Owensboro, Ky. – A thrilling game against the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers ended in favor of Southwest Baptist by a score of 20-13 Saturday afternoon. A fake punt touchdown on 4^th and 1 and a defensive stand as time ran out sealed the victory for the Bearcats. SBU improves to 2-1 (0-0 GLVC) this season.
 
SBU got the ball to begin the game, but only moved 18 yards to force a punt. Kentucky Wesleyan drove the field and settled for a 29-yard field goal to strike first. The teams swapped short drives, giving SBU possession again with 6:13 remaining in the quarter. Dylan Mountain had a 17-yard run in the drive, but the offense stalled at their own 45 forcing a punt. After a failed 4^th down conversion by the Panthers, Eric Knight broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run to put SBU up 7-3.
 
Early in the 2^nd quarter, KWC had possession deep in SBU territory following an interception. The Bearcat defense held strong, forcing another Panther field goal to keep SBU ahead 7-6. The defenses remained strong for a majority of the 2^nd quarter. SBU regained possession late in the quarter, attempting to put more points on the board before the half. The Bearcats started on their own 29, but Dylan Mountain connected with Curtis Cuillard on the first play for 17 yards to move them down the field. Later in the drive, an unsportsmanlike penalty on KWC gave SBU some additional free yardage. Mountain later hit Rashad Blunt for 24 yards, but SBU was forced to kick a field goal. The 24-yard Kyle Ghetes kick was good, giving the Bearcats a 10-6 cushion heading into halftime.
 
The home team scored on their second possession of the 3^rd quarter, regaining the lead 13-10. That didn't last long as SBU drove the field on their next possession and tied it with another Kyle Ghetes field goal. The drive was highlighted by an 18-yard Justin Wake run.
 
As the clock ticked under 10 minutes in the 4^th quarter, the Panthers attempted a 46-yard field goal, but it hit the left upright to keep the score at 13-13. On SBU's next drive, the Panther defense appeared to have forced a three-and-out, but Coach Clardy had something up his sleeve. On 4^th and 1, instead of punting the ball, Logan Claborn faked the punt and connected with Cory Hanger. Once Hanger had the ball, he weaved in and out of defenders taking it all the way home for a Bearcat touchdown. That ended up being the game winning touchdown, as KWC drove the field but couldn't score as time ran out.
 
Offensively, Dylan Mountain went 10-20 for 119 yards. Eric Knight had 103 yards rushing on 24 attempts, making his average 4.3 yards per carry. On defense, Tevin Hall collected 6 solo tackles and an assisted tackle to total 7 tackles on the night. Aaron Harris and Coleton Smith also had 7 total tackles.
 
The Bearcats open conference play next weekend as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Greyhounds on September 28 at 6 PM.