WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Football and Oklahoma Baptist battled in a one-possession game throughout, but the Bison outscored the Bulldogs 10-0 in the fourth quarter and went on to win the afternoon contest 20-13.
The Bulldogs led 13-10 heading into the fourth after a go-ahead field goal in the closing minutes of the third quarter. It's the second straight week a fourth quarter lead could not get cashed in for a win.
SWOSU tallied 229 yards of offense through three quarters in a solid showing but gained just 12 yards in the fourth quarter which squandered any chances of pulling out the victory.
The go-ahead third quarter kick came from Brandon McCary – his second made field goal of the day. He entered Saturday with just one field goal attempt on the year and finished 2-for-2 from 34 and 29 yards out. He also put the first points up on the scoreboard from either team with his first-quarter field goal.
After the lead changed hands, OBU regained it on their ensuing drive. A back-breaking third down touchdown pass of 61 yards had the Bison back on top 17-13 with 14:03 left in the game. SWOSU had just scored on back-to-back drives and had OBU on third and long but could not get the necessary stop to avoid points.
OBU added a field goal with under a minute to play for insurance.
SWOSU's lone touchdown came on the third quarter drive just before McCary's second field goal. At the time, it tied things up at 10-10. The Bulldogs went on an eight-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off by a Dexter Brown touchdown run on the goal line. SWOSU got chunk yardage on a trio of plays to move the ball down the field after Brown began things with a 17-yard run, followed later by back-to-back catches later on from Elijah Reed and Zion Mercer for 37 yards combined.
The Bulldogs trailed 10-3 at halftime.
After the Bisons notched 198 yards of offense in the first half, the Bulldogs defense limited the visitors to just 107 in the second half in what was another solid showing. Final numbers showed SWOSU with 241 yards of offense, compared to OBU's 305. It's SWOSU's second highest offensive output of the season.
On defense, Freddie Mango led all tacklers with 12. RJ Powell, the Reigning GAC Defender of the Week, came away with 3.5 tackles for loss and finished with eight tackles. Richard Silva had one sack, two tackles for loss, and seven total tackles.
Quarterback Sean Shelby finished 9-of-25 for 166 yards and fumbled once after being sacked late in the fourth quarter. Shelby also ran 16 times for 52 yards, but six sacks in the passing game deflated his final mark. Dexter Brown rushed 11 times for 52 yards and his score.
Taylor Tosches led the receiving core with four catches for 100 yards – his first 100-yard game as a Bulldog.
The Bulldogs remain winless and will face Southeastern at 2:00 pm in Durant next Saturday.
