards being given up on the ground
 
SWOSU Special Teams Notes
- Ryan Buchanan was 5-for-5 on extra point attempts on Saturday at HSU, but misfired on a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter, dropping the Bulldogs to 1-for-4 on field goal attempts this season
- CJ Jennings took over the kickoff return duties at Henderson State, taking back four kicks for 106 yards, including a return of 54 yards which is the longest by a Bulldog this season
- Kane Bowen averaged 31.3 yards per attempt on three punts at HSU, moving him to 10th in the conference with a 38.3 average on 18 punts this season
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU Football returns home to play their next two games, hosting Southeastern Oklahoma State next Saturday (Oct. 6) and Harding (Oct. 13) the following weekend
- The Bulldogs close out the month of October with a trip to Arkansas Tech (Oct. 20) followed by a home contest against Oklahoma Baptist (Oct. 27)