Sxucougars.com
Junior Defensive Back Antonio Orozco is lifted in the air by Junior Running Back, Matthew Chavers III.
Following their bye week, the Cougars have just three games left in the regular season. Here is a preview of Saint Xavier’s final three games.
Up to now the cougars have had a solid season. The Cougars have gotten statement wins this season, but have endured some tough losses. They are currently an NAIA Top 25 team, ranked at 15 with a 4-3 record.
Right now The Cougars are in the play-in part of the season, battling for good seeding to stamp a ticket into the playoffs, hopefully a first round game at home.
The Cougars have a good shot at making the playoffs where they are at right now, especially with their next game being against the winless Saint Ambrose University.
Coming off a bye week, it is imperative for their playoff push to beat the 0-7 Fighting Bees. It would be inexcusable for the Cougars to walk out of Davenport, IA. with a loss.
After their Saint Ambrose game, SXU takes on Olivet Nazarene University. Like the Cougars, the Tigers are 4-3 as of now sitting in a very similar position with the playoffs looming. This will surely be a dogfight from start to finish.
Olivet is coming off a 48-24 loss against Roosevelt University, much like the Cougars coming off of a 32-10 loss against Saginaw Valley University. This game is going to come down to the last snap,much like many games Saint Xavier and ONU have played in the past.
It is hard to predict a winner based on how the teams look on paper and their history playing each other. But this game against Olivet Nazarene is really a toss up because last year the Cougars barely won with a score of 17-10.
That game saw the Cougars putting up seventeen points unanswered. Olivet almost came back after putting up ten points in the fourth quarter.
One thing about the Cougars is that they draw a lot of personal fouls in chippy games. So if the emotions are drawn down to a minimum,winning is definitely in reach.
The last game of the season is against Roosevelt University at their home turf. As of now, Roosevelt is 5-3 coming off of a homecoming win against Olivet. Before they take on the Cougars in their final game, they will play 0-6 Judson University. Saint Xavier beat Judson 58-6 on Oct. 7.
BeforeRoosevelt takes on Saint Xavier, they’ll have a bye week of their own.. A well rested team coming off of a bye week, and most likely a big win the week prior, is scary to go against. The Lakers will have a lot of momentum going into the game versus SXU.
RU is also a conference opponent so the stakes are very high for this game.
If Saint Xavier makes the playoffs, they’ll have a low seed and need to battle their way through the playoffs.
It’s gut check time for the Cougars as they travel down to Davenport, Iowa to take on Saint Ambrose University this Saturday Oct. 28 at 1 pm, in dire need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.