LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — The Ottawa University football team remained unbeaten on Saturday night, using an explosive offense and a strong defensive effort to earn a 42-15 road victory over the University of Saint Mary.
The Braves continued their recent success against the Spires. Ottawa scored 36 of the game's first 42 points and held Saint Mary scoreless in both the second and third quarters.
Ottawa wasted little time taking control. On the opening possession,
Luke Edwards connected with
De'Anthony Curtis for 34 yards to move the Braves to the Saint Mary two-yard line. Three plays later,
Amiri Mumba powered into the end zone from two yards out.
Rowdy Keith converted the two-point attempt to give OU an 8-0 lead.
After Saint Mary capitalized on an Ottawa turnover to pull within 8-6, Mumba answered in explosive fashion. The OU running back broke free for a 57-yard touchdown on the first play of a drive, extending the Braves' advantage to 15-6 with 6:06 remaining in the first quarter.
Ottawa added to its lead early in the second quarter. Edwards found
AJ Moore for a 34-yard touchdown, finishing a two-play, 45-yard scoring drive and putting the Braves ahead 22-6.
The OU defense then turned away two Saint Mary threats before halftime. The Spires put together a 16-play drive that reached the Ottawa nine-yard line, but
Abdullhi Mahdi intercepted Garrett Hunnicutt in the end zone. On Saint Mary's next possession,
Daniel Walker came away with another interception at the OU 10. The Braves took a 22-6 advantage into halftime.
Ottawa broke the game open in the third quarter. The Braves marched 66 yards on 10 plays on their first possession of the half, converting a fourth-and-one when Keith raced 10 yards for a touchdown and a 29-6 lead.
Mumba struck again later in the quarter. After opening the drive with a 20-yard run, he finished the four-play, 86-yard possession with a 23-yard touchdown, his third score of the night, giving Ottawa a commanding 36-6 advantage.
The Braves needed just two plays to score again early in the fourth. Edwards connected with
Brian McKoy for 37 yards before Keith finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Keith's second rushing score pushed the OU advantage to 42-6.
Saint Mary scored nine points over the final 6:23, but the outcome was already well in hand as Ottawa secured the 42-15 victory.
Inside the Box Score
- Ottawa finished with 428 yards of total offense, averaging 8.6 yards per play, compared to 313 yards and 4.0 yards per play for Saint Mary.
- The Braves threw for 229 yards and rushed for 199 yards, averaging an impressive 7.1 yards per rushing attempt.
- Luke Edwards completed 13-of-20 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown without an interception.
- Amiri Mumba led the OU rushing attack with 102 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries, averaging 17.0 yards per attempt. His touchdown runs covered two, 57 and 23 yards.
- Anthony Powell added 45 yards on five carries, averaging 9.0 yards per attempt, while Kimbriq Minnis rushed for 25 yards.
- Rowdy Keith scored twice on the ground, finishing with 14 yards on two carries. He also converted Ottawa's first-quarter two-point attempt.
- De'Anthony Curtis led Ottawa with five receptions for 76 yards, while AJ Moore caught three passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Brian McKoy finished with three receptions for 59 yards.
- Ottawa's defense intercepted Saint Mary quarterback Garrett Hunnicutt twice, with Abdullhi Mahdi and Daniel Walker recording the takeaways.
- Ibrahimi Mahdi led the Braves defensively with 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Cade Monroe and Kage Castling each finished with eight tackles, while Ethan Yinger and Jacob Hill had seven apiece.
- Abdullhi Mahdi recorded three tackles, a sack and an interception, while Ottawa finished with five tackles for loss and seven pass breakups as a team.
- The Braves were 2-for-2 on fourth down, while holding Saint Mary to 2-for-3. OU also limited the Spires to a 28-percent conversion rate on third down.
Who is Next
Ottawa (2-0) returns to AdventHealth Field on Saturday, Sept. 12 to host Sterling College. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
