Football hosts Saint Mary for homecoming this Saturday

The last time OU took the field, the Braves lost 13-0 to Bethany College on Oct. 5 in Lindsborg. The Braves finished the game with 245 yards of offense, 101 yards of passing and 144 yards of rushing. Bethany had 76 yards rushing and 80 yards passing for 156 yards of offense.

After the bye week and start of Bissell Division play, Ottawa is averaging 9.8 points and 229 yards of offense per game, 128.3 yards passing and 100.7 yards rushing. Opponents score 29.5 points and average 392.8 yards of offense, 241 yards of rushing and 151.8 yards of passing per game.

OU ranks 52nd in the NAIA in rushing attempts (196), fifth in penalty first downs (17), 45th in third down conversions (28-89), 13th in kick returns ( No. yards) (28-571), 36th in kick return average (20.4), first in PAT percentage (1.00), 18th in punts (number of yards) (34-1,238) , 48th in red zone touchdown percentage (.640), 37th in fumbles recovered (4), 27th in tackles (407), 40th in penalties (36) and 20th in penalty yards (276).

Taylor Eggers leads the Braves in passing. He is 70 of 166 for 700 yards and three touchdowns. Eggers threw 11 interceptions. He averages 116.7 yards per game and completes 42.2 percent of his passes. Eggers also leads OU in rushing touchdowns with five. Jordan Clay is OU’s rushing leader with 191 yards on 69 carries. He averages 2.8 yards per carry. De’Anthony Curtis leads the Braves in receptions with 23. Keavian Long Leads Ottawa with 262 yards. Hagan Johnson leads the Braves with two receiving touchdowns.

AJ Hemphill is OU’s all-time leader in tackles with 68. He averages 11.3 tackles per game, has 1.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. Ethan Fuentes is second on the team with 43 tackles. He has 7.2 tackles, 1.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Christian Coggs has 31 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.

The 25th game between Ottawa University and the University of Saint Mary will take place on Saturday. Ottawa leads the series 19-5. OU is 8-2 in its last 10 games against the Spiers. This is the first time the Braves and Spiers will play each other at OU’s Homecoming. Ottawa is 10-2 against Saint Mary in Ottawa. The first game between the two teams took place on October 14, 2000 in Ottawa. The Braves won the game 61-6.

OU’s 93rd homecoming game will take place on October 19th. The Braves have a record of 61-31 in those games. The first home opener contest was on November 18, 1922 against Pittsburg State University at Athletic Field. Pitt State won the game 14-0.

The University of Saint Mary is ranked 1-4 in KCAC non-divisional play. The Spiers defeated Bethany College 35-22 for their first win of the season on Sept. 28 in Leavenworth.

The Spiers’ game against Evangel scheduled for Sept. 21 was postponed due to thunderstorms.

USM averages 19.2 points and 323.4 yards of offense per game, 148 yards rushing and 175.4 yards passing. Opponents score 42.8 points and average 497.6 yards of offense, 281.2 yards of rushing and 216.4 yards of passing per game.

The Spiers rank 48th in the NAIA in rushing yards per game (148), 49th in rushing first downs (47), 23rd in penalty first downs (13), 47th in first downs per game (19.8) and 25th in third down conversion percentage (.430), 50th in fourth down conversion percentage (.450), 39th in fumbles lost (8- 4), 11th in fumbles recovery (6), 48th in interception return average (13.6),

Cesar Vela leads the Holy Mary in passing. He completed 56 of 121 through the air for 649 yards and six touchdowns. Vela threw five interceptions. He completes 46.3 percent of his passes and averages 162.3 yards per game. Raymond Webster leads USM in rushing this season with 402 yards on the ground. He averages 5.1 yards per carry and 80.4 rushing yards per game. Michael Gazzana leads the team in receptions with 19 for 392 yards. He has six receiving touchdowns.

Jaxon Curtis leads the Spiers with 34 tackles. He had three tackles for loss. Hunter Hendricks is second on the team with 31 tackles. He has one sack, six tackles for loss and one interception. Brayden Arnold is USM’s all-time leader in interceptions with two

In the Spiers’ loss to Southwestern College two weeks ago in Winfield, SWC jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter to secure a 69-28 victory. USM had 333 yards of offense, 134 yards through the air and 199 yards rushing in the loss.