ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Southern Nazarene Football came up short in their road meeting with No. 22 Henderson State, falling 42-28 for their third loss of the season. 

The Reddies (5-1, 5-1 GAC) have always been a tough opponent for the Storm (3-3, 3-3 GAC) with Henderson State winning 9 of the 10 meetings between the two teams, prior to this matchup. Working up to become a top-25 team in recent years, Henderson State's No. 22 spot was untouched Saturday afternoon as their 498 yards of total offense and early 14-0 start was all it took to add another win to their schedule. 

Henderson State wasted no time getting the first score, marching all the way down the field in the opening possession for their first of three rushing touchdown of the day. SNU struggled to find an offensive spark in their opening possession, reaching a quick three-an-out to return the ball back to the Reddies. 

It did not take long for the Reddies to build a two-score lead, beginning their next drive from the SNU40. The Reddies pressed down the field to the SNU28 where quarterback Andrew Edwards connected with Chris Hatzis for the 28-yard touchdown pass and HSU saw a quick 14-0 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. 

SNU was able to wake up their offense in the following drive, putting together eight plays for 57 yards, but were ultimately denied going for it on 3rd and 10 as Gage Porter's pass was incomplete to Asa Robertson. The Reddies had just under two minutes to work with before the first quarter expired, seeing a few first downs to inch closer and closer to SNU territory.The clock eventually ran out and HSU controlled a 14-0 lead heading into quarter two. 

Henderson State continued their drive from the first quarter and capped it off with a three-yard rushing touchdown, cruising to a three-score lead to start the second quarter. Still without an answer to HSU's potent offense, SNU looked to switch gears in their next possession. The Storm attacked the Reddie defense quickly with Gage Porter leading the rush game and taking his team all the way down the field, highlighted by a thrilling fourth down conversion on the HSU34 to keep the drive alive. 

With the ball on the HSU11, Donald May saw an opening and zipped up the right side for the 11-yard touchdown, closing the scoring gap to 21-7. The teams traded three-and-outs to end the first half and HSU maintained the 21-7 lead heading into halftime. 

An SNU fumble to kick off the second half put the ball back in the hands of the Reddies,  where Fredrick O'Donald escaped the SNU defense for a 36-yard run for the score, putting Henderson State ahead 28-7 with just under 13 minutes left in the third quarter. Porter caught fire in SNU's next drive, exploding for a 77-yard run to get SNU all the way to the HSU3. Two plays later, Henderson State forced another SNU fumble, but the Storm recovered it on the Reddie one-yard line. Porter found himself in the end zone in the next play to put SNU behind by two scores once more, 28-14. 

The SNU defense halted Henderson State with a quick three-and-out and SNU was able to turn that into another score in the next drive, dishing out four plays for 80 yards  that ended with Porter finding Dalen Smith for the three yard pass and another touchdown. Smith's touchdown closed the scoring gap to 28-21 with five minutes to go in the third quarter. 

Henderson State had an offensive burst of their own in the following possession, moving down the field to end with a 14-yard touchdown pass for the 35-21 advantage. The Storm were unable to answer with the two minutes remaining and were down two scores moving into the final quarter. 

Henderson State made a potential SNU comeback a difficult task, beginning the final quarter with another touchdown pass from Edwards, this one being the longest completed pass of the afternoon at 59 yards. The Reddies applied the pressure on defense, stopping SNU on third down with a sack to regain possession at their own 35-yard line. Putting together another solid drive with just under 11 minutes left, the Reddies were forced to settle for a field goal from 31 yards out. Their attempt was unsuccessful an SNU had six minutes left to try and cut the deficit. 

At 1st and 10 on their own 20-yard line, Porter fired a deep ball to Smith for the 44 yard completion. The Smith and Porter connection continued to work well for the Storm as Porter found Smith again alone in the end zone for the 36-yard touchdown to trail 28-42. 

That was the last of the scoring for either team as the last five minutes was a tale of traded possessions. SNU was able to organize a a 10-play, 34-yard drive in the final moments, but it wasn't enough and Henderson State earned the 42-28 victory on their home field. 

SNU finished with 465 yards of total offense, largely led by Porter who recorded 196 yards on the ground and 195 yards in the air. May and Smith contributed nicely as May recorded 47 yards on the ground and Smith put up 101 receiving yards.

Carter Brock was the defensive catalyst with 12 total tackles. 

Up Next

Southern Nazarene will be back on their home turf Saturday, October 14th at 2 p.m. against Southeastern Oklahoma State. SNU got the victory over the Savage Storm last season in Durant, 45-34.