SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 9th-ranked Evangel football team heads to No. 14 Baker on Saturday to decide the Heart South Division Title for a second consecutive season.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 31st meeting between Evangel and Baker as the Wildcats hold a 19-11 lead in the all-time series. Baker has won the last six meetings overall and the five in Baldwin City, Kansas. The last time Evangel reached the NAIA Playoffs in 2005 the Crusaders upset Baker, 37-36 in Springfield. The upset of the Wildcats came in part to a missed extra point by Baker in the fourth quarter to help give Evangel the one point victory.
OPENING STORYLINES
► The 9th-ranked Evangel football team enters the final week of the season in search of a second consecutive South Division Championship. However, this year comes with the added bonus of possibly earning the league's automatic berth to the NAIA Football Championship Series playoffs.
► Evangel fell in last year's meeting 26-6 as Baker kicked four field goals after an early touchdown from JD Woods. The Crusaders kicked two field goals in the loss.
► The Crusader defense has led Evangel most of the season ranking fourth nationally in NAIA with 37.5 sacks. Evangel also ranks 11th in rush defense holding opponents to 108 yards per game and even more stingy in scoring defense at just 16.5 points allowed per game.
Up front, the defensive line continues to be anchored by All-American candidate,
Andreas Moeller who leads the nation in forced fumbles and tackles for a loss. The Oregon native also ranks fourth in NAIA in sacks as he has already set the Evangel single-season record for tackles for a loss.
► The bookends to the defensive line,
Telacey Wilder and
Taylor Green have also enjoyed spending time in opponents backfield this season. Wilder ranks 13th nationally in tackles for a loss, while Green ranks 28th in sacks.
► Senior,
Brady Collier, and
Dallas Hester continue to climb the record books. Collier caught his fourth touchdown of the season and moved into ninth with 15 career touchdowns, while Hester ranks 10th with 14. Both also rank in the top 10 in receptions with Hester at third with 143, while Collier sits in fourth with 127, as Brandon Schmidly (1994-97) holds the record with 148 career receptions.
► Quarterback
Cameron Hardesty also continues to climb the all-time records at Evangel as his 3,435 passing yards ninth most all-time. In addition to surpassing last year's total for yards and touchdowns, the Norman, Okla. native's 17 touchdowns this season rank 10th most in a single-season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel will wait for Sunday's selection regardless of win or loss to see if the Crusaders are selected to the 16-team NAIA Football Championship Series playoff field. The selection can be seen on the NAIA Facebook page as the teams are announced, Sunday, Nov. 11, at 4 p.m.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics 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.
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