Football | 11/13/2010 7:10:17 PM
Box Score
Box Score
Lindsborg, Kan. – Trailing 28-35 entering the third quarter, the McPherson College football team rattled off 24 unanswered points to earn a 52-35 victory Saturday afternoon at Bethany College. The win improves the Bulldogs to a program best 10-0 overall record and its first KCAC Championship since 1952. It also makes MC a lock for the NAIA Football Championship Series for the second straight season.
On the day, McPherson racked up 563 yards of total offense, including 400 yards from the passing attack and 163 yards from the run game. Senior running back Aaron Lafitte (Ironwood, Ariz.) led the team with 145 yards on 28 carries, including a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 35. Eighty-two of Laffite’s rushing yards came in the fourth quarter.
Senior quarterback Shane Mascarenas (Peoria, Ariz) continued his record-breaking season with a 400-yard passing day. Mascarenas completed 27-of-40 attempts, including three touchdown passes. He has connected on 210-of-332 (63.0 percent) for a McPherson College single season record 3,419 yards and 35 touchdowns.
For the fourth time this season two Bulldogs wide receivers recorded more than 100 yards receiving. Junior Joe Middleton (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the team with seven catches for 113 yards and one touchdown, while senior Rattanak Mour (San Jose, Calif.) had a career day with seven catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. One of Mour’s scores came midway through the fourth quarter to give MC a 42-35 advantage.
Defensively, senior linebacker Will Powers (Garden City, Kan.) led the team with 11 tackles (five solo), one tackle for loss and one interception.
After trading punts and a Bulldog fumble on the first four possessions of the game, Bethany opened the scoring with a methodical nine play, 80-yard drive capped by a 10-yard D’Andre Thompson touchdown reception to give BC a 7-0 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter.
However, the Bulldogs answered back as they would multiple times throughout the afternoon with a seven play, 69-yard drive of their own to knot the score at 7-7. Mascarenas connected with Mour on a 23-yard pass to put MC on the board.
The tied score would be short lived when Bethany, aided by a 55 yard run from Theron Allen, marched 69 yards to take back the lead 13-7 to end the first quarter of action.
Round two would belong solely to the Bulldogs, as MC scored on three of its five possessions for a 28-13 halftime lead. The Bulldogs points were scored on a Lafitte six-yard run and a pair of Mascarenas touchdown passes.
The Bulldogs outgained the Swedes 360 to 214 in the first half with 283 of MC’s yards coming from the passing game.
McPherson’s luck went south in the third quarter. On the Bulldogs first three possessions, MC turned the ball over on downs, fumbled and was intercepted all of which set up Swede touchdowns. The change in momentum allowed Bethany to take a 35-28 lead in the fourth quarter.
Nevertheless, much as they did in the first half, the Bulldogs answered back with a seven play, 74-yard drive capped by Lafitte’s second touchdown of the day to tie the score at 35.
Just three plays later Powers snagged a Zachary Waggoner pass for his third interception of the season to give the Bulldogs the ball on the Bethany 35. A steady diet of Lafitte runs set up Mascarenas perfectly, as he connected with Mour for the second time of the afternoon. The touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 42-35 lead with 8:45 remaining.
Lightning struck again on BC’s next possession when safety Ginikachi Ibe (San Jose, Calif.) picked off a Waggoner pass to give McPherson the ball in the Bethany territory for the second straight drive. The turnover set up a 45 yard Travis Eason (Tulsa, Okla.) field goal, giving MC 45-35 lead at the 4:12 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Bulldog defense would strike big for the third time of the quarter when Ibe picked up a Waggoner fumble and returned it 19 yards to seal the 52-35 victory for McPherson.
Allen led the Bethany ground game with 151 yards on 26 carries, while Waggoner connected on 23-of-42 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns.
McPherson will have to wait until tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. (CST) to find out whom they will be matched up with in the first round of the NAIA Playoffs. A selection special is being broadcast by Victory Sports Network and can be viewed at www.victorysportsnetwork.com.
