BETHANY, Okla. — A Thursday night under the lights did not end in favor of Southern Nazarene Football as the No.14 Ouachita Baptist Tigers upheld their ranking with a 49-28 final victory in Bethany.
The Tigers (8-1, 8-1 GAC) have always been a tough opponent for the Storm (4-5, 4-5 GAC) since their first meeting back in 2013. Before this meeting, Ouachita Baptist snagged every victory over the Storm across nine seasons. The purple and white made it a 10th victory on Thursday night, powered by 550 yards of total offense with 339 yards in the air alone. Southern Nazarene were the dominate force on the ground, tallying 304 rushing yards, 93 more than their opponent.
The Crimson Storm looked to make some noise early, starting their opening drive from the SNU25. Between the ground game of Gage Porter, Carlos Zepeda, and Asa Robertson, the Storm were able to move all the way down to the OUA49, but were tripped up on 3rd and 9, resorting to punt. Adam Atwell's punt was blocked and the ball only traveled a slim seven yards to the OUA42.
The Tigers took no time in finding the end zone, marching down the field with seven plays for 58 yards for the three-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good from the purple and white and Ouachita Baptist took the early 7-0 lead with just under six minutes remaining in quarter one.
Again from the SNU25, SNU went to work in the next possession. The Storm offense worked wonders at seeking out holes in the Tiger defense, driving all the way down to the Ouachita red zone. From 3rd and 3 on OUA17, Porter found a gap and danced up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown. Adam Atwell sent one through the uprights and the Storm tied the game at seven all just before the end of the first quarter.
Ouachita Baptist wasted no time in taking back the lead as Connor Flanagan zipped up the left side for 38 yards to put his team at the SNU24 with a first down. Two plays later, Tiger Quarterback Riley Harms connected with Jeremiah Turner for the 22 yard pass completion and just like Ouachita Baptist was back with the lead at 14-7 with a little over 13 minutes remaining in the first half.
SNU was unable to make anything out of their next possession and the Tigers took advantage, putting up a quick 5-play, 62 yard drive that was capped off with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Harms to Carter McElhany. Their extra point was good and the Tigers controlled a 21-7 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the first half.
Now down two touchdowns, Southern Nazarene looked to cut the deficit with 9:40 left on the clock. Jarrell Farr excited the Storm fans as he found an opening up the left sideline and ran at full force, rushing for a whopping 72 yards all the way to the end zone. Farr's score and Atwell's extra point put SNU behind 14-21 with 9:30 remaining in the first half.
Ouachita Baptist continued to deliver a potent run game, getting conversion after conversion until they pushed their way all the way to the SNU 1-yard line. Kendel Givens forced his way through the Storm wall and tacked on another touchdown for the Tigers, getting back up to the two-touchdown lead with 5:24 left on the clock.
SNU's next drive ended with an interception in Ouachita territory and the Tigers were awarded with another possession with 2:11 left in quarter two. The Tigers continued to deliver the pass and the rush, but SNU's defense came up big in the final few plays, starting with David Omosigho's tackle for a loss of four yards and Josh Johnson's pass break up that forced 3rd and 7. Harms lofted up a pass to an open receiver in the right corner, but Johnson snagged it out of the air to erase the chance of another Tiger touchdown, giving SNU back possession with 45 seconds left on the clock.
SNU tried to make the most of that 45 seconds but were left to punt to end the second half, stuck trailing the Tigers 14-28 heading into halftime.
Both squads traded three and outs to begin the second half, taking six minutes off the clock. In their next possession, the Tigers turned up their offense, exploding for an 8-play, 50-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Eli Livingston to Garrison Jackson. That Ouachita score put them ahead 35-14 with six minutes remaining in quarter three.
Southern Nazarene was quick to respond, starting with Porter's huge quarterback keep for the 51-yard rush to the OBU20. After Farr added on a three-yard rush, Porter found another gap in the Tiger defense and took it all the way to the end zone for a 23-yard score, cutting the deficit down to 35-21 with just under five minutes left in the third.
The teams traded punts in the next two drives and Ouachita Baptist was awarded the ball back at their own 45-yard line. A 31-yard pass from Harms to Flannigan gave Ouachita great field position and they capped off the drive with another touchdown pass, growing their lead to 42-21 at the end of the third quarter.
SNU's offense caught fire to start the final quarter, starting at their own 27-yard line and using rush after rush to quickly find Tiger territory. After a pass to Donovaughn Hill for 15-yards, Porter found a wide open Farr in the left corner for a 16-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Tigers' lead to 42-28.
The Storm could not catch a break as Ouachita Baptist continued to work their magic on the offensive end, delivering another march down the field that ended with another rushing touchdown. Gabe Goodman's extra point fell through and the Tigers soared to a 21-point lead with just under eight minutes remaining in the game.
That was the last of the scoring between the Tigers and the Storm as the final possessions featured a Storm interception, a Tiger punt, and a Storm turnover on downs. Ouachita let the clock melt with 43 seconds left and claimed the victory by a final score of 49-28.
Up Next
Southern Nazarene will be back on the road to Arkansas to face Arkansas-Monticello Saturday, November 4th at 2 p.m. for their last road game of the regular season. SNU has only recorded one win over the Weevils since their first meeting back in 2013.
