SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel football team makes its 2019 home debut Saturday against Peru State under the lights at Tiger Stadium in Ozark.
SERIES HISTORY
Evangel and Peru State meet for just the 13th time since renewing the series with the Bobcats joined the Heart Conference in 2011. All-time Evangel is 8-4 against Peru State and 4-1 in home games. Last season, the Crusaders took a 35-13 win in Nebraska for their second consecutive victory over Peru State.
OPENING STORYLINES
► No. 18 Evangel football returns to Ozark, Missouri, and Ozark High School for a fourth season. During their time at Tiger Stadium, the Crusaders have enjoyed an 11-6 record including going 5-1 at home last season.
► The Evangel defense helped stymie the William Penn offense, holding the Statesmen to just three first downs and 45 total yards of offense in the second half. The Crusaders were led by seniors Andrew Poppen with nine tackles and Dominic Swillum (Mt. Vernon, Mo.) who finished with seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss.
► A stable of backs helped Evangel rush for more than 200 yards on the ground and average 4.8 yards per rush. Nicos Oropeza (Nixa, Mo.) scored the only touchdown on the ground with 67 yards, while Zeke Kuyawa added 80 yards and Ben Friend (Lighthouse Christian) finished with 22 total yards.
► Junior quarterback Zeke Kuyawa came on to help Evangel break a 7-7 tie with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown throws. Kuyawa was 7-of-10 for 162 with both touchdown passes coming to Jansen Acklin (Mtn. View, Mo.). Acklin finished with 106 yards receiving for the first 100-yard game of his career and two scores.
► The Crusader defense posted one of the top performances in the nation on Saturday. Evangel held William Penn to nine total first downs, ranking third-best in NAIA, while the 150 total yards were also third-best nationally.
► New to the 2019 season, fans can purchase tickets online at www.EUAthletics.com/Tickets. Tickets can either be presented by a smartphone at the gate or by printing the ticket from an email and having it scanned at the gate.
► Download the new Heart Conference Network App for AppleTV, Amazon, or Roku and watch Evangel football games on your smart TV or smart streaming device. All Evangel games are streaming online at www.EvangelAthletics.com/Watch and are compatible with smartphones.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel returns to Iowa for the second of three trips in 2019 to take on first-year program Clarke. Kickoff from Dubuque, Iowa is scheduled for 1 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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