Southeastern Faces In-State Rival NWOSU

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern looks to match its best start to a season since 1988 when it takes its 4-0 record to Alva, Okla., to face Northwestern Oklahoma State on Sept. 30 at 4 p.m.
 
The Savage Storm have stayed perfect on the year, matching a 4-0 start to the 2002 season and will look to stretch that to five wins which would put them in a class with the 1988 team which started 5-0 en route to 10-straight wins that season.
 
Saturday's matchup will be the 76^th meeting all-time between the in-state rivals, with the first game taking place in 1914, a 26-0 Southeastern win.  Since then the Storm have posted a 44-30-1 record overall and have won six of the last eight, including a 55-34 victory last season.
 
SE is coming off a 41-21 win over Arkansas-Monticello where the defense forced four turnovers and managed to hold one of the league's more potent offenses in check.
 
That defense was led by Justin Young who turned in seven stops in the contest with an interception and a forced fumble on his way to earning Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Seu Luafatasaga led the team in tackles with nine in the game, while Luke Craddock and Hunter Treadwell each added interceptions and Troy Parker recovered the fumble caused by Young.
 
Through four games SE's defense has held opponents to 18.2 ppg and allowed 338.8 yards per game of total offense, including giving up just 148.2 yards per contest through the air.
 
That has been countered by an offense that is turning in 40.2 ppg on the year and is ranked 20^th in the nation and first in the GAC in yards per game with 472.5.
 
The offense has found its way on the ground and through the air, with Rollin Kinsaul and the passing game leading the conference in passing with a 267.2 yards per game, while not to be outdone the Storm running back corps is averaging 205.2 ypg.
 
Jaylen Sims has become the most targeted receiver with 18 catches for 236 yards and three touchdowns, while Drake White leads the way in yardage with 252 yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches, an average of 18.0 yards per reception.
 
SE special teams continued to make its presence felt against UAM as O.J. Walker turned in his second punt return touchdown of the year in just his fourth career game, going 54 yards for the score and becoming the first player since Jerome Hewitt in 2009 to return two punts for touchdowns in the same season.
 
Not to be outdone the kicking game added 11 points as Joel Carlos was 2-of-2 on field goals and 5-of-5 PAT and has now hit 5-of-7 field goal tries on the season, while in the punting game he has pinned 10 of his 16 punts on the year inside the opponents 20 yard line.
 
NWOSU is coming off a 36-18 win over Southern Arkansas at home which moved the team to 2-2 on the season overall.
 
The Rangers are averaging 34.25 ppg on the season and are paced on offense by quarterback Isaiah Weed who has passed for 778 yards and seven touchdowns while running for 202 yards and six touchdowns.
 
The NWOSU defense is paced by Devin Peyton who has 47 stops through four games, while the team is allowing 28.5 ppg by opponents and 429.8 yards of offense per outing.