The Ottawa University football team fell 27-24 in overtime to Bethel College last Saturday afternoon at AdventHealth Field. It was the eighth overtime game in program history and the second time that Ottawa and Bethel have played an overtime game. OU finished the game with 260 yards of offense, 120 yards rushing and 140 yards passing. Bethel had 373 yards of offense, 185 yards passing and 188 yards rushing.

Through three games this season, Ottawa is averaging 182.7 yards of offense per game. OU is rushing for 96.3 yards per game and is averaging 86.3 passing yards per game. The Braves are averaging 10.3 points per game. Opponents are averaging 479.7 yards of offense per game and are scoring 35.3 points per game. They rushing for 319.3 yards and passing for160.3 yards per game.

Taylor Eggers leads the Braves in passing. He is 30-for-67 for 259 yards and two touchdowns. Eggers has thrown five interceptions. He is averaging 86.3 passing yards per game and is completing 44.8 percent of his passes. Jordan Clay is OU's leader in rushing, averaging 30 yards per game. He is averaging 2.3 yards per carry. De'Anthony Curtis is OU's leader in receptions with seven. He is averaging 17.3 receiving yards per game.

AJ Hemphill is OU's leader in tackles with 22. He is averaging 7.3 tackles, per game, 1.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss. Ethan Fuentes is right behind him with 21 tackles. He has 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Marcus Mendoza is third on the team in tackles with 16. He has one forced fumble and one recovered fumble.

Saturday is the 90th meeting between Ottawa University and McPherson College. The Braves lead the series 61-28 but the Bulldogs are on a three game winning streak against OU. Ottawa has a record of 28-17 against the Bulldogs in McPherson. OU has lost three straight on the road to McPherson. The last time OU won on the road in McPherson was on Oct. 10, 2015. The Braves won the game 58-0.The first game between the two teams happened on Oct. 18, 1929 in McPherson. MC won the game 21-0.

The Braves have a road record of 277-297-22 and Saturday will be OU's 1,144th football game.

McPherson College has started the season with a record of 2-1. The Bulldogs are on a two game winning streak after losing their season opener 20-10 at Tabor. MC has victories over Sterling College (42-30) on Sept. 7 in McPherson and the University of Saint Mary (38-10) on Sept. 14 in Leavenworth.

Through three games this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 354.7 yards of offense per game. McPherson is averaging 214.3 rushing yards per game and 140.3 yards through the air. They are scoring 30 points per game. McPherson is allowing 283.3 yards of offense per game, 142.3 rushing and 141.0 passing. Opponents are scoring 20 points per game against the Bulldogs.

McPherson is ranked 28th in the NAIA in scoring (90), 39th in points per game (30), 23rd in total offense (1,064), 37th in yards per game (354.7), 46th in passing yards per attempt (6.8), 10th in rushing yards (643), 21st in rushing attempts (114), 18th in rushing yards per game (214.3), 13th in yards per rush (5.6), seventh in rushing touchdowns (9), 30th in first downs (57), 11th rushing first downs (36), 35th in penalty first downs (5), 48th in punt return average (6.7), 28th in field goals (2-3), 22nd in PAT attempts (12-12), 21st in red zone scores (10-12), 23rd in red zone touchdowns (8-12), eighth in defensive INTs (5), fourth in defensive touchdowns (2), seventh in tackles (227), 14th in sacks (7), and 44th in penalties (17).

Tristan Szabo leads McPherson in passing. He is 34-for-59 through the air for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Szabo has thrown three interceptions. He is completing 57.6 percent of his passes and is averaging 121.3 passing yards per game. Jalil Brown is MC's leader in rushing yards (260). He is averaging 86.7 rushing yards per game and has five rushing touchdowns. Brown has two lost fumbles this season but has scored five touchdowns and is averaging nine yards per rush.

Nehemiah Figueroa leads the Bulldogs in tackles with 20. He is averaging 6.7 tackles per game, has three interceptions and three pass break ups. Brandon Jones is second on the team in tackles with 15 and Kirby Lewis has 14 tackles.