OUAZ FOOTBALL GAME 3 NOTES
• After taking a week off for their first by of the season, the OUAZ football team returns to action on Saturday, September 21 when they host Texas Wesleyan in the first Sooner Athletic Conference game of the season for each team.

• Kickoff of the second home game of the season is scheduled for 
7 p.m. at Spirit Field on the OUAZ campus in Surprise, Arizona. The game is the second of three straight home games for the Spirit.

• OUAZ and Texas Wesleyan will meet for the second time on Saturday and the Rams are the first program the Spirit will see for a second time in the program's history. OUAZ leads the all-time series 1-0 after a 35-29 win in Fort Worth, Texas last season.

• Saturday's game bring the start of conference play for the Spirit. They completed their inaugural season with a 5-3 record in SAC play, including a 4-1 mark in conference games.

• The game on Saturday is Salute to Service night with all military and first responders receiving a free general admission ticket with identification at the gate.

HOW TO FOLLOW
• OUAZ will broadcast Saturday's game live online on the OUAZ Digital Network and through the NAIA Network OTT app that is available on Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices. The OUAZ Digital Network is available on game day at OUAZSpirit.com/watch.

• James Poovey (play-by-play) and Vince D'Aliesio (analyst) will call the game for the Spirit.

• Live stats will also be available during the game at OUAZSpirit.com/stats.

SOONER ACTION
• OUAZ looks for a fifth straight win in SAC play on Saturday when they host Texas Wesleyan. The Spirit were third in the conference with a 5-2 record last season.

• That record was bolstered by their 4-1 record in home conference games. The Spirit won their final four home conference games of the season.

GAME 3 HISTORY
• OUAZ will be looking for their first-ever win in the third game of the season after losing to Panhandle State, 38-35, at Spirit Field in last year's third game.

• The Spirit will also be looking to improve to 3-0 in a season for the first time after sitting at 1-2 through three games in 2018.

• Saturday is the second straight year the team will play its third game of the season at home.

LOOKING BACK
• OUAZ entered the off week with a 38-31 win over Western New Mexico at Spirit Field on September 7.

• The Spirit trailed 31-24 late in the third quarter before scoring the game's final 14 points, including the game-winner with 1:03 to play in the fourth.

• OUAZ gained 420 yards of total offense and took advantage of five WNMU turnovers to improve to 2-0 for the first time in program history.

NATION TAKING NOTICE
• OUAZ came in at No. 23 in the first regular season edition of the NAIA Coaches' Poll that was released on Monday.

• The Spirit received 54 points in the poll to find themselves inside the top 25 for the first time in program history.

AWARDS KEEP COMING
• Through the first two weeks of the season, OUAZ had been awarded with four of the six SAC Player of the Week Awards that were handed out.

• Austin McCullough (Week 1) and Joshua Vizcaya (Week 2) won the offensive award in the season's first two weeks.

• The special teams award was given to John Williams (Week 1) and Austin Bohn (Week 2).

• Along with those four awards, Christian Woo was named the NCCAA Defensive Player of the Week following the Western New Mexico game.

OFFENSE IS ROLLING
• Through three weeks of action in the NAIA – and two games from the Spirit – OUAZ ranks ninth in the country by gaining 493.5 yards per game. 

• The team is fourth in the nation by throwing for 377.5 yards per game and their 116.0 rushing yards per game is 56th nationally.

• OUAZ is third in the NAIA by averaging 27.0 first downs per game and they sit 17th in converting 42.4 percent on third-down.

• In scoring 43.0 points per game, the Spirit currently rank ninth in the NAIA in scoring offense.

DEFENSE PLAYING THEIR PART
• Defensively, the Spirit are allowing 328.0 total yards per game where they are currently 37th in the NAIA in yards allowed per game.

• The Spirit rank 38th in the country by giving up 172.0 passing yards per game and they sit 47th by giving up 156.0 rushing yards per contest.

• OUAZ holds the opposition to 20.7 percent on third-down where they are ninth in the NAIA and they are 23rd in scoring defense at 19.0 points allowed per game.

LIVING UP TO THE HYPE?
• After being named the SAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, OUAZ junior quarterback Austin McCullough has consecutive 300-yard passing games to start the season.

• After throwing for 426 yards and three touchdowns in the opener at Doane, McCullough had 312 yards and four touchdowns against Western New Mexico.

• McCullough now has nine 300-yard passing games in his career and he has surpassed the mark in five straight games dating back to last season.

• He currently is third in the NAIA by throwing for 369.0 yards per game while ranking 36th with a 133.4 passer rating. His seven passing touchdowns are fourth-best in the nation.

WORKHOUSE IN THE MAKING
• Joshua Vizcaya earned SAC Offensive Player of the Week honors in week two after gaining a career-high 109 yards against Western New Mexico.

• Vizcaya set a school record with 29 carries in the game, including 10 attempts during the game-winning 11-play drive at the end of the fourth quarter.

• He capped his first career 100-yard performance with the go-ahead touchdown with 1:03 to play in the fourth quarter

• Vizcaya is currently 34th in the NAIA by rushing for 76.5 yards per game and 46th with 153 total rushing yards.

WHAT MORELAND CAN HE DO
• Shamar Moreland is once again contributing to the Spirit success in a variety of ways with 261 all-purpose yards to start the season.

• He enters the week 34th in the NAIA by gaining 130.5 all-purpose yards per game while his 18 points scored are 28th in the nation.

• Moreland averages 5.4 yards per rush on 14 carries this season while making three catches for 17 yards.

• His 48.3 yards per kickoff return leads the NAIA and he set a school record with a 94-yard kick return touchdown at Doane in the season opener.

FOUR-HEADED ATTACK
• The OUAZ backfield is also getting solid production from Marcelous Chester-Riley and Kristopher Ewens.

• Chester-Riley has carried the ball 10 times for 45 yards with five catches for 57 yards and one touchdown.

• Ewens has caught the ball five times for 100 yards, including an 81-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter against Western New Mexico.

IMPACT FRESHMAN
• Richard Montello has quickly established himself as a quarterback favorite in the first two games of his career.

• Montello leads the Spirit with 11 catches and 229 receiving yards while finding the endzone three times.

• Montello is ninth in the NAIA at 114.5 receiving yards per game and 35th by catching 5.5 balls per contest.

• His three touchdowns are tied for the team lead while he is 28th in the NAIA with 18 non-kicking points scored.

SPRINGER ANOTHER OPTION
• Ray Springer has made 10 catches for 106 yards in the first two games of the season.

• He starts the week 50th in the NAIA by making 5.0 catches per game while making at least one catch in three straight games dating back to last season.

DEPTH AT RECEIVER
• Through the first two games of the season, OUAZ quarterbacks have completed passes to 14 different receivers.

• Antonio Day has pulled in seven balls for 40 yards and a score.

• Kavon Gardner is at five receptions for 40 yards while Jeremiah Greylock has caught four balls for 80 yards.

STARTS UP FRONT
• The Spirit have had 10 players take snaps on the offensive line in helping the team average 493.5 yards of offense this season.

• The unit of Austin Lloyd, Joseph Love, Tristan Shehorn, Samuel Laga, and Elijah Boyd-Volakis have started both games.

• OUAZ has allowed just four sacks in 109 dropbacks and they line have been flagged for two holding and five false start penalties.

NOSE FOR THE BALL
• Amare Burks leads the Spirit with 21 total tackles, including 12 solo stops. He made a game-high 15 tackles (eight solo) against WNMU.

• Burks is currently 24th in the NAIA by averaging 10.5 tackles per game.

• He also has recorded one interception and one pass breakup with a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

• Those numbers see him 28th in the NAIA in forced fumbles, 29th in interceptions, and 37th in interceptions per game.

LEADING LINEBACKER
• Marcos Garcia is second on the club with 13 total tackles that features seven solo tackles.

• He tallied nine tackles (five solo) in the win over Western New Mexico.

• Garcia has one tackle-for-loss and one pass breakup.

AFTER THE QUARTERBACK
• Christian Viville has a team-leading 2.0 sacks for 17 yards of loss while making 3.5 tacles-for-loss for 20 yards.

• He ranks 20th in the NAIA in sacks per game, 25th in total sacks, 34th in TFLs per game, and 48th in total TFLs.

• Viville has seven total tackles (four solo) and one pass breakup.

DEFENSIVELY ACTIVE
• Christian Woo has been active all over the field defensively for the Spirit this season with 10 tackles (two solo).

• His numbers also include one interception, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

• He was named the NCCAA Defensive Player of the Week following the WNMU game after making eight tackles with two pass breakups and a fumble recovery in the win.

SCORING MONSTER
• John Williams leads the Spirit with 20 points through the first two games of the season. He is ninth in the NAIA in total kicking points and second by scoring 10.0 kicking points per game.

• He has gone 3 of 4 on field goals this season - including a school-record 43-yard make at Doane - and he is 10th in the nation by making 1.5 field goals per game.

• His streak of 11 straight made field goals dating back to last season came to an end with a miss during the WNMU game.

• Williams has also converted all 11 of his PATs attempts this season where he is tied for the NAIA lead in PAT percentage. His 11 makes without a mis are the sixth-most in the nation.

• Williams was the SAC Special Teams Player of the Week in week one after scoring 12 points with two field goals and eight PATs. It was the second time in his career he had received the award.

FLIPPING THE FIELD
• Austin Bohn starts the week with seven punts for 323 yards for an average of 46.1 yards per punt. That is good for third in the NAIA through three weeks of competition.

• Bohn has two punts of 50-plus yards and has three that have been downed inside the 20-yardline while forcing one fair catch.

• The 2018 AFCA-NAIA All-American was named the SAC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 50.8 yards per punt with two punts of 60-plus yards against WNMU. It was his second career player of the week award from the SAC.

NO RETURN
• Landon Reeves has changed the game for the Spirit with his kickoffs this season where he has nine touchbacks on 16 kickoffs.

• His kicks have the opponent starting drives on average at their own 26-yardline with the opposition averaging 20.7 yards per seven kick returns.

• The nine touchbacks more than double the four OUAZ had as a team all of 2018.

ABOUT TEXAS WESLEYAN
• Texas Wesleyan makes their first appearance in Surprise with an 0-2 record and ready to open conference play.

• The Rams are have played both of their games on the road and will also be on the road next week.

• Joe Prud'homme is in his third season leading the Rams with a 3-20 record during the time.

• TWU averages 18.5 points and 224.0 yards per game through their two games played. They are allowing 53.0 points and 528.0 yards to the opposition.

• Donovan Isom has thrown for 297 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 109.1.

• Mark Seidler has 15 total tackles with 2.0 tackles-for-loss and one sack.

RACKING UP THE MILES
• This season the Spirit will rack up the miles while traveling to their five road games. The trips will see the team play games in Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arizona.

• The five road trips will account for 8,696 round trip driving miles from Spirit Field, and that includes a 24-mile round trip to Cactus High School to face ACU.
 

OPPONENT MILES FROM SPIRIT FIELD
Doane	1,261
Panhandle State	797
Texas College	1,184
Arizona Christian	12
SAGU	1,094
Five trips (Round Trip)	8,696

BUILDING A PROGRAM
• With the Spirit in their second season of competition, it is actually the third year of the program. To build a new program, OUAZ has brought players in from across the country.

• The opening week roster included players that list 16 different states and American Somoa as their hometown.

• While 34 student-athletes are from Arizona, the team also features 28 from California. There are four players from Louisiana and three from Michigan, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

POSTSEASON ELIGIBLE
• OUAZ will be eligible for the NAIA Football Championship Series in 2019 after not being eligible last season. The Football Series is the 16-team single elimination playoffs held by the NAIA to determine its national champion.

• Played on the campus site of the higher seeded team through the semifinals, the 64th NAIA Football National Championship Game will be played on December 21, 2019 at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium on the Grambling State University campus in Ruston, Louisiana.

• Morningside (Iowa) won the 2018 title by defeating Benedictine (Kan.), 35-28. They made the title game by defeating two-time defending champion St. Francis (Ind.) in overtime of the semifinals.

NCCAA MEMBER
• OUAZ will again hold a dual affiliation with the NCCAA in 2019 after the Spirit were the hosts of the 2018 NCCAA Victory Bowl.

• That affiliation will give the Spirit a chance to again play in the Victory Bowl should the team not qualify for the NAIA Football Championship Series and be selected to the game of the NCCAA.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 150
• College football will celebrate its 150th season in 2019. The first game was played between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869.

• CFB150.org states that 897 colleges and universities across the country will field a football in 2019 at all levels (FBS, FCS, Division II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA).

LOOKING AHEAD
• OUAZ closes out its three-game homestand next Saturday when they host Wayland Baptist on Spirit Field at 7 p.m.

• It will mark the second straight year Wayland Baptist has made the trip to Surprise after falling to the Spirit 75-14 last season.