SHAWNEE – In front of nearly 3,000 spectators, Oklahoma Baptist (1-3, 1-3 GAC) and Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-2, 2-2 GAC) went head-to-head for over three hours, as a game-winning interception in overtime solidified a 38-31 SWOSU victory inside Crain Family Stadium at the Hurt Complex.
The Bulldogs outgained the Bison 467-221, converting 28 first downs to OBU's 17. Southwestern was balanced on either side of the ball, netting 234 rushing and 233 passing yards.
Oklahoma Baptist mustered just 19 yards on the ground, as 22 yards were lost due to eight SWOSU sacks. EJ Moore led the Bison rushing attack with 37 yards, including a long run of 14 yards. Quarterback Dayton Wolfe notched his first career rushing touchdown, powering through a host of Southwestern would-be tacklers.
A highlight for OBU came in the special teams, as wideout Braden Phipps commanded the punting duties. Phipps averaged 41.3 on seven punts, including a career-long of 64. Furthermore, three balls fell inside the 20-yard line.
Perhaps the most significant stat tonight was SWOSU's fourth-down conversion rate. The Bulldogs went 4-4 on fourth down attempts, including two in the final quarter.
A little over six minutes passed before either club touched the scoreboard. Southwestern kicker Jaren Van Wrinkle put the opposition on top 3-0, courtesy of a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Wolfe and company marched 60 yards in seven plays to take a 7-3 lead when Buddy Bizzell completed a jump pass to Sam Sharp.
SWOSU answered shortly after, chipping 2:02 off the clock after going 75 yards in six plays to draw the tally 10-7.
The contest would knot up at 17-17 going into the half after the Bison added 10, courtesy of Bizzell and Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez, and a Gerald Palmer score for Southwestern from one-yard out.
The Bison allowed three points in the third before both teams combined for 25 points in the fourth. On OBU's first drive of the final quarter, Oklahoma Baptist went 48 yards in 2:23 as Wolfe churned into the endzone to put his team up 24-20.
The OBU defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive, allowing Wolfe to hit Keilahn Harris on a screen pass for a 40-yard score. Up by 11 points with a little over 10 minutes left, the game looked sealed up.
Southwestern responded with 11 unanswered points to force overtime.
SWOSU would receive the ball first in extra time. The opposition wasted no time as they scored in four plays, courtesy of a Troy Henderson one-yard rush.
The Bison got their chance next, but a Wolfe interception in the endzone solidified tonight's victory for the Bulldogs.
Tonight's loss ends OBU's 17-game winning streak over in-state opponents and snaps a four-game win streak against Southwestern.
Four Bison reached double figures on the defensive end: Matthew Norman (12), KJ Price Jr. (12), Nick Boone (11), and Kaleb Peters (11). Price led the bunch with a team-high 2.0 TFLs.
Oklahoma Baptist will hit the road Arkansas next week for a 2 p.m. matchup with Harding (3-1, 3-1 GAC) in Searcy.
For more information on OBU Football, follow the team on Twitter (@OBU_Football) and Instagram (@OBU_Football)
