WEATHERFORD – The Bulldogs led Arkansas-Monticello 14-10 at halftime and extended that margin to 18-points in the third quarter, but watched the visitors score 29 unanswered points to close out the game in an eventual 39-28 loss in the home opener.
SWOSU's defense forced three first half turnovers and cashed two of those into touchdowns on offense shortly after. Despite totaling 123 yards of offense in the first half, the Bulldogs took a lead into the break thanks to the takeaways and scoring efficiency.
After halftime, SWOSU got things going on offense with back-to-back scoring drives of 60-plus yards which opened up a 28-10 lead. The last score of the night, which had Flex-Chem Field rocking, saw quarterback Kai Kunz hurdle a would-be defender and continue running into the end zone for the highlight reel.
With vibes as high as they had been all night, UAM slowly chipped away. First, with a 10 play, 72-yard third quarter touchdown drive to immediately answer SWOSU's last score. Then, with three more consecutive touchdowns in the final quarter to take the lead for good and put the game to bed. Two of those three scores required two plays or less after a 71-yard touchdown run and a score from a 12-yard rush one play following a blocked punt.
With the game's momentum changing quickly, the Bulldog offense could not get anything going. SWOSU produced three straight three-and-outs in their fourth quarter possessions.
The 71-yard touchdown rush by the Weevil quarterback gave the visitors their first lead of the game at 32-28 with 8:16 left to play. That score immediately snowballed into another after a SWOSU punt was blocked deep in their own territory. Then, in a flash, it was 39-28. The Weevils ran out the clock on their next possession.
SWOSU finished with 252 yards of total offense but did not turn the ball over. UAM racked up 499 yards including 294 on the ground. After three first half turnovers, the Weevils did not give the ball away after halftime.
Kunz finished 8-for-15 through the air for 107 yards and a score. He found Baylor Nash in the second quarter for a 24-yard touchdown pass, one of two catches for Nash on the night. Koonz added 67 yards on the ground with another two rushing touchdowns.
The running back duo of Ethane Hyche and Logan Johnson carried the ball a combined 30 times for 73 yards. Johnson scored once.
Takeaways on the night came courtesy of Desmond Greene, Xavien Cox, and Wyatt Rohmer. Cox's interception was aided by James Thomas who tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage.
Felipe Tristan led the team with 14 tackles, followed by Zack Roberts with 11, and Logan Monroe with nine. SWOSU came away with four sacks in the contest.
The loss drops SWOSU to 0-2 on the season. They travel to Ada next week for a matchup with East Central. Kickoff for the third game of the year is set for 6:00 pm.
