Football | 10/6/2010 2:21:09 PM
Game 5: #7 McPherson College vs University of Saint Mary
McPherson College Homecoming - 2010
Oct. 9, 2010 | McPherson Stadium | McPherson, Kan. | 1:30 p.m.
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Audio
Live Video
Live Stats
The Matchup
McPherson opens its annual Homecoming festivities with a KCAC game against the University of Saint Mary on Saturday, Oct. 9, at McPherson Stadium. The game is set to kickoff at 1:30 p.m. CST. Radio broadcast will be provided by 96.7 KBBE McPherson and a video stream with be provided by the KCAC as part of their “Game of the Week” schedule.
McPherson enters the week with a perfect 4-0 record, the Bulldogs first unblemished mark through four games since 1952. McPherson continued its winning ways with a 31-21 defeat of Sterling College last Saturday in Sterling, Kan. The Bulldogs amassed 523 yards of total offense, including a season-best 113 yards rushing from senior running back
Aaron Lafitte (Ironwood, Ariz.), while the defense held the Warriors to just 196 yards.
Junior wide receiver
Andy Skinner (Montezuma, Kan.) continued his streak of 100-plus yards receiving with a 10-catch, 102 yard game against the Warriors. Fellow wide out
Joe Middleton (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the team with 11 receptions for 139 yards, including a five-yard touchdown pass from
Shane Mascarenas (Peoria, Ariz).
The Spires will be looking for its first win of the season, as USM enters the weekend with an 0-4 overall record and 0-3 mark in KCAC action. Last week, USM fell to conference rival Southwestern College, 43-21.
Series Breakdown
This weekends matchup marks the 11th time the Bulldogs and Spireshave played. McPherson owns a 7-3-0 record in the series, including a 58-13 win a year ago. The Bulldogs have won four of the last six meetings.
The Coaches
McPherson – Joe Bettasso (Missouri Southern State University ’05) is in his first season as the head coach of the McPherson football program. Prior to assuming his current duties, Bettasso spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs and one season as a defensive backs coach at his alma mater, Missouri Southern State University.
USM – Lance Hinson ( is in his sixth season as the head coach of the University of Saint Mary football team. Prior to becoming head coach, Hinson spent three seasons as the USM defensive coordinator. He has also spent time as a position coach at Baker University and as a graduate assistant at the University of North Texas.
Scouting USM
University of Saint Mary (0-4, 0-3 KCAC) returned 14 starters from a 2009 squad that finished 3-7 a year ago. Despite the number of returners, the Spires knew it would be a season of transition with the loss of record-breaking quarterback Daniel Robles. Robles left USM as the program’s all-time leader in every passing category.
On the season, the Spires are a winless 0-4 after dropping its third conference game 21-43 last Saturday against Southwestern College. USM is one of two KCAC teams, the other being Bethel College, that are currently winless on the season. Against the Builders, Saint Mary amassed 304 yards of total offense, including 244 yards from the passing game. Red-shirt sophomore quarterback Mike Keese completed 20-of-39 passes for 244 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown pass to Frankie Walburn and a 14-yard scoring strike to Tommy Ross. Despite a fairly effective offense, the Spire defense allowed Southwestern 405 total yards and a 28 point third quarter that proved too much to overcome for the Spires.
Keese, a native of Olathe, Kan., leads a USM passing attack that ranks 21st nationally in passing
offense per game (232.0 yards). Through four games, Keese has completed 54.3 percent (75-of-138) of his passes for 915 yards to rank fifth in the KCAC in passing. Junior wide receiver Frankie Walburn leads the team with 16 catches for 167 yards, while teammate Billy Owens follows closely behind with 14 receptions for 187 yards. Both receivers have tallied three touchdowns on the season.
As a unit, Saint Mary is averaging 320.8 yards of offense per game, but ranks ninth in the KCAC averaging just 20.5 points per contest.
Redshirt sophomore defensive back Nick Ruiz ranks 11th in the KCAC with 7.3 tackles per game. On the year, Ruiz has tallied teambest 29 total tackles, including 19 solo, 2.5 tackles for loss and one interception. Two other Spires, Noah Wooten (26) and Ryan McDonald (25) has registered at least 20 tackles on the season. As a team, the Spire defense is allowing opponents an average of 471.8 yards and 54.0 points per game.
