WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Time and time again, the Oklahoma Baptist defense came in clutch as the Bison (3-1, 3-1 GAC) escaped the outreached hands of the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs (0-4, 0-4 GAC) 31-27 in Weatherford on Saturday night.
A
Josh Arnold sack late in the fourth quarter forced the Bulldogs to punt and propelled the Bison to their 13th straight win over an Oklahoma opponent. The dark side produced big play after big play for OBU, stunting SWOSU on three consecutive drive and giving the offense a chance to fight.
Southwestern managed 388 yards of total offense but didn't gain those yards when it mattered most. The Bison defense sacked the Bulldogs four times and forced three turnovers, bringing their season turnover total to 10.
A gritty effort in the trenches from
Peter Popoola and
Josh Arnold paved the way for the Bison defense. Popoola marked career-bests with two sacks and a forced fumble. Arnold recorded nine tackles and four tackles for loss. The linebacker added two sacks in his efforts tonight.
Nick Boone led the Bison with 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Cornerback
Tyler King collected an interception and broke up two passes on the edges. Freshman
Jake Landers forced the first fumble of his career, rounding up OBU's defensive efforts.
OBU wins their third straight game after rushing for 265 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Bison found their rhythm on the backs of
Tyler Stuever and
Rueben Thompson, as Stuever did his damage with 178 rushing yards. Stuever added a score while averaging over seven yards a carry.
Thompson's two touchdowns is a career-best for the sophomore.
Preston Haire provided 167 yards through the air, completing 17 of his 32 passing attempts. Haire added a touchdown to
Keilahn Harris to finish his night. Harris caught six passes for 95 yards as this was the first time the receiver has been kept under 100 yards this season.
Receivers
Josh Cornell and
Braden Phipps caught two and three passes, respectively.
Oklahoma Baptist found the endzone twice in the first quarter while the Bulldogs crossed once, drawing the inaugural quarter's tally to 14-7. By the break, SWOSU would tack on two more scores to make things interesting.
A scrappy second-half involving only two scores resulted in
Tyler Stuever pounding out 13 yards to seal tonight's victory and give the Bison their third win of the year.
Oklahoma Baptist returns home for a tough matchup with nationally ranked Harding (3-1, 3-1 GAC) next week in Shawnee. The kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m.
