Crimson Storm Surge Past Bison, 49-21

SHAWNEE -- Southern Nazarene soared to a commanding 49-21 victory over Oklahoma Baptist in a Great American Conference matchup at Crain Family Stadium at the Hurt Complex on Saturday. SNU capitalized on a balanced offensive attack, a few key defensive plays and a squib-kick recovery to spoil OBU's Senior Day.

First Half: Fireworks Early
The game opened with both teams trading touchdowns. SNU struck with a 43-yard touchdown reception by Braxton Burd from quarterback Bryson Evans before the hosts responded with a 14-yard touchdown run by Jason Thomason.

The two squads traded scores again in the second before SNU took control. With the score tied at 14, SNU delivered an 85-yard touchdown drive, and then got the ball right back on the ensuing kickoff when a squib kick near the SNU sideline was recovered by Seth Spruiell. One play later, Evans passed to Donavaughn Hill who scored from 34 yards out.  

That momentum led SNU to a 28-14 halftime advantage. An advantage, it never gave up.

Second Half: Dominance on the Ground
SNU continued to dominate in the third, grinding out a 75-yard drive capped by a five-yard scoring run from CJ Cardenas. Their ground game was potent on Saturday, with Carlos Zepeda adding a 26-yard touchdown run and Aryion Welch contributing a two-yard score in the fourth.

By the end of the contest, SNU's offensive line created consistent gaps, helping them rack up 281 rushing yards, tying its season-high. Furthermore, the Storm's 49 points and 472 total yards were season-bests too.

Defensive Highlights
The Crimson Storm defense was relentless, forcing two interceptions and recording three sacks. Ethan Minor and Jamauri Johnson made critical plays to stymie OBU's passing game, while Emmanuel Obinna snagged a key interception in the fourth. OBU's Thomason showed flashes with 258 passing yards but was frequently under duress.

Thomason's passing yards total was a career-best while Michael Marshall and Darius Melton combined for 10 catches for 194 yards. Defensively, Austin Vincent led with a game-high 10 stops while Tyler Johnson added nine tackles and 2.0 tackles-for-loss.

With the result, Oklahoma Baptist ended its season with a 2-9 record.