ADA, Okla.—A trip to Ada, Okla. did not turn out the way Southern Nazarene hoped as the Storm were unable to get their offense rolling in a 13-40 loss at East Central.

The Crimson Storm (0-3, 0-3 GAC) controlled possession throughout the second half, but struggled to finish drives off. They took two drives into the East Central (2-1, 2-1 GAC) redzone, but would be held scoreless after 3rd down sacks on each possession. Another drive late in the fourth quarter would lead to a third down sack, but the Storm responded with a fourth down bomb from Jarvis Davis, finding Andrew Tisdale for a 37 yard touchdown.

Southern Nazarene kept it close in the first quarter, but East Central broke the game open with a 19 point second quarter. The Storm got their first points of the day after an East Central muffed punt led to a Gage Porter 1-yard touchdown run.

The front seven on the defensive of the ball played a solid game for the Storm. They were able to hold 2019 GAC first-team member Ontario Douglas in check all game as the workhorse was forced to scrounge for every yard he gained.

It was the deep ball that hurt SNU as East Central was able to complete multiple passes of 40 plus yards, including one with just one second remaining in the first half that allowed ECU to score three extra points heading into halftime.

It was a great night for senior wideout Reid Roelofs. He used his size well along the sideline, snagging multiple jump balls against smaller defenders. 

Southern Nazarene returns home next weekend as they prepare to host Southeastern Oklahoma State on Bethany Day. The Storm stunned Southeastern in 2019, scoring 15 unanswered points in the final five minutes of the game on the way to a 22-21 win. SNU will look to do it again and grab their first win of 2021 on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at the SNU Football Stadium.