Ottawa finished its non-divisional games on Sept. 30 with a 40-13 win over Bethany College at AdventHealth Field and have a record of 2-4. The Braves finished the game with 418 yards of offense, 169 yards through the air and 249 yards on the ground. Bethany had 337 yards of offense, 128 yards passing, and 209 yards rushing.

Through six games this season the Braves are averaging 316.3 yards per game, 176.3 yards rushing and 140 yards through the air. Ottawa is scoring 24.7 points per game. Opponents are averaging 404.5 yards of offense per game, 250.2 rushing and 154.3 yards passing. They are averaging 32.8 points per game against Ottawa.

The Braves are 1-2 on the road this season with its victory coming over, then ranked no. 23 Bethel College in North Newton, Kan. Ottawa won the game 28-24. On the road this season, Ottawa is averaging 23.7 points per game while allowing 25.  

Ottawa is ranked 44th in the NAIA in scoring (148), 48th in total offense (1,898), 17th in rushing yards (1,058), 16th in rushing attempts (228), 23rd in rushing yards per game (176.3), 25th in yards per rush (4.6), 20th in rushing touchdowns (12), 38th in first downs (115), 12th in rushing first downs (64), 50th in first downs per game (19.2), 38th in third down conversions (30-86), 41st in fourth down conversions (6-16), third in kick returns (No.-Yards) (26-597), 14th in kick return average (23), 38th in punt return average (9.3), 43rd in field goals (4-8), 47th in PATs (16-18), 34th in punts (No.-Yards) (26-1,023), 17th in average per punt (39.3), 29th in fumbles recovered (5), 49th in defensive INTs (6), and fifth in tackles (459).

Billy Maples is 68-for-137 through the air for 789 yards and six touchdowns to lead OU in passing. He is averaging 131.5 passing yards per game. Wynton Ruth is OU's leader in rushing with 450 yards on 83 attempts. He is averaging 75 rushing yards per game and leads the team, along with Malaki Peko, with five rushing touchdowns. Jayden Johnson leads the team in receptions with 21. He is averaging 48.7 receiving yards per game and has one receiving touchdown.

Saturday is the 24th meeting between Ottawa University and the University of Saint Mary. The Spires won the meeting last season on Oct. 9, 2022 at AdventHealth Field, 33-23. Prior to that, Ottawa had won five straight against Saint Mary. The Braves are 8-3 against the Spires in road games and Ottawa has won two straight in Leavenworth against USM. The first meeting between the two teams happened on Oct. 14, 2000 in Ottawa. The Braves won the game 61-6.

The University of Saint Mary is 2-4 this season and enters Saturday's game coming off a 36-20 loss to no. 8 Southwestern College in Leavenworth on Sept. 30.  

The Spires finished the season with 372 yards of offense, 231 yards through the air and 141 yards on the ground. Erick Covington was 25-for-46 through the air for 231 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Jartavious Martin rushed for 126 yards and one touchdown. Alejandro Martinez-Loera and Michael Gazzana led USM with five receptions apiece. Jaxon Curtis led the team with nine tackles, one forced fumble, and one pass break up. Landon Beecham and Devonte Foster had five tackles apiece.

Through six games this season the Spires are averaging 380.5 yards of offense per game, 146.8 rushing and 233.7 passing. USM is scoring 32.8 points per game. Opponents are averaging 446.7 yards per game, 251.5 on the ground and 195.2 passing, and scoring 42.3 points per game.

USM is ranked 28th in the NAIA in scoring (197), 34th in points per game (32.8), 29th in total offense (2,283), 35th in yards per game (380.5), 23rd in passing yards (1,402), 25th in Comp-Att-INT (108-214-8), 26th in passing yards per game (233.7), fourth in passing touchdowns (19), 32nd in rushing yards (881), 23rd in rushing attempts (222), 39th in rushing yards per game (146.8), 12th in first downs (139), 40th in rushing touchdowns (9), 13th in passing first downs (70), 18th in third down percentage (.450), 10th in fourth down conversion (.670), 30th in punt return average (10.6), first in field goal percentage (1.00), and 12th in defensive INTs (9).

Erick Covington leads USM in passing. He is 98-for-186 through the air for 1,245 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is averaging 207.5 yards per game and has thrown six interceptions. Jartavious Martin has rushed for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Gazzana leads the team in receptions with 33. He has 521 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Devonte Foster leads the Spires in tackles with 42. Jaxon Curtis is right behind him with 41 tackles. He has three interceptions. Aidan Arnold is third on the team in tackles with 33.