Box Score

WAXAHACHIE, Texas — It must be October after Southern Nazarene received a bit of a scare in the first half in what turned out to be a run away victory in a 56-17 win over Southwestern Assemblies of God Saturday night.

The Crimson Storm (5-0, 1-0 CSFL) had not trailed in any game since the first half of the season opener, but was staring down a 14-0 deficit half way through the second quarter. SNU though unloaded with 28 points in the second quarter and pulled away late in its Central State Football League opener.

Brady Wardlaw threw for a season-high five touchdowns and ran another one in while Jarod Martin pulled in three of those touchdowns. Wardlaw threw for 308 yards and was 19-for-34 with no interceptions. Martin needed just five catches to record a season-high 114 yards. Timmie Fuller and Terrence Smith each pulled in three catches for a total of 140 yards and two touchdowns. Fuller had 72 yards receiving while Smith had 68 has both had a touchdown. Derick Perkins was the leading rusher for the Storm as he totaled 60 yards on 11 carries.

On the defensive side, Michael Hicks led the way with 11 tackles and had 4.5 tackles for a loss of 24 yards. He also had two sacks for a loss of 14 yards and returned a 50-yard interception back for a touchdown. Jonathan Jenkins-Dill also had a sack as he totaled nine tackles.

Southwestern Assemblies took it to Southern Nazarene early as it scored on its first drive of the game on a 4-play, 66-yard drive to lead 7-0. The Storm then punted on four of their first five possessions and turned it over on the only other drive. The Lions special teams picked up a huge blocked punt on SNU's fifth drive and then used three plays to take a 14-0 lead with 9:51 left in the first half.

Later in the second quarter, SNU got a big break with a short punt from SAGU and then used a 2-play, 54-yard drive that was capped by a 51-yard touchdown pass from Wardlaw to Martin as SNU cut the lead to 14-7. The Storm scored on their ensuring drive as they marched 56 yards on five plays. Wardlaw completed the drive when he found Smith for a 49-yard strike to tie it with 3:24 left in the second quarter.

SNU's defense then went to work on the scoreboard when Trevon Hartfield picked off a Jason Rice pass and took it back to the house for a 30-yard interception return to give the Storm a 21-14 lead. Southern Nazarene completed the 28-point second quarter when Wardlaw hit Martin again for a 14-yard touchdown pass to complete a 2-play, 25-yard drive to put the Storm up 28-14 at the half.

SNU kept it going in the third, scoring on their second drive of the half as Wardlaw got it done on the ground with an 11-yard scramble to cap a 4-play, 64-yard drive as SNU took a 35-14 lead. The Storm scored its sixth straight touchdown when Wardlaw hit Martin for their third touchdown connection of the night as SNU led 42-14 with more than seven minutes left in the third.

Wardlaw hit Fuller for a 45-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter before Hicks notched the second interception returned for a touchdown as the Storm scored 56 straight points after trailing 14-0.

The Crimson Storm now gets set to travel to Northwestern Oklahoma State for a 2 p.m. CSFL contest in Alva, Okla.