Football road trips to Bethany on Saturday

The Braves fell 27-14 to (17) Evangel University last Saturday at AdventHealth Field. Ottawa finished the game with 342 yards of offense, 242 yards of passing and 100 yards of rushing. Evangel had 179 yards rushing and 142 yards passing for 321 yards of offense.

Through five games this season, Ottawa is averaging 225.8 yards of offense per game, 92 yards rushing and 133.8 yards passing. The Braves score 11.8 points per game. Opponents score 32.8 points per game and average 440.2 yards of offense per game, 274 yards rushing and 166.2 yards passing.

Taylor Eggers leads the Braves in passing yards with 669. He is 64-for-144 through the air, has thrown three touchdowns and 10 interceptions and is completing 44.4 percent of his passes. Eggers also leads the Braves in rushing with 153 yards on 40 carries. He scored five rushing touchdowns. De'Anthony Curtis is OU's leader in receptions with 18. He has 166 receiving yards this season and is averaging 33.2 receiving yards per game.

AJ Hemphill is OU's leader in tackles with 56. He is averaging 11.2 tackles per game. Ethan Fuentes is second on the team in tackles with 34. He has one forced fumble and one recovered fumble. Christian Coggs has 27 tackles this season

Ottawa had its best offensive performance of the season last Saturday with 342 yards against Evangel University. OU also had a season-high 242 yards passing for a season-high 45 times.

Saturday marks the 98th meeting between Ottawa University and Bethany College. Ottawa leads the series 58-36-3 and the Braves are on a three-game winning streak against the Swedes. OU has a 28-20-2 record against Bethany in Lindsborg, winning its last match in Lindsborg on Nov. 12, 2022, 45-2. The last time OU lost to Bethany on the road was on November 16, 2019. The Swedes won the game 30-22. OU is 4-1 in its last five games against Bethany, outscoring the Swedes 41-19. The first match between the two teams was on October 11, 1902 in Lindsborg. Bethany won the match 17-5.

Ottawa ranks 31st in the NAIA in rushing attempts (161), 37th in passing first downs (39), third in penalty first downs (14), fourth in kick return yards (No.-Yards) (26-551 ), 29th in kick return average (21.2), first in PAT percentage (100%), 33rd in average per kick (38.7), 14th in tackles (338), 40th in penalties (26) and 29th in penalty yards (219).

Bethany College is 2-3 on the season, but its two-game winning streak was snapped last Saturday with a 35-22 loss to the University of Saint Mary.

In the loss to the Spiers last Saturday in Leavenworth, Bethany had 376 yards of offensive margin, 164 yards through the air and 212 yards on the ground. Three quarterbacks played for the Swedes. Trapper Enzor went 6-for-13 for 112 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Dalton Whitworth went 1-for-4 through the air for 35 yards and an interception. Landry Shields was 2-for-10 through the air for 17 yards and one interception. Saint Mary rushed for 314 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Through five games this season, Bethany is averaging 340 yards of offense per game, 150.4 yards rushing and 189.6 yards passing. They score 25.4 points per game. Opponents score 29.6 points per game and average 370.6 yards of offense per game, 175.4 yards on the ground and 195.2 yards through the air.

Bethany ranks 33rd in the NAIA in scoring (127), 49th in points per game (25.4), 22nd in total offense (1,700), 34th in passing yards (948), 33rd in passing yards per completion ( 13.7), 19th in passing touchdowns (10), 25th in rushing yards (752), 12th in rushing attempts (193), 43rd in rushing yards per game (150.4), 40th in rushing touchdowns (6), 27th in first downs (91), 37th in passing first downs (39), 13th in penalty first downs (11), 49th in third down conversion percentage (.350), 50th in fourth down conversions (.430), 45th in kick return average (19 .6), 35th in red zone scoring (12-for-14), 21st in red zone percentage (.860), first in defensive interceptions (13), 26th in tackles (316) and 32nd in sacks (9).

Landry Shields leads Bethany in passing yards. He has 795 this season and is completing 53.5 percent of his passes (61-of-114). Shields has thrown nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. He is averaging 159 passing yards per game.

Zamarion Spencer is the Swedes' leading rusher, rushing for 371 yards on 81 attempts. He has scored two touchdowns and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Josiah Hardrick is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and has scored three rushing touchdowns. Michael Young is BC's leader in receptions with 20. He has 346 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Young is averaging 69.2 yards per game.

Bethany is led in tackles by Julian Carpenter. He has 42 tackles and averages 8.2 tackles per game. Carpenter has 4.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Khyree Marshall is second on the team in tackles with 27 and Terry McCutcheon is right behind him with 25.