Football 9/1/2021 11:00:00 AM

Football Game Notes -- Week 1

THE GAME
OUAZ (0-0, 0-0 SAC) begins the program's fourth season with a home tilt against Lyon College (0-1, 0-0) on Saturday in Surprise. The season opener for the Spirit will mark the second straight season they have opened with a Sooner Athletic Conference game. The team will open at home for the fourth consecutive season.

GAME DAY INFORMATION
A limited number of tickets for Saturday's game are available now by visiting OUAZSpirit.com/tickets. Gates will open at 6 p.m., with kickoff at 7 p.m. Parking is available in the lot adjacent to Spirit Field and the gravel lots lining Tierra Buena Ln. across from the stadium. Gameday temperature is forecasted for 86 degrees and partly cloudy.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the all-new OUAZ Digital Network, with Gordon Spencer calling the action. Fans can view the broadcast on their computer or mobile device at OUAZSpirit.com/watch and any Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV, or Roku device by downloading the GSAC Sports Network.

OUAZ AT HOME
OUAZ has an 11-4 record all-time at Spirit Field, and they have won six of the past eight games played on their home turf. One of those losses came against Lyon during the 2019 season when the Scots earned a 19-14 win to snap the Spirit's four-game home winning streak.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• With a win, OUAZ will extend its current winning streak to five. That would rank as the second-longest winning streak in program history.
• An OUAZ win would give the Spirit a 2-1 lead in the all-time series against Lyon College, with all three games being played in Surprise.
• A win on Saturday would improve OUAZ to 3-1 all-time in season openers. All four of those games have been played at Spirit Field.
• During its current winning streak, OUAZ has outscored its opponents 134-74 overall and 71-22 in the two home games.
• The quick tempo offense of the Spirit has accounted for 500-plus yards of offense in a game 13 times during the program's first three seasons.

SPIRIT NOTES
• This year's team brings a wealth of experience into the opening game with a total of 48 returning letter winners from the squad that competed in the spring.
• That includes 17 starters – with ten from the defensive side of the ball – along with the punter and long snapper.
• OUAZ finished last season third in the NAIA by passing for 322.8 yards per game, and the Spirit was sixth in averaging 476.0 total yards per outing.
• That offense translated to the team scoring 33.8 points per game, ranking 17th in the country.
• On defense, OUAZ was 38th in the nation, holding opponents to 23.8 points per game, and the 199.6 passing yards per game allowed was 48th-best in the NAIA.
• The team was ninth in the NAIA by averaging 3.4 sacks per game and finished 24th in holding opponents to converting only 31.5 percent on third-down.

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