DURANT, Okla. – SWOSU battled to the end, but were unable to get the crucial stop when they needed it most and end up falling 37-28 on Saturday night.
 
It was another exciting game for the Bulldogs, and for the second straight week Head Coach Chet Pobolish found his team in a one score game in the fourth quarter. But the Dawgs were never quite able to find the final breakthrough and will head back to Weatherford thinking through the what ifs.
 
A tale of two halves, the two teams combined for 48 points in the first half, but only managed a combined 17 points in the second.
 
The game could not have gotten off to a better start for SWOSU. Tanner Griffin wasted no time getting the offense going, and on their opening drive the Bulldogs found themselves in the red zone. After failing to convert on 3^rd and two, Coach Pobolish had a difficult decision to make.
 
He chose to trust his quarterback and trust his gut, leaving the offense on the field for 4^th and two. The gutsy call paid off big time when Griffin found Patrick Lee in the end zone to put SWOSU up 7-0 early. It was only Lee's second catch of the season and the first touchdown of his SWOSU career.
 
Despite the strong start offensively, things would not go the Bulldogs way for the next quarter of play on the defensive side of the ball. Southeastern Oklahoma State scored a touchdown on their next four possessions and the Dawgs found themselves in a hole quickly.
 
Down 28-14 late in the second quarter, SWOSU punted the ball back to the Savage Storm. The home team had plans to put this game out of reach by halftime. The Dawgs had other plans. Southeastern quarterback Daulton Hatley dropped back and let it rip deep down field, but good coverage and good fortune deflected the ball into the outstretched arms of Derrius Franklin.
 
Franklin's second interception of the year got the Bulldogs the ball back with only a 1:54 remaining in the half. Tanner Griffin and Deshon Moreaux only needed 45 seconds to go 87 yards to the house to flip the momentum on its head and bring SWOSU within one possession going in to half time.
 
Building off that momentum, the defense came out fired up and ready to play in the second half. Credit to Defensive Coordinator Colin McQuillan and his team, as the SWOSU defense shut out the Southeastern offense in the third quarter.
 
A fourth quarter red zone stop resulted in a field goal for the Savage Storm and the Bulldogs were down 31-20. Needing points and needing them quickly, the SWOSU running backs stepped up to the plate. Jermaine Mask started it off, racking up 39 all purpose yards including a 21-yard run on 4^th and 1 to get SWOSU into opposing territory. Gerald Palmer moved the ball into the red zone where Nate Davis lined up in a "Wild Dog" formation to punch it in. Griffin would find tight end Jacob Karsak for the two-point conversion, and the Bulldogs were only down three with five minutes to play.
 
Unfortunately, Southeastern would drive down and score themselves on their next possession, putting the game out of reach.
 
Sophomore quarterback Tanner Griffin continues to produce for the Bulldog offense. While the running game finished strong, the team relied heavily on Griffin throughout the game to be the source of life on the offensive side of the ball. He would go 24-41 for 301 yards and three touchdowns.
 
His favorite target Justin Bailey finished with seven catches for 84 yards, but there is no doubt this offense is at its best when Torin Justice gets more involved. He hauled in four catches for 63 yards, and the offense hummed when he got going.
 
The Bulldog defensive backs had their names called a lot tonight, getting involved in both the running and pass defense. Three of the top five tacklers on the night were from the defensive back group, and they contributed six pass break ups as well.
 
Many on the defense will be kicking themselves as a couple of close calls saw the opportunities for interceptions slip through the fingers on multiple occasions. Linebacker Isaiah Moore had a diving attempt at a takeaway come inches away from being a SportsCenter highlight, while both of the Dotrey twins Davotrick and Javotrick had easy chances get away from them.
 
It is easy to see that this team is getting better every week, but has come up just short of notching one in the win column so far this season. Coach Pobolish and company will have another opportunity to do just that on home turf next Saturday against Oklahoma Baptist under the lights of Flex-Chem Field at 6:00 pm.