In arguably their best outing since the beginning of October in terms of the offense moving the ball and overall intensity, the Swedes trailed early as Ottawa found the end zone early in the first quarter. The Braves again found the end zone early in the second before tacking on two field goals before the half. Down 20-0 at halftime, Bethany continued to move the ball well, but struggled to score as Ottawa posted two more touchdowns on the board, making it 34-0.

The Swedes broke their 11-quarter scoreless streak with an early touchdown in the fourth as senior quarterback Steven Baker connected with junior wide receiver Sean Johnson on a 10-yard pass. The Bethany defense gave the squad their second score of the day, blocking Ottawa's punt and recovering in the end zone. The Braves tacked on one more touchdown on a Baker interception to seal the deal, handing the Swedes a 41-14 loss, their fifth in a row.

"We played hard and played better than we have the last few weeks I thought," said head coach Jamie Cruce. "Our execution wasn't quite where it needed to be when playing a top ranked team in the nation. We still need to convert when we get in the red zone. We got inside the 25 or 30 several times and didn't score."

Baker was 21 for 47, throwing for 263 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Sophomore DeWayne Autrey rushed for 57 yards off 18 attempts while sophomore Oshane Malcolm added 13 yards on five attempts. Junior Robert Anderson chalked up 118 yards on eight receptions, followed by freshman Brandon Martino with 45 yards off two catches. Sophomore Collin Parks contributed 43 yards on five catches while S. Johnson had two catches good for 25 yards and a touchdown. Freshman James Johnson added two catches for 21 yards.

Junior Jeffrey Simplice totaled 11 tackles on the day, six unassisted and five assisted. Junior Marvin Barnes added three unassisted and five assisted tackles. Freshman Terrance Henderson snagged one interception, returning it for 12 yards as junior Kevin Goodie broke up one pass in the contest. Autrey and J. Johnson each had one fumble recovery. Sophomore Milton Collins applied the pressure all afternoon, coming up with two sacks.

"We are disappointed in the loss," Cruce said, "but pleased with some things we saw on film. We were encouraged by some things. Some of our young players are getting better. We will have success down the road."

The Swedes are now 3-5 in the KCAC, sitting at fifth place, and 4-5 overall. They close out their 2009 campaign with a trip to McPherson College on Saturday, November 14 at 1:30 p.m.

"McPherson is every bit as talented as Ottawa, so they will be a similar challenge," said Cruce. "They are athletic on defense, have a very mobile quarterback, and the best running back in the conference. It will be a challenge."