Ottawa was defeated 24-19 by Tabor College last Saturday afternoon. OU had 351 yards of offense to Tabor's 291. The Braves finished with 185 yards passing and 166 yards rushing. TC had 171 yards through the air and 120 yards on the ground.
Billy Maples went 15-for-27 through the air for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
James Reeder led OU in rushing with 78 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Jermaine Ziegler had four receptions for 24 yards.
AJ Hemphill led OU with eight tackles and two pass break ups.
James Gladden had six tackles and one tackle for loss.
Jensen Riffel finished the game with five tackles.
Through five games, the Braves are averaging 280 yards of offense, 122 yards rushing and 158.2 yards through the air. Ottawa is averaging 14.6 points per game. Opponents are averaging 387.2 yards of offense per game, 222 yards rushing and 165.2 yards passing, and scoring 33.8 points per game.
Jared Daniels leads OU in rushing yards per game, averaging 64.8 yards per game. He has 324 rushing yards this season.
Billy Maples has thrown for 375 yards this season, an average of 75 yards per game. He has thrown four touchdown passes and has completed 48 percent of his passes.
Jermaine Ziegler and
Cory Jones lead the Braves in receptions with 15 apiece. Ziegler has 110 receiving yards and Jones has 88.
AJ Hemphill is OU's leading tackler. He has 49 tackles, three pass break ups, two recovered fumbles, and one forced fumble.
Jensen Riffel is second on the team in tackles with 31.
Devin Johnston has 26 tackles from his safety position. He has one pass break up and one recovered fumble.
OU is ranked 53rd in the NAIA in rushing yards (610), 48th in rushing yards per game (122), 43rd in yards per rush (3.7), 41st in rushing first downs (40), 42nd in penalty first downs (9), seventh in fourth down conversions (10-20), 30th in fourth down percentage (.500), 38th in punt returns (No.-Yds) (3-71), 347th in kick returns (No.-Yds) (18-324), second in punt return average (23.7), 30th fumbles recovered (5), sixth in defensive touchdowns (2), and 47th in tackles (333).
Saturday's game is the 23rd meeting between Ottawa University and the University of Saint Mary. Ottawa leads the series, 18-4 and the Braves are on a five game winning streak against the Spires. OU's last loss to USM happened on Oct. 15, 2016 in Leavenworth. USM won the game 14-13. OU is 10-1 against USM in Ottawa and has won eight straight games at home against USM. The last time OU lost at home to Saint Mary was on Oct. 2, 2004. The Spires won the game 15-12. The first meeting between the two teams happened on Oct. 14, 2000 in Ottawa. OU won the game 61-6.
Ottawa has played 527 games at home in its 131 years of football. The Braves have a record of 312-191-24 at home.
The University of Saint Mary is 1-4 overall and has a record of 1-3 in the KCAC. The Spires are on a three game losing streak after defeating Sterling College 37-11 on Sept. 3 in Leavenworth.
Through five games, the Spires are averaging 239.8 yards of offense per game, 119.8 rushing and 120 yards passing. USM is averaging 18.8 points per game. The USM defense is allowing 379.2 yards per game, 197.2 yards rushing and 182 yards passing. Opponents are scoring 36.8 points per game.
Erick Covington is 38-for-103 through the air for 479 yards and three touchdowns. The freshman quarterback is completing 36.9 percent of his passes and has throwing six interceptions. Jartavious Martin is USM's leader in rushing, averaging 71.3 yards per game. He has scored one touchdown and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Josh Walker leads the team in receptions with eight. He is averaging 44.7 receiving yards per game and has two receiving touchdowns.
Hennessey Thomas leads the team in tackles with 58. He is averaging 14.5 tackles per game and has 10.5 tackles for loss. Hennessey also had four pass break ups. Garrett Carter is second on the team in tackles with 48. He has one interception and two recovered fumbles. Jaxson Curtis has 37 tackles and three pass break ups.
The Spires have a total of two punt returns in five games this season for a total of eight yards.
Erick Covington leads the team in scoring with 18 points. He has scored three rushing touchdowns.
The University of Saint Mary is ranked 29th in the NAIA in passing yards per completion (13.6), 46th in yards per rush (3.6), 40th in rushing touchdowns (7), 49th in fourth down conversions (5-9), 25th in fourth down conversion percentage (56%), 38th in field goal percentage (.667), 16th in punts (No.-Yards) (33-1,272), 29th in average per punt (38.5), 19th in red zone percentage (.860), 29th in fumbles-lost (9-4), fifth in interception returns (No.-Yds) (4-162), third in interception return average (40.5), 18th in penalties (25), and 17th in penalty yards (220).
