McPherson continues KCAC play with trip to Southwestern

Football | 9/13/2011 11:04:00 AM

Game 3: McPherson College (0-2, 0-1) at Southwestern College (1-1, 1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 | Richard L. Jantz Stadium | Winfield, Kan. | 6 p.m. (CST)

Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video
Live Audio
Live Stats

The Matchup
McPherson looks to rebound from its first conference loss in 16 games, as the Bulldogs travel to Southwestern College on Saturday evening. Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Moundbuilders is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST) at Richard L. Jantz Stadium in Winfield, Kan.

Radio coverage of the game will be provided by 96.7 FM KBBE MidKansas Radio and a live video stream will be available via the KCAC Broadcast Network.

McPherson heads into the contest with a 0-2 overall record and 0-1 mark in KCAC play following a 43-34 loss to Bethany College in McPherson last Saturday. McPherson dug itself in an early 16-0 deficit against the Swedes, including a safety on MC’s first possession, and was unable to rally for the victory. The Bulldogs start to 2011 is the first time MC has opened the season with two losses since 2007.

Despite the loss, senior running back Travon Jones (Fresno, Calif.) had an impressive evening with 15 carries for 169 yards and three touchdowns. Two of Jones’ three rushing scores came from at least 30 yards out. Additionally, he recorded a receiving touchdown.

Senior wide receiver Andy Skinner (Montezuma, Kan.) ended the evening with seven catches for 100 yards and one touchdown. The performance is the 14th time Skinner has posted at least 100-yards receiving.

Southwestern returns home after a dominate victory against Bethel College, 45-10, over the weekend. The victory improved the Moundbuilders to 1-1 on the season and 1-0 in league play. Southwestern fell behind early, but rallied behind 21 straight points en route to the victory.

McPherson is 13-42 all-time against Southwestern and is riding a three game win streak against the Builders.

After Southwestern, the Bulldogs travel to Wichita, Kan. to take on Friends University. The Falcons (1-0, 1-0 KCAC) opened the season last weekend with a 24-21 comeback victory against the University of Saint Mary.  

Scouting Southwestern
Southwestern returns 16 starters from the 2010 team that went 2-8 overall and 2-7 in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play, including a 55-21 loss against the Bulldogs a season ago. However, the Moundbuilders enter Saturday’s matchup with a 1-1 overall record and 1-0 KCAC mark after defeated Bethel College in dominant fashion 45-10.

Against the Threshers, Southwestern tallied 485 yards of total offense, including 362 from the Builders ground game. Bethel opened the scoring with 3:32 left in the first quarter on a Marquis Sykes 15-yard run, but it was all Builders from that point as Southwestern rattled off21 straight points to end the first half. SWC’s momentum carried into the second period, as the offense tacked on another 24 points, while the defense held Bethel to a field goal.

Offensively, senior running backs Corey Holbert and Cass Myers led the Builder attack. Holbert, a 2010 second team All-KCAC award winner, led the offense with 159 rushing yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns last week against Bethel. His day was highlighted by a 76 yard touchdown run late in the second quarter that gave SWC a 14-7 lead. Hobert’s counterpart, Myers also accumulated over 100-yards with 148 yards on 17 carries and a career-high three touchdowns.

On the season, Myers leads the team with 230 yards on 31 carries, while Colbert has 191 yards on 32 attempts.  

In addition to featuring two running backs, junior quarterback Jordan Barrett and sophomore Brady May have split time under center for Southwestern. Barrett, whose 2010 season ended following an injury in the sixth game of the year, has taken the bulk of the snaps on the year. He is averaging 154.5 yards passing per game.

Senior linebacker Zak Tazkargy is back for his final season after leading the KCAC with 119 total tackles a season ago, earning him NAIA honorable mention All-American honors. Tazkargy, who was named the fourth best linebacker in the NAIA by Victory Sports Network, leads the team with 24 total stops, 2.0 tackles for loss and one interception.

As a team, the Builders are allowing opponents 413.5 yards of total offense, including 283 yards on the ground. Southwestern is outscoring its opposition 29.0-28.5.

Southwestern head coach Ken Crandall
Ken Crandall enters his fifth season as the head football coach at Southwestern College. He currently owns a 10-30 overall record with the Moundbuilders, including a 2-8 record in 2010.  

Game 2 Bullets
McPherson 34, Bethany 43
» McPherson’s loss to Bethany, 43-34, snaps a three game win streak for the Bulldogs against the Swedes

» The loss drops McPherson to 0-2 overall on the season. It’s the first time the Bulldogs have opened the season with two losses since 2007

» Offensively, the Bulldogs showed a balanced attack with 215 rushing yards and 207 passing yards for 422 total yards. The offensive output is a season-best for the MC offense.

» McPherson scored on 4-of-5 drives at the end of the first quarter and most of the way through the second, including a six play, 67 yard, drive early in the second period for a touchdown

» Senior running back Travon Jones set a career-high with 169 rushing yards on 15 carries, including three touchdowns. Jones’ three rushing scores came from 38 yards, 11 yards and 33 yards. Additionally, Jones caught one pass for six yards that went for his fourth touchdown of the evening. Jones played in one game with MC in 2010, but was sidelined for a majority of the season due to injury

» In his first career start, junior quarterback Jacob Snodgrass completed 18-of-34 passes for a career-high 207 yards and two touchdowns.

» Senior wide receiver Andy Skinner tallied his 14th career 100-yard receiving performance with a season-high seven catches for 100 yards, including a 38 yard touchdown midway through the second quarter. Skinner currently ranks atop the Bulldog all-time list with 2,577 receiving yards, 155 receptions and 28 touchdowns

»  Junior cornerback DaMarcus Trotter set a new career-high with 12 tackles, including seven solo stops. Trotter made his second start as a Bulldog against the Swedes

» Senior linebacker J.L. Gomez recorded a season-best 12 tackles and one tackle for loss.

» Senior defensive tackle Drew Thomsen led MC with two tackles for loss. He also tallied seven total tackles

Going Long...
Senior wide receiver Andy Skinner emerged as an extremely talented wide receiver for the Bulldogs during his sophomore season when had tallied 1,112 receiver yards. He surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving plateau again as a junior and has again shown his consistency with a seven catch, 100-yard performance last week against the Swedes.

Skinner’s performance against Bethany marks the 14th time he has tallied at least 100-yards receiving in a game, including a career-high 268-yard performance last season against Friends University.

Skinner’s 100-yard Breakdown
Bouncing Back
McPherson enters the weekend looking to bounce back from a disappointing showing against a No. 11 Missouri Valley College and Bethany College. The loss to the Swedes snapped a three-game win streak for the Bulldogs and is the first time MC has lost a KCAC regular season game since Sept. 19, 2009 when they fell in overtime at Ottawa University .

However, over the past three season the Bulldogs are 4-4 in games following a loss, including a shutout victory against Sterling College, 28-0, in 2009. McPherson will hope to push that record to 5-4 against the Moundbuilders on Saturday.

Bulldogs in the National Rankings
Below is a breakdown of categories that McPherson ranks amongst the top nationally:

Team (Top 25)
1 - PAT Kicking Percentage (1.00)
8 - Kickoff Return Yards per Att. (26.3)
18 - Punt Return Yards per Att. (14.0)
24 - 4th Down Conversion (60.0)

Individual (Top 10)
1 - Kouth - PAT Kick Pct. (1.00)
3 - Jones - TDs/Game (12.0)
4 - Jones - Scoring/Game (12.0)
4 - Jones - KO Return Yds/Att. (37.3)
7 - Jones - Total Scoring (TDs) (24)
8 - Jones - Total Scoring (24)
10 - Gomez - Tackles/Game (11.0)
10 - Record - Total Punt Return Yds (84)

Jones Making Impact in 2011
Senior running back Travon Jones has made an immediate impact on the Bulldog offense in 2011. Jones saw his 2010 season cut short after suffering a season-ending injury in the first game against Haskell Indian Nations University. Prior to the injury, he recorded 107 all purpose yards, including 80 yards on three kickoff returns.

With the graduation of All-KCAC running back Aaron Lafitte, Jones was asked during fall camp to move from wide receiver to running back. Questions surrounded the decision, but Jones responded swiftly with 145 all purpose yards against a talented Missouri Valley defense. He continued  his dominate play last weekend against the Swedes with 175 all purpose yards, including a career-high 169 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He also caught one pass for six yards.

The Bulldogs hope for Jones to continue his consistent play deep into the KCAC regular season.