Ottawa fell 60-17 to McPherson College last Saturday at AdventHealth Field. OU had 279 yards of offense, 103 yards passing and 176 yards rushing. McPherson finished the game with a total of 483 yards of offense, 297 yards through the air and 186 yards on the ground.
In the loss to McPherson,
Billy Maples went 8-for-17 through the air for 79 yards.
Malaki Peko led OU with 63 yards rushing.
Jayden Johnson led OU with three receptions.
Anterrio White and
De'Anthony Curtis had two receptions apiece.
AJ Hemphill led OU with 13 tackles. He had one pass break up.
Kyle Reynolds finished the game with seven tackles. Saamad Ali and
James Gladden had five tackles apiece.
DeAnthony Curtis had a 91 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in OU's loss to McPherson last Saturday. That return ties him for 10th in the OU record book for longest kick return for a touchdown in a game.
Billy Maples leads the Braves with 585 yards through the air. He is completing 47.5 percent of his passes and has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Wynton Ruth is OU's leader in rushing. He has rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
Jayden Johnson has 17 receptions for 262 yards and one touchdown.
AJ Hemphill is OU's leader in tackles with 47. He has one pass break up.
Kyle Reynolds has 37 tackles, three interceptions, and one pass break up.
James Gladden and
Jensen Riffel have 28 tackles apiece.
OU is averaging 308.5 yards of offense per game, 155 yards rushing and 153.5 yards passing. The Braves are scoring 21.8 points per game. Opponents are scoring 39.3 points per game and averaging 425.8 yards of offense per game, 269 yards rushing and 156.8 passing yards per game.
The Braves are ranked 48th in the NAIA in passing yards (614), 14th in rushing yards (620), 16th in rushing attempts (145), 34th in rushing yards per game (155), 35th in yards per rush (4.3), 19th in rushing touchdowns (8), 20th in first downs (76), 10th in rushing first downs (41), 35th in third down conversions (19-58), 30th in fourth down conversions (4-12), first in kick returns (no.-yards) (20-491), 16th in kick return average (24.6), 46th in field goals (2-6), 45th in PATs (9-11), 33rd in average per punt (37.8), 31st in red zone scores (11-14), 31st in red zone touchdowns (9-14), and 40th in defensive INTs (3).
Saturday's game is the first time that Ottawa University and Evangel University will meet on the football field.
Evangel University is on a five game winning streak dating back to the 2022 season. The Valor's last loss came on Nov. 5 against, then, no. 6 Benedictine (30-7) in Atchison, Kan.
The Valor are 6-1 at Eagle Stadium since the 2022 season. Evangel has won four straight games at home and have not lost at Eagle Stadium since Sept. 24, 2022. EU fell 27-7 to (2) Grand View University.
Evangel was picked to finish second in the Kessinger Division by both the KCAC coaches and the media in the 2023 Poll.
The Valor had six players named to the 2023 KCAC Football Kessinger Division Preseason Team. Dillon Hester (WR/KR), Sammy Robinson, Zach Myers, Bradley Myers, Koel Orchard, and Jonah Edwards.
Through four games this season, Evangel is averaging 433 yards of offense per game, 209 yards rushing and 224 yards passing. The Valor are scoring 36.3 points per game. Opponents are averaging 235.5 yards of offense per game, 92 rushing and 143.5 yards passing. The Valor defense is allowing 14 points per game.
Evangel is ranked eighth in the NAIA in scoring (145), 24th in points per game (36.3), fifth in total offense (1,732), 16th in yards per game (433), 13th in passing yards (896), 35th in passing yards per game (224), 49th in passing yards per attempt (6.7), eighth in passing touchdowns (10), fourth in rushing yards (836), seventh in rushing attempts (164), 12th in rushing yards per game (209), 17th in yards per rush (5.1), fifth in rushing touchdowns (11), 12th in passing first downs (43), second in third down conversions (26-63), 18th in fourth down conversions (5-8), 35th in punt return average (9.5), and second in sacks (13).
RJ Wakley leads Evangel in passing, averaging 212.5 yards per game. He is completing 58.2 percent of his passes and has thrown 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Eric Williams leads EU in rushing with 329 yards. He is averaging 7.3 yards per rush and has scored five touchdowns. Dillon Hester is EU's leader in receptions with 30. He is averaging 100.5 receiving yards per game and has six receiving touchdowns. Bradley Myers leads the team in tackles with 46. Ian Ary is second on the team in tackles with 30. Andreas Moeller had eight tackles for loss and 25 tackles through four games.
