Bulldogs Open Season Against LSC Heavyweight
August 28, 2006
WEATHERFORD –Southwestern Oklahoma State opens its 11-game football season Saturday, Sept. 2 against longtime Lone Star Conference power Texas A&M-Kingsville. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the 15,000 seat Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Texas.
The game will certainly provide a significant test on how much better the Bulldogs will be under the guidance of second-year coach Ryan Held. SWOSU will line up with 11 new starters on offense, including a transfer from Central Missouri as its new quarterback against the 26-time LSC football champions.
Jimmy Sangster (QB, 6-5, 255, Jr., Atlanta, Mo.) won the job in fall drills over 2005 starter Steve Day who has been slowed with shoulder soreness. Sanger played the 2003 and 2004 seasons at CMSU where he was 14-8 as a starter for the Mules. He completed 225-of-378 (59.5%) passes with 21 touchdowns and 2,983 yards in those two years. He has thrown for over 200 yards six different times, including a 285-yard effort against Southwest Baptist in 2003.
“Jimmy has won a lot of games as a college quarterback,” Held said. “He’s got a very strong arm and will give us a big presence on the field. The thing that will help him most is that we’ve got better players around him. He won’t have to go win a game by himself.”
Sangster’s most likely offensive assistance will come from running back Reshard Dudley (RB, 5-10, 215, Jr., Marianna, Fla.) A former high school All-American at Florida’s Mariana High School, Dudley was ranked as one of the top running backs in the nation and originally signed with the University of Georgia. He did not qualify academically and ended up playing at Butler Community College in Kansas. He then signed with Held, who then coached at Oklahoma Panhandle State, and last played the 2004 season with the Aggies.
“Our emphasis in fall drills has been doing a better job at running the football,” Held said. “We’ve got to create better down-and-distance situations for our football team. Winning the battle on first down is where it starts.”
Defensively, the Bulldogs will have six starters back from a squad that earned a reputation as ball-hawking, turnover-producing unit. SWOSU scored two defensive touchdowns last year and are could easily add to that total in 2006.
Greg Franklin (LB, 6-0, 215, So., Midwest City) is likely to be the team’s leading tackler. Last year, he had three games in which he had 10 or more tackles, including 16 against Panhandle State in the season opener.
JaQuane Williams (DE, 6-2, 260, Sr., Tuscaloosa, Ala.), the team’s other defensive star, has been slowed in fall drills with back spasms. His status will remain undetermined until game time, Held said.
The game will be broadcast on KWEY 95.5 with veteran broadcaster Chuck Edwards calling the play-by-play action and university professor Dr. Les Crall providing the color commentary. Those choosing to listen to the game via webcast can do so by clicking on the “Listen Live” link on the front of the SWOSU athletic homepage at www.swosu.edu/athletics