SURPRISE, Ariz. – The 12th-ranked OUAZ football team saw its run at an undefeated season come to an end on Saturday night at Spirit Field as Lyon College pulled an 18-14 upset and give OUAZ its first loss of the season.
 
Things started well for OUAZ (8-1, 6-1 SAC) as Kristopher Ewens scored on a 13-yard rush to cap a 65-yard drive to give the Spirit a 7-0 lead on the game's first possession. After Lyon kicked a field goal on their first possession, OUAZ went 75 yards – ending with a Devin Benjamin 35-yard touchdown reception – on their next possession for a 14-3 lead.
 
That would be the final Spirit points of the game and they routinely hurt themselves with fumbled snaps and penalties. On their final 11 possessions, OUAZ punted four times, turned it over on downs five times, and missed a field goal.
 
Despite the offensive struggles to put points in the board, OUAZ still held a 14-11 lead into the fourth quarter. Lyon (6-2, 5-1) scored the go-ahead touchdown with 11:28 to play in game. Trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time in five weeks, the Spirit weren't able to get further than the Lyon 39-yardline in their final three possessions.
 
OUAZ finished the night with 393 yards of total offense. They finished 7 of 17 on third-down, converting just once on seven tries in the second half. The Spirit failed to convert any of their five attempts on fourth-down.
 
Ewens provided much of the offensive load with a school-record 214 yards rushing. He gained 8.2 yards per rush to set the school mark for the second straight week and he became the first player in program history to record 100-plus yards rushing in three consecutive games.
 
Austin McCullough finished 20 of 43 passing for 212 yards and the one touchdown. He completed passed to nine different receivers, including four apiece to Benjamin and Antonio Day. Ray Spring had a team-best 52 receiving yards on three grabs.
 
The Spirit defense held the Scots to 292 yards of offense and just 1 of 11 on third-down. The visitors gained 125 yards rushing and OUAZ had a pair of sacks. Neither team committed a turnover and Lyon possessed the ball for 34 minutes, nine seconds.
 
Marcos Garcia made 10 tackles (three solo) to lead the Spirit. Christian Woo added nine tackles. Christian Viville and Justin Barnett each recorded a sack.
 
OUAZ will now have a week off before closing the regular season in Waxahackie, Texas, on November 16 against SAGU. The Spirit can still clinch at least a share of the Sooner regular season title with a win in the finale.