Six Turnovers Prove Costly as Oskaloosa Falls to Ottumwa, 31-12

Oskaloosa hosted Ottumwa for the first night of Friday Night Football for the 2026 season.

OSKALOOSA — Oskaloosa and Ottumwa were separated by very little on the stat sheet Friday night.

Ottumwa finished with 260 yards of offense, while Oskaloosa had 227. The Bulldogs had 15 first downs, and the Indians had 13. They were only one rushing yard apart.

However, one statistic stood out.

Oskaloosa turned the ball over six times.

Oskaloosa lost four fumbles and threw two interceptions. Ottumwa made the most of those extra chances and pulled away for a 31-12 win in the season opener.

The Indians had some strong moments on both offense and defense, but turnovers kept ending their drives or gave Ottumwa more chances with the ball.

Oskaloosa finished with 111 rushing yards on 35 attempts. Ottumwa rushed for 110 yards on 34 carries.

Through the air, Ottumwa held a 150-116 advantage.

Oskaloosa quarterback Tyler Edgar completed 10 of 18 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown. He was also the Indians’ leading rusher, carrying the ball 21 times for 101 yards and a touchdown.

So, Edgar was responsible for 217 of Oskaloosa’s 227 total offensive yards.

Ayden Plumb led the Oskaloosa receiving group with three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Kolby Williams caught four passes for 41 yards. Oscar Chambers added two catches for 17 yards, while Cael Ashman had one reception for 13 yards.

The Indians had chances to keep the game close, but holding onto the football was their biggest challenge.

Oskaloosa fumbled five times and lost four of them. Edgar was also intercepted twice.

Ottumwa committed only one turnover.

The turnover gap also led to a big difference in time of possession. Ottumwa had the ball for 30 minutes and 58 seconds, while Oskaloosa had it for just 17 minutes and 2 seconds.

Even though they spent much more time on defense, several Indians still had standout performances.

Plumb led Oskaloosa with 15 total tackles, including nine solo tackles and six assists.

Kaden Toubekis recorded seven tackles, while Kaiden Perkins finished with six.

Kinnick Wright and Barrett Rinehart-Lynch each recorded five tackles.

Kelen Padgett finished with two tackles and was credited with a sack. Owen Johnston recorded two assisted tackles and a fumble recovery.

Oskaloosa’s special teams also helped with good field position.

Ashman returned four kickoffs for 123 yards, an average of more than 30 yards per return.

Plumb handled three kickoffs for 121 yards, including a 66-yard return.

Edgar punted four times for 127 yards, averaging 31.8 yards per punt.

Penalties were another problem for the Indians.

Oskaloosa was flagged 11 times for 86 yards. Nine of those penalties came on offense and accounted for 56 yards.

Ottumwa was penalized nine times for 66 yards.

Oskaloosa also had trouble converting on third down, making just two of 11 tries. They did better on fourth down, converting two out of four.

Ottumwa converted five of 13 third downs.

The final stats showed the game was closer than the score suggests.

Ottumwa gained only 33 more total yards than Oskaloosa. The Bulldogs had two more first downs and actually finished with one fewer rushing yard.

The main difference was who controlled the football.

For Oskaloosa, the first game showed some positives to build on. Edgar gained over 200 yards, Plumb made plays on offense, defense, and special teams, and the defense kept the yardage close even though they were on the field a lot.

But it’s tough for any team to overcome six turnovers.

Fixing those mistakes will be a top priority as Oskaloosa heads into next week.