Some stadiums hold pleasant memories for the Wayland Baptist Pioneer football team; others do not.
It's safe to say that Spirit Field in Surprise, Ariz., fits squarely on the "does not" list.
Spirit Field was the scene of the Pioneers' 75-14 loss to Ottawa-Arizona last season, a setback that at the time was the second most-lopsided defeat in program history. In a match-up of teams tied for fourth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference, the Spirit – in their first season of competition – scored 41 points in the second quarter to lead 48-0 at halftime. Wayland trailed 68-0 before getting on the scoreboard with 5:28 left in the game.
The Pioneers – after making the long bus ride Friday to the city just outside of Phoenix – will try to exorcise those bad memories Saturday night when they return to Spirit Field and take on Ottawa beginning at 9 p.m. Central.
It won't be easy. The Spirit – playing their third straight home game – are ranked No. 21 in the NAIA, sit atop the SAC standings, and go into the game unbeaten at 3-0.
"Ottawa is very, very talented. In my opinion they're the top team in the conference," Wayland coach
Butch Henderson said.
While the Spirit are undefeated, they haven't always been dominant. After throttling, Doane, Neb., in their opener, 48-7, Ottawa needed fourth-quarter rallies and a defensive stop to pull out home victories the last two weeks, first over NCAA Division II Western New Mexico, 38-31, and last week over Texas Wesleyan in their conference opener, 42-38. In that game, Texas Wesleyan drove 82 yards before time expired with the Rams at the 1-yard line.
"We just have to go play," Henderson said.
Looking to snap a two-game skid, Ottawa probably isn't the opponent the Pioneers would pick to play as they look to recover from a 60-7 loss to Texas-Permian Basin and last Saturday's 40-27 defeat to Arizona Christian in the SAC opener.
The Pioneers overcame a 14-0 deficit and battled to tie the game at 27 midway through the third quarter, but the Firestorm offense managed three more scores after that while shutting out Wayland's offense.
"Once we made it 27-27 we needed to continue that energy. We have to learn how to continue to do what we're doing and continue making plays. It's a mentality of finishing it," Henderson said.
The coach said he and his staff worked to restore their team's confidence and belief that they can still achieve their goal of winning the conference championship.
"When you get a chip put in (your belief system), you have to build it back," he said.
That was taken care of Monday, and by Tuesday everything was good again.
"We had one of the better practices we've had (all season) on Tuesday," Henderson said.
In Ottawa, a team that is averaging 115 penalty yards a game, the Pioneers will see a balanced offense that ranks fifth in the NAIA with just over 500 yards a game and seventh in scoring at almost 43 points an outing. Balance like that puts added stress on opposing defense, Henderson said.
"You have to have everything covered and be able to handle both of them at the same time. You can't put all your ducks on being able to stop the run and give up things behind you. You have to play sound defense all the way across, and we'll do that."
Junior quarterback Austin McCullough (6-2, 195) has thrown for more than 900 yards and 10 touchdowns (five interceptions) in Ottawa's three games, while completing 53 percent of his passes. Last year against Wayland, McCullough was outstanding, completing 16-of-20 passes for 341 yards with five TDs.
Henderson said part of what makes McCullough, whose 304 yards passing per game ranks seventh in the NAIA, so effective is having a host of talented receivers at his disposal.
"They have three receivers who have 11 or 12 catches (each). When you have that diverse of a receiving corps, then it makes you stretch your defense. It's a lot easier to defense one guy than three or four. If you start trying to double-cover one of them they have other guys who can go.
"The other thing they have is a good running back," Henderson said of 5-foot-7, 205-pound senior Joshua Vizcaya, who averages 107 yards a game and 5.4 a carry. Last week against Texas Wesleyan, Vizcaya ran for three touchdowns and 168 yards, part of a school-record 353 yards rushing. He rushed for 95 yards against the Pioneers in 2018.
"That balance in their offense makes you really have to work defensively," Henderson said.
The coach said part of controlling Ottawa's high-powered offense will be keeping McCullough, Vizcaya and the rest of them on the sidelines.
"Offensively, we have to be able to move the ball and hold the ball some. You don't want your defense on the field (for extended periods)," he said, adding that senior running backs
De'Sean Johnson and
Jerrell Peterson will play a big factor in that. "They have to make big plays for us. That's what you're expecting of them because they're good athletes. We have to find some ways to put them in position so they can do that."
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