Football 8/30/2022 3:30:00 PM

2022 Football Notes -- Game 1: at Lyon

OPENING KICKOFF: The 10th-ranked OUAZ football team will kickoff the fifth season in program history on Saturday, September 3, in Batesville, Ark., against Lyon College. Kickoff from Pioneer Stadium is at 4 p.m. AZT.

WATCH: Lyon will broadcast the game live on Lyon Digital Network, which is available on the web at OUAZSpirit.com/watchlyon. It can also be found on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices through the Team 1 Sports app.

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

THE SPIRIT: OUAZ will enter its first game of the season after going 8-2 in 2021 and winning its second Sooner Athletic Conference in the past three years.

THE SCOTS: Lyon will bring a 1-0 record into the game after defeating Missouri Baptist 24-12 this past Saturday at Pioneer Stadium.

THE SERIES: The Spirit is 2-1 all-time against the Scots, including a 76-10 win at Spirit Field last season. Saturday's game will be the first time OUAZ will travel to Lyon in the series. The Scot's lone win in the series was an 18-14 decision in 2019.

SEASON OPENERS: OUAZ is 3-1 in season openers in the program's history. They started the 2021 season with that 76-10 win over Lyon. Saturday will mark just the second time the Spirit will start its season on the road. The first was a 48-7 win at Doane to begin the 2019 season.

CONFERENCE OPENERS: The Spirit is 2-2 all-time in the season's first conference game. This year will be the second time they have opened SAC play on the road. The first was a 63-53 loss at Langston in 2018.

NAIA TOP 25 POLL: OUAZ received a No. 10 ranking in the preseason edition of the NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Top 25 Poll released on August 1. That is the highest preseason ranking in program history. It is also the 30th consecutive poll to feature the Spirit dating back to the 2019 season. That is the ninth-longest active streak in the NAIA.

SOONER FAVORITES: Having won two of the past three SAC titles, OUAZ was chosen to win the conference again in 2022, according to a poll of the league coaches released on August 1. The SAC coaches awarded the Spirit 79 points with eight first-place votes to achieve the top position. OUAZ also received one third-place vote.

NEW YEAR, NEW ROSTER: The 2022 roster features 44 letterwinners from last season. That leaves 39 newcomers on the roster for game one a Lyon. Of the 44 returners, just seven were starters in 2021, with three from the offense and four from the defense.

HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE: OUAZ starts the 2022 season having gained the 11th-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 509.4 yards per game.

POINTS ON THE BOARD: The Spirit has also been among the highest scoring programs in the NAIA since they started playing games. Since 2018, only Morningside (52.89) and Kansas Wesleyan (46.27) are averaging more points than the 46.03 OUAZ averages. The Spirit has scored 50-plus points in a game 12 times in program history and is on a run of 15 straight games with at least 28 points.

QUARTERBACK NOTEBOOK: For the first time since 2018, the Spirit will have a new quarterback take the season's first snap. A starter has not been named for Saturday's game, with both Carter Freedland and Isaiah Randalle named on the depth chart.

• Freedland appeared in two games last season for the Spirit, throwing for 43 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 14 yards on three carries.

• Randalle transferred to OUAZ from Kansas Wesleyan, where he threw for 3,075 yards and 36 touchdowns in leading the Coyotes to the NAIA Football Championship Series last season.

RUNNING BACK NOTEBOOK: A familiar face and a familiar newcomer will anchor the Spirit backfield in 2022 in Marcelous Chester-Riley and Kristopher Ewens. The pair are among the top rushers in program history, and each has led the Spirit in rushing for a season in their careers.

• Chester-Riley was OUAZ's top rusher last season with 989 rushing yards on 194 carries. He was 16th in the NAIA at 98.9 rushing yards per game and 18th in total rushing yards. His 13 rushing touchdowns ranked second in the SAC and 10th in the NAIA.

• Chester-Riley ranks second in program history with 1,532 career rushing yards and 310 attempts. He needs 725 rushing yards to become the program's all-time leader.

• Ewens returns to the Spirit backfield after sitting out the past two seasons. He ran for 918 yards and six touchdowns on the team's No. 1 back in 2019. Ewens has 1,025 career rushing yards to rank third in program history.

RECEIVER NOTEBOOK: The wide receiver group will see many new faces in 2022, with just two of the top 10 in receptions last season returning. Of the eight receivers listed on this week's depth chart, only Jonah Alicea and Ian Zamudio have started a game for the Spirit in their careers.

• Zamudio was third on the team last season with 29 receptions for 389 yards and three touchdowns. He recorded a pair of 100-yard receiving games, including 105 yards on eight catches in the postseason game at Morningside.

• Alicea made five catches for 187 yards and two scores before getting hurt in the fourth game of the season in 2021. He provided the Spirit a deep ball threat averaging 37.4 yards per catch, including a 72-yard score in last season's opener against Lyon.

OFFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK: Maybe the most consistent position group the past few seasons has been the offensive line, but that changes in 2022 as the Spirit looks to replace four all-conference starters. Elijah Boyd-Volakis is back from the five that took the majority of snaps last season.

• Boyd-Volakis started all 10 games last season and has made 17 consecutive starts dating back to the 2019 season. During that time, he was named First Team All-Sooner twice, and last season was a Second Team NCCAA All-American.

• Tofiga Liaiga has appeared in 30 games during his OUAZ career. That includes nine starts during the 2018 season and 10 overall. Harvey Gonzalez has played in nine games and Zach Woltz in seven over the past two seasons.

DEFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK: The defensive line will return a group that has made key plays for the Spirit the past few seasons. David Sow and Seth Ham return from injuries for the opener, while Jack Sanderson and Connor Knudsen each played in every game last season.

• Ham recorded 21 tackles (10 solo), 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and two sacks in five games last season. He notched four TFLs against Texas Wesleyan while blocking a kick against Arizona Christian.

• Sow tallied 15 tackles and 0.5 TFLs in his five games played in 2021. He also had a pass breakup against SAGU. Sanderson had four games with multiple tackles, and Knudsen made 10 tackles in the season's final three games.

LINEBACKER NOTEBOOK: The most experienced position group on the team, the linebacker core features five guys that played in a minimum of seven games last season. Projected starters Brandon Tomerlin Jr., Scott Bonham Jr., and Mateo Alicea are among the returning players with the most games played entering the season.

• Tomerlin Jr. was the team's leader with 42 solo, 37 assisted, and 79 total tackles in 2021. He posted 10-plus tackles in a game four times while adding 5.5 TFLs, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Those numbers earned Tomerlin a selection on the SAC All-Conference First Team.

• Bonham totaled 34 tackles and a pass breakup, with Alicea making 11 stops. Josh Gutierrez made nine starts last season and recorded 23 tackles and one sack.

DEFENSIVE BACK NOTEBOOK: Another group with some experience from last season is the defensive backs. Eric Holman and Travis Cutright II played every game in 2021, while James Randolph III appeared in nine games.

• Holman was second in the team with 56 tackles (35 solo) while breaking up six passes. He closed the year with 11 tackles at Morningside.

• Cutright made 29 tackles with 0.5 TFLs and a PBU in 2021. Randolph secured 13 tackles, two TFLs, and one interception.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK: While three-time AFCA-NAIA All-American punter Austin Bohn returns, OUAZ looks to replace First Team All-SAC kicker Michael Hall with transfer Shane McInerey. Finn Rudd and Ethan Itule are also in the mix for the opener.

• Bohn has averaged 43.5 yards per punt in his career with 32 punts of 50-plus yards and 38 downed inside the 20-yard line. He holds every punting record in OUAZ history.

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Players Mentioned

#46 Michael Hall: K; 6' 0"; Senior

#9 Jonah Alicea: WR; 5' 11"; Graduate Student

#20 Mateo Alicea: LB; 5' 10"; Junior

#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

#36 Travis Cutright II: DB; 6' 2"; Senior

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

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

Players Mentioned

#46 Michael Hall
: 6' 0"; Senior
: K

#9 Jonah Alicea
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student
: WR

#20 Mateo Alicea
: 5' 10"; Junior
: LB

#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

#36 Travis Cutright II
: 6' 2"; Senior
: DB

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

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