By Rick Mauch
SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Texas Wesleyan University Rams dropped their first game of the season Saturday despite rallying from an early deficit to make things close before succumbing to the Ottawa – Arizona Spirit 45-31.
Ottawa, ranked 18th in the nation in the latest NAIA poll, improved to 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Rams fell to 2-1 overall and 2-1 in the league, having their three-game winning streak dating to last season end.
The Spirit built a 24-0 lead in the second quarter before the Rams began their comeback. Texas Wesleyan closed to within 31-24 with just under nine minutes remaining.
Collier Ricks scored on a 15-yard pass from Dalton Dale to make the score 24-7 at the half. Nick David-West's 1-yard TD made the score 24-14, which was set up when Dale completed an 8-yard pass to Brandon Rolfe on fourth-and-4 to keep the drive alive.
Austin McCulough's second of three touchdown passes built Ottawa's lead back to 31-14, but again Texas Wesleyan stormed back. Dale scored from a yard out and Daniel Trejo added a 28-yard field goal to close the gap to seven points with 8:56 left in the contest.
Marcelous Chester-Riley's third TD of the game, a 1-yard run, took the lead back to two touchdowns, 38-24, set up after he ran for 11 yards on a fourth-and-3 play. Then, after the Rams threw an incomplete pass on a subsequent fourth-and-3, McCullough's final touchdown put the lead back to 21 points.
Dale's 18-yard pass to Charlie Simmons with 19 seconds to play capped the scoring.
The Rams got off to a rough start when Eric Holman of Ottawa returned a fumble 15 yards for an early 7-0 lead. By the end of the first quarter the Spirit were up 21-0.
The teams were within five yards of each other offensively, with the Spirit gaining 369 (114 rushing, 255 passing) and the Rams gaining 364 (77 rushing, 287 passing). Each team had three turnovers, with the Rams giving away three fumbles and taking away three interceptions, two by Elijah Hall and one by Chance Carroll.
The Rams also controlled time of possession by a margin of 31:19 to 28:41.
Dale accounted for all of the Rams' passing yards, completing 22 of 37 passes. His completions went to seven different receivers, led by Simmons (96 yards), Ricks (88 yards) and PJ Williams (42 yards) with five catches each. Rolfe hauled in four catches for 35 yards.
David-West led the Rams in rushing with seven carries for 37 yards.
Chester-Riley accounted for more than half of the Spirit's yards, rushing 30 times for 140 yards and two TD, along with catching five passes for 45 yards and another score.
On defense, Hall topped Texas Wesleyan with nine tackles and Carroll had eight (all solo). Kobe Adams had seven, including five for a loss, and Darius Vandyke added seven.
The Rams registered no sacks and the Spirit had one.
Texas Wesleyan has a bye week before returning to action Oct. 2 at home against Wayland Baptist (1-2), which has been outscored 99-0 in its two losses, including Saturday's 50-0 loss to Langston. The Pioneers' lone victory was 31-7 over Lyon. Kickoff at Farrington Field is 2 p.m.
The Rams lead the series with Wayland 2-1. Their last meeting was a 24-6 Texas Wesleyan home victory in 2019.
