Slow Start Costly in Road Loss at SAU

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – A slow start proved costly for Southeastern as they were tripped up on the road 38-24 against Southern Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in Magnolia, Ark.
 
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 5-4 overall on the year and in Great American Conference play heading into the final home game of the season on Nov. 5 when they host Arkansas-Monticello at Paul laird Field at 2 p.m.
 
CB Cantwell paced the SE offense on Saturday with 243 yards passing on 18-of-34 with a pair of touchdowns.  He also added 19 yards on the ground on five carries with a rushing score.
 
Anterric Maxey-Meshilaya led the receiving corps with 87 yards on three catches with a 45 yard touchdown catch.
 
Kaymon Farmer had a team-best five receptions which went for 50 yards and a touchdown.
 
Bryce Steele added 59 yards on four catches.
 
The vaunted Storm running attack was held to its worst outing of the season with 106 yards as a team, while the league's top rushers combined for 75 yards of that total.  Devlon Wortham finished with 38 yards on 10 carries and Ronnie Green had 37 on 10 carries.
 
Kevin Jones turned in a season-best 11 tackles to pace the defense, while Rob Gardner added 10.
 
Raheem Wilson posted seven stops with a pass breakup, while Trent Hannah chipped in six tackles, including three for a loss and one sack.
 
Andrew McBeth also added a sack.
 
SAU scored the first 17 points of the contest with a pair of Barrett Renner touchdown passes sandwiching a Bradford Grems field goal.
 
The Storm would finally find an answer with a 62-yard drive over eight plays with Cantwell finding Farmer for a 13 yard touchdown connection to cut the gap to 17-7 with 4:14 to go in the half.
 
Unfortunately, the Mulerider would tack on one final score in the first half with a third Renner TD toss and SE trailed 24-7 at halftime.
 
SAU struck first in the third quarter with another Renner touchdown pass at the 9:33 mark of the third quarter.
 
Cantwell would answer with his second touchdown pass of the contest when he found Maxey for a 45 yard touchdown pass would cap a 72 yard drive that took 2:11 off the clock and closed the deficit to 31-14.
 
The Storm defense then forced a three-and-out before the offense took over and drove the ball 61 yards on 12 plays but had to settle for a 20 yard Joel Carlos field goal with 1:10 to play in the third quarter to cut it to 31-17.
 
However, SAU would score first in the fourth quarter on Renner's fifth touchdown pass of the contest to open up a 38-17 lead.
 
Cantwell would cap SE's ensuing drive with a two-yard TD run at the 9:21 mark of the fourth.
 
The Storm defense would hold the Muleriders to a three-and0out on the next drive, but the Southeastern rally would come to an end with a turnover with 6:44 to play as SAU would run out the clock with its final drive.