The Southeastern Savage Storm lost the turnover battle and allowed too many explosive plays in the second half as Southwestern scored 28 unanswered points en route to a 3514 decision Saturday night at Paul Laird Field.
Coach Bo Atterberry’s club led 14-7 at intermission but watched the game turn in the third period as the visiting Bulldogs took control.
“We didn’t do anything to complement each side in the third quarter and our defense was just out there too long,” Atterberry stated. “We have to be more consistent and clean up the bad stuff.”
After Southwestern jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead following a 44yard touchdown burst, the Savage Storm seemed to settle in with the defense allowing only four total yards over the next six Bulldog possessions.
Backup quarterback Levay Duncan led a 11-play, 71-yard scoring march that started late in the first stanza and culminated on a 31-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Corona. D.J. Brown wrapped up a final 52yard march just before halftime with a two-yard blast into the end zone to give the hosts the lead at the break.
The Southeastern offense went into hibernation during the third quarter, managing only 20 total yards and no first downs on four series in the period and that opened the door for Southwestern.
They tied it with a methodical 91yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock and then took the lead on a 66-yard touchdown run.
Things continued in the same direction to start the fourth period as the Bulldogs cashed in an interception with a 54-yard scoring pass. Another Southeastern interception was returned for a 43-yard touchdown for the game’s final points in the closing minutes.
Duncan accounted for 277 yards of total offense, including 144 on 16 rushing attempts but only found the end zone one time.
Corona tallied four catches for 44 yards with Matthew Nunez adding 39 yards on three grabs.
The Southeastern defense was led by Andrew Grissom’s eight tackles with William Billings contributing seven stops.
Atterberry’s club will look to snap a two-game skid when they travel to Southern Nazarene for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.
