SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor will travel to Des Moines this Saturday (Sept. 25) for a key 1 p.m., showdown with the fourth-ranked Grand View Vikings at Williams Stadium.
SERIES HISTORY
Grand View has claimed five of the previous six meetings in the series, including the last two contests against Evangel. The Vikings posted a 35-13 victory over the Valor last September in Ozark, as Anthony Turner hauled in seven receptions for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead GVU’s attack. EU has yet to defeat the Vikings on the road, with its lone win in the series coming via a 28-20 decision over a nationally-ranked GVU squad in September 2018 at Tiger Stadium.
OPENING STORYLINES
► Evangel sixth-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday’s contest with a 33-22 mark as EU’s sideline boss; his win total ranks third in school history, trailing only Keith Barefield (66) and Scott Metcalf (44).
► Saturday’s contest will mark EU’s first football game since its adoption of the Valor mascot, following the retirement of the Crusader moniker last spring.
► Evangel brings the No. 6 scoring defense (15.3 ppg) into Saturday’s game; the EU defense has yielded an average of 275.8 yards per outing and leads the nation in takeaways (11) and defensive touchdowns (2); the Valor passing defense has allowed just 81.5 yards per game to rank third nationally.
► The Valor offense has posted a strong start as well, entering the week as the No. 2 rushing attack in the Heart Conference in terms of both yards per game (211.3) and TD’s (11).
► Evangel will be looking for its first win over a ranked foe since a 35-21 victory over No. 5 Benedictine on Oct. 19, 2019; EU has won four of its last six contests vs. ranked opponents, including a 28-20 victory over No. 10 Grand View on Sept. 1, 2018.
► Evangel’s ground attack produced three-consecutive 200-yard rushing totals to open the season, marking the first time an EU offense had accomplished the feat since October 2017, when it rushed for 268 yards vs. Graceland, 209 against Central Methodist and 226 vs. MidAmerica Nazarene; as a unit, EU has averaged 5.7 yards per carry, with Bryce Nyumah leading the way with his 106.7 ypg. average, which paces the Heart and ranks 14th nationally.
► Much of Evangel’s early offensive success can be attributed to an O-line that has yet to yield a quarterback sack through the first four contests of the season; the unit is led by two-time All-Heart Conference honoree Derrick Johnson, as well as fellow returning starters Tyler Waggoner and Doug Littrell.
► Will Anoa’i rates among the national leaders in both tackles for losses (8.0) and sacks (3.0), ranking eighth in the latter category entering play this week.
► Dillon Hester has led EU in receiving in three of its first four games of the season, including a career-best seven-reception performance for 117 yards at Culver-Stockton (Sept. 11); the redshirt freshman has reeled in a total of 17 catches for an average of 62.8 yards per game and three touchdowns through four contests.
► All Evangel home games in 2021 will be streamed live on the Evangel Sports Network in conjunction with the Heart Network. Fans can download the Heart Conference Network App for AppleTV, Amazon, or Roku and watch Evangel football games on their smart TV or streaming devices.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel returns to Eagle Stadium next Saturday for a 6 p.m. contest against Peru State.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the new Evangel Athletics Gameday App through Google Play.
