Football to Host Southeastern

September 30, 2009

Southwestern Oklahoma State University begins the second half of its 2009 football schedule by opening up Lone Star Conference North Division play with longtime rival Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The Bulldogs are hoping the last six games will be nothing like the winless five before them.

SWOSU has a lengthy history against Southeastern on the gridiron meeting each year since 1933. The one exception was the four years that neither team fielded a football squad during World War II. The Savage Storm own a 40-33-1 advantage in the series thanks primarily to its current seven-game win streak. SWOSU's last victory over their instate neighbor was in 2001.

This year Southeastern enters with a 3-2 record and appear to be the early favorite for the LSC North Division. The Savage Storm have as many wins (3) as the remaining five teams in the division combined -- SWOSU, East Central, Northeastern State, Texas A&M-Commerce and Central Oklahoma.

Southeastern is expected to be led by quarterback Justin Pitrucha who will be making only his second start of the year. Prior to this season, Pitrucha last played football in 2005 and 2006 when he led SOSU to back-to-back North Division titles throwing over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns each season. Two weeks ago against second-ranked Abilene Christian, Pitrucha completed 24-of-34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-14 loss.

Southwestern will be led by its own record-setting quarterback Steve Day who engineered a dramatic comeback last year against the Savage Storm only to see it wiped away in the final moments. Day completed 26-of-46 passes for a career-best 324 yards and three touchdowns last year. His 35-yard touchdown pass to Joe Sawyer in the early moments of the fourth quarter completed a string of 21 straight points that SWOSU scored after trailing 20-0 at halftime.

Southeastern ended up winning the game later when Jerome Hewitt, who is back again this year, returned a punt 54 yards for a score with 7:44 to play. A last second field goal by the Savage Storm gave them a 29-21 win.

SWOSU has a game breaker itself in the return game as Bruce Hatton ranks among the conference leaders in kick return average. Hatton has brought 12 kicks back an average of 25.8 yards which rank him third. His 42-yard return last week against Tarleton State was the longest by a SWOSU player this season.