The East Central University football team will be on the road for week 5 of the 2017 season. The Tigers will face Southwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. in Weatherford, Okla.
Game Notes I
Live Stats I
Live Video I
Live Radio
The Broadcast: ECU's radio home for Tiger football is Ada's KXFC, 105.5, FM 'The X-Factor'. Mike Manos returns to broadcast the games for his 21st consecutive season. Manos has worked 214 Tiger games since taking over the play-by-play duties in 1997.
This year fans in the stadium will have a chance to rent or buy a Smart Bug. The Smart Bug will let you listen to The X-Factor radio broadcast from the stands, through the post-game show, and for a chance for exclusive content during broadcast breaks. Cost is $15 to purchase and use for the entire 2017-18 season at football and basketball, or $10 to rent with a $5 return when the unit is checked back in after the game.
The Series: The all-time series with SWOSU is one of the oldest for the Tigers, dating back to 1916. In the 91 previous meetings, ECU has a 48-40-3 advantage, including a 26-21 lead when playing as conference members. The series is close when playing on the road, with a 13-12 lead for the Tigers. However, ECU has lost the last two games, with the last win in 2014.
Last Meeting: The Tigers lost to SWOSU, 41-7, during the 2016 season at home.
Camnik Campbell led a duo of returning defensive players with 10-or-more tackles, with 16 (5-11), while
Josh Morgan netted 10 (1-9).
ECU struggled to get its offense going in the game, recording just 272 total offensive yards to 625 by the Bulldogs.
The offensive drive by SWOSU started immediately, as the Bulldogs scored their first TD of the game just a minute in. SWOSU also added a touchdown, in the first quarter, for a 14-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs added a third TD, in the second quarter, to push the advantage to 20-0 after a blocked extra point attempt.
Less than a minute later, the Tigers got on the scoreboard when
David Moore capped off a two-play, 60-yard drive that took 32 seconds, with a touchdown.
However, the Bulldogs added two more touchdowns in the first half to push the lead to 34-7.
The final points of the game came in the fourth quarter to increase the SWOSU lead to 41-7.
Benson Bringing in Passes: Junior
Trinity Benson has been a bright spot for the Tigers, despite the losing record. Benson has recorded 354 receiving yards on 27 passes, with three TDs this season. His 88.5 reception yards per game average and 6.8 receptions per game rank him No. 1 in the GAC standings and No. 40 in yards and No. 43 in receptions in the NCAA.
Holle Named GAC Offensive Player of the Week: After his first game of the 2017 ECU football season, junior quarterback
Noah Holle was named the Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 4.
Holle, went 20-of-27 in his debut in an orange and black uniform, throwing for 351 yards and five touchdowns. He used seven different receivers and connected for touchdowns with five of those receivers.
Holle also set up two more touchdowns on the rush, helping the Tigers to 546 total offensive yards, the most since Sept. 19, 2015.
Williams Starts Off Season on High Note: Senior
Devyn Williams gave the Tigers a great start to the 2017 season, by returning the opening kickoff of the first game of the season (Sept. 2) 91 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time since Sept. 14, 2013 that any kickoff during a game had been returned for a TD. The last time was when LaQuan Harper returned a kickoff, in the middle of the game, 94 yards for TD against Southern Arkansas.
Up Next: The next opportunity to see the Tigers at Koi Ishto Stadium will be Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. against Northwestern for the annual Pink Out! The game sponsored by Mercy Ada to promote breast cancer awareness.
