WEATHERFORD, Okla. –  SWOSU Football had the No. 17-ranked team in Division II on the ropes in the fourth quarter following a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown that gave the Dawgs a lead, but it was Harding who finished the quarter strong by scoring two consecutive touchdowns to escape Weatherford by a 37-29 margin.
 
The blocked punt started with Ashton Hamby who got his hand on the ball which sent it straight up into the air and directly into Keldric Martin's hands with running room in front of him. Martin took it 34 yards for the score and everyone inside Milam Stadium felt the momentum shift. The special teams score gave SWOSU a 23-21 lead with 11:17 remaining in the game. Harding did however, block the ensuing extra-point to make the score only a six-point swing.   
 
On the following drive, the defense was one down away from keeping momentum on the home side but could not hold the Bisons on fourth and five, which kept their drive alive. It was nearly a four-and-out and SWOSU would have gotten the ball back in Harding territory looking to extend the lead. Instead, the Bisons converted the fourth down play with a nine-yard pass which was HU quarterback Cole Keylon's only pass completion of the game.
 
Seven plays later, Harding had regained the lead with a 29-yard touchdown run.
 
A Bulldog offense three-out-out on the following drive did not help the cause, but it was a failed punt attempt that proved costly. Harding got the ball at the 17-yard line and extended the lead to two scores four runs later.
 
Trailing 37-23, SWOSU inched back with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 24-yard Tylan Morton run, but a failed onside kick sealed the outcome. 37-29 final.
 
Morton finished the afternoon 19-38 through the air for 161 yards and one touchdown, and added another 81 yards on the ground which included the aforementioned score.
 
Special teams was a roller coaster for both sides on Saturday. They might be the reason the game was so close to begin with.
 
Harding jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter before SWOSU finally got a stop on defense to force a punt. The Bisons long snapped floated a wobbly ball to the punter who could not handle the snap, and the Dawgs recovered the poorly executed play in Harding territory.
 
Morton found Jalen Lampley in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass and catch and SWOSU was right back in the game at 14-7 nearing the end of the first quarter.
 
Lampley led all pass catchers in the contest with six grabs for 70 yards and his score.
 
The defense came alive in the second quarter, holding Harding to zero points. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs managed a field goal late in the half to go into the locker room trailing just 14-10.
 
Both sides scored one touchdown in the third quarter and entering the fourth it was Harding with a 21-17 lead.
 
Defensively, SWOSU was led by Anakin Aupiu who tallied 13 tackles. Martin added 11, followed by Courtney Ledyard and Jameon Mitchell with 10 apiece.
 
SWOSU's loss moves them to 3-7 on the season. They have lost five straight games and will look to finally stop that streak next Saturday against Northwestern in the season finale. That game will be Senior Day, where all Bulldogs playing their final game will be honored prior to the start of the game.