Football | 10/9/2013 2:28:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – After their 34-7 loss to No. 10 Ottawa University a week ago, Bulldog football now faces another NAIA Top-25 team as they travel to play No. 17 Friends University. The October 12
th contest is scheduled to kickoff at 1:30 p.m. (CT) in Wichita, Kansas.
Against the Braves last weekend, the two squads were deadlocked after the first 15 minutes. Each team had a couple of solid drives but neither could put points on the board; OU got closest as they missed a 36-yard field goal.
The next quarter had 20 points scored but unfortunately all of those went on the visitor's side of the scoreboard. Ottawa scored on three of their four possessions and took a 20-0 lead into halftime as their third touchdown's PAT was missed.
After halftime, Ottawa continued to pour on the points as they scored 14 in the third; OU had three drives in the quarter and scored on two while eating up 10 minutes of game time.
The Bulldogs finally made it to the end zone as Jordan Hoffman found Tremon Robinson for a five-yard hookup on the first play in the final quarter; the touchdown was a nice ending to the team's 11-play 70-yard drive. Mac would drive the field again on their next possession but couldn't punch it in, failing to pick up a fourth and three from the 10-yard line.
The rest of the game was not productive for McPherson as they tabulated -13 yards in their final two possessions.
The usual yard-heavy Bulldogs were held to just 279 total yards with just 43 coming on the ground. Missing Terrance Jones, MC relied on Havelock Pomele and Scott Thibedeaux to move the ball but the two combined for just 35 yards on 41 attempts.
Hoffman threw for 236 yards on 31-of-47; he had one interception to go with his touchdown. Robinson led the receiving corps with his 11 grabs for 73 yards and the TD. Gerald Hardridge was next on the team with six catches for 61 yards while Jon White logged five receptions for 40.
The Bulldog D gave up 472 yards with a season-high 240 being rush yardage. Dominique Henderson and Cole Long each tabbed 11 tackles; Henderson had five solo stops while Long made three. Coming off a career-game against KWU, Trent Forester recorded double-digits again with his 10 tackles. For the second-straight week, McPherson was unable to get to the quarterback, logging zero sacks.
After the loss, Mac's defense moved from allowing 67.8 yards per game on the ground to 102.2 and rank eighth in the NAIA; they are also sixth in opponents third down conversion percentage at 25.6%
McPherson travels to Leavenworth, Kansas to face the University of Saint Mary for their competition following the Friends contest. Start time for the October 19th game is 6:00 p.m. and will be played on the field of Leavenworth High School.
Scouting Friends
The 4-1 Falcons' lone loss this season came against Benedictine College in the HAAC/KCAC series; Friends lost 28-15. FU is 3-0 in the KCAC after their 45-22 victory over the Coyotes of Kansas Wesleyan.
The Falcons took it to KWU in the opening two quarters, scoring 10 in the first and 21 more in the second while allowing just 14 points. The second half was more even but Friends still held a 14-8 advantage in the score line for the final two quarters winning 45-22.
A whopping 388 ground yards were racked up by Friends; they averaged 6.6 yards per rush on their 59 attempts. Thomas Hankerson led the way for FU as he ran for 199 yards on 28 carries; he also tallied one reception for two yards. Jesse Rogers took off eight times and totaled 92 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdowns. The Falcons had 28 pass attempts and completed 11 for 131 yards. Aaron Hansen threw all but three of the pass tries; he logged each completion and yardage finding seven different receivers. Chris Allen and Lewis Taylor each caught two passes and had a touchdown apiece.
The defense of Friends gave up 374 yards to KWU with the bulk being through the air. They forced six turnovers, three interceptions and three fumbles. Marcus Carter had a team-high seven tackles and a forced fumble in the winning effort. Jamie Fields was next in line with six stops, four being solo tackles.
This season the Falcon offense is averaging a KCAC sixth best 401 yards per contest with 216.2 yards coming on the ground, third in the conference. The defense allows a league-high 93.8 rushing yards and 290.6 total, also top in the KCAC. They have a +1 turnover ratio for the year and have accumulated 10 sacks for 56 yards.
Hankerson is the team's leading yard-getter as he's tallied 660 rushing yards and 73 through the air. Hansen has put up 904 yards throwing this season and has a 6-to-5 touchdown to interception ratio; he's started each game for Friends and averages 180.8 yards per game. The top target for Hansen has been Allen as he's tabbed 24 receptions for 428 yards and two touchdowns.
Carter has amassed a team-high 50 total tackles this season, 4.5 for a loss and one sack; he also has one interception. Safety Carlos Cox also has one pick as well as 32 tackles. Joshua Hicks and Mason Pauly are both leading the team in sacks with two apiece; Hicks also has seven tackles for a loss this year.
Friends will be home again for their next bout as they host No. 15 Tabor College on October 19th.
