SURPRISE, Ariz. – For the second straight game, the 23rd-ranked OUAZ football team needed a fourth quarter rally and a defensive stop to earn a home victory. On Saturday, that stop came at the 1-yardline in a 42-38 win over Texas Wesleyan in the Sooner Athletic Conference opener at Spirit Field.
 
OUAZ (3-0, 1-0 SAC) took the decisive lead with 4:46 to play in the fourth quarter when Joshua Vizcaya scored his third touchdown of the night from 4-yards out to cap an eight play, 97 yard drive. It was the third lead change of the fourth quarter and the sixth of the contest.
 
Texas Wesleyan (0-3, 0-1) then went 82 yards in 12 plays, picking up two third-down and one fourth-down conversion along the way. The last snap for the Rams was a completion to the Spirit 1-yardline where OUAZ's Maurri DeBerry stopped the receivers progress and time expired when the ball was set for play before the Rams could get another snap.
 
The action-packed game saw the teams combine for over 1,000 yards of total offense. OUAZ gained 527 total yards, including a school record 353 yards rushing. The team averaged 8.4 yards per rush and picked up 24 first downs.
 
Vizcaya and Shamar Moreland each broke the previous school record for rushing yards in a game as they became the first duo on program history to rush for 100-plus yards in the same game. Moreland finished with 172 yards on 18 carries while Vizcaya ended with 168 yards on 23 attempts with those three scores.
 
The rushing attack came at a good time as Austin McCullough completed just 13 of 29 passes for 174 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jeremiah Greylock led the Spirit with 48 yards receiving on four catches. Antonio Day, Kristopher Ewens, and Richard Montello all had receiving scores.
 
While Texas Wesleyan gained 514 yards of offense, the Spirit defense made eight tackles for loss and had two sacks. They also forced the Rams into a pair of turnovers and held them to 7 of 19 on third down.
 
Christian Woo led the Spirit defense with 11 tackles (six solo) and Amare Burks added 10 stops (four solo) and one pass breakup. Alema Collins and Marcus Farria each recorded a sack and Christian Viville had two tackles-for-loss.
 
Saturday's rally from 10 points behind marks the largest comeback in the brief history of the program. It is also the second straight game they have scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter and the third time in team history.
 
With their first conference game of the season out of the way, OUAZ will close out their three-game homestand next week when they host Wayland Baptist at Spirit Field. Kickoff on September 28 is at 7 p.m.