SE Falls in Final Seconds to OBU, 35-29

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern took a 29-28 lead with 58 seconds to play and looked to have the upper hand on unbeaten Ouachita Baptist, but a pair of penalties between the go-ahead touchdown and the beginning of OBU's drive put the Tigers in a position to drive half the field in 47 seconds and score with 11 ticks on the clock to hand the Savage Storm a 35-29 loss on Saturday night at Paul Laird Field.
 
The Savage Storm slipped to 1-3 overall and in Great American Conference play heading into an Oct. 4 out-of-conference matchup with Bacone at 2 p.m. at Paul Laird Field.
 
OBU improves top 3-0 on the season and will next host Southwestern Oklahoma State on Oct. 4.

The Tigers took an early lead with a Drew White touchdown catch from Kiehl Frazier at the 11:57 mark of the first half, but the Storm answered with a five-play, 60 yard drive that produced a Jake Walters 29 yard field goal to cut it to 7-3.

The Tigers would use a 12-play, 81 yard drive late in the quarter to open up the largest lead either team would have on the night when Steven Kehner scored from a yard out to make the score 14-3.
 
SE would bounce back, first with an 18 yard Ryan Polite to Kaymon Farmer connection for a score with 11 seconds to play in the first quarter, and with 4:15 to play in the half Walters would connect on his longest field goal of the season from 38 yards out to close the gap to 14-13.
 
The Tigers would respond with 1:03 to play in the half when Frazier connected with Ke'Vontae Pope for a 39 yard touchdown, but SE would move the ball 65 yards on five plays, using the final 1:03 off the clock before Walters would hit his third field goal of the half, this one from 27 yards to make the halftime score 21-16 in favor of OBU.
 
SE would get the ball first in the second half and take advantage by driving 80 yards on six plays before Tyler Sweatt would make an amazing 20 yard TD catch on a ball that was twice deflected in the back corner of the endzone.  That score would give SE its first lead at 23-21 with 12:47 to play in the third.
 
OBU answered with Frazier finding Jalen Jones for a 14 yard TD strike with 1:01 remaining in the quarter to retake the lead at 28-23.
 
Nearly the entire fourth quarter went by before the Tigers drove deep intoi SE territory and looked poised to score when Damarius Lavender forced Steven Kehner to fumble on the one-yard line heading in and Trent Hannah covered it up in the end zone for a touchback
 
A total of 13 plays, 80 yards and 3:12 later Ronnie Green would score from nine yards out to put the Storm in front 29-28 which is where it would stay after a two-point conversion failed.
 
However a flag was thrown on SE for unsportsmanlike conduct following the touchdown, which moved the kickoff back to the SE 20 yard line. That kick would then sail out of bounds which would penalize SE and give the Tigers the ball at the 50 yard line with 58 second to play.
 
They would then use 47 seconds to go 50 yards with Brandon Marks capping the drive with a 14 yard run that put the Tigers in front 35-29 with 11 seconds to play which would hold to be the final.
 
The teams combined for 1,050 yards of total offense, with the Storm racking up 518 yards and OBU topping that with 532.
 
Southeastern led the passing attack with Polite completing 20-of-35 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns.
 
He hit Anthony Foster for a team-best five receptions and a team-best 131 yards, while Farmer and Sweatt cnagged the two touchdown passes.
 
Green turned in his second 100-yard game of the season, finishing with 104 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown.
 
Polite added 74 yards rushing to his total offense numbers.
 
Raheem Wilson led the defense with eight tackles as well as adding a fumble recovery and a return of three yards.
 
Tanner Ginavan, Josh Morrison, Lavender and Adrian Williams each added seven stops.
 
Donnie Hamilton and Ryan Harkness each tallied a sack, while Ginnavan and Lavender half a half-sack each.  
 
Lavender, Hamilton and Kevin Jones-Dickerson each forced a fumble, with Hannah adding a fumble recovery.