WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU Football led 35-20 midway through the third quarter, but Arkansas Tech scored the final 16 points and stunned the Bulldogs 36-35 on Homecoming at ASAP Energy Field.
 
The Bulldogs outscored Tech 35-13 in the first and third quarters, but SWOSU was held scoreless while driving into the wind in the second and fourth quarters. The Dawgs led 21-7 after the first, when DJ Hicks hauled in touchdown passes from Tyler Marr and Justin Bailey while Jalen Carr jumped an ATU hitch route and returned it 36 yards for a score.
 
The advantage was cut to one point at half as ATU scored 13 points in the second quarter, making it 21-20 at the break.
 
SWOSU's offense was again clicking to open the second half, getting touchdown passes to Bailey and Alex Ramirez on the first two drives to open up a 35-20 lead with 7:31 to play in the quarter. From that point on, however, the Bulldogs battled poor field position while ATU scored the final 16 points, including a 28-yard field goal with 7:03 remaining that proved to be the difference.
 
Arkansas Tech totaled 439 yards of offense while SWOSU finished with 388 yards, including 153 yards on the ground and 235 through the air. Donnell Hawkins led the Dawgs with 75 yards on 11 carries while Marr completed 14-of-36 passes for 214 yards and three scores. Bailey was his top target, catching six passes for 102 yards and score, and DJ Hicks took both of his receptions to the end zone for scores.
 
Braden Sweet led the Bulldogs defense with 12 tackles while several players had six stops, including Rece Wilhelm, who led the Dawgs with 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack, and Carr, who had two interceptions and a touchdown in the game to go along with three pass breakups.
 
"I love the ways our guys compete, but I'm hurt and frustrated with the way we finished the game," SWOSU Head Coach Chet Pobolish said following the game. "That doesn't change things, but we're going to come and get back to work and try to win the state. We have to keep working and do everything we can to prepare and send our seniors out with a win."
 
SWOSU, now 2-6 on the year following defeats against all six Great American Conference opponents from Arkansas, will play the final home game of the 2019 season next Saturday afternoon against Southern Nazarene.