OSKALOSSA - Texas Wesleyan University (7-4, 7-1 SAC), fresh off clinching the Sooner Athletic Conference championship and earning the No. 20 seed in the NAIA Football
Championship Series, heads to the frozen plains of Iowa for a first-round showdown with No. 13 William Penn University (10-1, 5-1 HOA) at noon CT Saturday in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

The Rams are making back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in program history after Saturday's 24-13 regular-season finale win over Wayland Baptist secured at least a share of the SAC crown. Quarterback Cole Francis went 14 of 19 for 196 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score, and the Rams forced a pair of turnovers to seal the victory.

Texas Wesleyan's defense, which has produced 24 takeaways this season, will face its toughest test against a William Penn University rushing attack that ranks among the NAIA's best. Statesmen running back Destynd Loring, the only 1,500-yard rusher in the country, enters with 1,582 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 143.8 yards per game.

William Penn, the Heart of America Athletic Conference champion, closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak after its lone loss to Grand View and posted a perfect 6-0 road record.

The Rams counter with a balanced attack that averages 148.1 rushing yards per game and a special teams unit led by kicker Freddy Joya, who has drilled 15 field goals and twice earned NAIA Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Saturday's winner advances to the second round Nov. 29 against one of the top-12 seeds that received a first-round bye. The ultimate prize: a potential return trip to Fort Worth for the NAIA national championship Dec. 20 at Crowley ISD Multipurpose Stadium — the Rams' home field.

The game will stream live on the Urban Edge Network.