The Braves earned their first victory of the season last Saturday with a 33-30 victory over the University of Saint Mary at AdventHealth Field. OU had its season high in points (33), touchdowns (5), total offense (415), rushing yards (255), rushing attempts (54), rushing touchdowns (4), and its longest rushing play of the season (47 yards).

In the win over the Spires, Ottawa had 415 yards of offense, 160 yards through the air and 255 yards on the ground. OU only punted one time in the game. Saint Mary had 400 yards of offense, 175 yards rushing, and 225 yards passing. USM punted three times.

Jordan Clay scored 26 points last Saturday, four touchdowns and a two point conversion. His four touchdowns are tied for fourth in the OU record book in single game touchdowns and his 26 points are tied for fifth in the OU record book in single game scoring.

Because of Jordan Clay's effort in the win over the University of Saint Mary last Saturday, he was named KCAC Offensive Player of the Week. He rushed for 155 yards on 28 carries, averaged 5.5 yards per carry, and scored four touchdowns

Through seven games, Ottawa is scoring 13.1 points per game. The Braves are averaging 255.6 yards of offense per game, 122.7 yards rushing and 132.9 yards passing. Opponents are scoring 29.6 points per game and averaging 393.9 yards of offense per game, 231.6 rushing yards and 162.3 passing yards.

The Braves are ranked 34th in the NAIA in rushing attempts (250), 47th in rushing touchdowns (9), seventh in penalty first downs (19), 12th in kick returns (No.-Yards) (31-652), 28th in kick return average (21.0), 25th in punts (No.-Yards) (35-1266), 50th in red zone touchdown percentage (63%), 37th in fumbles recovered (5), 28th in tackles (456), and 16th in penalty yards (291).

Taylor Eggers leads OU in passing. He is 88-for-188 through the air for 860 yards and four touchdowns. He has thrown 12 interceptions. Eggers is averaging 122.9 passing yards per game and is completing 46.8% of his passes. Jordan Clay is OU's leader in rushing. He had 346 yards on 97 carries and averages 49.4 rushing yards per game. Clay has four rushing touchdowns. He averages 3.6 yards per carry. De'Anthony Curtis leads the Braves in receptions with 32 for 296 yards. He is averaging 4.6 receptions per game and 42.3 receiving yards per game. AJ Hemphill is OU's leader in tackles with 73. He is averaging 10.4 tackles per game. Ethan Fuentes is second on the team in tackles with 48. He has 8.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovered. Teagan Flynn leads the team in sacks with 2.5.

Saturday will be the 59th time that Ottawa University and Sterling College have played against each other. Ottawa leads the series, 31-27, and defeated the Warriors 55-17 last season in Ottawa. That win snapped Sterling's two game winning streak against the Braves. OU is 13-18 against Sterling at Smisor Stadium and have lost two straight road games to Sterling. The last time OU won on the road in Sterling was on Oct. 6, 2018. The Braves defeated the Warriors, 48-47. The first ever meeting between the two teams happened on Nov. 10, 1922 in Ottawa. Sterling won the game, 13-3.

Sterling has lost nine straight games, dating back to the 2023 season. The Warriors last win came on Oct. 28, 2023 at home against the University of Saint Mary. SC won the game 33-30. The Warriors enter Saturday's game coming off a 25-21 loss to Tabor College last Saturday in Hillsboro. Sterling had a 7-0 lead over Tabor at the half but was outscored 25-14 in the second half, 22-7 in the fourth quarter, to fall to the Bluejays.

In the loss to Tabor last Saturday Sterling had 278 yards of offense, 126 yards through the air and 152 yards rushing. Tabor finished the game with 342 yards of offense, 266 yards passing and 76 yards rushing. Sterling played two quarterbacks during their game against Tabor. Jordan Slocum was 5-for-14 through the air for 75 yards and a touchdown. Sebastian Moyer was 8-for-11 through the air for 51 yards. Kendrick Bell rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown, Ryan Stucky had four receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown, and Jakobi Spence had eight tackles and one pass break up.

This season Sterling is scoring 14.3 points per game. The Warriors are averaging 247.6 yards of offense, 121.9 yards rushing and 125.7 yards passing. Opponents are scoring 36.3 points per game against Sterling. They are averaging 348 yards of offense per game, 194.9 yards rushing and 153.1 yards passing.

Rocklin Baptista leads Sterling in passing. He is 50-for-96 through the air for 520 yards and six touchdowns. He has thrown 10 interceptions. Jordan Slocum is 22-for-58 through the air for 301 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown four interceptions. Baptista is completing 52.1 percent of his passes while Slocum is completing 37.9 percent of his passes.

Kendrick Bell leads the Warriors in rushing, averaging 44.4 yards per game on 91 carries. He has 311 yards rushing this season and has scored three touchdowns. Bell is averaging 3.4 yards per carry.

Ryan Stucky is Sterling's leader in receptions with 25. He also leads the team in receiving yards with 382. Stucky is averaging 54.6 receiving yards per game and has scored five touchdowns.

Dexter Walker, Jr. is SC's leader in tackles with 54. He is averaging 7.7 tackles per game. Walker has two interceptions and two pass break ups. Hunter Pullen is right behind Walker with 52 tackles. He has 3.5 tackles for loss and one pass break up. Flin Cameron leads Sterling in sacks with 4.5. He has 11.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.