DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern racked up 389 yards through the air but could not find an answer on defense to stop Southern Nazarene's running game as the Savage Storm suffered a 45-34 loss on Saturday night at Paul Laird Field.
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 2-2 on the season and in league play heading into an Oct. 1 road matchup with Henderson State at Arkadelphia, Ark.
Daulton Hatley threw for 389 yards on 22-of-40 passing with three touchdowns but was picked off a season worst three times.
Marquis Gray was his top target and maintained his torrid pace in the receiving game, setting a new career high with 201 yards and a touchdown on seven catches, with his long grab going for 63 yards.
Duce Pittman also snagged seven receptions and finished with 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Savage Storm running attack consisted of two backs with
Deundre Wheeler getting 11 carries and finishing with 52 yards and a score while
Jason Ngwu picked up 41 yards on four carries with a TD as well.
The SE defense had a trio of double-digit tacklers, led by
Maalik Hall who piled up 17 stops with 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
He was joined in double-figures by Micah Rogers who racked up 14 stops and
Conner Swope who finished with 10.
Kevin Simes added a sack for a loss of 17 and a forced fumble.
SE kept SNU off the board on its opening drive when
Jaiveon Gardner blocked a 43 yard field goal try and the Storm marched down the field on its ensuing drive, starting with a 32 yard Hatley to
Gyasi Smith connection and ending with a 29 yard Ngwu touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
SNU would answer by going 78 yards on eight plays to tie the game up at 7-7.
SE would not take long, needing just two plays on its next drive with Hatley finding Gray for a 63 yard score and a 14-7 lead.
But after the Storm defense would force a punt, the special teams would suffer a miscue as a muffed punt was recovered by SNU at SE's 29 yard line and four plays later the Crimson Storm would tie the game 14-14.
Wheeler would cap the next Southeastern drive after the Storm marched 65 yards on nine plays before he punched it in from three yards out to take a 21-14 lead with 5:34 to play in the half.
However, SNU would get the last word in the half as Gage Porter would find Jarrell Farr for a 15-yard TD pass with no time on the clock to send the game to the half tied at 21-21.
SE would use a pair of long pass plays, one to Gray and one going for a 27 yard touchdown to Pittman to regain the lead, but a blocked PAT would leave the lead at 27-21.
The teams would trade fruitless drives before the Crimson Storm put together a 5:33 drive that covered 44 yards on nine plays before Adam Atwell hit a 30-yard field goal to cut the SE lead to 27-24.
SE would be forced to punt on its next two drives, with a SNU punt sandwiched in between, but the first Crimson Storm drive of the fourth quarter would end with a Jarvis Davis to Jaren Alvarado touchdown pass, giving the visitors a 31-27 lead with 11:11 to play.
Southeastern would march the ensuing drive into SNU territory before a Hatley pass was picked off in the end zone for a touchback.
Four plays later SNU's Porter would score from 20 yards out to push the lead to 38-27 with 6:37 to go.
Southeastern would again march deep into Crimson Storm territory, but another Hatley pass was picked off, this one at the one-yard-line and returned 62 yards, setting up a one-play 37-yard Porter touchdown run to extend the SNU lead to 45-27.
The bad luck was not done for Hatley as he was picked off one final time on the first play of the ensuing drive.
SE would keep the Crimson Storm off the board following that one, taking over after a punt at its own 12-yard line.
The Storm would finish the game on a positive note despite not pulling off the victory, marching 88 yards on 12 plays with Hatley finding Pittman for the second time on the day for a 19-yard TD connection to fashion the final score of 45-34.
