ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – SWOSU Football dropped their first game of the season on Saturday night as #19/20-ranked Ouachita retained the Paul Sharp Cup with a 41-8 victory over the Bulldogs at Cliff Harris Stadium.
 
One week after putting up 49 points and over 400 yards through the air, SWOSU was held to one scoring play – a 25-yard touchdown pass from Casey Freeman to JR Omigie early in the fourth quarter – and 272 yards of total offense. SWOSU rushed for 146 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, while Freeman finished with 104 yards and one touchdown through the air while completing 14-of-24 passing attempts.
 
The Bulldogs were unable to get much going offensively in the first half, totaling just 114 yards of total offense and failing to capitalize on a pair of scoring chances. SWOSU's best drive was the final drive of the half as the Dawgs got into the red zone on a long pass from Freeman to Omigie, but Freeman's next pass was intercepted in the end zone and Ouachita took a knee to head to the intermission with a 31-0 lead.
 
After two three-and-outs early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs put together their best drive of the night as they covered 80 yards in 11 plays – the final one a 25-yard strike from Freeman to a wide open Omigie in the back of the end zone. Tyler Marr found Alex Ramirez for the two-point conversion, making the final margin of the game 41-8.
 
"Ouachita proved tonight that they're a lot better football team than we are right now," SWOSU Head Coach Chet Pobolish said. "We knew coming in that we would have to play great to compete with them but we didn't do that and the scoreboard showed it."
 
SWOSU, now 1-1 on the year, returns to action next Saturday (Sept. 15) as they welcome Southern Arkansas to ASAP Energy Field on Parents Day at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.