Football Readies for Finale

November 6, 2009

The 2009 football season for Southwestern Oklahoma State University will draw to a close Saturday as the Bulldogs host Texas A&M University-Commerce.   Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Milam Stadium.

he Bulldogs enter the contest with a 1-9 record and hope to play the role of spoiler. Texas A&M-Commerce stands atop the Lone Star Conference North Division with a 4-0 record and can clinch the title outright with a win. The Lions have not had sole possession of a football title since 1980 when the Lone Star Conference was a single-division format. A&M-Commerce did share the LSC North title in 2007 with four other teams, including SWOSU, with a 3-2 record.

SWOSU does have a number of weapons that could make the Lions trek to the title difficult. Quarterback Steve Day and wide receiver Johnathan Haggerty headline a group of 10 seniors that are sure to play with some added motivation in their final game as a Bulldog.

Day holds just about every meaningful passing record at SWOSU and enters his last game as the career record holder in passes completed (659), attempted (1,296), yards (7,258) and touchdowns (45)

Haggerty is the owner of school career receiving records with 162 catches for 2,590 yards and 22 touchdowns. He needs nine catches today to break the school's single-season mark of 51 catches set last year by Kyle Wimberly.            

In addition to Day and Haggerty, the game will also be the last for the following SWOSU seniors: cornerbacks Jeff Lemon and Carlos Bates, linebacker Sam Nwafor, kicker Chad McIntosh, tight end Joe Sawyer and defensive lineman Cory Summers, Benny Johnson and Talite Sika.

On the field has a number of players in short range of reaching significant statistical milestones. Linebacker Fred Leak has 90 tackles and needs just 10 more to reach 100 on the year. Leak currently is ranked sixth in the league in total tackles averaging 9.0 per game.

Bruce Hatton needs only 88 all-purpose yards to break the 1,000 yard mark. Hatton has rushed for 77 yards, caught passes for 316 yards, returned punts for 58 yards and returned kickoffs for 461 yards, which is a school record.

And finally, SWOSU as a team has been the least penalized squad of any LSC school this year. The Bulldogs have been whistled for less than nine infractions a game for an average of 85 yards.