Football Set for Road Opener at UAM

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Southeastern at Arkansas-Monticello Game Notes

DURANT, Okla. – After posting a dramatic 56-50 win in the season opener at home, Southeastern will have to take its show on the road for week two as it travels to Monticello, Ark., to face Arkansas-Monticello at 6 p.m. Sept. 14.
 
The Savage Storm knocked off the Great American Conference's preseason No. 2 team in the opener, winning its third-straight season opener in the process.
 
UAM will be playing in its home opener after travelling to Oklahoma a week ago to take on East Central in Ada, Okla., falling to the Tigers 46-22 after giving up 19-straight points in the second quarter.
 
It was a 28 point second quarter for SE that erased an early 10-0 deficit and pushed the Storm out to a 21-10 lead with 6:16 to go in the half against SAU.
 
Southeastern would take a 28-23 lead to the locker room at halftime and a 35-23 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
After a pair of turnovers in their own end of the field spotted the Muleriders a 36-35 lead, SE answered with back-to-back scores to regain the lead by two possessions.
 
The Storm would ice the game on back-to-back plays with less than two minutes to play.
 
The first was an outstanding defensive play by Chad Tucker who knocked a fourth-down pass out of the hands of an SAU receiver in the end zone to preserve a six-point lead.
 
The second was on the first play of the ensuing possession when Devlon Wortham took the handoff up the middle and ran 87 yards for the touchdown to make the score 56-43 with 1:34 to play.  The run is the fifth longest in SE history.
 
Speaking of history, Wortham also moved to seventh in the SE record books for single game performances with a 220 yard outing that took only 13 carries to compile thanks to runs of 87, 65 and 35 yards.  He also added three touchdowns and currently leads all of Division II in rushing yards after one week of play, earning him GAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
 
He was joined by punter Jared Heim in those honors as Heim also added a D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week award to the special teams award from the conference.  He did so by averaging 49.6 yards per punt which included three punts of more than 50 yards and a long of 63.  His gross punting average is currently fourth in D-II.
 
In all, the SE offense was firing on all cylinders in the opener with 522 yards of total offense in a very balanced attack of 251 yards rushing and 271 yards passing.
 
Nick Sioson was efficient in just his second career start going 26-of-45 with a pair of TD's and one pick.
 
On the other side of the ball, the SE defense took its lumps in the yardage department but did make some plays, forcing four turnovers, three of which were interceptions, including a 25 yard interception return for a TD by Tucker.
 
The Boll Weevils enter Saturday's contest off the season-opening loss to ECU in which they outgained the Tigers by a 349-to-297 margin, but still fell after surrendering a safety and an 80 yard interception return over the final three quarters when they were outscored 32-13.
 
UAM did its damage through the air as QB Colton Morrison went 38-of-55 with a TD and three interceptions, while backup Cody Trimble went 3-of-9 for 856 yards and an interception.
 
Meanwhile their defense held the Tigers to 73 passing yards on a 7-for-18 passing performance with one TD.
 
However, the story was almost completely reversed in the running game where UAM amassed just 23 yards on 32 carries, while their defense allowed ECU to pick up 224 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
 
Boll Weevil receiver Cody Bordelon hauled in 12 of the teams combined 41 receptions for 128 yards and one score.
 
Defensively, Keith Reynolds posted a team-best nine tackles, while Rodney Edmiston and Marshall Everett each recovered fumbles.
 
Southeastern will be aiming to win its third-straight road opener while also attempting to open the GAC schedule 2-0 for the first time in the young history of the conference.