BETHANY, Okla.—On a hot and windy Saturday afternoon, Southern Nazarene fell in the home opener to No. 11 Ouachita Baptist 3-41.
Ouachita (2-0, 2-0 GAC) showcased a strong defensive effort, limiting the Crimson Storm (0-2, 0-2 GAC) to just 5 first downs and 35 yards of total offense. The Tigers were able to key in on the SNU rushing attack as a 25mph wind from the south made throwing the football incredibly difficult. The teams combined for just 9 total completions in the afternoon.
Despite not throwing the football well, Ouachita was able to find success on the ground. They tallied 5 yards per carry en route to 313 rushing yards. The Storm could only muster 5 total rushing yards on 26 carries.
The first half remained fairly tight as Southern Nazarene played strong defense for the first 30 minutes. The Tigers put together a long first drive, but fumbled going into the end zone on the one yard line. On the ensuing play, SNU attempted to run an option, but would also fumble, allowing Ouachita to recover in the endzone for the game's first touchdown.
Early in the second quarter, SNU caught a huge break after Ouachita punter Joe Couch stumbled and fell before getting off the punt, giving the Storm the ball at the Ouachita 11. SNU could only move backwards, though, settling for a 32 yard field goal from Ryan Reid.
Following the SNU field goal, Ouachita's offense began to find their rhythm. The Tigers marchedd 85 yards on 8 plays to grab a touchdown and grow their lead to 10 points heading into halftime. From there it was all Ouachita, who blew the game wide open with 21 points in the third quarter.
Elijah Calhoun led the team with 9 total tackles. Trenton Smith was not far behind with 8 tackles and a pass breakup.
Last week's SNU Male Athlete of the Week, Cam Wells, picked up where he left off, coming away with a leaping interception midway through the third quarter.
The schedule will ease up for the Storm next week as SNU travels to Ada for a matchup with East Central who is coming off a 13-10 win over Arkansas Tech on Saturday evening. The Storm are 2-8 all-time against East Central. The Tigers bested SNU 35-28 back in a spring exhibition a few months ago. Kickoff will be set for 6:00 p.m. in Ada, Okla.
