On Apr. 17, the Baker Wildcats were able to punch their ticket to the second round of the NAIA Football Championship Series by beating Olivet Nazarene 59-54.

The game started off with  five turnovers by the Wildcats, giving the Tigers a short lead of 24-21. However, Freshman Devin Derousse was able to drill in a field goal before halftime to tie the game at 24-24. As a team, Baker was able to pick up a total of 484 yards against Olivet’s 444.

JD Woods made a large impact, having a total of 258 yards and five touchdowns at the end of the game. Woods was able to successfully take over the second half. Capitalizing on a turnover led Woods to take the ball 35 yards to score his third touchdown, with his fourth following soon after.  This run gave Baker a 38-31 lead in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Olivet Nazarene was able to retake a short-lived lead. This change in lead was ended by another touchdown from Woods, giving the Wildcats a 59-47 lead. With one more touchdown on the board by the Tigers, the Wildcats were able to hold them and run out the clock to win the game 59-54.

The Baker Wildcats will be playing in the second round of the NAIA Football Championship Series Saturday, Apr. 24 against Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.