SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor earned the 18th seed in the NAIA Football Championship Series and will travel to take on the 16th seeded Saint Francis Cougars at 11:00 a.m. central time in Fort Wayne, Indiana, looking to take their first win in the postseason in over 20 years.

OPENING STORYLINES

• Evangel tenth-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 70-35 overall record, the most wins by a football head coach at Evangel.

• Evangel joined the 4th seeded Friends Falcons as the lone KCAC competitors in the postseason. Friends has earned a bye and will host a second round game next Saturday (Nov. 22).

• The Valor closed the season at #21 in the coaches top 25 poll, their highest rating of the year.

• Evangel and Saint Francis match up for the first time in program history on Saturday, as the Cougars compete in the MidStates Football Association.

• Evangel enters Saturday's contest with a 271-234-3 all-time record, recording a win in their 500th game against Southwestern on September 13th.

• With a win, Evangel will take their first victory in postseason play since 2005, when they defeated McKendree, 34-31, on November 19th.

• Reid Potts leads Evangel at quarterback, currently with 2,332 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes, which is currently tied for the fifth most in a single season by an EU quarterback.

• Eric Williams II broke two career records at Evangel last Saturday, scoring the most touchdowns in a career at EU (45), as well as the most points in a career at EU (270).

• Broc Lyle's 728 receiving yards leads Evangel, as the junior is currently tied for 8th in school history for career receiving touchdowns, currently with 20.

• Draven VanGilder leads Evangel defensively, currently with 82 total tackles.

• Zach Myers has established himself as one of the top pass rushers in Evangel history, currently 2nd all-time in tackles for loss in a career (58) and fifth all-time for sacks in a career (25).

• Evangel has rushed for 25 total touchdowns this season, the fifth most in a single season in Evangel history.

THE OPPONENT

• Saint Francis finished their regular season with a 9-2 record in the MSFA conference, placing 2nd in the Midwest league behind Marian, who earned the 6th seed in the NAIA Football Championship Series.

• The Cougars are led by first year head coach Adam Sherman, who served as the offensive coordinator at the school for the previous three seasons.

• Saint Francis averages 34.7 points per game and get most of their offensive production from the air, averaging 292.7 passing yards per game.

• The Cougars have a strong secondary that has recorded 17 interceptions so far this season, paired with an equally strong defensive line that has recorded 27 total sacks.

• USF has given the ball away 13 times, seven by fumble and six on interceptions.

• Penalties have been an issue for the Cougars this season, ranking 12th in the NAIA in total penalty yards.

• Saint Francis ranks tied for 9th in the nation on third down conversions.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.  

—#OneValor—