Benedictine opens up their home schedule in the third game of the season, hosting No. 13 William Penn in the Heart-UEN Clash of the Week.
The Matchup: The No. 3-ranked Ravens under sixth-year head coach Joel Osborn look to extend their winning streak in the series, while the Statesmen under fourth-year head coach Marc Benavidez hope to snap that streak.
The Ravens have a .871 win percentage inside of Larry Wilcox Stadium heading into the 2026 season. Counting the Ravens "Covid Spring" game in April 2021, the Ravens have won 27 games under Coach Osborn at home.
The Statesmen are 11-6 on the road under Coach Benavidez and the program has lost both meetings with Benedictine during his tenure.
Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and can be streamed at https://www.urbanedgenetwork.net/watch/1494. Tickets are available online at https://events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/benedictine/L2VtYmVkL2V2ZW50LzcyNA==.
Game Notes: https://ravenathletics.com/documents/2026/9/11/Football_Game_Notes_-_WPU.pdf.
The Kickoff: Even though they are 2-0, William Penn has been outscored 13-0 in the second half. Benedictine has outscored it's opponents 42-21 in the second half. The Statesmen enter the game averaging 21 points per game while the Ravens enter the game averaging 37.5. … In their previous 9 meetings between the two programs, the Ravens are averaging 33.7 points per game while the Statesmen are averaging 17.9. … Benedictine quarterback Patrick Heitert earned his first start of the season on Saturday in the Ravens road game against Peru State. In his first two games with the Ravens, he is averaging 105.0 rushing yards per game in the Ravens first two contests. He is averaging 11.1 yards per carry, which is third in the NAIA. … Since 2015, the Ravens are 8-1 against William Penn, and have won seven straight meetings. The lone loss in the modern era of the series (the two teams first played in 1976 and 1977) for Benedictine came at home in 2016 by a final of 19-14. … Benedictine's Xiomar Hernandez has taken over this season as the Ravens primary tailback. In two games he has rushed for 201 yards, but has also accounted for 62 yards receiving. He also has 3 rushing TDs and 1 receiving TD. He appeared in 8 games in 2025, rushing for a total of 177 yards with no receptions and 4 TDs. … Today's match up between the Ravens and the Statesmen marks the third of the season for both programs. Through those first two games, each team has yet to recorded a punt return. The Ravens have forced 8 punts, while the Statesmen have forced 7. Out of those combined 15 punt attempt by opponents, neither team has yet to register a return. … William Penn has registered 5 sacks for a loss of 23 yards in their first two games. In addition, the Statesmen have 13 tackles for a loss. Offensively, they have allowed 5 sack for a loss of 38 yards and a total of 17 tackles for a loss of 80 yards. … Like William Penn, Benedictine has recorded as many sacks in two games as they have allowed. The Ravens have allowed 4 total sacks for a loss of 38 yards while recording 4 sacks for a loss of 31 yards. The difference for the Ravens, they have allowed just 8 tackles for a loss of 24 yards while recording 10 of their own for a loss of 40 yards. … Each team has earned Heart recognition this season. Benedictine linebacker Kolbe Sexton and William Penn's John McDonald earned Week 0 honors – Sexton was the Defensive Player of the Week while McDonald was the Special Teams Player of the Week. Benedictine safety Isaiah Hasten gave the Ravens their second Heart honor after Week 1, as he was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
What's Next: Benedictine returns home on Sept. 16 for a 12 pm game against No. 1 Grand View University. They play on O'Malley Field again on Sept. 26, hosting St. Ambrose University for Family Weekend.
