The New Conference and New Speculations

Outside the Arc is a little late to the party when it comes to the news about Southeastern leaving the Lone Star Conference. There were reasons. Trust me.

Varying reports started leaking in June that six Arkansas schools in the Gulf South Conference were looking into seceding from the union and forming their own government. With UCO and NSU looking into the possibility of breaking the Lone Star Conference ranks to join the MIAA, the Arkansas schools were in talks with SOSU, East Central and Southwestern to form a nine-team league. In July, these schools made it official.

It wasn’t until late November that the conference got a name: the Great American Conference. It’s definitely a somewhat bold statement for an affiliation of schools from only two states.

Now, it the opinion of the OTA staff that nine teams is a bit small for a conference, but we’re sure that the officials of these nine schools have already considered this and have something else in the works.

Enter Northwestern and Southern Nazarene.

Here are two schools that have stated they have been considering the move from NAIA to NCAA DII for over a year. The announcements of their applications to the NCAA to make the jump both came within the last month. It would seem to be a perfect fit, as these two schools fit the mold around which the other nine have formed their alliance.

Just something to consider.

A Brief Glance at Four Years

If you’ve listened to a Southeastern football broadcast over the past 4 years, then you know that I’ve been riding on the “Daniel Nichols Bandwagon” for almost that entire span. I was really sad to see Nichols’ collegiate career come to an end tonight – especially since he came so close to tying the receiving TD record and receiving yardage record. But his time at SOSU will be long remembered.
Here’s a very small glance at some of what Daniel Nichols has accomplished at Southeastern:

1st place All-time receptions – 192
1st place All-time points scored – 196
2nd place All-time receiving – 3036 yards
2nd place All-time receiving TDs – 32
4th best single season receiving – 971 yards, 2009
8th best single season receiving – 818 yards, 2007
11th best single season receiving – 797 yards, 2008
2nd most receiving TD in a season – 12, 2009
7th best single game receiving – 185 yards, Oct. 24, 2009, at NSU
8th best single game receiving – 183 yards, Nov. 10, 2007, vs. ECU
*Tied (with others) for most receiving TD’s in a game – 3, Nov. 10, 2007, vs. ECU and Aug. 27, 2009 vs. Henderson State

More on Daniel Nichols later...

How's everyone been?

Hey, everyone. Long time, no blog.
Let's start with a quick update.

SOSU 27, ECU 26
This one was a blowout early, and then the Savage Storm had to hang on at the end. Southeastern scored 27 points in the first quarter and didn't score in the final 46:24. But the Storm finishes at 7-4.

Victory Life 55, Grandfield 7
VLA not only makes the playoffs for the first time ever in the OSSAA, but snags the 3rd spot in District C2.

More about all of this later, but I needed to get back in the proverbial saddle.
See you.

Henderson State vs. Southeastern

Dallas McCutcheon started at quarterback for the first time in college and tossed 5 touchdown passes in Southeastern's 54-38 victory on Thursday night. The sophomore QB's record-tying performance helped the Storm to their 4th season opening win in the last five years.
Senior wide receiver Daniel Nichols also had a record-tying night as he hauled in three of those five touchdowns. He also had 131 yards on seven receptions, which brought him to within 139 yards of catching Pete Spratt for 2nd place all-time receiving at the school.
Baylen Laury also made his presence known on the field. The running back picked up 114 yards and rushed for two touchdowns as well. Southeastern's 54 points was the most for the Storm since xxxx
There was a huge turnout for the home opener and almost all of them stayed through the 35 minute weather delay, which temporarily stopped the contest with 2:57 remaining in the first quarter. And it was worth it for those who stayed as they witnessed a big offensive display.
Henderson State got on the board first with a 51 yard touchdown pass, but SOSU answered immediately with a 54 yarder of their own, McCutcheon to senior TE Jerrod Temple. Laury's two TD runs followed and the Storm went up 19-7.
Offensive miscues, a.k.a. two fumbles run back for HSU scores, kept the Reddies in the game and led 28-26 in the second quarter. But a Nichols TD reception right before the half put the Storm up for good.
Southeastern's defense dug in during the second half. They held HSU to 317 yards of total offense for the game. Newcomer Steven Harris led the way for the Storm with 8 tackles and Brandon Ford and Lionel Gillespie each had a sack. Both Bernard Daniel and Johnny Seals snagged interceptions.
The Storm's all-time leader in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage, Jerome Hewitt, started off the year well, also. He return 6 kickoffs for 187 yards, only ten yards shy of the single game record.
The four TDs in the first half were matched by four more in the second and SOSU outscored Henderson State 28-10 after the break and went on to win, 54-38.
Though the Storm wound up winning going away, there is much work still to be done. The offense, defense, and special teams all showed that each can shine in 2009. But each squad also had significant breakdowns at times. Midwestern State will provide tougher opposition on Saturday.
All in all, a 1-0 open to the season is a good way to start.

One And Done

Southeastern made its third trip to the NCAA Tournament on Friday in the South Central Regional. The Savage Storm came up just short in their first round game matchup against Central Oklahoma, falling 68-66 in overtime. UCO is now 26-5 and moves on to play Washburn in the round of 32. SOSU ends this season at 21-9. Here's the boxscore.
These two evenly matched teams showed just how comparable they are through even the microcosm of this game. UCO won the first half 34-28; SOSU won the second half 34-28. The Storm scored the first four points of the OT and led 66-62 with about 3 minutes remaining, but wouldn't score again.
Destiny Brown led all scorers with 21 points and with her 18 rebounds put together her 19th double-double of the season. Ashley Tucker had 12 points in her final game for Southeastern. Fellow senior Channing Gann had 3 points and 4 assists.
Southeastern went only 25-65 from the field (38.5%). They were down 19-8 early on, due in large part to the many missed shots from close range and an abundance of turnovers. However, they came out with a lot of intensity after the break. Big defensive stands accompanied a little more patience on the offensive end turning it into quite a tight contest for the final 15 minutes of regulation and the extra session.
In the matchup between the teams' headliners, Brown beat Central's Lizzie Brenner easily. Brenner had only 7 points on a 1-6 shooting performance and had 6 boards.
Rose Anderson played the game of her life. She logged 41 minutes and had 19 points and 5 rebounds. Christina Yarbrough was the other key player for the Bronchos. The guard did a great job handling the ball for UCO (when she wasn't on the bench with foul trouble) and had 10 points, including the game-winner with 2 seconds left in OT.
Southeastern won 20 games in a season for the first time since 2002. The Storm will miss Tucker and Gann next year, but this post-season experience could play a big role in the next season's success.
Coach Darin Grover said that he believes Southeastern appearances in the post-season should be the rule and not the exception. This program is certainly on a pace to make that a reality.

On The Road Again

Southeastern is one of four Lone Star Conference teams that will be taking part in the NCAA Div. II Tournament. J.B. and I are on the way to Amarillo, Texas, today where we will be staying before heading to West Texas A&M in Canyon tomorrow. WTAMU is the #1 seed in the South Central Region and the Aggies are playing host to the eight-team field. Abilene Christian also made the field as the #8 seed. You can see the full bracket here.
The Savage Storm women are the #6 seed in the region and will face a familiar foe in the first round in the #3 seed Central Oklahoma Bronchos. SOSU and UCO split the two games they played in the Lone Star North Division schedule, with the home team winning each time. And both teams were eliminated from the conference tournament by the same team - West Texas A&M. WTAMU beat Southeastern 95-65 in the semis and then took out Central 66-59 to win the championship (their 3rd in 4 years!).
Southeastern is making its first trip the NCAA Tournament since 2002. The then-Lady Savages lost in the LSC semis that year and then went on a five-game winning streak which took them al the way to the NCAA Div. II title game. SOSU lost that game to Cal-Poly Pomona 74-62 in Rochester, MN.
The game tomorrow will be broadcast on KSEO 750 AM. Tip is at 1:00 pm and our pre-game will start at 12:50.

Opening the New Arena

The Storm men's basketball opened their season on Saturday night in the new Southeastern Arena. A moderate crowd was on hand to witness the first official game, which was unfortunately a loss, 69-60, at the hands of the USAO Drovers.

More about the season later because really the big story of the night was the new building.

Southeastern Arena, or Thunderdome, as J.B. calls it in an incredible facility. Seating capacity is officially 3200 (overall the place holds 3600) and you'd be hard-pressed to find a bad seat in the place. There are just a few that are iffy behind some rails, but none bad.

The arena sports four large scoreboards, one in each corner. And a massive jumbotron screen is in place on the south end.

Everywhere you need or want to be is easily accessed with the main roo of the arena. From the concourse, you can get to concession stand and even the bathroom. You don't have to go to some auxiliary hallway. Everything about this place is user-friendly.

And not only that, it's all high class. This is one of the nicest things that Durant has gotten in years. (It's actually the best thing that I can think of since I've been in town and that goes back to '86.) Really, it's about time that we got something of this caliber in our fine city.

Take the time and make the effort to go see the Storm men or women play this season. You'll be glad you were a part of this inaugural season.

Season in Review - Part 3

Southeastern by the numbers.


As a team…
► Southeastern finished the 2008 season at 6-5 overall and had a 4-1 record in the North division. Since 2004, SOSU is 20-5 against North division foes. This is the first time in 97 seasons that Southeastern has finished with a 6-5 record.

Individually…
► Brandon McCain – Passed for 2145 yards, which is the sixth best single season passing performance in SOSU history. Went 172 for 296 with 22 TD’s and only 6 interceptions.
► Baylen Laury – Led team in rushing with 148 carries for 764 yards and had 6 rushing TD’s. Longest carry, and also SOSU’s longest carry, was 67 yards (came at Texas A&M-Commerce on Nov. 1, 2008). Caught 22 passes for 300 yards and had 5 receiving TD’s (second most receiving TD’s). Also had 1 passing TD (vs. Eastern New Mexico on Sept. 13, 2008). Led team in all-purpose yards with 1064.
► Daniel Nichols – Led team in receiving with 33 receptions for 797 yards, which is the tenth best receiving performance (yards) in SOSU history. Also led team with 9 receiving TD’s.
► Jerome Hewitt – Returned 26 punts for 308 yards, including a 54 yard TD return. 308 yards is best single season performance in SOSU history. Returned 19 kickoffs for 565 yards. Career kickoff return yardage is now 1513, which is first in SOSU history. Second on team with 879 all-purpose yards.
► Bernard Daniel – Led team in tackles with 78 and had second best total of tackles for loss with 9. Also had 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries.
► Alex Moore – Led team in tackles for loss with 9.5.
► Rocky Phillips – Led team in sacks with 5.5 and had 1 safety.
► Cameron Sparks – Led team in interceptions with 6 and has career total of 11.
► Will White – Punted 63 times for 2632 yards, averaging 41.8 per kick. Had 6 touchbacks, 3 fair caught, and placed 19 inside the 20 yard line. 2632 punting yards is best single season performance in SOSU history. Now has 5747 career punting yards.

Season in Review - Part 2

Southwestern came to town with only one win, but had lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds at Tarleton the week before and appeared ready to compete. Southeastern struck quickly to try to shut down any hope. McCain fired two touchdown passes (one to Ty Hull and one to Laury) and Cole Jones connected on two field goal attempts. The Storm owned a 20-0 lead at the half.
However, the Bulldogs weren’t ready to lay down just yet. Three touchdown passes by Steve Day, assisted by a couple of breakdowns in the secondary, in the next 16 and a half minutes and the SOSU lead became a one point deficit. Momentum had shifted and the season seemed to be on the line.
SOSU went three-and-out on its next two possessions, but Will White stepped and pinned the Dawgs on their own 2. The defense came up big, forcing a punt, which Jerome Hewitt returned 54 yards for the go-ahead score. The two-point conversion failed, but the 2008 season still had life.
Jones made his third FG on the day (his best day of the year) to ice the game. Southeastern won 29-21 and was now 2-4 overall and more importantly 1-0 in the North.
The trip to Edmond to face the rival Central Bronchos had much on the line. The Storm boasted a six game winning streak over the Bronchos, which was not lost on them. A new coach and a new attitude were what the Storm was facing on the road.
SOSU came out early and looked to continue the winning. McCain found Laury for a 31 yard touchdown pass and the Storm were on top 7-0 at the end of the first. And then everything changed.
Central transfer quarterback Brandon Noohi had played his previous seasons in Durant and apparently wanted to let his former teammates know what they were missing. He accounted for five Central touchdowns – three passes and two that he himself ran in. From the second quarter on, the Bronchos scored 41 unanswered points. The final would be 41-7, UCO. Southeastern’s chances of a fifth consecutive North division title were diminished greatly and now the Storm would have to depend upon another North team taking down the Bronchos.

Now 2-5 overall and 1-1 in the North, Southeastern would get to depart from the divisional schedule and travel to San Angelo to regroup before the schedule’s home stretch. It would prove to be just what the doctor ordered.
Angelo St. came into the game 3-4 overall, but had defeated the two teams from the North that they had faced.
The Storm defense, which had been improving throughout the season, was once again a key factor in the game. And the offense found creativity that had been lacking the week before.
Seniors Cameron Sparks and Craig Andrus both led the team with 9 tackles and this would be Andrus’ coming out party. Bernard Daniel had an interception to go with two fumble recoveries and was tabbed as the North Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. It was the second time this season, Daniel had received the honor – he got the nod following the ENMU victory as well. These noteworthy achievements were part of a fantastic overall effort by
the defense, who completely kept the Rams off the scoreboard. Final score: SOSU 35, ASU 0. The shutout was the first for the Storm in nearly two years.

Back to Durant came the Storm again, hoping to generate back-to-back wins for the first time in 2008. Northeastern was in town for Homecoming and SOSU couldn’t have been happier. It was my opinion that Eastern New Mexico was the worst team that the Storm would face this season. I stand corrected. Though this was not Southeastern’s best performance (based upon the potential of the team) the defense did rise to the occasion again and were assisted by poor decisions by nearly everyone in a green uniform.
For the second straight week, the Storm defense held its opponent out of the endzone, allowing only 3 points on the day. Bernard Daniel and Craig Andrus each reached double-digits in tackles, 12 and 11, respectively. And Sparks added two more interceptions bringing his season total to 5.
Brandon McCain topped the 300 yard-mark passing for the first time in 2008 with 301 and had four TD passes. One went to Nichols, who had 129 yards receiving. The other three went to fellow members of the backfield: Laury snagged two and Junior fullback Marcus High brought in his first receiving TD of his career.
Southeastern now officially owned a winning streak with the 28-3 victory and moved to 2-1 in the North.


The Storm then hit the road for the final time as they crossed the Red River once again to face the only North division team on the south side of that river. A rivalry seems to be in the making with Texas A&M-Commerce because of the proximity of the two schools and because of the intensity and competitiveness in recent contests. In the previous three years, the games were decided by a total of four points and in 2007 went into 3 overtimes. A&M-C is also the only divisional opponent to have notched more than one victory over the Storm in the last four years.
With the stage set and both teams still in the running to repeat as North champs, the game did live up to the expectation that it would go down to the wire. It did indeed. The Lions struck first gaining three points from a field goal and the Storm would counter quickly with a McCain to Hull touchdown, which was set up by a 67 yard Baylen Laury run – his longest carry of the season. Each quarter following saw alternating touchdown scored by each team. It would be a case of whichever team scored last would win. The Storm scored last, but the win would be preserved by the defense.
A big defensive stand capped by an interception by Johnny Seals looked like it would seal the deal. But the Storm gave it back on a mishandled hand-off attempt and Commerce would have one more shot with 89 seconds remaining.
The Lions drove inside the red zone and set up shop, first and goal at the 2. The Storm defense had done well on goal line stands in 2008, but none was bigger or more exciting than this one. Four Lions plays would result in minus three yards. SOSU shut down Lions’ QB Terry Mayo’s option look on fourth down with :13 on the clock and secured the 28-24 victory. Now 3-1 in the North, the Storm was also 5-5 overall and at .500 for the first time since the season began. With three straight in the win column, somehow 1-4 seemed like a long time ago and a winning season could still be achieved. Southeastern would go back to Paul Laird Field to close out the campaign.
And the season ender, as it has been for so many years was arch-rival East Central. A piece of the division title was still possible, but really unlikely, as it would depend on Northeastern defeating Central, who was currently on a six-game winning streak and 4-0 in the North. But more than that was on the line: a 6-3 record in the conference and a 6-5 record overall – a winning record; something that eluded the Storm last season, even with the share of the North division title. And far beyond even those motivational factors, this was East Central. You play all season to win this game.
The Tigers led 10-0 at the break and 17-7 midway into the third. It was Rocky Phillips’ sack and safety that started to turn the tide back in the direction of the Storm. Then came the fourth quarter and the outburst of points.
43 point were put up in the final period and the Storm owned 29 of them. Brandon McCain tossed four touchdown passes and even received a pass to convert the final two-point play which would give Southeastern a 38-31 lead with two minutes left. The defense closed out the season appropriately enough when Sparks intercepted ECU’s Marcus Johnson in the endzone and put the win in the books.
Southeastern finished the 2008 season at a respectable 6-5. Coach Richards and his staff claimed their third winning season in four years in Durant. And though Central would win in Tahlequah and take the North this season, 4-1 in the division was very solid.
The Storm closed the book on a up and down season. It was one with more highs than lows. It was a successful year.

Season in Review - Part 1

The 2008 season for the Savage Storm was definitely an adventure. A casual look at the schedule before the season began and one at the end with the scores in place would both result in the same description: dichotomy. And when all was said and done on the field, the team should come away with, among other feelings, one of success.
The first five games of the eleven game docket would not really set the tone for the season, but would still go a long way toward showing the Storm where they were in the overall scheme and what they would need to do when the games really counted.

Lots of credit has to go to Coach Ray Richards for putting Tarleton State on the schedule and challenging his team. What a tough way to open the season. It’s enough to get the upper echelon of the Lone Star South as a crossover game, but this game didn’t even count toward the conference standings. The Texans seem to have had Southeastern’s number in recent years and playing them in Stephenville is that much harder.
The Storm held its own for about a quarter and a half, but unfortunately things fell apart when, down only 10-7, they got the ball first and goal at the 1. Brandon McCain misfired in the direction of Daniel Nichols on first down and illegal procedure was called on the next down. The Storm couldn’t make it in on the next two plays and were forced to settle for 3 points. The Texans ran back the ensuing kickoff to unleash the barrage of unanswered points and 41 of them later the final score stood at 51-10. Tarleton players were way too strong to go down with just arm tackles.

When SOSU went to Wichita Falls the next Saturday, they would face a team that hadn’t lost to an Oklahoma institution in its last 15 attempts. The Storm kept that streak going, due in large part to turnovers and like the previous week, an inability to convert on third down (1 for 12 this week, 1 for 11 the week before) or tackle.
It seemed as though Southeastern was clearly the better team; they just couldn’t finish. Baylen Laury had a breakout game with 116 yards rushing and three TD’s. SOSU played tight with the Mustangs throughout and Johnny Seals’ interception and 43 yard return set up Laury’s third touchdown which should have given the Storm a one-point lead. But the extra point attempt was botched and the score remained 20-20 as the two teams went to the fourth quarter.
Each team had three full possessions in the final period and MSU finally broke through with the game winning score with only 21 seconds remaining. Midwestern St. 27, Southeastern 20; the Storm was now 0-2. Knowing the Abilene was remaining on the schedule, it seemed at this point as though the playoffs would have to wait for next year.

Finally, the Storm came home to play before a home crowd ready to get them into the win column and Eastern New Mexico provided a team that would allow for just that. The key factors of the day were Defense and Daniel.
ENMU got off to a 14-0 lead which they would take to the intermission, but it was as much of an indictment on the defense as it looked at first. The first TD came from a 32 yard fumble recovery returned for a score. The next points were notched when the Greyhounds FG attempt went awry and Michael Carrsaco picked up the loose ball and ran it across the goal line. Clearly, these were not convention scores and not entirely the fault of the defense, who had stepped it up and were able to stand their ground and finish the tackles. They would hold Eastern New Mexico scoreless in the second half, which was a sign of things to come.
Daniel Nichols also shined in this contest. His 166 yards receiving was enough to be listed as the 12th best single game receiving in Storm history. Nichols had two touchdowns, including one for 73 yards which was the longest play from scrimmage all year.
The Storm scored 29 unanswered pointed in the second half and won 29-14. The first win of 2008 was finally in the books.

Back at home again, Southeastern welcomed to Paul Laird Field the #4 team in Division II, the Abilene Christian Wildcats. After watching Billy Malone and company, I wanted to see the three teams that people thought were better than them.
The Storm seemed to be able to hang with the Wildcats early, but a disheartening turnover changed all that. Down 7-0, McCain and the offense drove 64 yards to the ACU 6. On second and goal, McCain’s pass was intercepted by Mike Kern at the 1 yard line and returned 99 yards for the touchdown. The entire tenor of the game was changed.
Malone was 17-19 passing for 317 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception. While Bernard Scott picked up 161 yards on 14 carries. Both should receive Harlon Hill notice.
Southeastern fell 59-10 and fell to 1-3 on the year. It would be time to start thinking about how to win the North again. The only problem standing in the way of those thought was that SOSU would have to first go on the road to face a Division I opponent the next week.

And what more could be said about Game 5 of the 2008 campaign – it was DI vs. DII. Yes the Northwestern State Demons were I-AA (or FCS, if you prefer), but DI nonetheless. And Southeastern was just outmatched.
Northwestern opened the game with a 95 yards kickoff return. They followed that with a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown, a touchdown off a blocked punt, and an interception returned for a touchdown. With 12:36 remaining in the second quarter, the Demons had scored 5 TD’s in 5 separate ways and led 35-0.
Ultimately, seven different Northwestern players crossed the goal line and the final score was 63-12. History was made for the Storm and it wasn’t good. The 63 points was the second highest point total ever allowed. And it marked the first time in 97 seasons of SOSU football that a team had given up more than 50 points three times in one season.
The one positive was that the first part of the season was now done. At 1-4, frustration levels were rising, but if the boys could keep their heads collectively, there was still much to play for, and North division play would begin the next week.

Weekly Honors

The Savage Storm closed out the 2008 on a high note on Saturday with the 38-31 win over East Central. And finally got some conference recognition for what they’ve done in the last few weeks.
Senior QB Brandon McCain was tabbed as the LSC North Offensive Player of the Week and Junior punter Will White is the LSC North Special Teams Player of the Week.
Read about it here: http://www.lonestarconference.org/sports/fball/2008-09/weekly_releases/fbrelease111008.pdf
With all due respect to Brandon Noohi and the fine season that he has had, five consecutive weeks as the Offensive POW (including the last two weeks, in which he received the Special Teams POW as well) was enough.

All's Well That Ends Well

The 2008 Southeastern football season came to an end this season on Saturday with a 38-31 victory over arch-rival East Central. After a 1-4 start, the Savage Storm closed out the year 5-1. The team’s lone loss came at the hands of Central, who went to finish 5-0 in the Lone Star North and claim the division title. Southeastern’s four-year reign over the North ended, but the season itself was salvaged with Saturday’s win, which pushed the overall record above .500 to finish at 6-5.
Southeastern started out slow on Saturday in their home finale and continued at that pace throughout the first half. Three different defensive backs had passes thrown right at them and the balls simply passed through their hands. Chances like that don’t come along all of the time and the Coach Ray Richards had to wonder if those missed opportunities would come back to haunt them. Especially since a blocked field goal attempt and a missed field goal were among other things that left the Storm trailing 10-0 at the intermission.
Down 10 again with score 17-7 in the third quarter, the tide finally shifted as Rocky Phillips and the defense grabbed a safety for the first time this season and the ensuing possession led to the first of two Brandon McCain to Daniel Nichols touchdowns. This one went for 34 yards. But the two-point attempt failed and SOSU trailed 17-15.

Now at this point, I’m going to take a side trip. Normally, I wouldn’t extol the virtues of East Central players. Though quite frankly, normally the virtues of East Central aren’t presented for me to extol. But the courageous performance of Tiger quarterback Marcus Johnson warrants mention on this site. Any good thing that has come to ECU football this year should have his name somewhere near it. Johnson injured his leg early in the third quarter and it was made much worse later in the quarter. He probably shouldn’t have come back out on the field, but he did. Barely able to walk or even stand, he rallied his troops and kept his team in the game longer than they should have been in it. The tigers scored twice in the fourth. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be enough, but Johnson showed a lot of heart and character.
That first touchdown gave ECU 24-15 lead. The second McCain-Nichols TD connection was 38 yarder and with the extra point SOSU trailed by two again. Later in the quarter, McCain passed to TE Jerrod Temple, who would not be denied and carried defenders more than 10 yards in for the score. McCain found Nichols yet again, though this time it was in the form of the two-point conversion and the Storm found themselves on top for the first time in the game, 30-24, with 4:29 remaining.
The Tigers scored one final time when Johnson led his team 60 yards down the field. The drive was culminated when the quarterback found the 6’5” Justin Heimer above two Storm defenders. ECU snagged its final lead of the day. 2:41 was left on the clock. Plenty of time for McCain and company to take it back.
In fact, Southeastern needed only 36 seconds to 61 yards for the final touchdown and final 27 came when McCain found hometown favorite Bo White who took it in. And it was McCain who crossed the goal line last. On the two-point conversion, McCain pitched to TB Baylen Laury, who took a couple of steps to the right and threw back to his wide open quarterback and Southeastern regained the lead for good 38-31.

With the victory, Southeastern has now defeated their rivals five consecutive years. That streak is second only to the seven games that SOSU won from 1942-1951.
Brandon McCain threw for 300 yards and moved his season total to 2145, which was good enough for sixth place on the all-time single season passing performance list. He wasn’t alone in making a mark in the records.
Daniel Nichols two receiving touchdowns came on a day in which he had 119 yards receiving. This was his fourth 100+ yard performance in 2008 and his season total moved to 797, which stands as the 10th best single season of receiving yards in SOSU history. His 818 yards in 2007 is the seventh best season.
Also, Baylen Laury had 73 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the victory. His 2008 totals include 6 touchdowns rushing, 5 touchdowns receiving, and he even passed for one. The season total of 764 rushing yards is just out of the Top 10 seasons in Storm history.
Southeastern closed out with four straight wins. 4-1 in the North this year is par for the course – SOSU is now 20-5 over North division opponents in the last five seasons.
It’s been an up and down ride for Coach Richards and the Storm, but the victory over the Tigers, closing out with a four-game winning streak and finishing with a winning record again has to leave a good taste in everyone’s mouth. 2008 did in fact end well and the future is bright.

Better Each Week

The Storm defense had not allowed a touchdown in two games, but their performance Saturday may have been the best one yet. Up only four points at Texas A&M-Commerce, Southeastern held the Lions at bay when they had the ball with a first-and-goal at the Storm 2-yard-line, and less than a minute to go. Four downs later, the Storm was able walk away with a hard earned victory, 28-24.
Southeastern is now 5-5 on the season and 3-1 in the Lone Star Conference North. It’s the first time this year since season’s open that the Storm are at .500.
Brandon McCain has four touchdown passes for the second consecutive game. The senior went 18 of 33 and threw for 263 yards with one pick. He has continued to get better and better as his final Southeastern campaign is coming to a close. This weekend’s contest was another example of how well McCain is managing the game. There were two fumbles - one was costly and one could have been - but there were very few poor decisions
Baylen Laury is starting to come into his own. He’s an incredibly versatile player who now has equaled his 5 rushing TD’s with 5 receiving TD’s. Laury carried the ball 13 times for 138 yards. His one reception of 17 yards went for a score.
And I can talk at length about the effort the defense has put forth over the last three weeks. 24 points showed on the scoreboard at the end of the game, but 7 of them came from a 55 yard touchdown return off one of McCain’s fumbles. Seven more came 2 plays after a blocked punt put the Storm defense on their own 15 to start their stand. They held the Lions scoreless three times out of six trips to red zone. And ultimately when it counted, held on to a four-point lead twice when Commerce took the ball inside the 20 yard line, and then inside the 2.
Recently, Southeastern has played like the team I thought could be this year. And so now, it all comes down to next weekend when East Central comes to town. A winning season and a shot at once again sharing the North division title are on the line. And who am I kidding? It’s East Central…

A winning streak!

For the second consecutive week, the Savage Storm came away with a convincing victory and looked good on both sides of the ball. On Saturday, Southeastern defeated Northeastern, 28-3, in front of a large Homecoming crowd. The Storm has now outscored their opponents 63-3 over the past two weeks and the defense has not allowed touchdown in eight quarters.
Senior QB Brandon McCain threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions as he managed the ballgame like a veteran leader should. Two of those TD passes went to freshman TB Baylen Laury. They were his only receptions of the day, to go with 50 yards on 13 carries. Laury had 104 all-purpose yards and his hard work on the ground allowed the Storm to use play-action sets often. Junior wideout Daniel Nichols continues to have a great season. He had five catches for 129 yards, including 54-yard grab over the middle which he took in for a score.
But we’ve got to talk about the job that the defense did, especially right before the half. Rocky Phillips exploded up the middle for a sack on the last play that the Riverhawks were able to get going - keeping Northeastern from scoring 7, or even 3 points - and the team and crowd were incredibly fired up heading into the intermission. The defense kept up the intensity throughout the game, allowing only one score on four Northeastern trips into the red zone and keeping the opponent out of the endzone for the second straight game.
A couple more victories to close out the schedule could salvage this season for Southeastern.