WINFIELD, Kan. — The Ottawa University football team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday night, falling 30-14 to (RV) Southwestern College at Richard L. Jantz Stadium.
The Braves moved the football through the air, finishing with 290 passing yards and 334 yards of total offense. However, turnovers and Southwestern's rushing attack proved costly. Ottawa committed four turnovers, including three interceptions, while the Moundbuilders rushed for 204 yards.
Ottawa's defense gave the Braves an early opportunity. On Southwestern's opening possession,
Jacob Hill intercepted James Odom at the OU 25-yard line and returned it four yards. The Braves responded with a 10-play, 56-yard drive that reached the Southwestern 15, but a 25-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright.
The game remained scoreless through the first quarter before Southwestern broke through with 11:32 remaining in the second. Christian Steward capped a nine-play, 64-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run to give the Moundbuilders a 7-0 lead. Southwestern added a 41-yard Jeremiah Schaefer field goal with 3:03 remaining in the half.
Ottawa had an opportunity to cut into the deficit before halftime.
Elijah Ribaudo completed passes to
Jayden Johnson and
De'Anthony Curtis as the Braves drove from their own 25 to the Southwestern 30. However, a 47-yard field goal attempt went wide left, and OU entered halftime trailing 10-0.
Southwestern extended its lead early in the third quarter. Odom scored on a 10-yard run following a 48-yard completion to Bryce Chambers, making it 17-0. An interception on Ottawa's next possession gave Southwestern the ball at the OU 2. The Braves' defense kept the Moundbuilders out of the end zone, forcing a 30-yard Schaefer field goal and limiting the damage to three points.
Another Southwestern field goal pushed the advantage to 23-0, but the Braves responded with their first scoring drive of the night. Ottawa went 61 yards in eight plays, highlighted by completions of 19 and 16 yards to
Hagan Johnson. Ribaudo finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to
Jayden Johnson with 1:03 remaining in the third quarter. Ribaudo then connected with Johnson on the two-point conversion to make it 23-8.
Southwestern answered early in the fourth with Steward's second touchdown, a 24-yard run, to take a 30-8 lead.
The Braves continued to battle. Ottawa put together an 11-play scoring drive on its next possession, with Ribaudo completing passes to
Anthony Powell,
AJ Moore and Curtis. Facing fourth-and-six from the Southwestern 16, Ribaudo found Curtis for a 16-yard touchdown with 9:23 remaining. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 30-14.
Ottawa's defense created one more opportunity when
Ethan Gardner sacked Odom and recovered the ensuing fumble with 5:13 remaining. The Braves were unable to capitalize, however, as Southwestern intercepted Ribaudo on the next play. The Moundbuilders held on from there for the 30-14 victory.
Statistical Breakdown
- Total Offense: Ottawa finished with 334 yards on 68 plays, while Southwestern totaled 393 yards on 58 plays.
- Passing: The Braves threw for 290 yards. Ribaudo completed 20-of-33 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, while Luke Edwards was 5-of-6 for 48 yards.
- Receiving: De'Anthony Curtis led Ottawa with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Hagan Johnson had three receptions for 55 yards, Quinn Conley caught two passes for 51 yards and Jayden Johnson finished with seven receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown.
- Rushing: Anthony Powell led the Braves with 31 yards on seven carries. Ottawa was held to 44 rushing yards, while Southwestern finished with 204.
- Third Downs: Ottawa converted 6-of-13 third downs (46 percent), compared to Southwestern's 3-of-11 (27 percent).
- Turnovers: The Braves turned the ball over four times — three interceptions and one lost fumble. Ottawa's defense forced two turnovers with Hill's interception and Gardner's fumble recovery.
- Defense: Trent Montgomery led OU with eight tackles, while Ethan Yinger added seven. Hill finished with six tackles, an interception and a tackle for loss. Gardner recorded three tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
- Southwestern Leaders: Steward rushed 18 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Chambers caught six passes for 107 yards. Schaefer went 3-for-3 on field goals, connecting from 41, 30 and 42 yards.
Who is Next
Ottawa (3-1) returns to the field on Saturday, Sept. 26 against no. 18 McPherson College at AdventHealth Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
