Football | 9/29/2013 12:02:00 AM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – In a game that went down to the very last play, Bulldog football came out triumphant 23-17 over the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes. MC moves to 3-1 for the year and 2-0 in the conference.
"That was about as exciting of a finish as you can get and I am just grateful we came out on the right side of it," said head football coach Pete Sterbick. "I'm very proud of our guys, especially our defense for believing that we could get the job done. It took us until the final snap, but we found a way to get the win."
The Bulldogs came out quick, scoring on the opening drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass from
Jordan Hoffman (McCordsville, Ind.) to
Michael Ramos (Sachse, Texas) the two hooked up earlier in the five-play 84-yard drive for 67 yards. KWU answered in a hurry with a two-play drive, spanning 54 yards, tying things at seven apiece.
Back-and-forth play ensued with both teams making unfruitful drives until
Havelock Pomele (San Jose, Calif.) found pay dirt, capping a 10-play 87-yard possession for McPherson. The Bulldogs would take the 14-7 lead into halftime.
Less than five minutes into the third quarter, MC kicker
Mike Phillips (Spring Branch, Texas) slotted in a 33-yard field goal, pushing his team's lead to 10 points. The 'Yotes continued to claw at McPherson's lead and tallied a field goal of their own later in the quarter, pulling the score to 17-10 after three periods of play.
On the first play from scrimmage in the final quarter, Hoffman found his tight end
Paul Rotering (Colorado Springs, Colo.) for an eight-yard strike giving MC a 23-10 advantage; Phillips had his first kick of the year blocked on the PAT.
Kansas Wesleyan inched closer with a touchdown coming with five minutes remaining in the contest, pulling within a score at 23-17.
Mac took over with 5:02 showing on the clock and after running off 2:19, Phillips had another first of the year, missing a 52-yard field goal wide left which allowed KWU to have the ball on their own 35 yard line.
The Coyotes drove down the field and landed on the one-yard line with under one minute left on the clock. Two rush attempts by Taylor Sachs moved KWU back a yard and following a spike by quarterback Trey Dallas, a fourth and goal with three ticks remained. As time expired the Bulldog defense rose to the occasion and forced an incompletion, preserving their 23-17 victory.
McPherson won the yardage contest as they piled on 369 on just 63 plays compared to 328 on 81 by the Coyotes. Hoffman had another solid performance for Mac as he completed 20-of-25 for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Rotering was four yards off of the century mark as he pulled down a season-high seven receptions. Both Ramos and
Tremon Robinson (Dallas, Texas) caught four passes in the win.
A running back by committee philosophy was implemented by MC to gain their 137 yards on the ground. Three 'Dogs made it into double-digits in attempts with Pomele eating up the most yardage as he totaled 60 on his 11 carries.
Terrance Jones (Wichita, Kan.) ran for 37 on 12 attempts while
Scott Thibodeaux (Tonopah, Nev.) logged 10 yards on 10 tries.
Trenton Forrester (Salina, Kan.) had a career game for the Bulldog D as he racked up a team-high 10 total tackles, nine being solo stops.
Tyler Bruton (McPherson, Kan.) and
Dominique Henderson (Wichita, Kan.) each ended the contest with seven tackles. Defensive back
Phillip Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) knocked down three passes and made five stops in Mac's victory.
Next week is Homecoming week for McPherson. Saturday's game will be against the 3-1 Ottawa University Braves; start time for the October 5
th matchup is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CT)
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