ONU SCORES 31 STRAIGHT POINTS TO TAKE DOWN CENTRAL METHODIST

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University football team rattled off 31 straight points to pick up the come-from-behind win over Central Methodist Saturday afternoon at Ward Field.

After falling behind 17-3 midway through the second quarter, the ONU offense came to life, scoring points on five consecutive drives en route to their third-straight victory.

Central Methodist (1-5) opened the game on a tear, scoring back-to-back touchdowns to open the early lead. Brandon Odam engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a five-yard back-shoulder strike to Blake Lamb to get ONU back on the board.

It only took two more offensive snaps for the Tigers to knot the score, with Odam connecting with Brian Jenkins for an 83-yard house call. Jenkins hauled in the short pass and won the foot race down the sideline to score the game-tying touchdown.

Graham Johnson knocked through his second field goal of the game, a 34-yard boot, to open the second-half scoring. His first field goal came from 40 yards out that got the Tigers on the board in the opening period.

The Tigers used the ground game to find the endzone on their next two drives. Evan Leake punched one in from two yards out before Arthur Walker scampered in for a 13-yard score,  his team-leading fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

And when the ONU offense was heating up, so did the Tiger defense. During ONU's scoring run, the five CMU drives ended in two punts, a missed field goal, and a pair of interceptions. The picks from Kyle Taylor and Lucas Eckles pushed the ONU interception tally to 13 in six games this season.

Odam rolled up 237 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-21 passing. Ryan Morrison-Gravenberg hauled in four catches for 64 yards. Jenkins eclipsed the century mark with 117 yards and a score. Lamb also brought down three catches and a touchdown. Evan Unruh completed a pass for 14 yards on his lone drive.

Walker picked up 50 yards on 12 carries and found the endzone. Leake finished with 40 rushing yards and his score. Aaron Bennett tacked on 27 yards, leading the team with 13 touches.

John Harman had another big day on the gridiron, finishing with 14 tackles and a tackle for loss. Abraham Flores-Cuen also had double-digit tackles, racking up 12 on the day. Dylan Wasson and Jordan Borner were co-authors of the Tigers' lone sack.

Having won three straight, the Tigers will take a bye week before hosting Roosevelt during ONU's Homecoming on Oct. 21. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. CST.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu