NAIA Football Weekly Update – Video Show (coming soon)

NAIA Football Game of the Week – No. 9
Southeastern (Fla.) (5-2, 3-1 TSC) at Webber International (Fla.) (5-3, 3-1 TSC)
Saturday, Nov. 1 | 7 p.m. EDT | Legion Field | Lake Wales, Fla.
Live Stats - Provided by Webber International

• The first-ever The Sun Conference (TSC) championship is on the line Saturday, as Southeastern (Fla.) travels to Webber International (Fla.) for a 7 p.m. EDT kick off at Legion Field in Lake Wales, Fla. The Fire and Warriors enter their final weekend of league play tied atop the conference standings with Warner (Fla.) at 3-1. The Royals have a bye this weekend before closing the TSC against Edward Waters (Fla.) on Nov. 8.
• The Sun Conference is in its inaugural year as an affiliated football league in the NAIA. The six-member conference – Ave Maria (Fla.), Edward Waters, Point (Ga.), Southeastern, Warner and Webber International – will receive one automatic berth into the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS), as long as the league champion is ranked among the top 20 in the final NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
• A team from the state of Florida has never qualified for the FCS.
• This is the first-ever varsity meeting between the two young programs. Webber International first established football in 2002, while Southeastern is in its first year.
• Both of Southeastern’s losses have come on the road this season, while Webber International is 3-1 at home.
• The two squads have played one current Top 25 opponent, falling to No. 4 Faulkner (Ala.) in their respective season openers (Webber International: 34-20 | Southeastern: 45-24).
• The Fire showcase one of the NAIA’s top offensive attacks, ranking among the top 10 in scoring offense per game (41.3), rushing offense per game (238.1) and total offense per game (458.0). Southeastern’s passing offense, which ranks 41st in the NAIA with a 219.9 yards per game average, has not been a focal point this season.
• Running back Jarrell Reynolds is the key cog on offense for Southeastern. The Quincy, Fla., native leads the NAIA in scoring with 144 points (23 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown), while ranking second in rushing yards per game (171.1) and third in total rushing (1,198). Reynolds best performances of the season came on Oct. 4 against Edward Waters, as he tallied a national season-best 385 yards rushing on 31 carries. He also scored six touchdowns in the contest.
• Quarterback Jonathan Pearce has taken most of the snaps for the Fire this season. He is completing 56.7 percent (101-of-178) of his throws for 1,315 yards and nine scores.
• Defensively, linebacker Tyson Kee paces the team with 45 tackles (24 solo). Defensive lineman Jacques Braggs is the Fire’s top pass rusher with a team-best 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
• Cornerback Quentin Harris ranks fifth in the NAIA with five interceptions this season.
• Southeastern allows an average of 23.1 points and 446.7 total yards per game.
• Following Saturday’s showdowns with Webber International, Southeastern hosts NCAA Division II Limestone (S.C.) on Nov. 8 before closing the season at NCAA Division III Berry (Ga.) on Nov. 15.
• Webber International has won five-straight since opening the year 0-3. During the winning streak, the Warriors are scoring 34.4 points per game and own a 19.6 average margin of victory.
• Webber International is led by a strong defense that ranks eighth in scoring defense per game (17.8) and 23rd in passing defense per game (179.0).
• Defensive end Marquise Harts is one of the cornerstones for the unit. He leads the team with seven sacks and is tied for third on the squad with 33 tackles (19 solo). Edward Brown II is the team leader in tackles with 44 (23 solo), followed by Steven Mcpherson with 30 (26 solo).
• Running back Darius Page is one of the keys on offense for the Warriors. He leads the team with 730 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Page, who is averaging 91.3 rushing yards per game, owns three 100-plus yard performances this year, including a season-best 157 yards against Warner (Fla.) on Sept. 6.
• As a team, Webber International ranks 12th in the NAIA in rushing offense per game (226.0) and 13th in total rushing offense (1,808).

Note – portions of this information was provided by the Southeastern and Webber International Sports Information Department

Record Watch
Southern Oregon senior quarterback Austin Dodge eclipsed former Carroll (Mont.) standout and NAIA Hall of Famer Tyler Emmert’s NAIA record of 13,979 career total yards on Oct. 18 against Montana Western. Dodge enters the weekend with 14,769 career total yards. On Sept. 27, Dodge completed 22-of-38 passes for 417 yards and six touchdowns in Southern Oregon’s 45-24 win at Montana State-Northern. The performance made him the NAIA career leader in touchdown passes and passing yards. Dodge enters the week with 129 touchdowns and 14,530 yards. The previous records were held by Ohio Dominican’s Chris Reisert (120 touchdowns and 13,388 yards).

Make Plans Now for Daytona Beach
You know you’re going – so book it now! For the first time since 2008, the NAIA Football National Championship will have a new home, as the game moves to the freshly renovated Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium in warm, sunny Daytona Beach, Fla. Visit http://www.daytonabeach.com/ and explore the many reasons that you’ll want to bring the family to Daytona Beach for the National Championship – and the holidays. For more information on host hotels and other game specs, click here.

This week around the NAIA
• Morningside (Iowa) locked down the No. 1 spot in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll for the sixth-straight edition this week. The Mustangs have now ranked No. 1 in 15 of the last 21 editions and has made 33-straight top-five appearances. No. 23 Eastern Oregon and No. 25 Langston (Okla.) were the two newcomers this week, replacing Campbellsville (Ky.) (No. 23) and St. Francis (Ill.) (No. 25). For the complete release, click here.
• Markeith Cooper of MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Austin Dodge of Southern Oregon and Daniel Martinez of Wayland Baptist (Texas) were named the NAIA Football National Players of the Week. For the complete release, click here.
• Top-ranked Morningside has featured arguably the NAIA’s most dominant offense this season. On Oct. 11 against Hastings, the Mustangs set the NAIA single-game record for total yards with 916. One week later, Morningside ran for a school record 475 yards in a 50-7 win against then-No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). The Mustangs enter the week as the NAIA leader in third down conversion (56.8), pass efficiency (216.8), rushing offense per game (385.9), first downs per game (32.4), total offense per game (722.3), total scoring offense (468) and scoring offense per game (66.9)
• Benedictine (Kan.) head coach Larry Wilcox notched his 250th career win on Oct. 18, as the Ravens downed Peru State (Neb.), 49-6. Wilcox, who is a four-time Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and currently ranks second among active NAIA coaches in victories, is only the fourth head coach in NAIA history to reach the milestone.
• In possibly the biggest upset of the season, then-unranked Marian (Ind.) knocked off then-No. 1 and defending national champion Grand View (Iowa), 31-18, on Sept. 20. The loss ended Grand View’s NAIA-best winning streak at 16 games. Marian is 2-0 all-time against top-ranked teams. For the complete release, click here.
• Four new programs made their NAIA varsity debut this season: Arizona Christian, College of Idaho, Missouri Baptist and Southeastern (Fla.). College of Idaho (4-4), which fields a team for the first time since the program was discontinued following the 1977 season, won its season opener 35-34 against NCAA Division III Pacific (Ore.) on Sept. 6. Arizona Christian (2-6) joined the Yotes in the win column with a 30-27 victory against NCAA Division III George Fox (Ore.) on Sept. 6. Southeastern (5-2) earned its first victory on Sept. 13 in a 31-7 thrashing of Warner (Fla.). Missouri Baptist (0-9) is still searching for its first program win.
• The 2014 NAIA football season officially opened action on August 23 as eight teams took to the field.
• Arizona Christian’s Gabriel Jordan posted what could prove to be the play of the year in the NAIA in the program’s season opener against Evangel, when the freshman wide receiver returned a punt 100 yards – 108 yards unofficially – for a touchdown. The play received national attention, including being featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10. To access the video, click here.
• Valley City State’s Dennis McCulloch claimed his 100th career win Sept. 20, as the Vikings knocked off North Star Athletic Association rival Dickinson State (N.D.), 33-21. He is the 10th active coach to reach the 100-win plateau.
• The Sun Conference (TSC) and the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) officially join the NAIA as affiliated leagues for the sport of football this season. Both leagues will each receive one automatic berth into the 2014 NAIA Football Championship Series as long as the league champion is ranked among the top 20 in the final NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
o The Sun Conference – Ave Maria (Fla.), Edward Waters (Fla.), Point (Ga.), Southeastern (Fla.), Warner (Fla.) and Webber International (Fla.)
o North Star Athletic Association – Dakota State (S.D.), Dickinson State (N.D.), Jamestown (N.D.), Mayville State (N.D.), Presentation (S.D.), Valley City State (N.D.) and Waldorf (Iowa)
• Ranked teams in action this week – all games on Saturday:
   o Concordia (Neb.) at No. 1 Morningside (Iowa)
   o No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) at Montana State-Northern
   o Belhaven (Miss.) at No. 4 Faulkner (Ala.)
   o No. 21 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) at No. 5 Southern Oregon
   o Culver-Stockton (Mo.) at No. 7 Baker (Kan.)
   o No. 8 Northwestern (Iowa) at Hastings (Neb.)
   o St. Ambrose (Iowa) at No. 9 Saint Xavier (Ill.)
   o Graceland (Iowa) at No. 10 Missouri Valley
   o Union (Ky.) at No. 11 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
   o No. 12 Cumberland (Tenn.) at Bethel (Tenn.)
   o No. 13 Marian (Ind.) at Taylor (Ind.)
   o No. 14 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) at Peru State (Neb.)
   o No. 15 Ottawa (Kan.) at Kansas Wesleyan
   o No. 16 William Penn (Iowa) at Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
   o No. 17 Valley City State (N.D.) at Mayville State (N.D.)
   o Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) at No. 18 Robert Morris (Ill.)
   o No. 19 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) at Nebraska Wesleyan
   o Bethel (Kan.) at No. 20 Friends (Kan.)
   o Avila (Mo.) at No. 22 Benedictine (Kan.)
   o Montana Tech at No. 23 Eastern Oregon
   o No. 24 Tabor (Kan.) at Bethany (Kan.)
   o Panhandle State (Okla.) at No. 25 Langston (Okla.)
• Past NAIA Football Game of the Week Results:
   o Week 1 (Sept. 6) – No. 22 Southern Oregon def. No. 2 Carroll (Mont.), 38-35
   o Week 2 (Sept. 13) – No. 24 Peru State (Neb.) def. No. 19 Friends (Kan.), 23-21
   o Week 3 (Sept. 20) – No. 7 Carroll (Mont.) def. No. 5 Rocky Mountain (Mont.), 33-8
   o Week 4 (Sept. 27) – No. 4 Faulkner (Ala.) def. No. 17 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), 28-21
   o Week 5 (Oct. 4) – No. 6 Georgetown (Ky.) def. No. 4 Faulkner (Ala.), 27-10
   o Week 6 (Oct. 11) – No. 4 Carroll (Mont.) def. No. 15 Eastern Oregon, 55-7
   o Week 7 (Oct. 18) – No. 1 Morningside (Iowa) def. No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), 50-7
   o Week 8 (Oct. 25) – No. 20 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) def. No. 2 Baker (Kan.), 34-27 (OT)
• For a complete list of NAIA football statistical leaders, click here.
• For more information on NAIA football, click here.