SHAWNEE – The final game of the 2024 football season comes on Saturday, Nov. 16 when Oklahoma Baptist hosts Southern Nazarene at 2 p.m. It will be Senior Day for the Bison who will honor 16 student-athletes prior to the game.
Both the Bison and Crimson Storm bring a 2-8 record into the game. SNU has won the last two meetings in the series including last year's 49-21 win in Bethany. Historically, in eight career contests, each program has four wins.
As usual, the Bison Sports Network's Todd Miller, Scott Wanish and John Brooks will be on the call of the game. Pregame coverage starts at 1:30 p.m.
One Last Time
OBU is 6-4 in its season-ending games all time. The last two years, Southern Nazarene has ended the Bison's campaigns with defeats, but prior to that, OBU won the 2021 Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl over UT Permian Basin and earned a 52-27 victory over the Storm in Bethany in 2019.
Keep An Eye in the Backfield
Caden Peevey and
Ajay Lynch will lead rushing duties for Oklahoma Baptist offensive coordinator
Daniel Eaton on Saturday. Peevey, a 5-foot-9 scatback of sorts for OBU, has rushed for 222 yards this fall including a team-long 53-yard rush attained at Henderson State on Oct. 5. As for Lynch, a freshman from Meeker, he's a powerful runner checking in at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds.
A Record Could Fall
If you've kept up with game notes this fall, you'd know that
Darius Melton has had a fine season returning kickoffs for OBU. His 648 kickoff return yards are best the GAC and rank 14th in the country. That total is within striking distance of the program's single-season record too. Two years ago, Keilahn Harris attained 716 kickoff return yards. If Melton reaches 69 yards on Saturday, he'll have established a new benchmark in Oklahoma Baptist history.
Making the Stops
Linebacker
Brayden Johnson and safety
Jylun Spence have been key leaders on defense this fall for OBU. They each have 64 stops and an interception with Johnson adding 7.5 tackles-for-loss and Spence registering two fumble recoveries and two pass break-ups. Furthermore, OBU is one of only three teams in the GAC to have a pair of top-12 tacklers. The other institutions are Ouachita Baptist and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Possible Line of Attack
SNU's passing defense has had its issues this fall. They've allowed 20 touchdowns through the air to opponents. That total is ranked 10th in the Great American Conference. In seven of nine games, the Storm have allowed multiple TD passes including four each to Southern Arkansas and Henderson State.
Also of Note
The Crimson Storm have failed to get after the quarterback. In fact, they have registered just eight sacks this season, a league-low.
Stacking Things Up
OBU, statistically, has several advantages over its opponent. They are sixth in passing yards (166.4) while the Crimson Storm are 11th (123.8). The Bison also lead the conference with 757 kickoff return yards while SNU sits in 10th (433). OBU has also forced more fumbles than Southern Nazarene by a 9-6 margin.
The main advantage the Storm have over the Bison is rushing offense. SNU ranks seventh in the league averaging 138.7 yards per game. OBU sits in 11th at 95.2 yards.
A Few Key Defenders
The Bison's offensive line will have to keep an eye on junior linebackers Carter Brock and Emmanuel Obinna on Saturday. Brock is No. 2 in the conference with 91 tackles and ranks 16th with 8.0 tackles-for-loss. In five of 10 games this fall, the Lewisville, Texas native has reached double-digit tackle totals including a season-high 15 against Southwestern on Sept. 28.
As for Obinna, his 10 TFLs are ranked ninth in the league. The Georgetown, Texas native has recorded at least one TFL in seven of SNU's 10 games including a season-high 2.5 against Southern Arkansas on Oct. 5.
Stopping the Run
This has been a struggle for Oklahoma Baptist this fall. It has allowed 211.6 rushing yards per game. That's 11th out of 12 GAC schools. However, with the offseason looming in a few days, a team effort on Saturday to slow down SNU's biggest advantage would lead to some smiles at Crain Family Stadium on Saturday afternoon. OBU will need to defend Bryson Evans and Carlos Zepeda, SNU's top runners. They have combined for seven touchdowns and 660 yards.
