MONTICELLO, Ark. – SWOSU Football racked up a season-high 470 yards of offense, forced four turnovers, and dominated both sides of the ball in a 49-7 rout of Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon.
The win – SWOSU's third straight – gives the Bulldogs five on the year, matching their most victories since 2016, and pushes them above the .500 mark at 5-4 with two games left on the schedule.
SWOSU used turnovers to fuel its first-half offense.
Damion Dunn intercepted UAM's opening drive, setting up an early touchdown connection from
MJ Rivers to
Baylor Nash from 19 yards out.
In the second quarter, after the Bulldogs' lone turnover of the game on a fumble, they immediately got the ball back on a recovered UAM miscue. The Dawgs then drove 11 plays and capped the series with a two-yard
Red Martel touchdown run to take a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Out of the locker room, SWOSU produced its most impressive drive of the season — a 19-play, 75-yard march that chewed up nearly nine minutes of clock and ended with a
Braxton Etheridge short touchdown run.
The defense quickly forced a turnover on downs, and the Bulldogs struck again early in the fourth quarter when
Isaac Norris hauled in a 24-yard touchdown from Rivers. That score ignited a dominant 28-point fourth quarter.
Duce Hart broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run on the next possession for his first score of the season. Monticello answered midway through the quarter to make it 35-7, but SWOSU immediately responded with an 11-play, 71-yard drive that ended in another Etheridge touchdown.
Linebacker
Felipe Tristan closed out the scoring in dramatic fashion, batting and intercepting a pass near the line of scrimmage and returning it for a touchdown — SWOSU's third defensive score of the season.
The Bulldog offense was a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on all four trips. Their 470 total yards marked the second straight week with at least 450. Rivers threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-31 passing with no turnovers, spreading his completions to nine different receivers.
On the ground, SWOSU rushed for 188 yards on 47 carries, led by Martel's 58 yards on 20 touches.
SWOSU controlled possession for 37:14, converted 8-of-14 third downs and 3-of-4 fourth downs, and held UAM to 274 total yards — marking the fourth straight game the Bulldog defense has kept an opponent under 300 yards. SWOSU's four takeaways sets a new season high, as they won the turnover battle 4-1.
Shane Armstrong led the way with five tackles, including one for loss, and a fumble recovery, while
Zack Roberts added a late interception.
The Bulldogs return home next Saturday, November 8, for Senior Day against Ouachita Baptist — their final home game of the season. The regular season concludes November 15 at Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva.
