SHAWNEE – The 2025 season will end on Saturday, Nov. 15 when Oklahoma Baptist (2-8) and Southern Nazarene (1-9) meet in Bethany for a 2 p.m. Great American Conference contest at SNU Football Stadium.
The Crimson Storm are coming off a 52-14 loss to No. 2 Harding last weekend while the Bison fell in their home finale to Arkansas Tech, 38-25. This tenth all-time matchup between OBU and SNU has the program from Bethany leading the series 5-4, including winning the last three games in dominant fashion.
In fact, SNU has won by a pair of 49-21 scores the last two years and a 56-21 tally in 2022.
Todd Miller, Dave Myrick and John Brooks will be on the call of the game starting at 1:30 p.m. Here are notes on both teams.
A Return for the Record Books
Late in the first quarter last week against Arkansas Tech, sophomore wide receiver
Matthew Young etched his name in the OBU record book. After fielding an ATU kickoff three yards deep in the north end zone, he navigated right, got around a couple defenders and then cut south and raced all the way to the end zone. That turned out to be a 100-yard touchdown return, the longest in school history, besting a 1933 return of 90 yards by Ed Stark.
The More You Know
There are a few more tidbits about Young's record-breaking scoring return. It's only the fourth ever by a Bison returner, and first since Keilahn Harris' 87-yarder against Northwestern on Sept. 18, 2021. The Nov. 8 return by Young was also the longest in the Great American Conference this season and only the second touchdown return by a player in the GAC. Furthermore, Young's 100-yard return is one of seven returns of that distance this fall in NCAA D2 football.
Know the Rules
You're probably wondering: why isn't Young's return credited as a 103-yarder? Here's the NCAA statistics manual verbiage: "Only the yardage from goal line to goal line is recorded statistically, with the single exception of a field goal attempt. In this case, the 10 yards from goal line to goal post is added (see Sec. 10).
Feels like there should be an exception made for kickoff returns, too.
Don't Forget About Me!
Carter Lowry's 2025 season will also go down in the record books too. He converted a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter versus the Wonder Boys. That was his tenth make of the year, breaking the previous school record on nine held by
Luke Watkins (2023) and Austin Manger (2013).
Back in Front
Nick Harris recorded nine catches for 90 yards last week, moving back to the top of the GAC leaderboard in multiple categories. He's at the top in receiving yards (688), receptions per game (4.5) and receiving yards per game (68.68). As for his competition, Ouachita's Carter McElhany has 674 yards while Henderson State's Maddox Davis has recorded 44 receptions.
Turnovers, Turnovers, Turnovers
One of the main storylines of 2025 continued again last Saturday when the Bison offense committed four turnovers against Arkansas Tech. There were three interceptions and a fumble. That marked the seventh time this fall that OBU's offense committed multiple turnovers in a game. The Bison have lost all seven contests this fall when they've turned it over two-plus times.
NCAA Stat Updates
Let's start with turnovers first. OBU has lost 23 turnovers. That's 11th out of 12 GAC schools and 142nd out of 157 D2 teams ranked. OBU is also -0.90 in turnover margin (10th GAC; 138th nationally). Positively speaking, the Bison's 249.3 passing yards per game ranks 40th in the nation and remains at the top of the GAC. Plus, the green and gold defense's 10 fumble recoveries is No. 19 in D2 and second in the conference. Lastly as a unit, OBU checks in at 33rd with 5.40 penalties per game.
As for individuals,
Chase Whitebear's 0.90 passes defensed per game is No. 71 nationally and leads the GAC. Defensive teammate
Jahden Brown is 67th with 0.55 sacks per game.
Coach's Thoughts:
HC
Chris Jensen: "I believe they are better than their record suggests. They have an offensive scheme that challenges the discipline of the opponent, and they play fast and aggressive on defense. Special teams is a strength for them again and our players will have to be at our best on Saturday."
OC
Daniel Eaton: "SNU plays incredibly hard against us. You can tell this game means more than anything to them. They do a really good job with their defensive scheme and fixing the stuff that has got them beat in the past."
DC
Tyler Roberts: "SNU is a tough, physical offense. They do a lot of good stuff to stress your eyes. They have some good young players that can create dynamic plays too. I really like their left tackle (Andy Cardenas) who is a very good player."
About Southern Nazarene
The Crimson Storm has been reeling lately, losing seven straight after a 52-14 loss to No. 2 Harding.
Over the course of this seven-game skid, SNU has allowed teams to score 33.7 points per game. Alternatively, the Storm's offense has averaged 13.7 points.
This fall, SNU ranks 148th out of 157 D2 teams in scoring offense (14.4).
Coming into week 11, Kaden Barron was a bright spot for SNU. His 590 rush yards rank sixth in the GAC as does his 65.6 per-game average. The Ringling, Okla., native had two, 100-yard rushing efforts this fall, most recently against SWOSU on Oct. 16 when he tallied a season-high 138 yards. However, he reportedly quit the team and won't suit up Saturday.
How about this: SNU is 154th out of 157 D2 teams in passing yards per game (84.4). However, they rank 33rd in the nation and third in the GAC with a 13.84 yards-per-completion mark.
Southern Nazarene is also next to last in the country in completion percentage (34.3) and rank 147th in third-down conversion percentage (27.9). Defensively, SNU gives up 258 yards per game on the ground. That total is 11th in the GAC and 153rd nationally.
Quarterback Bryson Evans has played in nine games in 2025 and has thrown for a team-high 769 yards. However, he's only thrown four touchdown passes across 147 attempts with 11 interceptions. That's a rating of 73.3.
Evans does lead the GAC and rank 11th in the country with 14.79 yards per completion.
On the receiving front, three players have recorded double-digit receptions this fall: Donald May (16), Cody Conaway (14) and Braxton Burd (12). May leads that group with 241 receiving yards this fall.
A couple of defenders stick out for the Storm. Elijah Simmons is 11th in the nation and first in the GAC with 5.50 solo tackles per game. Teammate Carter Brock is right behind him (14th; 2nd) with 5.40 solo stops per contest. Plus, Brock is No. 14 in the nation and second in the conference with 10.1 tackles a game.
As for special teams, kicker Kameron Van Prooyen has top-50 NCAA marks in field goal percentage (66.7) and makes per game (0.80). He is also the GAC leader and is slotted 11th in D2 with a 42.7 yards-per-punt average.
Karston Keene is also ninth nationally with two blocked kicks.
