BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene took the field on a Thursday evening under the lights, hoping to find a spark in Great American Conference play, but fell 31-6 to Southwestern Oklahoma State at SNU Football Stadium.

The Crimson Storm (1-6, 1-6 GAC) sought to defend their home turf and snap their skid, but the Bulldogs (3-4, 3-4 GAC) took advantage of a handful of SNU penalties to maintain momentum throughout the course of the contest.

Southern Nazarene took control of the contest early on after Elijah Simons came up clutch with an interception. The Storm was unable to capitalize, leading SWOSU to open the scoring with a first-quarter touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead. Southwestern added to its advantage with a second-quarter field goal and another passing score, sending SNU into halftime trailing 17-0.

Out of the break, the Storm continued to battle, but the Bulldogs extended their lead with a rushing touchdown in the third. Southern Nazarene finally broke through in the fourth quarter, piecing together a 7-play, 46-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Kaden Manuel to make it 24-6. The Storm attempted a two-point conversion but were unable to convert, settling for their lone score of the night.

Despite the late momentum, the Bulldogs answered with another score to close out the night. Defensively, Elijah Simons led the way picking up an early interception and recording 14 tackles on the night.

Next Up

The Crimson Storm will travel to Alva to take on Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday, October 25 at 3:00 pm.