Football | 9/30/2011 8:30:00 AM
Game 5: McPherson College (2-2, 2-1 KCAC) vs. Bethel College (0-4, 0-2 KCAC)
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011 | McPherson Stadium | McPherson, Kan. | 1:30 p.m. (CST)
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video
Live Audio
The Matchup
Following a pair of road games at Southwestern and Friends, the Bulldogs return to the friendly confines of McPherson Stadium, as the McPherson College football team hosts Bethel College (Kan.) on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. (CST).
Live video of the match will be available at Macbulldogs.com courtesy of the KCAC Broadcast Network. Additionally, radio coverage will be provided in the McPherson area by 96.7 FM KBBE MidKansas Radio and an audio stream at Macbulldogs.com.
McPherson is 2-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play following a 31-17 victory over Friends University last Saturday in Wichita. The McPherson defense forced four Falcon turnovers, while the offense scored 24 straight points between the first and second quarter en route to the victory. The win gives MC three straight against Friends, including two consecutive wins in Wichita.
Senior running back Travon Jones narrowly missed his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance with 98 yards on 17 carries, including two touchdowns. He leads the team with 532 all purpose yards, including 401 on the ground.
Bethel enters the week in search of their first win after a loss against No. 12 Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) put the Threshers at 0-4 overall. BC has dropped conference matches against Southwestern (45-10) and Bethany (66-34) en route to a 0-2 KCAC record. Second year head coach Travis Graber is still in search of his first career win, as Bethel concluded 2010 with an 0-10 record.
After Bethel, McPherson wraps up its non-conference schedule with a road trip to No. 13 Azusa Pacific University (Calif.). Kick off against the Cougars is scheduled for 8 p.m. (CST).
Series Record
McPherson and Bethel are meeting for the 86th time on Saturday with the Bulldogs holding a 44-41 edge in the all-time series between the two schools. McPherson is currently riding a three game winning streak in the series, including a 47-0 shutout victory last season.
Scouting Bethel
Bethel enters the matchup at McPherson in search of their first win since Nov. 14, 2009 when they knocked off Sterling College, 30-0. BC is 0-4 overall and 0-2 in KCAC play following a 58-14 loss against No. 12 Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) last weekend. The Threshers have lost each of their first four games by at least 34 points and have been held to an average of 14.5 points per game this season.
Against Southern Nazarene, Bethel tallied 154 yards of total offense, including a season-low 11 yards on the ground. Trailing two scores early in the first quarter, Bethel sophomore quarterback Levi Keefer connected with senior wide receiver Kyle Berg on a 30-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 14-7. However, SNU scored the next 35 points, including a pair of runs by Derick Perkins, to put the game to rest. Bethel would add another touchdown in the fourth quarter.
As a team, Bethel presents a balanced attack that averages 243.3 yards of total offense, including 124.8 yards on the ground. The Threshers are a young team that starts 15 players that have at most reached sophomore status. The only senior listed as a starter for BC is senior wide receiver Andrew McNary.
Keefer has completed 32-of-68 passes for 428 yards in four starts for the Threshers this season. However, he set a career-high with 157 yards passing against Bethany on Sept. 17, however that performance was overshadowed by two interceptions. Keefer has been picked seven times this season, while only completing three touchdown passes.
Freshman running backs Jorden Oden and Marquis Sykes make up a bulk of the Thresher ground attack. Sykes leads the team with 193 yards on 56 carries, including two touchdowns, while Oden has 121 yards on 37 carries. Sykes set a career-high with 72-yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries against Bethany.
Defensively, junior cornerback Jacob Stucky who leads the team with 24 tackles, including 17 solo stops. The Threshers allow opposing offenses an average of 542.3 total yards, including 360.5 yards on the ground.
Bethel Head Coach Travis Graber
Head coach Travis Graber is in his 10th season at Bethel College and second season as the head coach of the Threshers. Additionally, Graber serves as the team’s defensive coordinator. Graber finished his inaugural season as a head coach with a 0-10 overall record. Prior to Bethel, Graber spent time at Lawrence (Kan.) High School and Wamego (Kan.) High School. He is a 1997 graduate of Bethel College.
Game 4 Bullets...McPherson 31, Friends 17
» McPherson’s 31-17 victory over Friends University marked the third straight season the Bulldogs have defeated the Falcons. During that stretch, the average margin of victory for MC is 22.7 points per game
» The Bulldogs scored on its opening possession for the first time this season, as McPherson marched 60 yards on seven plays. The drive was capped by a Jake Snodgrass to Joe Middleton nine-yard touchdown pass.
» After allowing a Falcon touchdown on their opening possession, McPherson rattled off 24 unanswered points to take a 24-7 lead late into the second quarter. Friends added a field goal as time expired in the half to cut the deficit to 24-10. The 24-point run is the largest consecutive scoring stretch for McPherson this season.
» The Bulldog defense forced a season-high four turnovers on two fumbles and two interceptions.
» Senior running back Travon Jones narrowly missed his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance with 98 yards on 17 carries, including an eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a 24-yard touchdown run late in the third. Jones leads the team with 401-yards rushing in four games this season.
» Junior quarterback Jake Snodgrass completed 9-of-16 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in his second career start for the Bulldogs.
» Senior wide receiver Joe Middleton caught a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter for his first score of the season. Last season, Middleton led the team with 15 receiving touchdowns.
» Junior cornerback DaMarcus Trotter recorded his second career interception midway through the first quarter. The play set up a Bulldog field goal
» Sophomore defensive back Phillip Wilson posted a career-best 12 tackles, including nine solo stops against the Falcons.
» Senior linebacker J.L. Gomez matched a season-high with 12 tackles. He leads the team with 40 stops on the season.
Bulldogs in the National Rankings
Team (Top 35)
1 - PAT Kicking Percentage (1.00)
12 - 4th Down Conversion (66.7)
13 - Kickoff Return Yds/Att (23.7)
14 - Penalty Yds per Game (80.3)
18 - Pass Def. Efficiency (100.1)
24 - Pass Defense/G (163.5)
28 - Punt Yds/Att. (38.3)
33 - Punt Return Yds/Att. (38.3)
35 - Total Rushing Offense (570)
Individual (Top 25)
1 - Kouth - PAT Kick Pct. (1.00)
7 - Thomsen - Forced Fumbles/G (0.5)
7 - Jones - Total Scoring (TDs) (42)
8 - Jones - Scoring (TDs)/G (10.5)
8 - Jones - Total Scoring (42)
8 - Jones - Scoring/G (10.5)
10 - Jones - Rushing Yds/G (100.3)
11 - Gomez - Tackles/G (10.0)
11 - Record - Total Punt Returns (126)
11 - Jones - Total Rushing (401)
18 - Jones - All Purpose Yards (532)
22 - Trotter - Total Ints (2)
24 - Trotter - Pass Defenses/G (1.3)
Bulldogs Strong at Home
McPherson has been a consistently solid at McPherson Stadium over the last two season and so far in 2011. Despite a home opening loss to Bethany on Sept. 10, McPherson is 10-2 in home games, including a perfect 4-0 in 2009.
- McPherson’s lone setbacks at McPherson Stadium the past three seasons were a 38-14 loss to McKendree University (Ill.) in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series in 2010, and a 43-34 loss to the Swedes earlier this season
- The loss to McKendree ended a streak of 11 games dating back to the 2008 season.
- The Bulldogs hold a 25-19 advantage in the all-time home series against Bethel College, including a four game win streak. MC’s last home lost to the Threshers came on Nov. 3, 2001, 57-50 in overtime.
