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McPherson, Kan. – On October 11th, Bulldog football will try to stay undefeated at home while looking to rebound from a tough double-overtime loss from last week. MC hosts nationally ranked Friends University on Saturday with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. (CT)
In their previous game the 'Dogs took on No. 23, now 21, Ottawa University. It was a tight, back-and-forth contest from the beginning with the clubs trading points. The Braves never trailed in regulation and led 17-10 at the break. McPherson stayed right on OU's heels and continued to match scores. In the final minutes, MC gave up a 74-yard touchdown run that put them down by eight points. The Bulldogs didn't falter and drove the field in less than two minutes to tie it up and force overtime.
In OT, Mac scored first to get their first lead of the game but that was matched by the Braves, moving the game to a second overtime. OU posted a field goal to give the Bulldogs the chance they'd been waiting for. Unfortunately for McPherson, they went backwards and were forced to try a 48-yard field go to force a third OT; the attempt went wide and Ottawa narrowly escaped with a 41-38 win.
Groff had a career-night as he led the team in total yardage with 352; he ran the ball 19 times for 100 yards and a score. He went 21-of-44 passing the ball for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Balthazor backed up his game last week with 44 yards rushing on 26 attempts; he also had two catches for 14 yards. Cordova had his best night as a Bulldog as the freshman caught seven balls for a team-high 123 yards and two TDs. Walker neared the century mark with his six grabs for 92 yards and a touchdown. Andrew Johnston brought in five for 39 yards.
The Bulldog D forced four turnovers on the night while allowing 404 total yards with 158 coming on the ground and 246 through the air. The team had nine tackles for a loss for 30 yards and a pair of sacks. Jimmy Wilson and Trent Forrester each tallied nine total tackles including a sack apiece; Wilson led the team in solo stops with five. Defensive lineman Grant Narcisse joined Lott in the interception club.
McPherson ranked nationally: Wilson sits eighth in total tackles for a loss with 11 and ninth in tackles for loss per game with 2.2; the senior is also 11th in fumbles forced a game at 0.4. Trent Forrester ranks 11th in tackles per game with his 11.2 average. The Bulldog defense is eighth in opponent third down conversion percentage at 27.3%
It's Homecoming for McPherson next week. They will be taking on the University of Saint Mary with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m. (CT) on the 18th.
Scouting Friends
The Falcons sit at 3-2 on the year and 2-1 in the KCAC; they've recently made it back into the polls and are currently receiving votes nationally. FU is on a two-game winning streak and have done so in blowout fashion, dropping Southwestern 45-8 in Winfield and taking down Kansas Wesleyan 53-14 at home this past Saturday. Friends' lone conference loss was a 36-33 contest with Sterling College to kick off the KCAC season.
In the matchup with the Coyotes, Friends held a 21-7 lead at the break and continued to push in the second half, outscoring KWU 33-7 in the final two quarters. The Falcon defense played brilliantly as they allowed the 500 yards per game offense of Kansas Wesleyan to just 289 on the night with a measly 53 yards coming on the ground. FU posted 656 total yards with an incredible 386 through the air. Friends more than doubled KWU's first downs – 29-13 – and the defense forced nine punts and held the Coyotes to just 2-of-13 on third down. Friends accumulated six sacks in the game and added another three tackles for a loss; the team forced and recovered one fumble.
Jesse Rogers ran for 95 yards on 21 carries to lead the Falcon's ground game; Cameron Brandon added in 61 on five attempts and Tyrone Hayward rushed for 53 yards. Quarterback Aaron Hansen had a great night, throwing 16-of-26 for 368 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. All five of the TDs went to the same person, Chris Allen, who received KCAC and NAIA honors after his eight receptions for 272 yards with a long of 96.
This year Friends has racked up over 2000 yards of offense and average 437 a game; since hitting conference season, they've upped their average to 530. The offense has scored 23 times with 15 coming through the air; the defense has recorded four touchdowns, three "scoop and scores" and one "pick-six." The defense is allowing just 269.8 yards a night and has given up 88 points; the team ranks third in the NAIA in pass defense per game, 120.2, and eighth in total defense per game.
Hansen has thrown for 1233 yards this year, completing 70-of-121 for a 57.9 completion percentage. Allen is obviously his favorite target as the receiver is the lone Falcon to have hit double-digit receptions with his 29, 13 of which have been touchdowns; Allen is first in the NAIA in total scoring, second in receiving yards (817) and third in scoring per game. The second leading wide receiver is Josh Wesley who has eight grabs for 47 yards. Rogers leads the ground game with his 268 yards on 53 attempts. Tyrie Allen, who hasn't played since mid-September, tops the Falcons in rushing attempts with 62 for 253 yards and three touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Josh Lewis leads the team in tackles with his 47. Trevor Wessel is next on the list with 37 including 5.5 tackles for a loss two of which were sacks. Jacob Adleman is the sack leader of Friends with his three QB tackles; the team has 11 on the year. Sequente Marks has pulled down two interceptions to lead the Falcons.
Friends will stay on the road for their next contest as they travel to Tabor College in Hillsboro.
