SURPRISE, Ariz. – The OUAZ football team won a Sooner Athletic Conference game for the first time in school history on Saturday night and they did it in dominating fashion. The Spirit saw little resistance from Lyon College as they cruised to a 51-11 win at Spirit Field.
 
OUAZ (2-2, 1-2 SAC) scored points from all three phases in the win as they racked up 551 yards of total offense. After touchdown drives of 80 and 79 yards had the Spirit leading 14-0 in the first quarter, OUAZ really turned the game around early in the second quarter.
 
It started with a Kenneth Steele Jr. sack of Lyon (1-3, 0-2) quarterback Spencer Childress in the end zone for a safety just 13 seconds into the quarter. On the ensuing free kick, Jeremiah Greylock went 70 yards for a score and suddenly OUAZ led 23-0.
 
The lead was 37-3 at halftime and grew to 44-3 early in the third quarter when Austin McCullough found Brandon McLaughlin on a 23-yard scoring pass. OUAZ would add the final tally with 9:04 to play in the game on a 91-yard rushing touchdown from Shamar Moreland.
 
While the offense was piling up the yards, the Spirit defense was imposing its will on the Scots. Lyon punted on eight of its first nine drive – the safety being the only non-punt – and 52 of their 80 first half yards came in the final drive that resulted in a field goal. Lyon ended the night with 204 total yards and they gained 124 on their final two possessions.
 
McCullough finished the game 19 of 34 for 373 yards and four touchdowns. He connected with 10 different receivers and six of them made multiple receptions. McLaughlin grabbed three of those balls for 67 yards and two scores. Ray Springer made two catches for 98 yards with an 84-yard touchdown.
 
Moreland led the Spirit with 115 yards on the ground while Marcelous Chester-Riley added 53 yards on 10 carries. He also caught four balls for 52 yards.
 
OUAZ scored touchdowns on seven of the team's 13 possessions. They finished with 18 first downs and 20 minutes, 49 seconds of possession. The Spirit went 8 of 15 on third down and held Lyon to 5 of 19.
 
Steele finished with a pair of sacks and three tackles-for-loss. OUAZ had 11 tackles-for-loss as a team. Aaron Mullins led the team with nine total tackles.
 
After playing at home the past two weeks, OUAZ now hits the road where they will play at Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) next Saturday, September 29 in Waxahachie, Texas. That game is scheduled to kickoff at noon CDT / 10 a.m. MST.
 
NOTES
>The 551 yards of total offense are the most by the team this season.
 
>McCullough's 373 passing yards are also a season high and it's the third time an OUAZ QB has thrown for four touchdowns in a game.
 
>Moreland became the first player in school history to record 100 yards rushing in a game.
 
>The Spirit scored seven touchdowns with only one trip to the red zone. They scored TDs from 31 yards, 70 yards, 30 yards, 84 yards, 23 yards, and 91 yards.
 
>Austin Bohn finished with an average of 62.2 yards per punt on four attempts. That includes a 74-yard punt that was downed at the Lyon 4-yardline and a 78-yard punt for a touchback. The 78-yard punt is tied for the third-longest punt in the NAIA this season.
 
>With his two sacks, Steele now has 8.5 sacks on the season. That total would lead the NAIA if OUAZ was eligible for statistical rankings.
 
>John Williams converted all seven of his PAT attempts and has now made 18 straight over the past three games.