BETHANY, Okla. – In a dramatic comeback, the East Central University football team rallied in the second half to defeat Southern Nazarene University 31-30 on Saturday, thanks to Brandon Perez nailing a 54-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game.
 
With the win, ECU improves to 3-5 overall in GAC play while SNU drops to 0-8.
 
The Tigers got off to a slow start, with the Crimson Storm taking a 14-0 lead after a quarterback sneak and a 55-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
 
ECU picked up some offensive momentum in the next quarter as they put together a swift seven-play, 81-yard drive culminating in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Sergio Kennedy to Kaden Jones to cut the lead in half. Although the Tiger defense forced the Crimson Storm to turn the ball over on downs at the ECU1 line, SNU responded with a safety to add two points to their lead, putting the score with ECU trailing 16-7 at halftime.
 
After the break, SNU extended their lead to 23-7 with a one-yard rushing touchdown before ECU answered in their next possession with a 15-yard touchdown run by Kennedy, narrowing the gap to 23-14. Following a fumble recovery by Isaiah Byrd, the Tigers made sure to capitalize on the opportunity, with Kennedy converting a 40-yard touchdown pass to Deqavius Bowens, bringing ECU within three points at 23-20. SNU countered with an 82-yard touchdown pass to lead 30-21 heading into the final quarter, but ECU was determined to continue fighting.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Tigers went on an eight-play, 69-yard drive where Kennedy scored his second rushing touchdown in the end zone to erase the deficit, making the score 30-28. Both teams looked to solidify the game, and a late turnover on downs by SNU gave ECU a final chance. After moving down the field to get in decent field goal range, Brandon Perez stepped up once again as he knocked down a new career-long 54-yard field goal to edge SNU 31-30 in dramatic comeback fashion.
 
Quarterback Sergio Kennedy delivered a season-best 247 passing yards, completing 20 of 29 passes and tossing two touchdowns, while also contributing two rushing touchdowns.
 
Kaden Jones and Deqavius Bowens were key targets, each recording four receptions and a touchdown, while Myles Featherston led the ground game with 13 carries for 69 yards.
 
Defensively, Chase Faber topped the team with 11 tackles, followed closely by Molinsky Desire with 10 stops. Several Tigers contributed with tackles for loss, while Keebler Wagoner forced a fumble and Isaiah Byrd recovered another.
 
The ECU football team will hit the road one last time this season to take on Arkansas Tech University on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 2 pm in Russellville, Arkansas.