THE GAME
After having two weeks off from competition, the OUAZ football team returns to action on Saturday when they host Wayland Baptist at Spirit Field in the final home game of the season.
 
It will be Senior Night on Saturday and the team will recognize its four seniors prior to the game. OUAZ will also recognize the seniors from each of the fall sports. All seniors 55 and over will receive free admission to the game with ID. The ticket booth and gates will open at 6 p.m. and more ticket information is available at OUAZSpirit.com/tickets.
 
 OUAZ will broadcast the game live on their Game Central portal and the NAIA Network for $7.95 with James Poovey (play-by-play) and Vince D'Aliesio (analyst) calling the action. The NAIA Network is available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku devices by searching NAIA.
 
Live stats will also be available during the game. Links for all live features are posted at OUAZSpirit.com/live.
 
SPIRIT NOTES
OUAZ brings a 4-3 overall record and 4-1 home record into Saturday's game. The Spirit are tied for fourth in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 3-3 mark in conference games.
 
The Spirit enter the game having won two straight for the first time in program history. They have won three consecutive home games.
 
OUAZ will bring the regular season to a close next Saturday when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to face Texas Wesleyan.
 
In the latest NCCAA rankings, OUAZ has moved up to No. 3 behind Concordia (Mich.) and Virginia Lynchburg. The Spirit are still in play for an invitation to the NCCAA Victory Bowl Invitational to be played on Saturday, November 17.
 
In his fifth season as a head coach, Mike Nesbitt has a 29-20 all-time record and a 4-3 record at OUAZ.
 
Following the team's last game on October 13, Shamar Moreland was named the Sooner Special Teams Player of the Week and the NCCAA Offensive Player of the Week. In the game, Moreland accounted for 423 all-purpose yards and he accounted for five touchdowns.
 
ABOUT WAYLAND BAPTIST
Wayland Baptist comes to Surprise at 4-3 overall and 3-3 in the Sooner. The Pioneers have won three straight games, including a 41-30 win at home last Saturday against Texas Wesleyan.
 
The team is scoring 29.4 points per game and they gain 342.6 yards of offense per outing.
 
The Pioneers ride their defense and rank 21st in the NAIA by getting 2.7 sacks per game. They are eighth in the country by holding opponents to 29.2 percent on third-down.
 
De'Sean Johnson is 10th in the country by scoring 9.4 points per game. Andre Smith makes 1.6 tackles-for-loss per game to rank 12th in the NAIA.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
OUAZ enters the week fourth in the NAIA and leading the SAC is scoring at 51.9 points per game. They have scored 50-plus points in five of the team's seven games played. That includes games of 73 and 63 in the past two outings.
 
The Spirit's 353.6 passing yards per game lead the SAC and rank second in the NAIA. They are second in the SAC with a 171.7 passing efficiency rating.
 
OUAZ ranks second in the conference and fourth in the country by gaining 539.4 yards per game. They convert 40.4 percent on third-down while averaging 22.9 first downs per game.
 
In 104 offensive drives, OUAZ has scored 44 touchdowns and kicked six field goals. The Spirit have punted 24 times with 17 three-and-outs.
 
The Spirit have scored on 80 percent of their 25 trips to the red zone, including a 60 percent touchdown rate. They have allowed opponents to score on 75 percent of their 28 red zone trips with a 68 percent touchdown rate.
 
OUAZ leads the conference and ranks tied for eighth in the NAIA by getting 3.3 sacks per game.
 
The opposition gains 382.7 yards per game and is scoring 32.7 points per game.
 
On the season, OUAZ has recorded three safeties and blocked four kicks.
 
UNDER CENTER
Austin McCullough has thrown for 1,919 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. He completes 56.4 percent of his attempts with seven interceptions and a 165.7 efficiency rating.
 
McCullough is second in the SAC by throwing for 319.8 yards per game – fourth in the NAIA – and his 315.8 total offense yards in good for third in the conference and sixth nationally.
 
McCullough has thrown for multiple touchdowns in every game he has played this season, including six against Arizona Christian on October 6.
 
ALL PURPOSE MACHINE
Shamar Moreland enters the week as the NAIA leader with 1,740 all-purpose yards and by averaging 248.6 all-purpose yards per game. He is fifth in the NAIA by scoring 11.1 points per game.
 
Moreland ranks second in the SAC and 38th in the NAIA by rushing for 79.1 yards per game and his 554 total rushing yards is second in the conference.
 
He also leads the SAC by averaging 23.2 yards per punt return – third in the NAIA – and is second at 28.6 yards per kick return – fourth in the country. Moreland leads the NAIA with 395 punt return yards and 657 kick return yards.
 
RUN/PASS OPTION
Marcelous Chester-Riley is second on the team with 365 rushing yards and he leads OUAZ with 25 receptions.
 
He has scored nine touchdowns and ranks sixth in the conference and 47th in the NAIA with 54 points scored.
 
Chester-Riley is seventh in the SAC by averaging 107.7 all-purpose yards per game and ninth by rushing for 52.1 yards per game.
 
DEEP THREAT
Brandon McLaughlin leads OUAZ in receiving yards with 512 and receiving touchdowns with nine. He ranks fouorth on the club with 16 total receptions.
 
He averages 32.0 yards per reception and has totaled 11 grabs of 20-plus yards. Eight of his nine touchdowns are on plays of 20 or more yards.
 
McLaughlin has three 100-yard receiving games this season and had at least two scoring catches in the past three games.
 
OUTSIDE OPTION
Jeremiah Greylock is tied for second in the team with 18 receptions that have resulted in 269 yards and four scores.
 
Greylock finished with five catches for 138 yards and two scores at Langston on September 8.
 
IN THE BACKFIELD
Kenneth Steele Jr. has made a habit of making plays in the opponent's backfield this season. The senior leads the NAIA with 20.5 tackles for loss and he ranks second with 12 sacks.
 
He leads the country by making 2.9 TFLs per game and by getting 1.7 sacks per game. He has recorded at least one-half sack in five straight games and has multiple TFLs in six of the team's seven games played.
 
Steele ranks ninth in the conference by making 7.4 tackles per game with his 52 total tackles put him second in the team.
 
MAKING THE STOP
Da'Shawn Holcombe leads the Spirit with 54 total tackles and 31 solo stops. His 7.7 tackles per game rank tied for third in the conference.
 
Holcombe has twice made double-digit tackles this season, including a 15 tackles performance at Langston.
 
He has added three tackles-for-loss while adding six passes defended.
 
BOHNS AWAY
Austin Bohn is currently the NAIA's leader by averaging 46.4 yards per punt this season. He has punted 18 times with a long of 78 and has seven kicks of 50-plus yards.
 
Bohn has dropped two punts inside the 20-yardline and has two touchbacks.
 
PUT IT ON THE BOARD
John Williams has hit 45 of 49 PAT attempts this season and had a run of 34 straight makes snapped against Texas College.
 
He has made his last six field goal attempts after missing the first two attempts of the season. His long field goal this year is from 38 yards.
 
Williams leads the SACD and ranks second in the NAIA by scoring 9.0 points via kick per game. His 63 kicking points are tied for first in the league and 13th in the country.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
OUAZ will close the regular season next week with a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, to face Texas Wesleyan. Kickoff from Farrington Field is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST / 1 p.m. MST.