WICHITA, Kan. — The Ottawa University football team went toe-to-toe offensively with no. 8 Friends University for three quarters Saturday afternoon at Adair-Austin Stadium, but the Falcons pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 66-42 victory.
Ottawa finished with 417 yards of offense, including 364 through the air, and scored 42 points through the first three quarters. The Braves trailed just 35-28 at halftime and 49-42 entering the fourth before Friends scored the final 17 points.
OU struck first.
De'Anthony Curtis took the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, giving the Braves a 7-0 lead just 13 seconds into the game. Friends responded with touchdowns on its next two possessions and took a 14-7 advantage into the second quarter.
The Falcons extended their lead to 21-7 early in the second, but the Braves continued to answer.
Elijah Ribaudo found
AJ Moore for a three-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal, pulling OU within 21-14. After Friends scored again,
Anthony Powell capped an eight-play, 74-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run to make it 28-21.
Friends answered with another touchdown to go ahead 35-21, but Ottawa put together an impressive two-minute drive before halftime.
Jayden Johnson broke a 30-yard run to the Friends eight-yard line, and with two seconds remaining, Ribaudo connected with
Zayne Nowak for an eight-yard touchdown.
Ike Prengel's extra point sent the Braves into the locker room trailing 35-28.
The back-and-forth scoring continued in the third quarter. Friends opened the half with a touchdown, but Ottawa answered when Ribaudo connected with Johnson for a 29-yard score, cutting the deficit to 42-35. After another Friends touchdown, Ottawa responded again with a 13-play, 72-yard drive. Ribaudo completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Curtis with five seconds remaining in the quarter, making it 49-42.
The fourth quarter belonged to Friends. The Falcons used a 15-play, 76-yard drive that consumed 7:53 to kick a 22-yard field goal and stretch their lead to 52-42. On Ottawa's next possession, Zamarion Manuel intercepted Ribaudo and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Friends added one more score following an Ottawa turnover to account for the 66-42 final.
Inside the Box Score
- Ottawa finished with 417 yards of total offense, recording 364 passing yards and 53 rushing yards. The Braves had 26 first downs and converted 6-of-14 third downs and 4-of-6 fourth downs.
- Elijah Ribaudo completed 34-of-59 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns.
- Jayden Johnson led the OU receiving corps with nine catches for 161 yards and a touchdown, averaging 17.9 yards per reception. He also rushed twice for 40 yards, giving him 201 yards from scrimmage.
- AJ Moore caught eight passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, while De'Anthony Curtis finished with 10 receptions for 78 yards and a score.
- Zayne Nowak had three receptions for 17 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half.
- Anthony Powell led Ottawa's running backs with 29 yards on five carries and scored an eight-yard touchdown.
- Curtis made an immediate impact on special teams, returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. He finished with 113 yards on two kickoff returns.
- Ike Prengel was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points.
- Cade Monroe and Ethan Yinger led the Braves defensively with seven tackles apiece. Donovan Martin and Reeves Gill each added six tackles.
- Jacob Hill recovered a Friends fumble late in the fourth quarter.
- Friends accumulated 561 yards of offense, with 398 coming on the ground. The Falcons averaged 7.5 yards per rushing attempt and 9.0 yards per offensive play.
- Ottawa scored 21 points in the second quarter and 14 in the third, keeping the Braves within one possession at 49-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
Who is Next
Next week is the bye week for the Braves. Ottawa (3-3) starts KCAC Kessinger Division play on Saturday, Oct. 17 at AdventHealth Field against (RV) Evangel University. Kick off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
