SURPRISE, ARIZ. – The 20th-ranked OUAZ football team found themselves down by two scores for the first time in nearly two months, looking to climb out of that hole in search of a seventh straight win. The Spirit were able to score before halftime to pull within a touchdown, then outscored Langston 21-6 over the last 30 minutes to take away a 42-32 win.
The fantastic second half that lead to a victory was the 50th win at OUAZ for head coach Mike Nesbitt. The Spirit have won at least seven games in each full season of Nesbitt's tenure, and have finished over .500 in each of the seven seasons in program history.
Trailing 26-14, the Spirit offense found the momentum-changing play it was looking for to climb back into the contest. After blocking a field goal, Jh'dhan Lester took three straight handoffs, and his final carry saw him break a 60-yard run to the end zone to pull within five.
The Spirit finally grabbed the lead when Lester scored his third touchdown of the game, this time with a 13-yard catch with the fourth quarter looming. Terry Warner II and Jaylen Magee would find paydirt over the final nine minutes of the game to help wrap up the contest for OUAZ.
On top of having three scores, Lester rushed for 208 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per carry. He picked up a bulk of the Spirit's 340 rushing yards, and the team outgained the Lions on the ground by 278 yards.
The Spirit witnessed how costly special teams errors can be, as Langston missed two extra points, and OUAZ blocked two field goals. Emiliano Contreras blocked the field goal attempt in the second quarter that set up Lester's 60-yard house call, and Giovonni White blocked one in the fourth quarter to keep his team's lead at two possessions.
Kier Gibson had a big night defensively, finishing with six tackles (four solo), two pass breakups and an interception. Isiah Cotton had three tackles for loss, and the Spirit had seven tackles for loss on Saturday.
The Spirit will have a week away from a game before heading to Oklahoma Panhandle State on November 16. Kickoff in Goodwill, Okla. is set for 10 a.m. AZT/11 a.m. CST.
