SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 10th-ranked Evangel football team returns home Saturday to host Culver-Stockton College in the Heart Game of the Week at Tiger Stadium in Ozark, Missouri.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series has been controlled by Evangel with the Crusaders holding a 28-4 lead in the series and looking for a fourth straight win over the Wildcats. The Crusaders are also 13-1 at home against Culver-Stockton with the one loss coming from a forfeit during the 1988 season.
OPENING STORYLINES
► Evangel returns to Tiger Stadium Saturday hosting Culver-Stockton in a non-conference Heart cross-divisional matchup. The Crusaders enter on a four-game win streak and currently stand as the only Heart team in either division that is currently undefeated.
► The Crusaders sit at 4-0 for the first time since the 2001 season when Evangel ran the table going 10-0 during the regular season. Evangel finished the year 11-1 after a second-round playoff loss to conference foe Benedictine ended the Crusaders season. It marks the fifth time in program history the Crusaders have started 4-0 joining the 2001, 1997, 1996, and 1988 teams.
► The Crusader defense continues to stand strong ranking 5th nationally in sacks and also leading the conference with 16 sacks. Individually, Telacey Wilder and Andreas Moeller rank in the top 10 individually in tackles for a loss as Wilder ranks 19th in sacks nationally.
► Not to be outdone by the defensive line, the Evangel offensive line ranks 17th in sacks against, only allowing three sacks through the first four games of the year. The Crusaders have also done well rushing the ball ranking 20th nationally in rush offense.
► The efficiency continues for the Evangel offense entering week five with a perfect 11-for-11 in the red zone. The Crusaders are 100 percent having not kicked a field goal yet this year with seven rushing touchdowns and four passing touchdowns to add to the balanced offensive attack.
► After the second 100-yard rushing game of his career, Darrius Lee ranks fourth in the conference in yards per game. Lee, a native of Mansfield, Texas, carried 18 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Last season, Lee carried for 207 yards in a win over MidAmerica Nazarene.
► Junior quarterback, Cameron Hardesty, has moved into ninth all-time with 22 career passing touchdowns. Hardesty is tied with Doug Miolen (1988-90) for ninth on the all-time list as he enters week five with six touchdowns. Hardesty is also 147 yards shy of passing Miolen for 10th all-time in passing yards.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel heads north to Iowa for a road matchup at William Penn. Kickoff from Oskaloosa, Iowa is scheduled for noon.
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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