SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel football team will be looking to stay perfect on the 2021 season Saturday (Sept. 11) when it travels to Canton, Mo., for a 6 p.m. contest against the Culver-Stockton Wildcats at Ellison Poulton Stadium.
SERIES HISTORY
Evangel brings a 30-5 all-time series lead against the Wildcats into Saturday's game. EU is 14-4 vs. Culver-Stockton in Canton, but two of those losses have come in its last four trips to Ellison Poulton Stadium, including a 34-17 setback to open the 2020 season. Since dropping two of its first three meetings with Culver-Stockton, Evangel has won 29 of 32 games in the series, including a string of 18 wins in a row from 1989 to 2008, in which it averaged 40.3 points per game. EU also set a program single-game record for points scored with its 78-9 victory in Canton on Sept. 20, 1997.
OPENING STORYLINES
► Evangel sixth-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 32-21 mark as EU's sideline boss; his win total ranks third in school history, trailing only Keith Barefield (66) and Scott Metcalf (44).
► Evangel brings a 30-5 all-time series lead against the Wildcats into Saturday's game; EU is 14-4 vs. Culver-Stockton in Canton, but two of those losses have come in its last four trips to Ellison Poulton Stadium, including a 34-17 setback to open the 2020 season.
► Evangel is off to a 2-0 start for the third time in four seasons under Hepola; EU opened the 2019 season with four consecutive wins en route to an 8-3 final mark, after starting the 2018 campaign with eight straight victories (9-2).
► EU has outscored the opposition by a combined 86-9 margin with last Satuday's 62-0 rout of Graceland; EU allowed just 147 yards of total offense to the Yellowjackets in its first shutout since a 65-0 win over GU in October 2019.
► Evangel's defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a game for the first time in program history Saturday vs. Graceland; Nate Swofford returned a 62-yard interception for a TD in second quarter, before Tyler White capped the scoring with a 42-yard pick-six in the third period.
► Evangel has also rushed for 200-plus yards in each of its first two games of the season, totaling 279 yards on the ground vs. Graceland; EU ranks eighth nationally in rushing yards per contest (253.5) entering play this week.
► Evangel's defense has recorded eight takeaways through two games, which is tied for the top spot on the NAIA leaderboard (St. Ambrose); EU leads the nation in interceptions (4) and defensive touchdowns (2) as well.
► EU ranks third nationally in scoring defense (4.5 ppg) and 10th in total defense (199.0 ypg) entering Saturday's game.
► Will Anoa'i ranks among the national leaders in both sacks (5th) and tackles for losses (4th) with 2.0 and 4.5 through two games, respectively.
► Dillon Hester has led EU in receiving in each of its first two games of the season, registering a total of eight catches for 106 yards and three TDs; Bryce Nyumah has averaged 8.2 yards per carry to lead EU's potent ground attack.
► All Evangel home games in 2021 will be streamed live on the Evangel Sports Network in conjunction with the Heart Network. Fans can download the Heart Conference Network App for AppleTV, Amazon, or Roku and watch Evangel football games on their smart TV or streaming devices.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel returns to Eagle Stadium in Nixa next Friday (Sept. 17) for a 6 p.m. contest against William Penn.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EUAthletics), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the new Evangel Athletics Gameday App through Google Play.
—EvangelAthletics.com—
