Football | 9/8/2011 8:27:00 AM
Game 2: No. 12 McPherson College (0-1, 0-0) vs. Bethany College (1-0, 0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 | McPherson Stadium | McPherson, Kan. | 7:30 p.m. (CST)
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video
Live Audio
Live Stats
The Matchup
McPherson College football opens the 2011 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday night when the Bulldogs host Bethany College at McPherson Stadium. Saturday’s matchup marks the 77th meeting between the two sides. Kickoff for the game is set for 7:30 p.m.
At halftime of the game, McPherson College will be awarding the inaugural Blake Reed Mac2Mac Football Scholarship. The fund was established in honor of the Bulldogs late manager Blake Reed and benefits a McPherson High School graduate or current Bulldog football player that exemplifies the character of Blake Reed.
The game will be video streamed via the KCAC Broadcast Network and at www.macbulldogs.com. Radio broadcast is provided by 96.7 FM KBBE MidKansas Radio with an audio stream also available on the Bulldogs website.
McPherson (0-1) enters the weekend looking to bounce back from a 47-10 defeat at No. 11 Missouri Valley College in their season opener on Saturday. The Bulldog offense struggled to find a rhythm on Saturday, accumulating only nine first downs and 132 yards on total offense. A bright spot on the evening was the play of senior linebacker J.L. Gomez and junior cornerback DaMarcus Trotter. Gomez led MC with 10 tackles (five solo), 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks, while Trotter recorded eight tackles (seven solo), one interception and three pass defenses.
Bethany (1-0) comes to McPherson after a 29-21 win over Southwestern Assemblies of God University last Saturday in Lindsborg. The Swedes racked up 299 yards of total offense, including 127 yards rushing against the Lions. Head coach Jamie Cruce returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense from a 2010 squad that finished 4-6 overall. The Swedes were selected to finish seventh by the coaches and sixth by the media in the annual 2011 KCAC Football Media Day Preseason Polls.
After Bethany, McPherson continues conference action with a road trip to Southwestern College. The Moundbuilders (0-1) opened the season with a loss against Northwestern College (Iowa). Kickoff between McPherson and Southwestern is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST).
Scouting Bethany
Bethany was just one of two – Tabor being the other – KCAC teams to open its 2011 season with a victory, as the Swedes knocked off Southwestern Assemblies of God University, 29-21, last Saturday in Lindsborg. BC finished 4-6 overall and 3-6 in league play last season. The Swedes were 3-2 in road games in 2010, including victories against University of Saint Mary, MacMurray College and Bethel College (Kan.). Bethany showed a strong offense a season ago, including top 20 national rankings in total offense per game (11th), pass offense per game (14th) and scoring offense per game (19th).
Against SWAGU, the two sides remained about even through three quarters, before Bethany scored six unanswered points in the fourth to earn the 29-21 victory. The Swedes gained 299 yards of total offense, including 127 from the ground game, but struggled to sustain drives, converting only 5-of-14 third downs. Additionally, the Swedes turned the ball over four times (two interceptions and two lost fumbles).
Defensively, the Swedes forced three Lion turnovers and held quarterback Jason Rice to just 4-of-17 passing for 52 yards.
Head coach Jamie Cruce returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense, including Victory Sports Network’s Super Six selection Junior Allen. Last season, Allen earned first team All-KCAC and second team All-American honors following a record-breaking season in which he led the KCAC with 1,432 yards rushing on 242 carries. He also scored a team-high 18 touchdowns.
On the defensive side, the Swedes lost leading tackler Jeffrey Simplice to graduation, but return All-KCAC honorees Julius Russell and Michael Baker. Russell, a 6-1 220-pound sophomore, ranked second on the team a year ago with 6.0 tackles for loss. He finished the season with 39 total tackles including 19 solo stops from his defensive end position. Baker received honorable mention honors following a 32 tackle and one sack season from his middle linebacker position.
Additionally, eight of the 11 defensive starters for Bethany are upperclassmen.
Bethany Head Coach Jamie Cruce
Jamie Cruce is in his fifth season as a collegiate head coach, all with Bethany. He owns a 16-24 career record during that time. Cruce in a 1998 graduate of Bethany College and earned a master’s degree from Northern State Unviersity (S.D.). As a player with at Bethany, Cruce played three seasons and was a member of BC’s 1995 and 1996 KCAC championship teams.
Game 1 Bullets
McPherson 10, Missouri Valley 47
» The McPherson College football team saw its three game season-opening win streak snapped Saturday evening against Missouri Valley, 47-10.
» 47 points is the most allowed by a McPherson defense since Nov. 10, 2007 when it allowed 52 to eventual KCAC champion Bethel College
» The result is the third consecutive non-conference loss to a ranked opponent. The other two defeats came in the NAIA Football Championship Series against McKendree University (Ill.) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.).
» Offensively, the Bulldogs recorded 132 yards of total offense, which is the lowest total since posting 91 yards of total offense against Sterling College on Oct. 11, 2008.
» Senior wide receiver Andy Skinner surpassed Matt Holtry for the all-time pass receptions record with two catches for 16 yards against the Vikings. Skinner currently has 148 career receptions (previous record 147) and 2,477 career receiving yards.
» Senior running back Travon Jones led the team with 145 all purpose yards, including a 112 yards on kick returns. He also led MC offense with 33 yards on 15 carries. Jones suffered a season ending injury last season in week one.
» Junior quarterback Jacob Snodgrass scored his first career rushing touchdown. Additionally, Snodgrass completed 7-of-19 passes for 63 yards, while carrying the ball six times for 17 yards.
» Freshman placekicker Nick Kouth connected on 1-of-2 field goal attempts and 1-of-1 PATs. Kouth connected on a 37 yard attempt midway through the first quarter.
» Senior linebacker J.L. Gomez led the Bulldog defense with 10 tackles (five solo), 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. He finished 2010 as the team leader in stops with 94.
» Junior cornerback DaMarcus Trotter had a strong showing in his McPherson debut with eight tackles (seven solo), one interception and three pass defenses. Trotter’s first quarter interception set up Kouth’s field goal.
Setting the Record Straight
McPherson senior wide receiver Andy Skinner has been a dynamic play-maker for the Bulldog offense since earn a starting spot as a sophomore in 2008. Skinner provides McPherson a quality slot wide receiver that has touchdown ability on every play.
In 2010, Skinner set the McPherson football all-time record for receiving yards with 2,461, nearly 400 yards more than second place, and receiving touchdowns with 27. Additionally, Skinner ranked second all-time in pass receptions…until Saturday. Despite a lack luster offensive performance by the Bulldogs, Skinner tallied two catches to put himself one career reception ahead of previous record holder Matt Holtry with 148.
Skinner, a native on Montezuma, Kan., is a two-time member of the All-KCAC team and last season was named honorable motion All-American. Not only a high-quality individual on the field, he earned ESPN-CoSIDA Academic All-District and Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors in 2010.
Bouncing Back
McPherson enters the weekend looking to bounce back from a disappointing showing against a talented No. 11 Missouri Valley College, 47-10. The loss snapped a three-game season-opening win streak for the Bulldogs and is the third straight ranked non-conference opponent that has defeated the Bulldogs.
However, over the past three season the Bulldogs are 4-3 in games following a loss, including a shutout victory against Sterling College, 28-0, in 2009. McPherson will hope to push that record to 5-3 against the Swedes on Saturday.
Results Follow a Loss (Last three years)
2010
» None
2009
» Sterling - W - 21-0
2008
» Southwestern - W - 41-7
» Sterling - L - 0-28
» Haskell - W - 43-14
» at Friends - L - 17-41
» at Tabor - L - 19-23
» Bethel - W - 28-23
McPherson Looks to Continue Home Dominance
In recent history, McPherson has been remarkably successful in the friendly confines of McPherson Stadium , as the Bulldogs own a 12-3 overall home record over the last three seasons. Highlights from those seasons include wins against Sterling College (21-0; 2009), No. 14 Friends University (60-38; 2009), No. 7 Ottawa University (56-24; 2010) and No. 14 Kansas Wesleyan University (56-42; 2010).
Blake Reed Mac2Mac Scholarship Ceremony
At halftime of the game, McPherson College will be awarding the inaugural Blake Reed Mac2Mac Football Scholarship. The fund was established in honor of the Bulldogs late manager Blake Reed and benefits a McPherson High School graduate or current Bulldog football player that exemplifies the character of Blake Reed.
