(8) Football continues NAIA Football Championship Series on Saturday in Marion, Ind.

For the second time in their last two trips to the NAIA Football Championship Series, (9) Benedictine Football will take on (3) Indiana Wesleyan in the Quarterfinals of the FCS. The two teams played in Marion, Ind., in the Quarterfinals of the 2022 FCS where the Wildcats earned a 24-13 win over the Ravens. 

LISTEN: https://www.ravenathletics.com/links/fs31tp (KAIR free broadcast with Tom Kautz)
WATCH: https://www.ravenathletics.com/links/yk2s7w (broadcast is a pay-per-view stream)
LIVE STATS: https://www.ravenathletics.com/links/ngfbws
TICKETS: https://www.ravenathletics.com/links/2x5poi

ABOUT THE TEAMS: Today marks the sixth time this season that Benedictine will face a Top 25 program while it marks the fourth time that Texas Wesleyan is facing a Top 25 program. The Ravens are 3-2 in their previous five games while the Wildcats are 3-0. Until they hosted Southwestern (Kan.) in the Second Round last week, the last ranked opponent was Saint Xavier (IL) back on Oct. 5. ... The Wildcats enter the Quarterfinals ranked third in the NAIA in points per game (47.3), rushing yards (2,673), red zone touchdowns (49 of 65), and defensive touchdowns (6). They rank second in total scoring (568), total offense (6,128), and red zone scores (61 of 65). ... The Ravens enter the Quarterfinals ranked third in the NAIA in scoring (559), passing yards (3,920), passing yards per game (326.7), and sacks (41). They rank fourth in interceptions (20), yards per pass attempt (10.), yards per completion (16.5), and passing touchdowns (40).

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Benedictine's Jackson Dooley ranks third in the NAIA in passing yards per game (313.8), third in total passing yards (3,962), and fourth in passing touchdowns (38). His total passing yards and passing touchdowns have set two new program records. The previous passing yards record was 3,110 set by Garrett Kettle in 2022 and the previous touchdowns record was 33 set by Sheafer Schuetz in 2018. ... IWU's Ryan Whitwell ranks seventh in the NAIA in rushing per game (117.2) and returned last week against Southwestern with 94 yards on 25 carries with 2 touchdowns. He had been out since Oct. 19 when he rushed for 145 yards on 17 carries against Taylor (Ind.). Roosevelt Cage gives the Wildcats two 1,000-yard rushers with 1,102 yards at 110.2 per game. He ranks 16th overall in the NAIA in total rushing while Whitwell ranks 20th. ... Benedictine's Jacob Gathright became the Ravens All-time leading receiver on Saturday in the win over Texas Wesleyan with 2,652 yards. He also broke the Ravens single-season receiving record with 1,215 yards –which ranks him fourth in the NAIA. He ranks eighth in the NAIA in yards per game (101.3). ... IWU's Isaac Smith is also a 1,000-yard receiver with a total of 1,017 yards on 77 receptions. Smith is averaging 13.2 yards per catch with 14 touchdowns. Smith is tied for fourth in the NAIA in receiving touchdowns. Levi Tidwell actually leads the Wildcats in yards per catch average at 15.9 with a total of 815 yards with 6 touchdowns.

AROUND THE QUARTERFINALS:
(1) Keiser (Fla.) vs. (10) Georgetown - 1 PM EST LIVE STATS
(2) Grand View vs. (11) Northwestern - 12 PM CST LIVE STATS
(4) Montana Western vs. (6) Morningside - 12 PM MT LIVE STATS

UP NEXT: Today's winner will advance to the NAIA Football Championship Series Semifinals on Dec. 14. The two highest-seeded teams will host the two matchups on their respective campus with the Semifinal winners advancing to the 2024 NAIA Football National Championship Game on Dec. 21 at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C.

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