BETHANY, Okla.—Turnovers were the name of the game for the Crimson Storm on Saturday afternoon as SNU fell to Southern Arkansas 31-10 after coughing the ball up 4 times during the game.
It was a tight game early on and Southern Nazarene (1-9, 1-9 GAC) would face just a 7 point deficit at halftime, but the offense was held in check all afternoon. The Storm did not score after the 13:35 mark in the second quarter. Southern Arkansas (4-6, 4-6 GAC) scored the final 24 points of the game after finding themselves down 10-7 early in the second quarter.
The Muleriders easily marched down the field on their opening possession. They opened the game with seven straight running plays before surprising the Storm with a fade to the endzone for a 16 yard score.
The first of SNU's four turnovers would come on their opening possession after an interception. It appeared Southern Arkansas was in prime position to take an early two score lead, but the Muleriders would fumble going into the endzone. Doryan Harris scooped the ball up and quickly raced the other way, taking the fumble 98 yards for a score to tie the game at 7-7. The 98 yard fumble return shatters SNU's previous record of 80 yards.
Following a punt from Southern Arkansas, SNU drove down the field and settled for a 23 yard field goal from Ryan Reid. The next possession SAU again marched down the field and notched another touchdown after a 12 yard run from Jariq Scales. Scales finished the game with 195 yards on 29 carries. The Muleriders never relinquished the lead following that touchdown.
Southern Arkansas held a 14 point advantage midway through the fourth quarter, but the Storm showed fight. They marched down the field, getting all the way down to the SAU 1 yard line following a trick play wide receiver pass from Reid Roelofs to Dalton Sanders. An illegal shift on first-and-goal would push SNU back to the 6 yard line, though. They never recovered, taking a sack on fourth-and-goal.
Southern Nazarene had another late chance, but a Southern Arkansas pick-six, SNU's fourth and final turnover, all but sealed the deal at 31-10.
Mulerider penalties would help the Storm all afternoon, but SNU's offense was never able to fully take advantage of those opportunities. Southern Arkansas committed 7 penalties for 94 yards but 4 SNU turnovers, as well as a 3-for-14 conversion rate on 3rd down and a 1-for-4 conversion rate on 4th down caused many points to be left on the field.
The Storm have one game left on the field to close out the season. SNU will host Oklahoma Baptist next Saturday at 2:00 p.m. for homecoming, as well as Senior Day. Oklahoma Baptist has won the last three games between these squads.
