PLAINVIEW, Texas — Wayland Baptist opened the home portion of its 2026 football schedule Saturday night at Greg Sherwood Memorial Stadium, but the Pioneers were unable to overcome a strong second-half performance from Ottawa University Arizona, falling to the Spirit, 56-14.

The Pioneers got off to a fast start in front of the home crowd, scoring twice in the opening quarter to take a 14-7 lead.

Wayland opened the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Crawford to Jamari Jackson with 7:59 remaining in the first quarter. After Ottawa answered with a touchdown, the Pioneers struck again when Crawford connected with Ethan Palmer on a 63-yard touchdown pass with 3:27 left in the quarter, giving Wayland a 14-7 advantage.

Ottawa responded with four touchdowns in the second quarter, taking a 35-14 lead into halftime. The Spirit added three more touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away in the second half.

Crawford completed 16 of 28 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, including the two first-quarter scoring strikes. He also rushed for negative seven yards. Kye Callicoatte completed three of 10 passes for 11 yards and added 36 rushing yards on five carries.

Palmer's 63-yard touchdown reception was the longest play from scrimmage for the Pioneers. Donte Hurt led Wayland with six receptions for 47 yards, while Jackson finished with two catches for 28 yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, Omarion Dumas paced the Pioneers with 44 net rushing yards on five carries, including a 38-yard run. Callicoatte added 36 yards on five carries.

Defensively, Brayden Hamby led the Pioneers with 14 total tackles, including four solo stops and 10 assisted tackles. Brennen Davis recorded 11 tackles, while Sebastian Balderas finished with 10. Jesus Lopez added nine tackles, including a sack for a three-yard loss.

Wayland finished the night with 265 yards of total offense, including 184 passing yards and 81 rushing yards. The Pioneers recorded 12 first downs, while Ottawa totaled 28 first downs and 533 yards of total offense.

The Spirit controlled the ground game, rushing for 419 yards and seven touchdowns on 70 attempts. Isaiah Dickerson led Ottawa with 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 64-yard scoring run.

The Pioneers also received solid contributions from the special teams unit. Isaac Olmos averaged 43.7 yards on three punts, while Jason Morrow averaged 37.0 yards on four punts. Trent McLemore handled kickoff duties and also attempted a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter.

With the loss, Wayland falls to 1-1 on the season following its season-opening victory over NCAA Division II Sul Ross State.

The Pioneers return to Greg Sherwood Memorial Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 12, for another home contest. Wayland will host Louisiana Christian University at 6 p.m.

The game will serve as Family & Youth Football Day, providing another opportunity for the Wayland community to come out and support the Pioneers as they continue their 2026 campaign.