SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the 29th meeting between Evangel and Baker. The Wildcats hold an 18-11 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last five meetings between the two schools. The Crusaders were unable to hang with the Wildcats last season after trailing just 14-3 at halftime; Baker finished with a 46-13 victory to cap a perfect regular season. Last year's Baker team did not suffer a loss until the National Championship game in a 38-17 loss to Saint Francis (Ind.).
OPENING STORYLINES
► Evangel will take on Baker for a chance to win the Heart South Division Title outright and finish 5-0 in the Heart South. It would be the first time in the new look league to go undefeated and for the first time in the conference since the 2001 season.
► The Crusaders moved up in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll released this week to No. 23. Evangel broke into the Top 25 last week at No. 25. Baker fell from No. 2 to No. 7 in the latest poll after a 27-22 loss at Missouri Valley.
► Evangel enters Saturday's game on a five-game winning streak and has won six of their last seven after starting the season 0-2. A pair of big second halves have helped the Crusaders to a 21-0 win over Missouri Valley, and 34-14 win at Avila the last two weeks. However, it is the second and third quarter where Evangel has found an advantage outscoring opponents 105-57 in the second quarter and 90-47 in the third.
► The defense continues to put up impressive numbers ranking 12th in the NAIA in sacks with 29. The Crusaders lead the South Division in scoring defense holding opponents to 21.0 points per game.
► Takeaways have also been a big part of the Evangel defense. Leading both divisions, Evangel is +1.30 in turnover margin and has two games with five takeaways after five interceptions at Avila.
► Josh Evans (Pleasant Hope, Mo.) is also making his mark on the Evangel record books. The senior already holds the career and single-season tackles for a loss record after recording 21 last year and currently with 62.5 for his career. He has recorded 11.0 sacks (7th in single-season) so far this season giving him 30.0 for his career moving him into second all-time at Evangel.
All-Time Sack Leaders
1. Jay Hellwig, 1991-94 45.5
2. Lamont Wynn, 1998-01 30
Josh Evans, 2014-present 30
► Junior wide receivers, Dallas Hester (Strafford, Mo.) and Brady Collier (Strafford, Mo.) continue to find the end zone. With five TDs this season Hester has moved to 9th all-time with 13 touchdowns and Collier moved to 10th with his 11th score last week at Avila. The all-time leader is James Feazell (29) and next on the list is current assistant coach Edward Sands with 16.
LOOKING AHEAD
A win for Evangel could secure the Crusaders their first appearance in the NAIA Football National Playoffs since 2005. A loss would mean the Crusaders would have to earn an at-large bid to the NAIA Playoffs when the field is released Sunday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelAthletics or go to www.EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the Go Evangel Front Row App at EvangelAthletics.com/FrontRow available on Google Play and in the App Store.
---www.EvangelAthletics.com---
