BETHANY, Oklahoma. — Southern Nazarene Football made history Saturday afternoon, recording their first ever winning season in the Division II after the absolute takedown of rival Oklahoma Baptist. 

The Storm (6-5, 6-5 GAC) experienced a similar game last season against the Bison (6-5, 6-5 GAC) in Shawnee, defeating OBU by 35 points, their largest scoring margin ever recorded in the history of Division II. SNU nearly made that mark again this season, but their 28-point margin was just enough to not only knock off the Bison two years in row, but also reach their first ever winning record in the D- II era. 

SNU had another 500+ yards of total offense game, largely contributed by quarterback Gage Porter who recorded four touchdowns and over 300 yards of total offense himself. The SNU defense also caused some trouble for the OBU ground game, holding the Bison to just 18 rushing yards. Josh Johnson tallied four pass break-ups in the game while teammate Carter Brock led with seven tackles, making any  scoring a difficult task for the Bison offense. 

SNU won the toss and elected to receive. Donald May got the offense going with a 23 yard run to the OBU37. Unfortunately, the following two plays featured a loss of yards and an incomplete pass which forced SNU to punt.

Oklahoma Baptist faced the same issues in their first possession, dealing with a rush for a loss of two and an incomplete pass that also forced them to punt and SNU stole the ball back with nine minutes left in quarter one. 

The Storm finally got their offense started with a Gage Porter rush for 12 yards and later a huge 22 yard pass to Dalen Smith who took it all the way to the Bison 10-yard line. Porter finished off the drive with a five-yard run up the middle of the Bison defense straight to the end zone. Adam Atwell punched in the extra point and the Storm were on the board first, 7-0. 

Oklahoma Baptist looked to answer with the three minutes remaining in the game, but their 7-play, 25-yard drive ended with a false start and an incomplete pass, resulting in another Bison punt to end the first quarter. 

SNU started the second quarter off on the right foot, powered by a huge 54-yard rush by Porter, putting his team on the OBU17 in the first play of the quarter. Donald May had the crowd on its feet two plays after, finding an opening up the right sideline for another Storm touchdown. Atwell's kick attempt was off the mark and the Storm reached a 13-0 lead just three minutes into quarter two. 

It wasn't long before Oklahoma Baptist decided to ignite their offense as Aidan Thompson launched two big passes, one for 28 yards and the other for 26 which resulted in a Bison touchdown. 

Now ahead by just a single score, SNU searched for another edge and found it quickly. Porter connected with both Aaron Fellows and Smith on two passes for a gain of 39 yards, putting SNU on the OBU33. Two possessions after, Donald May took a pitch from Porter and broke a few tackles to find himself with another touchdown. The Storm were feeling good and decided to go for two. Porter found an opening and took it to the house, giving SNU the now two-score lead at 21-7. 

The Bison couldn't make much of their next drive and Southern Nazarene took full advantage, delivering a nine-play 83-yard drive that resulted in Gage Porter gliding up the middle for another Storm score. Atwell punched in the extra point and the Storm soared to a 28-7 lead just before halftime. 

It did not take long for the Storm to stretch their lead even further, putting up a pick-6 in the first play of the third quarter. Tavian Haughton sniffed out Thomspon's pass and took it straight to the end zone to give SNU the 35-7 advantage. 

The Bison were faced with tough Storm defense in their next drive, dealing with numerous incomplete passes and then a huge Carter Brock sack that resulted in a loss of 10 yards. A few more incompletions from Oklahoma Baptist ended their drive with a punt. 

The teams traded three and outs and SNU was back with possession at their own 16-yard line. SNU marched down the field and utilized a few unsportsmanlike conduct calls to inch closer and closer to the red zone. Porter escaped the OBU rush and danced his way to another touchdown to put SNU up 42-7 with just a few seconds remaining in the third quarter. 

With just two seconds left in the third quarter, the Bison strung together a few solid snaps that eventually led to an OBU touchdown. Kenny Rosenthal connected with Nick Harris for the 29-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 42-14 moving into the fourth quarter. 

The Crimson Storm could not be stopped on the offensive end, eating up six minutes of the fourth quarter with eight plays for 83 yards. Porter continued to expose the openings in the Bison line as he found himself in the end zone again. Porter's touchdown gave SNU the 49-14 lead, their largest scoring margin since joining the Division II. 

The Bison were able to sneak in a touchdown with just over a minute left in the game, but that was not enough to close the gap SNU built and the Storm walked off the field with a huge 49-21 final victory. 

SNU's victory concludes their 2023 regular season, a year of record breaking results and many individual bests from some of their most promising players. Head Coach Dustin Hada looks to continue this recent success into the next season, heading into his fourth year leading the Storm.