WEATHERFORD – SWOSU beat Oklahoma Baptist 38-24 on Saturday night, piling up 388 rushing yards to tie the program's GAC record.
The rushing performance equals the Bulldogs' 2012 total against Arkansas Tech and stands as their highest output while competing in the Great American Conference. It also came just four yards shy of matching the program's NCAA Division II single-game record.
The victory snaps a three-game home losing streak to the Bison and marks SWOSU's second straight win, improving to 2-2 heading into next weekend's home matchup against Henderson State — a team that was nationally ranked entering week four before falling to Southern Arkansas on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs never trailed against Oklahoma Baptist. They built a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter, weathered an OBU rally that tied the game at 14-14 in the second, and then steadily pulled away. SWOSU extended the margin to 38-17 before a late Bison touchdown made the final score appear closer than the game truly was.
SWOSU's win was well-rounded, with four offensive touchdowns — two through the air and two on the ground — plus another on defense, marking the Dawgs' second straight game with a defensive score. MJ Rivers didn't need to throw much, but he finished 8-for-14 for 65 yards with touchdown passes to Isaac Norris and Bodie Boydstun. Rivers did most of his damage on the ground, rushing 15 times for a team-leading 117 yards and a touchdown.
Four different Bulldogs logged double-digit carries in the win. Rivers was the lone 100-yard rusher, while Ethan Hyche, Red Martel, and Malik Roberson combined for 209 yards as a trio. Hyche found the end zone for the first time this season on a nine-yard run that capped SWOSU's scoring in the fourth quarter and also ripped off a 50-yard burst earlier in the half.
The tone was set from the jump, as SWOSU pieced together a 15-play opening drive capped by a Rivers three-yard rushing touchdown. The next play from scrimmage following the kickoff saw Zack Roberts take an errant OBU throw back the other way for a 24-yard pick six. In just a few minutes of real time, the Bulldogs led 14-0.
OBU got back in the game late in the first quarter on a free play. With an offsides penalty already guaranteed, the Bison went deep and connected on an 80-yard pass that cut their deficit in half. On their next drive, they tied the game with a 12-play, 64-yard march midway through the second quarter.
SWOSU answered with a statement drive before halftime to retake the lead, 21-14. Rivers broke loose for 38 yards on the second play, and Martel followed with a 22-yard run to push the Bulldogs deep into Bison territory. Rivers then capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Norris.
Out of halftime, SWOSU's ground game picked up right where it left off. Roberson ripped off runs of 10, 18, and 10 yards on three consecutive plays to spearhead the drive, which ended with a perfectly placed 18-yard touchdown pass to Boydstun, stretching the lead to 28-14.
Later in the quarter, Ethan McBee drilled a 26-yard field goal to make it 31-14, and Hyche's fourth-quarter touchdown run sealed the win, putting the Dawgs back up by three scores and shutting the door on any OBU comeback hopes.
SWOSU piled up a season-high 453 yards of offense and converted 4-of-5 attempts on fourth down. OBU, forced to play from behind, leaned on its passing attack for 312 yards and finished with 377 total yards. The Bulldogs also won the turnover battle 2-0, highlighted by Roberts' pick six in the first half and Delmontre Pryor's third-quarter interception.
Roberts led all SWOSU defenders with 10 tackles. The Bulldogs broke through with 4.0 sacks after being held without one through the first three games, with Cameron Guyton accounting for two.
