MONTICELLO, Ark. – SWOSU Football suffered their first defeat of the 2019 season, falling 44-9 to Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday evening at Cotton Boll Stadium in Monticello.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with a 40-yard field goal off the foot of senior kicker
Ryan Buchanan that made it 3-0 in the first quarter. That lead would stand up until the first play of the second period, when UAM reached the end zone to take the lead, which would extend to 17-3 at halftime. SWOSU had a chance to get points before halftime, but time ran out after a deep pass was incomplete and left no time for a field goal attempt.
SWOSU scored the first points of the second half as well, with
Tristian Houston scoring on a 12-yard run late in the third quarter to make it a one-score game, 17-9, after three. The fourth quarter belonged to UAM as the Weevils scored 27 unanswered points to close out the game in runaway fashion.
The Bulldogs were held to less than 200 yards of total offense, getting 88 yards through the air and 103 on the ground.
Tyler Marr was 9-for-24 passing for 59 yards and two interceptions while Houston and
Justin Bailey rushed for 27 yards apiece.
Patrick Lee (2 receptions-33 yards) and
Donnell Hawkins (3-20) were the lone receivers with more than one catch in the game.
SWOSU's defense was gashed for 348 rushing yards and 467 yards overall, which allowed UAM to hold on to the ball for 35:12 in the game.
Braden Sweet led the Dawgs with 11 tackles while
Derrius Franklin added eight tackles and a forced fumble that was recovered by
CJ Jennings.
Jalen Carr wasn't targeted by the UAM offense much after he recorded his second interception of the season in the first quarter and he finished with two solo tackles in the game.
"I told them we win as a team and we lose as a team," SWOSU Head Coach
Chet Pobolish said following the game. "We have to worry about ourselves, so we'll get back in the weight room tomorrow and continue working to get better."
SWOSU (2-1, 2-1 GAC) returns home next Saturday to host nationally-ranked Ouachita at 2:00 pm in the battle for the Paul Sharp Cup.
