WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU Football was bested by No. 8-ranked Ouachita on Thursday, falling to the Tigers 38-14 in the season opener.
The Bulldogs had a chance to jump out to a lead early in the first quarter, but missed a field goal attempt and went on to be held scoreless in the first half. SWOSU outscored Ouachita 14-10 in the second half, but the 28-0 halftime deficit proved to be too great to overcome.
Both sides began the game with three-and-out drives, before SWOSU got a 24-yard run from
Ethane Hyche followed by a 26-yard pass connection from
Scott Pfeiffer to
Jack Pierce that had the Dawgs in business prior to the 10-minute mark of the opening quarter. Ouachita buckled down in the red zone to force fourth down and it paid off after SWOSU couldn't convert on a go-ahead field goal.
The Dawgs continued to hold firm on defense throughout the first quarter and limited Ouachita to just one touchdown. The Tigers settled in though in quarter two, scoring three times including a final touchdown in the closing seconds before halftime that seemed to zap any momentum and footing SWOSU had managed prior.
Hyche scored a two-yard run in the third quarter to represent SWOSU's lone offensive score in the contest. Following a solid fourth quarter punt by
Dayton Thrower that pinned the Tigers inside their own five-yard line, SWOSU capitalized on a mishandled ball by the Ouachita quarterback that resulted in
Jeremiah Jones jumping on a loose ball for another touchdown on defense.
SWOSU's defense held a top-five rushing team in 2022 to just 153 yards on the ground on Thursday. Kendel Givens, Ouachita's running back who nearly broke 1,000 yards last season as their number two option, was held to just 41 yards on 19 attempts.
Logan Monroe and
Richard Silva combined for 25 tackles at linebacker. Silva also had a pair of tackles for loss.
It was Ouachita's passing attack that gave SWOSU trouble all night. The Tigers threw for 283 yards through the air and four scores.
The Dawgs managed just under 200 yards of total offense. Pfeiffer finished 11-for-23 for 131 yards and was sacked five times. Hyche ran 15 times for 67 yards and his score. Pierce, making his debut as a Dawg, caught four balls for 69 yards to lead the receiving core.
SWOSU finished just 3-for-13 on third down and lost the time of possession battle by over 15 minutes.
Following the loss, the Dawgs (0-1 GAC) will look to rebound with a road trip to Arkansas-Monticello set for next Saturday, September 9. SWOSU was 37-27 winners over the Boll Weevils last year.
