BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - For the third time in the past 53 weeks, Azusa Pacific prevailed over Olivet Nazarene, defeating the NAIA's No. 2-ranked Tigers, 21-14, in a rematch of last year's national championship game.

Behind the quick and short passing attack of Neo Aoga, the Cougars begin to open up a defensive game midway through the second quarter. Azusa Pacific scored a pair of TDs in a matter of 5 minutes to take a 14-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Junior WR Deon Jordan took an Aoga screen pass 35 yards, cutting across the field while out-running a chasing Tiger secondary for the first score with 8:37 left in the half. On their next drive, the Cougars came right back and capped an 8-play drive when senior TB Marin Smith squirted over from a yard out with 3:14 left in the half. Aoga went 4-for-5 for 87 yards on the drive, hitting Caleb Willis on a quick out that covered 40 yards to set up Smith's TD.

"I think we got them a little tired throwing the ball a lot early," said Cougar coach Peter Shinnick. "From then on, we got it going on offense. I think we had an advantage by already playing a game. Had this game been played last week, it may have been a very different game."

The Cougars, who accumulated 427 yards total offense as opposed to ONU's 189, appeared to have the game well in control after stopping the Tigers' first 2 drives of the second half. But then the ball started bouncing the Tigers' way. On a second-and-10 at the Cougar 14-yard line, Tiger TB Terrence Streater zigzagged his way through the Cougar defense only to be drilled at the 2-yard line where he fumble the ball. Tiger lineman Terry Maxwell beat a host of Cougars to the ball and pounced on it in the endzone for ONU's first TD with 1:22 left in the third quarter.

The Cougars thought they have the game in hand when Aoga hit junior WR Caleb Willis on a 15-yard fade in the corner of the endzone with 8:05 left to play, putting Azusa Pacific up 21-7. The TD was set up by Houn Hib's 71-yard catch-and-run off an Aoga second-down pass over the middle deep in Cougar territory.

The Cougar defense, which held ONU to just 87 passing yards for the game, continually thwarted the Tigers. Unable to move the ball, ONU was forced to punt and seemingly set up another Cougar TD.

With 5:19 left in the game, the Cougars, behind the running of Marvin Smith, began marching downfield, forcing ONU to use its timeouts. However, on first-and-10 at the Tiger 20-yard line, Aoga made ill-advised pass into the flat which Tiger CB Jason Cornelius intercepted and returned 88 yards for a TD, pulling ONU to within 7 points and giving ONU new life with 4:34 left in the game.
"Neo checked at the line the play we had called," said Shinnick. "He thought he saw a window of opportunity. When he came to the sideline, I told him he didn't have to win the game. Let his teammates do it together."

Aoga regrouped, and on the next drive connected with Houn Hib for a 23-yard pass play on third down to keep the ball out of ONU hands and clinch the victory.
"We're a faster team than they are, "added Shinnick. " Had we lined up in I-formation and tried to pound it out with them, we would have been beaten."

Smith finished the game with a career-high 93 yards on 17 carries. Aoga was 17-for-29 passing for 321 yards. Hib had just 2 catches, but both were critical and they covered 94 yards.
"I love playing these guys," said Hib. "I feel like they're brothers. It's a great rivalry."

Last year, the Cougars downed ONU, 31-24, in Azusa, stopping the Tigers at the goal line on the final play of the game. Ironically, the 2 teams then met again in the NAIA Championship Game, which the Cougars rallied to win 17-14, in December.

With the win, Azusa Pacific, which is ranked No. 1 in the NAIA improves its overall win streak to 12 straight, the third longest in all of college football. Additionally, with another 7-point win, Azusa Pacific has now won 10 straight games that have been decided by a TD or less.