Football 10/18/2022 10:00:00 AM

2022 Football Notes -- Game 7: at Langston

OPENING KICKOFF: With its first bye week of the season complete, the 13th-ranked OUAZ football team is set to head to Langston, Okla., where they will face the Langston Lions on Saturday. The two one-loss teams will kickoff from W.E. Anderson Stadium at 2 p.m. CDT/Noon AZT.

WATCH: Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the SAC Sports Network, available on the web at sacsportsnetwork.com. It can also be found on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices through the SAC Sports Network app.

FOLLOW: Live stats will also be available through SIDEARM stats at OUAZSpirit.com/footballstats.

THE SPIRIT: OUAZ heads to Oklahoma with a 5-1 record overall and in the SAC. They are tied atop the Sooner standings with Texas Wesleyan but hold the tiebreaker due to its 27-22 win over the Rams on September 17. The Spirit can clinch a second straight conference title by winning the final three games. They have gone 2-1 on the road this season and outscored the opposition 135-62 in those contests.

THE LIONS: Langston enters Saturday after falling at Texas Wesleyan 53-28 last week for its first loss of the season. The Lions are 5-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, and they are 3-0 at home. Langston averages 45.8 points and 500.3 yards of total offense per game.

THE SERIES: OUAZ and Langston have split the four meetings in the series, with each going 1-1 at home. The last meeting in Oklahoma was a 28-24 win by the Spirit on April 10, 2021. Langston defeated the Spirit 44-41 last season in Surprise to snap a two-game losing streak in the series.

NAIA TOP 25 POLL: OUAZ moved up one spot to No. 13 in the NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll presented by FirstDown PlayBook released Monday. The move comes after spending the past two releases at No. 14. OUAZ was listed in the poll for the 36th consecutive release dating back to the 2019 season. They now hold the seventh-longest active streak in the NAIA.

HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE: The Spirit is third in the NAIA, averaging 490.7 yards per game. They have accounted for 400-plus yards in a game four times – including a program record 737 at Lyon – while gaining at least 325 yards every game. OUAZ has gained the ninth-most yards in the NAIA since beginning the program in 2018. That comes despite playing at least six fewer games than any of the teams ahead of them on the list. The Spirit is second during the timeframe by averaging 506.2 yards per game.

POINTS ON THE BOARD: OUAZ has continued to be among the highest-scoring teams in the country, and they are currently fourth in the NAIA by averaging 45.8 points per game. Since 2018, only Morningside (52.8) averages more than the 45.9 of the Spirit. The Spirit has scored 50-plus points in a game 14 times in program history, and they have posted at least 28 points in 20 of the team's past 21 games.

DEFENSIVE PROGRAM: The blitzing Spirit defense has been solid for the team and is currently 14th in the NAIA by allowing 14.5 points per game. After entering the season without ever posting a shutout, this year's team has posted two. OUAZ ranks 19th in the NAIA by allowing 167.7 passing yards per game and sits 20th in total defense at 277.0 per game.

NO OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS: OUAZ has held the opposing offense without a touchdown three times. The defense held the Texas Wesleyan offense to five field goals, along with the two shutouts.

DOMINATING THE RED ZONE: OUAZ has won in the red zone at both ends of the field this season. This season, the Spirit has scored on 84 percent of their trips to the red zone, with touchdowns on 65 percent of those possessions. In contrast, they have allowed a red zone score by the opposition 61 percent of the time and a touchdown on 33 percent of red zone trips.

TURNOVERS A DIFFERENCE: The Spirit has 20 takeaways this season where they are currently tied for sixth most in the NAIA. They have created at least two opponent turnovers in every game this season and three in each of the past two contests. Those extra possessions have resulted in 12.5 points per game or 27 percent of the team's total points. OUAZ is tied for 12th in the country with a plus-eight turnover differential

QUARTERBACK NOTEBOOK: OUAZ enters the weekend fourth in the NAIA by passing for 308.3 yards per game. The team has thrown for over 300 yards in a game three times and is coming off a season-high 419 passing yards against Texas College.

• Isaiah Randalle set the program record by completing 83.3 percent of his passes in the win over Texas College. He started by completing 15 of his first 16 attempts and ended the game with 241 yards and three touchdowns. Randalle ranks third in the SAC on the year with 1,385 yards and second with 14 touchdowns. He has 11 touchdowns in the past three games.

• Carter Freedland has three starts and has gone 37 of 52 for 433 yards and three touchdowns.

RUNNING BACK NOTEBOOK: The Spirit averages 182.3 rushing yards per game, ranking 15th in the country. They have run for at least 150 yards in a game four times and twice gone over 200 yards in a game. The ground game also accounted for multiple touchdowns in five of the six games.

• Kristopher Ewens sat out the game against Texas College but still ranks third in the SAC and 30th in the NAIA with 474 rushing yards. His 94.8 rushing yards per game is 13th in the NAIA, and his six rushing scores are 18th nationally.

• Marcelous Chester-Riley is eighth in the Sooner and 84th in the country, running for 47.6 yards per game. He is 50th in the country at 4.9 yards per rush and 48th with four rushing scores.

RECEIVER NOTEBOOK: OUAZ has seen 13 different receivers/tight ends make a catch this season, with 11 having at least three grabs. The Spirit ranks 38th in the NAIA by averaging 12.8 yards per catch and 13th with 17 passing touchdowns.

• Devone Humphrey has a team-best 26 receptions and 383 receiving yards to rank 58th and 64th in the NAIA, respectively. Humphrey has multiple catches in every game and has scored a TD in three straight games.

• Donovahn Jones has snagged 21 balls for 375 yards. He is 25th in the NAIA with five receiving touchdowns, and his 17.9 yards per catch ranks 19th nationally. Jones posted his first 100-yard receiving game of the year with 112 yards against Texas College.

• Roman Sahagun is third on the team with 14 receptions and 208 yards. His four TDs have him 47th in the nation.

OFFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK: After having the same starting five on the offensive line in the first five games, the team used its second line combination of the season to start the Texas College game.

• Elijah Boyd-Volakis has started 23 consecutive games dating back to the 2019 season. During that time, he has been named First Team All-Sooner twice, and last season was a Second Team NCCAA All-American.

• Having last started in 2019, Tofiga Liaiga has started every game this season and now has 16 career starts. He has appeared in 36 games during his OUAZ career.

• David Sanchez III and Harvey Gonzalez have also started every game on the offensive line this season. Zach Woltz started the first five games, with Jarrod Eisentraut making his first start in the last game.

DEFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK: The defensive line has helped OUAZ control the line of scrimmage and allow just 277.0 yards per game to rank 20th in the NAIA. The group also helps the team rank 11th in the NAIA with 22 sacks.

• David Sow is third in the team with 27 tackles while leading the team with 4.5 sacks for 22 yards of loss. He is 33rd in the NAIA in sacks and 40th with 9.0 tackles-for-loss. Sow has at least 0.5 TFLs in every game this season.

• Seth Ham is fourth on the team with 22 tackles after a season-high six stops against Texas College. Ham has tallied 6.0 TFLs and 1.5 sacks.

• Giovonni White is at 15 tackles and 5.0 TFLs, and Elias Guerrero lll has posted 3.0 sacks while adding one forced fumble.

LINEBACKER NOTEBOOK: The most experienced position group on the team, the linebacker core plays a vital role in the Spirit, allowing 109.3 rushing yards per game where the team is 34th in the country.

• Brandon Tomerlin Jr. leads the team in tackles with 48, while his 36 solo tackles are the 14th-most in the NAIA. Tomerlin leads the team with 9.5 TFLs and is second with 4.0 sacks. Tomerlin has a TFL in every game while adding a forced fumble and pass breakup. The OUAZ all-time tackle leader enters Saturday with 213 career tackles.

• Scott Bonham Jr. has tallied 33 tackles and is sixth in the SAC with 23 assisted tackles. He has 4.0 TFLs to go with three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a recovered fumble.

• Khalil Lewis has made 20 tackles (11 solo) with 3.0 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. He is second on the team with four pass breakups.

DEFENSIVE BACK NOTEBOOK: The defensive backfield has been a pivotal contributor to the defense that is 19thin the NAIA by allowing 167.7 passing yards per game and placing 31st with nine interceptions.

• Eric Holman is fifth on the team with 21 tackles and ranks 24th in the nation with three interceptions. Holman has a team-leading six breakups and both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

• James Randolph III has 19 tackles and is second on the team with 16 solo tackles. His season includes one TFL and three breakups.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK: OUAZ has some of the top kickers in the NAIA on the roster, along with solid kick returners.

• Landon Reeves is 26 of 26 on PAT attempts while going 7 of 10 on field goals to give him 47 points. He ranks 13th nationally in kicking points and 16th among all players in points per game.

• After setting the OUAZ record with 10 punts for 480 yards against LCU, Austin Bohn is 10th in the NAIA by averaging 41.1 yards per punt. He is 46th in the rankings with nine punts downed inside the 20.

• Sahagun averages 13.0 yards per punt return to rank eighth, and he is 10th by averaging 27.7 yards per kick return. Sahagun has 693 all-purpose yards to sit 36th nationally.

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Players Mentioned

#47 Austin Bohn: P; 6' 4"; Graduate Student

#44 Scott Bonham Jr.: LB; 6' 1"; Graduate Student

#79 Elijah Boyd-Volakis: OL; 6' 3"; Graduate Student

#5 Marcelous Chester-Riley: RB; 5' 7"; Graduate Student

#8 Carter Freedland: QB; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#77 Harvey Gonzalez: OL; 6' 3"; Junior

#98 Elias Guerrero lll: DL; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#2 Seth Ham: DL; 6' 5"; Senior

#6 Eric Holman: DB; 6' 1"; Junior

#14 Devone Humphrey: WR; 6' 2"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#47 Austin Bohn
: 6' 4"; Graduate Student
: P

#44 Scott Bonham Jr.
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student
: LB

#79 Elijah Boyd-Volakis
: 6' 3"; Graduate Student
: OL

#5 Marcelous Chester-Riley
: 5' 7"; Graduate Student
: RB

#8 Carter Freedland
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: QB

#77 Harvey Gonzalez
: 6' 3"; Junior
: OL

#98 Elias Guerrero lll
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: DL

#2 Seth Ham
: 6' 5"; Senior
: DL

#6 Eric Holman
: 6' 1"; Junior
: DB

#14 Devone Humphrey
: 6' 2"; Senior
: WR