BETHANY, Okla. — The last few weeks for Southern Nazarene definitely has been piquing interest with the gradual climb in offensive performance and cutting games closer. After huge plays on defense Saturday and the best offensive output of the season, it wasn't about moral victories as SNU pulled off a 31-17 win over Arkansas-Monticello.
 
The Crimson Storm (1-5, 1-5 GAC) had 367 yards of total offense and outgained its opponent for the first time since the 2014 season when it lost an overtime game to Southwestern Oklahoma State. It was also the most rushing yards SNU has had since Nov. 8, 2014, when it had 225 against Northwestern Oklahoma State. Southern Nazarene finished with 223 yards rushing and threw for 144 yards.
 
Jacob Spady led the way for SNU as the sophomore had 117 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Terence Olds also had 66 yards on 11 carries. Spady was 8-for-11 in passing and threw for two touchdowns. The last quarterback to throw and run for two touchdowns was Brady Wardlaw who did that in the 2010 season against Oklahoma Panhandle State.
 
Six different receivers recorded catches with Jacoby Hicks and Zach Walker each have two catches. Johnathan Martin led the team in receiving yards with 44, but he got all of that on one reception for a touchdown.
 
Josh Jordan led the way for SNU on the defensive side with nine tackles. Trystan Slinker also had eight tackles while Myles Roll had six and a sack. Breyon Jackson also had an interception.
 
SNU struck first when Spady broke free on an 18-yard run on the just the second play of the Storm's first drive of the game. The Weevils tied it with 9:03 left in the second quarter. The Storm retook the lead with 5:17 to play on a 40-yard kick by Carlos Anguiano to put SNU up 10-7.
 
Another bad punt, late in the second quarter, left SNU great field position on the UAM 35-yard line. With just seven seconds left in the half Spady lofted up a pass to the right side of the end zone and Trevor Smith hauled in a circus catch even through a pass interference call on the Weevils. That touchdown pass gave SNU its first lead at the half, 17-7, since the final game of 2016.
 
The Storm didn't waste any time in the second half as they went on a 7-play, 68-yard  drive that was capped by a Spady to Martin 44-yard strike to give SNU a 24-7 lead.
 
Southern Nazarene also got three big stops, two in the second  half, with Monticello inside the SNU 5-yard line. The first stop came with 3:49 left in the first. UAM started with a first-and-goal at the 10, and went for it on fourth-and two, but SNU came up with the stuff and got the turnover on downs.
 
The second big stop came with 3:37 left in the third and a the Weevils had a first-and-goal at the SNU 2-yard line. After a bad snap pushed UAM back to the 14-yard line, Jackson came up with a huge interception at the SNU 2-yard line. The final stop did lead to a UAM field goal to make it 24-10 with 10:28 to play, but Monticello had the ball inside the SNU 2-yard line with a first-and-goal.
 
The Weevils closed it to 24-17 with 8:03 left to play after converting an onside kick and then used an 8-play, 52-yard drive to cut it to seven.  
 
SNU though put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 75-yard drive with just 1:33 left to play.