DURANT, Okla.—It was a historic night in Durant for Southern Nazarene as they picked up their first win of the season against Southeastern Oklahoma State 45-34. It was their first road win since a double-overtime victory at Northwestern Oklahoma State in 2018.
Southern Nazarene (1-2, 1-2 GAC) put together 24 unanswered points from late in the third quarter until the final play of the game to earn the victory. Prior to the run, SNU never led in the game, but they matched Southeastern (2-2, 2-2 GAC) blow-for-blow as the Savage Storm never gained more than a touchdown lead.
The ground game was humming for Southern Nazarene all night as they put together a school-record, 451 yard performance. They simply could not be contained on the ground, averaging 8.5 yards per carry. The bulk of the damage came from quarterback Gage Porter, who accounted for 191 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Storm moved the ball well from the opening drive but missed a field goal on their first possession. They did not slow down, though, answering Southeastern's touchdown on their first possession with a touchdown of their own after Donald May exploded for a 25 yard touchdown run. May finished with 4 carries for 70 yards and the one touchdown.
The teams continued to trade touchdowns in the second quarter. Trailing 21-14 with five minutes remaining until halftime, Southern Nazarene put together a methodical 11 play, 81 yard drive to close the half. Down to the Southeastern 15 yard line and just four seconds until halftime, Gage Porter connected with Jarrell Farr in the corner of the endzone as the half expired to tie things at 21.
In the second half, Southeastern quickly regained the lead after a short four play touchdown drive. They were forced to settle for just a six point lead this time after the extra point attempt was blocked. The Savage Storm did not score again until the final play of the game as the blocked extra point seemed to ignite the Crimson Storm.
The Southeastern offense was completely shut down the following six possessions. They went three-and-out on three straight drives and were intercepted on the following three drives.
After forcing their first three-and-out, SNU cut the deficit in half with a 30 yard field goal off the foot of Adam Atwell. The field goal marked the first points of SNU's 24-0 burst that sealed the game. As the third quarter came to a close, the Crimson Storm found themselves right within striking distance, trailing just 27-24.
SNU grabbed their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter. Coming into the game for a play at quarterback, Jarvis Davis took advantage of his opportunity, finding Jaren Alvarado for a six-yard strike that gave SNU a slim 31-27 lead. The lead was quickly expanded as Josh Johnson came up with the first of three straight Crimson Storm interceptions. Gage Porter then busted off a 20-yard touchdown run that pushed SNU in front by two possessions.
Driving down field, Southeastern seemed primed to bring the game back within one score, but Carter Brock stepped in front of a pass in the endzone and took it back 62 yards the other way. One play later, Gage Porter busted off another 37 yard touchdown run that gave SNU a 45-27 lead with just over four minutes to play.
If the score had remained at 45-27, it would have marked SNU's largest win since September 2018, but a Southeastern touchdown on the final play of the game brought the Savage Storm back within 11 points for a 45-34 final.
Along with their record setting performance on the ground, Southern Nazarene also achieved a program first by recording 500 yards of offense for the first time in the DII era. They finished with 500 yards on the nose.
Southern Nazarene will look to keep both sides of the ball rolling next week with another road matchup against Arkansas Tech. The Wonder Boys are coming off a 35-14 loss to Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday. Last season, Arkansas Tech defeated Southern Nazarene 51-41 in a shootout in Bethany. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. in Russellville on October 1st.
