The defending Sooner Athletic Conference champion OUAZ football team announced its schedule for the 2022 season, featuring nine games — all conference games — with four contests scheduled at Spirit Field.

OUAZ will open the 2022 season with a trip to Batesville, Arkansas, to face Lyon College on Sept. 3 at Pioneer Stadium.

The game will mark just the second time the Spirit has started its season on the road in five seasons. OUAZ leads the all-time series with the Scots 2-1 after a 76-10 win at Spirit Field last season. The teams have never met in Arkansas.

The home opener is slated for Sept. 10 with Southwestern Assemblies of God University coming to Surprise. 

OUAZ is 3-1 in home openers in the program’s history. The Spirit is 3-1 all-time against the Lions and 1-0 at Spirit Field. They have won three straight in the series, including a 42-28 decision last season in Waxahachie, Texas.

A trip to Fort Worth, Texas, for a game against Texas Wesleyan, follows on Sept. 17. 

OUAZ looks to remain perfect in the all-time series with the Rams, where it is currently 3-0. The Spirit are 1-0 at Farrington Field behind a 35-29 win in 2018.

Sept. 24 brings Louisiana Christian to Spirit Field for the first time. The Wildcats joined the SAC last season, and OUAZ won the meeting in Pineville, Louisiana, 49-19.

OUAZ makes the 13-mile trek to Glendale to face Arizona Christian on Oct. 1.

The game will be the first between the two Arizona rivals at the ACU Football Field. OUAZ is 3-1 in the series after a 52-34 win last season, and it won the only meeting hosted by the Firestorm 47-7 in 2019.

Texas College comes to Spirit Field on Oct. 8. It will be the first trip to Surprise by the Steers since 2019. OUAZ is undefeated in three previous meetings in the series, including a 48-6 win last season in Tyler, Texas.

After an open week, the Spirit travels to Langston, Oklahoma, to face Langston at W.E. Anderson Stadium on Oct. 22. 

The Lions were the only conference team to defeat the Spirit in 2021, and the teams have split four all-time matchups. OUAZ is 1-1 in the series on the road after a 28-24 win in 2020. Three of the four meetings have been decided by one score.

The Spirit will have a second open week following the Langston trip before hosting Wayland Baptist on Nov. 5 in the final home game of the season. 

It will be the fourth time in five meetings the team will play at Spirit Field, with OUAZ holding a 4-0 lead in those previous encounters. Last season’s game saw the Spirit claim a 61-30 win at Bulldog Stadium.

OUAZ closes the regular season with a trip to Goodwell, Oklahoma, to face Oklahoma Panhandle State on Nov. 12.

The Spirit are 3-1 all-time against the Aggies and 2-0 at Anchor D Stadium at Carl Wooten Field. OUAZ has won three straight in the series after a 52-35 win last season in Surprise.

The Spirit was ranked No. 11 in the final NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Top 25 Poll released in December. They finished 8-2 overall and played in the NAIA Football Championship Series for the second time in the past three seasons.

Season ticket information will be available in the coming weeks on the OUAZ social media channels and OUAZSpirit.com.