KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Ottawa University football team scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat Avila University 14-6 on Saturday afternoon at The Z, clinching the KCAC Kessinger Division Championship.
Trailing 6-0 entering the fourth quarter, Ottawa took its first lead of the game on a 71-yard touchdown pass from
Luke Edwards to
Jayden Johnson. The Braves added an insurance touchdown with 3:23 remaining when
Malakai Hudson scored from two yards out.
Johnson also reached a career milestone in the victory, becoming the 11th player in Ottawa University football history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Johnson finished Saturday's game with five receptions for 93 yards and one touchdown.
The Ottawa defense played a key role in the championship-clinching victory, holding the Eagles without a touchdown and coming up with several crucial fourth-down stops.
How It Happened
First Quarter
Ottawa's defense made an early statement after the Braves were forced to punt on their opening possession. Avila took over at the Ottawa 45-yard line and moved the ball to the OU 29. The Braves forced a turnover on downs when Joseph Vick's fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
The Eagles broke the scoreless tie with 6:01 remaining in the first quarter. Avila put together a six-play, 24-yard drive that ended with Tanner Steenbock connecting on a 44-yard field goal, giving the Eagles a 3-0 advantage.
Ottawa responded with a six-play drive that reached its own 48-yard line. Edwards completed passes to
AJ Moore,
De'Anthony Curtis and Johnson, but the Braves were stopped on fourth-and-one.
Avila took possession at the Ottawa 47 and moved the ball to the OU 15-yard line before the quarter ended.
Second Quarter
The Ottawa defense held the Eagles to another field goal to open the second quarter.
Gabe Watson tackled Damian Dickenson for a two-yard loss on third down, forcing Avila to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Steenbock with 14:13 on the clock.
Trailing 6-0, Ottawa began its next possession at its own 40-yard line following a 30-yard kickoff return by Curtis. Edwards connected with Johnson for gains of 12 and seven yards, moving the Braves into Avila territory. However, a sack on third down forced Ottawa to punt.
The Braves' defense delivered another important stop late in the half. After Avila took possession at the Ottawa 38-yard line with 4:04 remaining,
Bryson Nolan recorded a five-yard sack on the first play.
The Eagles eventually advanced to the Ottawa 18-yard line, but the Braves held firm.
Donovan Martin tackled Juan Delgado-Medina for a nine-yard loss on fourth-and-10, giving Ottawa possession at its own 27-yard line with 1:21 remaining.
Ottawa entered halftime trailing 6-0.
Third Quarter
Avila opened the second half with an 11-play, 72-yard drive that reached the Ottawa four-yard line. The Braves' defense again prevented the Eagles from reaching the end zone.
Qui'len Johnson tackled Patrick Anderson Jr. for a two-yard loss on second-and-goal, and
JT Turner helped limit Anderson to one yard on third down. Steenbock missed a 23-yard field goal attempt, keeping Ottawa within six points.
The Braves took over at their own 20-yard line and picked up a first down on consecutive runs by Hudson, but the possession ended with a punt.
Ottawa's defense continued to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard on their next possession. Johnson recorded a sack of Vick for a two-yard loss on third-and-12, forcing an Avila punt.
The Braves began their next possession at their own 13-yard line with 1:42 remaining in the third quarter. Edwards completed passes to Curtis, Moore and
Rowdy Keith, moving Ottawa to its own 26-yard line as the quarter came to an end.
Fourth Quarter
The Braves' offense came alive early in the fourth quarter.
After a sack pushed Ottawa back to its own 24-yard line, Edwards connected with Keith for five yards. Facing third-and-seven from the OU 29, Edwards found Johnson for a 71-yard touchdown pass with 13:44 remaining.
Ike Prengel converted the extra point, giving Ottawa its first lead of the afternoon, 7-6.
The Braves' defense quickly forced an Avila punt, but Ottawa was unable to extend its advantage on the ensuing possession.
With 10:01 remaining, the Eagles took over at their own 27-yard line and moved the ball to their 47. Facing fourth-and-one, Anderson was stopped for no gain by Watson and Turner, giving the Braves possession in Avila territory.
Hudson took over from there.
On the first play of the drive, Hudson broke free for a 20-yard run to the Avila 27-yard line. He followed with a 19-yard gain to the Eagles' eight-yard line.
The Braves continued to pound the ball on the ground, moving to the Avila two-yard line. After a defensive pass interference penalty gave Ottawa a fresh set of downs, Hudson scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 3:23 remaining.
Prengel's extra point extended Ottawa's lead to 14-6.
Avila made one final push, advancing from its own 25-yard line to the Ottawa 15.
Ibrahimi Mahdi recorded an eight-yard sack on second down, putting the Eagles behind the chains.
Facing fourth-and-14 at the Ottawa 19-yard line, Vick scrambled for 11 yards before being stopped short of the first-down marker.
Ottawa took over with 29 seconds remaining and ran out the clock to secure the 14-6 victory and the KCAC Kessinger Division Championship.
Inside the Box Score
- Luke Edwards completed 14-of-17 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown.
- Jayden Johnson led Ottawa with five receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown, including the 71-yard go-ahead score. He became the 11th Brave to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
- Malakai Hudson led the Braves' rushing attack with 74 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt.
- AJ Moore finished with four receptions for 13 yards.
- De'Anthony Curtis caught two passes for 14 yards.
- Rowdy Keith recorded two receptions for nine yards.
- Ottawa finished with 192 yards of total offense, including 131 passing yards and 61 rushing yards.
- Ethan Yinger led Ottawa with eight tackles, all solo stops, and one pass breakup.
- Donovan Martin finished with seven tackles and one tackle for loss of nine yards.
- Gabe Watson recorded seven tackles and one tackle for loss.
- Cade Monroe added six tackles and one tackle for loss.
- Bryson Nolan finished with five tackles, including a sack for a five-yard loss.
- Qui'len Johnson recorded three tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.
- Ibrahimi Mahdi finished with three tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.
- Ottawa's defense recorded three sacks for 15 yards and eight tackles for loss totaling 31 yards.
- The Braves held Avila to 3-of-14 on third down and 1-of-5 on fourth down.
- Ottawa held the Eagles without a touchdown despite Avila recording 291 yards of total offense.
Who is Next
Ottawa (7-3, 4-0) finishes the regular season next Saturday on the road at Bethel College. Kick off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in North Newton, Kan.
