WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Football led Henderson State 17-7 at halftime and mounted a late fourth-quarter surge with two touchdowns surrounding a recovered onside kick, but the comeback bid fell short after a controversial offsides call on a second onside attempt denied the Bulldogs one final chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute. The Bulldogs ultimately fell 35-32 to HSU in Saturday's Flex-Chem Classic.
The Bulldogs saw Henderson State score 28 straight points on four consecutive possessions after halftime before answering late. Trailing 35-17, SWOSU finally got a stop on defense and marched 69 yards in 12 plays, capping the drive with a two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 10. On a wild sequence from HSU's six-yard line, MJ Rivers' pass deflected off the hands of a well-covered Bodie Boydstun and into the waiting arms of Michael Doctor in the end zone for the touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, Ethan McBee delivered a perfectly placed onside kick that was recovered by the Bulldogs, immediately giving them the ball back with 1:21 to play. It took just one minute of game time for SWOSU to strike again, as Rivers found Justin Underwood from 14 yards out to pull within three at 35-32.
On SWOSU's second onside attempt in as many minutes, McBee again executed a beautiful kick that was caught in stride by Ethane Hyche — but an offsides flag negated the play. The Reddies recovered the re-kick and ran out the clock to hold on for the win.
It was Henderson State's explosive third quarter that ultimately made the difference. The Reddies racked up 215 yards of offense in the first 15 minutes after halftime, averaging 9.8 yards per play during a 21-point frame. That outburst came in response to a strong second quarter from the Bulldogs, who had scored all 17 of their first-half points.
McBee put SWOSU on the board with a 36-yard field goal before Rivers connected with Zion Mercer for a 44-yard touchdown to give the Dawgs a 10-7 lead. That score followed a missed HSU field goal that shifted momentum in SWOSU's favor. With 19 seconds left in the half, Rivers added a seven-yard rushing touchdown to stretch the lead to 17-7 heading into the break.
Henderson State opened the day's scoring with a touchdown on its opening possession but was held scoreless for the remainder of the first half.
Rivers finished 13-of-27 passing for 170 yards and three touchdowns while adding 90 yards on 20 carries. Doctor and Underwood both recorded the first touchdown receptions of their careers. Red Martel and Ethane Hyche combined for 17 carries and 62 yards out of the backfield.
Defensively, neither team forced a turnover. Felipe Tristan led the Bulldogs with eight tackles, followed by Malcom Gooden with seven.
HSU outgained SWOSU 497-323 overall. Reddie quarterback Andrew Edwards totaled 198 passing yards and 135 rushing yards, accounting for three touchdowns.
The loss drops SWOSU to 2-3 on the year heading into a road matchup at Southern Arkansas next Saturday, October 11, in Magnolia, Ark. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The Bulldogs will then face Southern Nazarene on a short week the following Thursday (Oct. 16) before returning home October 25 for Homecoming against East Central.
