When the Spirit Have the Ball | 446Sports National Game of the Week
By Doug Gann | 446Sports
PINEVILLE, La. — Championships are won by teams that can score. They’re often secured by teams that can get a stop when everything is on the line.
Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Stadium, Louisiana Christian will have an opportunity to finish what it started back in September. An unbeaten Sooner Athletic Conference season. An outright conference championship. An automatic berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series.
Standing in the way is an OUAZ team that knows exactly how to move the football.
Yesterday, we examined the Louisiana Christian offense against one of the nation’s most dominant defenses. Today, we turn the football around.
And there is plenty to talk about.
The No. 20 Spirit arrive averaging nearly 410 yards of offense per game, including 266.8 on the ground. They have rushed for 31 touchdowns, possess one of the conference’s most productive quarterbacks, and have enough running backs to keep fresh legs coming throughout the afternoon.
Waiting for them is a Louisiana Christian defense that has produced 95 tackles for loss, 27 sacks and nine interceptions.
Something has to give.
The Spirit Would Rather Run Right Through You
OUAZ has rushed for 2,401 yards in nine games, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
That’s 266.8 yards per contest, with 31 rushing touchdowns.
The numbers tell us something important about how the Spirit want to play. This isn’t an offense built around throwing the football 40 times and hoping for the best.
OUAZ wants to establish the run, control the tempo and force opponents to commit additional defenders to the line of scrimmage.
The Spirit have rushed the football 458 times compared with 176 passing attempts.
That is nearly a three-to-one commitment to the ground game.
And here’s where it gets interesting.
There isn’t just one player Louisiana Christian has to stop.
Isaiah Dickerson leads OUAZ with 561 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 95 carries. He’s averaging 5.9 yards per attempt, with a season-long run of 64 yards.
Tay Wheat has contributed another 404 yards and four touchdowns, also averaging 5.8 per carry.
Jelani Guerrero adds 289 yards and three scores.
And quarterback Luke Giron might be the most dangerous runner of the bunch when the defense loses track of him.
Giron has rushed for 425 yards and eight touchdowns.
Those four players alone have combined for 1,679 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
And OUAZ still has other options.
Dyontae Navarrete has contributed 181 yards in four appearances, while Rocco Koch has added 105.
The Spirit have built an offense that can attack the middle, get outside and make a defense account for the quarterback.
For Louisiana Christian, the challenge begins with discipline.
The Wildcats cannot afford to chase the first movement they see, lose containment or give OUAZ an opportunity to turn an ordinary running play into an explosive gain.
Because this is an offense that doesn’t need many invitations.
Meet the Man Running the Show
Luke Giron is more than a quarterback who can run.
He’s the player who makes the OUAZ offense particularly difficult to defend.
Giron has completed 78 of 119 passes for 966 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions.
That’s a completion percentage of 65.5 percent.
He’s also averaging 5.8 yards per rushing attempt, with eight touchdowns on the ground.
Consider what that means for Louisiana Christian.
When Giron drops back, the Wildcats have to respect his ability to deliver an accurate football.
When he keeps it, they have to account for another legitimate rushing threat.
And when the Spirit begin finding success on the ground, Giron has the ability to punish a defense that starts looking into the backfield.
OUAZ has thrown for 1,287 yards and 10 touchdowns as a team.
Kendric Smith leads the receiving corps with 19 catches for 305 yards and three touchdowns. He’s averaging 16.1 yards per reception.
AJ Williams has 13 receptions for 231 yards and two scores, averaging 17.8 yards per catch.
Marques Reese has added 129 yards and two touchdowns, while Frankie Valentino has 10 catches and two scores.
The Spirit don’t need to throw it constantly to make their passing game matter.
They need to throw it effectively when the opportunity presents itself.
That’s the part Louisiana Christian must prepare for.
Louisiana Christian Has Some Answers of Its Own
If OUAZ wants to establish the run, the Wildcats have a defensive front capable of making that a difficult proposition.
Louisiana Christian has allowed just 949 rushing yards across 10 games.
That’s 94.9 yards per contest and only 3.1 yards per rushing attempt.
Opponents have scored nine rushing touchdowns against the Wildcats all season.
Now compare that with the OUAZ offense.
The Spirit have scored 31 rushing touchdowns.
Louisiana Christian has surrendered nine.
The Spirit average 266.8 yards rushing.
The Wildcats allow 94.9.
Those numbers set up one of the most important battles of Saturday afternoon.
And in the middle of it will be Ted Jackson.
Jackson has been a disruptive force along the Louisiana Christian defensive front, recording 40 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
He’s also forced four fumbles.
Think about that production for a moment.
Seventeen tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Seven sacks.
Four forced fumbles.
Jackson has the ability to change a possession without ever touching the football.
But he’s not working alone.
Jonathan Moore-LeDay has added 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks, giving the Wildcats another defender capable of collapsing a play before it develops.
Jordan Oglesby has eight tackles for loss and four sacks.
Trace McHugh leads the team with 50 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and two sacks.
Judson Mixon is right behind him with 49 tackles.
Those five players represent a substantial part of the reason Louisiana Christian has been able to keep opposing running games under control.
The Wildcats have defenders who can penetrate, linebackers who can finish, and enough experience to understand what is at stake.
Against OUAZ, their ability to win first down may determine how much freedom Giron has on second and third.
The Matchup Within the Matchup
There is another statistical comparison that deserves attention.
OUAZ has allowed only 14 sacks this season.
Louisiana Christian has recorded 27.
The Spirit have generally done a good job protecting their quarterbacks, and their commitment to the running game helps explain part of that success.
But the Wildcats have shown an ability to create pressure from multiple positions.
Jackson and Moore-LeDay have combined for 14 sacks.
Add Oglesby’s four and those three players account for 18 of Louisiana Christian’s 27 sacks.
For OUAZ, keeping Giron comfortable will be critical.
For Louisiana Christian, the opportunity comes when the Spirit fall behind the chains.
A tackle for loss on first down changes everything.
Instead of second-and-five, OUAZ might face second-and-12.
Instead of a manageable third down with the entire playbook available, the Spirit might have to ask Giron to make a play against a defense that knows a pass is coming.
That’s when the Wildcats’ pass rush can become a difference-maker.
The Secondary Has Work to Do, Too
One of the more interesting numbers in Louisiana Christian’s defensive statistics is 259.
That’s how many passing yards the Wildcats have allowed per game.
It’s considerably more than their 94.9 rushing yards allowed.
Opponents have thrown 397 passes against Louisiana Christian, completing 211 for 2,590 yards and 23 touchdowns.
The Wildcats have also intercepted nine passes.
David Voorhies III has broken up 13 passes, while Brandon Johnson II has seven.
Jaden Jones has two interceptions, as does Ernest Mitchell.
Kristian Doyle, Amir Franklin-Sanders and Mitchell have each returned an interception for a touchdown.
The Wildcats have allowed opposing quarterbacks to move the football through the air, but they’ve also demonstrated an ability to make them pay for mistakes.
That creates an interesting question for OUAZ.
If Louisiana Christian limits the running game, can Giron consistently attack the Wildcats through the air?
His completion percentage suggests he is capable of making efficient throws.
But OUAZ averages just 143 passing yards per game, and its offense is built around the balance created by a successful running attack.
Asking Giron to throw out of necessity rather than opportunity would represent a significant change in how the Spirit prefer to operate.
Louisiana Christian would gladly take its chances in that situation.
Third Down Could Tell the Story
OUAZ has converted 57 of 129 third-down opportunities this season.
That’s 44.2 percent.
Louisiana Christian has allowed opponents to convert 54 of 158.
That’s 34.2 percent.
Those numbers suggest the Wildcats have a real opportunity to get the Spirit off the field.
But it starts before third down arrives.
OUAZ is at its most dangerous when it can stay ahead of the chains, use its running backs and allow Giron to operate with multiple options.
The Wildcats need to force the Spirit into situations where the run becomes less attractive and the pass rush can take over.
There is another factor.
OUAZ has converted 10 of 19 fourth-down attempts.
Louisiana Christian opponents have converted 11 of 26.
In a game with championship implications, both coaching staffs may face decisions that could determine the outcome.
A fourth-and-two near midfield.
A fourth-and-goal late in the afternoon.
Those moments don’t show up in the pregame headlines, but they can become the plays everyone remembers.
The Red Zone May Decide More Than the Scoreboard Suggests
OUAZ has reached the red zone 50 times this season.
The Spirit have scored on 41 of those possessions, with 33 resulting in touchdowns.
That’s an 82 percent scoring rate and a 66 percent touchdown rate.
Louisiana Christian opponents have reached the red zone 28 times, scoring on 25 occasions, including 17 touchdowns.
That means the Wildcats have allowed points on most trips inside their 20-yard line.
But there is a difference between allowing a field goal and surrendering seven points.
OUAZ has a reliable kicker in Eric Cline, who has made 11 of 12 field-goal attempts.
Last Saturday against Texas Wesleyan, Cline connected on four field goals and accounted for 15 points in the Spirit’s 33–14 victory.
He was recognized as the NAIA Special Teams Player of the Week.
If Louisiana Christian can force OUAZ to settle for three points instead of seven, that could become a major advantage for an offense averaging 51 points per game.
The Wildcats don’t necessarily have to shut the Spirit out.
They have to make OUAZ work for everything it gets.
And when the field gets short, they need to make the Spirit earn every yard.
Two Defenses, Two Very Different Challenges
Yesterday, we examined an OUAZ defense that has allowed just 11.1 points and 222.6 yards per game.
Those are exceptional numbers.
But Saturday’s matchup isn’t simply about whether Louisiana Christian can score against the Spirit.
It’s also about whether OUAZ can consistently move the football against the Wildcats.
Louisiana Christian has allowed 25.7 points and 353.9 yards per game.
Those numbers don’t immediately jump off the page.
But they require some context.
The Wildcats have faced NCAA Division I Northwestern State, Southern University and East Texas Baptist in addition to their Sooner Athletic Conference schedule.
They’ve played games where the offense has scored quickly, forcing the defense back onto the field.
And they’ve faced opponents willing to throw the football repeatedly.
The Wildcats have answered with 95 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, nine interceptions and a defense that has been particularly difficult to run against.
OUAZ presents a different kind of challenge.
The Spirit want to possess the football, establish the ground game and make the opponent defend a variety of rushing threats.
Louisiana Christian wants to disrupt that rhythm.
The winner of that battle will have a significant say in who celebrates Saturday afternoon.
A Championship Comes Down to Doing Your Job
There will be plenty of emotion at Wildcat Stadium.
It’s Senior Day.
It’s the final regular-season game.
And it’s an opportunity for Louisiana Christian to complete an unbeaten conference championship season.
The Wildcats enter 9–1 overall and 7–0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
OUAZ is officially 7–2 and 6–1, with both losses recorded as forfeits following the university’s self-reporting of an ineligible player used in its first two games. The Spirit lost to Montana Tech on the field and defeated Wayland Baptist, but both contests now stand as 2–0 forfeit losses.
Since then, OUAZ has won seven consecutive games.
The Spirit are coming to Pineville with confidence, a productive offense and a defense that has been among the nation’s best.
Louisiana Christian has an opportunity to make a statement of its own.
And when OUAZ has the football, that statement begins with Ted Jackson, Moore-LeDay, McHugh, Mixon and the rest of the Wildcats’ defensive unit.
Win first down.
Keep Giron contained.
Make tackles in the backfield.
Get off the field on third down.
And when the opportunity comes, take the football away.
Those aren’t complicated instructions.
But championship football rarely is.
It’s about execution when the moment demands it.
No. 20 OUAZ at No. 9 Louisiana Christian. Saturday, November 14, at Wildcat Stadium in Pineville. Pregame coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. Central, with kickoff at 2 p.m., exclusively on 446Sports.
The 446Sports National Game of the Week.
