Just Like Old Times: OBU Wins First Football Game In 70 Years

The last time Oklahoma Baptist won a football game minimum wage was 40 cents an hour, the Jitterbug was the latest dance craze, and Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra dominated the airwaves.

In other words, a lot has changed in 73 years.

OBU beat Southwestern University 42-21 on Saturday to notch not only its first victory of the season, but also its first victory since 1940.

After all the excitement about the return of Bison football prior to the season, coach Chris Jensen said he was afraid the 0-5 start might begin taking its toll on the team's morale. But that was not the case in Georgetown.

"My concern was that the kids would lose heart," Jensen said. "We have kids that aren't used to that and a university that isn't used to that, but they kept the faith and got it done."

Bison quarterback Cale Grauer passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, while Darryl Fields ran for 151 yards and Jordan Barnes rushed for 138 to give OBU its first 100-yard rushers of the season and first known 100-yard tandem in school history.

But if that wasn't enough, OBU also got a 100-yard receiver with Nyko Symonds recording six catches for 103 yards, while Derek Serowski had 93 yards on three catches.

All-in-all, the Bison rumbled their way to 534 yards of total offense on the day.

OBU started things off right, as Eugene Estes returned the opening kick 48 yards to set up a 41-yard scoring drive that was capped with a 20-yard sprint down the left sideline by Fields to take a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the contest.

The Bison quickly made it 14-0 with 11:59 left in the quarter on a 58-yard Grauer-to-Serowski connection.

Southwestern's Dante Smith countered with a pair of touchdown passes to tie the score 14-14 with 3:14 to go in the opening quarter but the Bison would have an answer.

Grauer immediately took OBU on an 85-yard scoring drive, completing 4-of-4 passes, including a 52-yard dart to Symonds for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:54 left in the first quarter.

After a 35-point opening quarter, neither team got on the scoreboard in the second.

OBU forced a punt to start the second half and then made the most of its first possession, going on a 93-yard scoring drive to take a 28-14 lead on an 18-yard TD scamper by Fields.

Southwestern pulled to within 28-21 with 4:30 left in the third quarter on Smith's third touchdown pass of the game but that would be the last time the Bison allowed Southwestern to reach pay dirt.

OBU increased its lead to 35-21 with 55 seconds left in the third on a two-yard TD from Fields and Barnes joined him atop the 100-yard mark not long after. Barnes took a 53-yard run to the end zone just 39 seconds into the fourth quarter for the final score of the game, giving the Bison a 42-21 advantage.

The 1-5 Bison return home next Saturday against Wayland Baptist with a 2 p.m. kickoff.