BETHANY – In the 2019 season finale, Southern Nazarene tallied 209 total yards of offense in a 52-27 loss to rival Oklahoma Baptist at the SNU Football Stadium on Senior Day.
The Crimson Storm (2-9) defense allowed 393 yards to the number one ranked offense in the Great American Conference in the Bison (7-4) and also forced two turnovers from OBU. The Bison had 24 first downs compared to 11 for SNU as eight penalties proved costly for the home team.
Gage Porter led the way for the Southern Nazarene offense as he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. He also completed 6-of-8 passes for 23 yards in the contest as well.
Nate Walker found the endzone in his final collegiate game as he finished with 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Walker also added 17 receiving yards on five receptions.
Jake Hanson also had a great Senior Day as he finished with a team-high 13 tackles, nine of those solo.
Jaden Simmons finished with 11 tackles while
Trenton Smith had seven, including one interception. Senior
Josh Jordan had six tackles while
Noah Campbell finished with five.
It looked like Oklahoma Baptist was going to run away with the game early in Bethany as they leaped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter after an SNU turnover. The Crimson Storm finally found the endzone when the Bison muffed a punt on their own 14-yard line that SNU recovered in their own endzone to cut it to 14-7. On the next OBU possession, Smith picked off Preston Haire and returned it to the Bison 24. A few plays later, Porter punched it in to tie the game 14-14.
The second quarter proved to be the deciding factor in the game as Oklahoma Baptist scored 17 points and held the Crimson Storm scoreless. OBU took a 21-14 lead early in the period and later pushed it to 24-14 with a field goal with 3:21 to play in the half. After a quick three-and-out, the Bison tacked on one more score before time ran out to take a 31-14 lead into the halftime break.
Midway through the third quarter, the Bison added to their lead with a score to make it 38-14 as OBU held SNU scoreless for the second straight quarter. The Storm chipped away at the lead early in the fourth when Porter's 1-yard touchdown cut it to 38-20. The Bison came right back with a score to push it back to 45-20 before Walker scampered for 22 yards to find the endzone and make it 45-27. Oklahoma Baptist found the endzone one final time with 2:29 to play as the Bison cruised to the victory.
Southern Nazarene finishes the 2019 season with a 2-9 record and will look to build on some promising youth heading into next season.
