Azusa Pacific at Olivet Nazarene,
Saturday (Sept. 11)
Ward Field, 6 p.m. (CDT)

Records:

Azusa Pacific – 1-0

Olivet Nazarene – 1-0

THIS WEEK: After a 4-year hiatus, one of the NAIA’s finest intersectional rivalries is renewed this week when Azusa Pacific visits Olivet Nazarene University, Saturday, (Sept. 11) for a 6 p.m. kickoff in Bourbonnais, Ill., just south of Chicago, in what will be the Tigers’ 2004 home opener.

ON THE NET: The Azusa Pacific-Olivet Nazarene game will be broadcast live via the Internet on ONU's website. Click here to listen to the game begainning at 4 p.m. (PDT).

SERIES NOTES: This is only the fourth meeting ever between the 2 NAIA powers, but the first 3 were ones for the history books of NAIA football. Azusa Pacific leads the series with Olivet Nazarene, 3-0, but the 3 victories, all obtained within a 53-week span, are by a combined 17 points.

The 2 schools first meet in Azusa when ONU opened its 1998 season with a first-ever visit to California. Azusa Pacific prevailed, 31-24, but only after the Cougars made a 4-play goal-line stand on the Tigers in the final 30 seconds of the game. Little did either team know that this was just a precursor of things to come. Thirteen weeks later the 2 teams met again, this time in Savannah, Tenn., and this time for the NAIA national championship. ONU appeared to be on the brink of significant revenge, leading throughout the title game. The Tigers preserved a 14-7 lead when they intercepted a Cougar pass in the end zone early in the fourth quarter. However, on the next play Azusa Pacific LB Elbert Baker forced a safety to pull the Cougars to within 14-9. Dexter Davis then returned the ensuing punt deep into Tiger territory to set up NAIA Player of the Year Jack Williams game-winning 4-yard TD run with just over 8 minutes to play. Williams, who also doubled as a safety, then picked off a Tiger pass with just over a minute left in the game to clinch the championship, Azusa Pacific’s first-ever NAIA football crown.

The 2 teams met again early in the 1999 campaign when Azusa Pacific visited ONU and held on for 21-14 victory.

vs. NAIA: Azusa Pacific, the only NAIA school in California that sponsors football and only 1 of 2 west of the Rockies, doesn’t get many opportunities to play fellow NAIA member institutions. In fact, the Cougars have played just 19 NAIA teams over the past 6 seasons and are 12-7 in those games since 1998, with 4 losses coming against Southern Oregon.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Azusa Pacific has won 7 of its past 10 road games and 8 of its past 12 dating back to the 2001 season. Since 1996, Azusa Pacific is a fine 25-15 on the road.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Azusa Pacific head coach Peter Shinnick, son of former Baltimore Colt linebacker and UCLA All-American Don Shinnick, is in his sixth season at Azusa Pacific. He has fashioned a 37-15 record to date and only Cougar Hall-of-Famer Jim Milhon (1978-94) has won more game at Azusa Pacific (81). Shinnick led Azusa Pacific to the 1999 NAIA semifinals and put the Cougars back in the NAIA playoffs in 2000. Since 2002, he has guided the Cougars to an 18-3, which included another NAIA playoff berth last year. Known for an offensive flare, Shinnick’s teams have averaged 30 points and nearly 400 yards a game the past 5 seasons. Shinnick is 1-0 vs. Olivet Nazarene, gaining the aforementioned 21-14 victory in Bourbonnais, only his second game at the Cougar helm.

Gary Newsome is in his fifth season at Olivet Nazarene, his alma mater from which he graduated in 1974. After a lengthy distinguished career on the high school ranks in Ohio, Newsome returned to ONU in 2000 and promptly led the Tigers back into the NAIA playoffs with an 8-3 record. For his effort he was named the Mid-States Football Association Coach of the Year. After 2 sub-.500 seasons, Newsome got the Tigers back on track last year with a 6-4 record that included just second MSFA Midwest League title. However, the Tigers narrowly missed the NAIA playoffs.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Azusa Pacific was ranked No. 11 in the NAIA Coaches Preseason Top 25 Poll that was released Aug. 17. The Cougars have appeared in 24 consecutive NAIA Polls dating back to Sept. 17, 2002. The first NAIA poll of the 2004 season will be released on Tuesday (Sept. 14) at 1 p.m. (PDT) and can be obtained via the Internet at the NAIA site.

ONU was among others receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll.

LAST WEEK: Azusa Pacific opened the 2004 season with a 24-17 come-from-behind victory over the University of San Diego in Azusa. The Cougars scored 10 points in the final 4 minutes of the game to steal the victory. Ben Buys’ 5-yard TD blast with 51 seconds left in the game lifted the Cougars to the win. It was the Cougars’ third-straight season-opening victory and their sixth win in the past 7 meetings with USD, which came into the game ranked No. 4 in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Presason Poll. The Cougar victory spoiled USD head coach and former NFL QB (Bears, Chargers, Colts, Panthers) Jim Harbaugh’s collegiate coaching debut.

Meanwhile, Olivet Nazarene easily downed NCAA Division III member Anderson (Ind.) College, 43-20, on the road. Sophomore RB Billy Lawrence was a one-man wrecking crew, rushing for 191 yards on 21 carries while scoring 4 TDs, including the first 3 of the game. ONU led 29-7 at halftime and had the game well in hand at 36-7 heading into the fourth quarter. The Tigers amassed 407 yards of total offense, including 260 on the ground. Tiger QB Joe Boseo completed 11-fo-19 passes for 137 yards and 1 TD. Junior safety Joey Lochner registered a team-high 9 tackles to go along with 2 interceptions, both of which came in the first half.

BUY A TD: Senior All-American candidate Ben Buys became only the second Cougar ever to tally 30 career rushing TDs when he scored twice in the victory over USD, including the game-winner with 51 seconds left to play. Buys now has 30 TDs in his 17-game Cougar career, joining Cougar legend and former NFL Pro-Bowler Christian Okoye (1984-86), who set the standard with 34 career rushing TDs.

With 99 rushing yards vs. USD, Buys now has 1,950 yards in his career and needs just 50 more vs. ONU to become only the fifth Cougar ever to reach the 2000-yard rushing plateau.

ROOKIE SHOWCASE: Of the 43 Cougars who played in the victory over San Diego, 21 were making their Azusa Pacific debut. Ten were playing in their first-ever college game, and 7 Cougars made their first-ever collegiate start.

Among those putting in a significant “first” was sophomore LB Scott Ellis, who in his first collegiate start, led Azusa Pacific with a game-high 12 tackles vs. USD. Redshirt freshman Cameron Tucker, who was not only making his first collegiate appearance but also his first collegiate start, responded with 5 tackles and a pass deflection.

GETTING THE HANG OF IT: Cougar QB Sean Davis, who a year ago assumed the starting mantle in place of the program’s all-time leading passer (Luke Winslow), is settling in quite nicely as the Cougars’ signal-caller. Davis endured the growing pains through the first 6 games of his career as Azusa Pacific’s field general. However, over the past 5 games Davis has matured quite nicely, completing 62-of-116 (.534) passes for 809 yards and 4 TDs.

WHAT A KICK: Junior college transfer Mike Betancourth, playing in his first college game since his 2002 sophomore year at Chaffey Community College, may have had a case of first-game jitters at the outset of the USD game. He unexpectedly found himself on the field less than a minute into the game and had his first punt blocked and turned into a Torero TD. Betancourth settled down though, and over his next 4 punts he averaged a whopping 44.2 yards. Then late in the game he stepped onto the field for his first FG attempt of the season, banging through a 23-yard game-tying kick with 3:09 left in the game.