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McPherson, Kan. – Bulldog football has two games left in 2014, both are at home and the first is this Saturday, November 8 as they host Bethany College. It is Kids Appreciation Day and all kids middle school age and younger get in for free as well as one of their parents; if a family has two kids, two parents get in for free.
McPherson will enter Saturday's game coming off a tough 31-28 loss to Sterling College. The 'Dogs got up 7-0 after their first possession then got the ball back but a lost fumble allowed SC a short field which they took advantage of, evening the game at 7-7. MC scored a pair of touchdowns before the halftime whistle to head into the locker room up 21-10; the lead could have been much greater if not for the four first half turnovers.
After the break, the Bulldogs scored again to go ahead 28-10; unfortunately for Mac, they took just 14 more offensive snaps for the rest of the game. SC scored 21 unanswered points including the go-ahead touchdown with just 17 seconds left in the game. McPherson got the ball to the Sterling 37 yard line but their 54-yard field goal was blocked, ending the game at 31-28 Warriors.
The Bulldog offense totaled 338 yards with 298 coming on the ground and 238 on the shoulders of the running back Miles Balthazor; the true freshman had 24 carries, averaging 9.9 yards an attempt. Kelly Cordova ran for 62 on 15 attempts; he also went 4-of-11 for 40 yards passing the ball. Ste'fon Walker pulled down two passes for 25 yards to lead the team.
After holding Sterling around 100 yards in the opening half, McPherson's defense ended the night giving up 302 total with 182 being rush yardage; Grant Narcisse and his fellow linemen kept the middle clogged all game long. The D forced three fumbles and recovered two. Trent Forrester, in his first game back from injury, led the team in tackles with nine including two for a loss of nine yards; he also had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. Ben Kimbrough recorded the team's lone sack and ended the day with eight tackles.
MC in the National Rankings: As a team, the Bulldogs are 11th in opponent third down conversion percentage at 28.9%. They are also 18th in PAT kicking at 95.2%. Wilson sits 11th in total tackles for a loss at 16.5 and is 16th in tackles for a loss per game at 1.8. Matt Wagner and Wilson are both 17th in the NAIA in fumbles forced per game at 0.3.
The final game of the year is set for November 15th versus Southwestern College; kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.
Scouting Bethany
The Swedes have had a very up and down season. The team started the year with a win against a talented Southwest Assemblies of God squad and, following a close loss to Graceland, they took out Ottawa University in their first KCAC game of the year. Since then the team has gone 2-4 with wins coming against Southwestern College (21-16) and Kansas Wesleyan University 42-10. BC is coming off a 35-14 loss to Tabor College.
The Bluejays scored the game's first 35 points this past Saturday all before halftime. Bethany got their two TDs on the board late in the third and early in the fourth, bringing the final to 35-14. The Swedes tallied just 294 yards with 115 coming on the ground and 179 through the air; the team ran 68 offensive plays and averaged 4.3 yards per snap. BC was 3-of-15 on third down and just 1-of-6 on fourth.
Bo Savage got his first start of the year and threw 179 yards on 12-of-33 with three interceptions. Kelton Evans recorded a team-high four receptions for 50 yards; second on the team was Floyd Allen who had three for 79 yards. Jasaan Eley rushed for a team leading 46 yards on eight carries. Virgil Bridges ran for 24 yards on four tries. Allen also ran the ball three times for 22 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the team gave up 337 total yards to Tabor; 332 of that came on the ground. Steven Williams and Raahmil Brantley each had seven unassisted and three assisted tackles to lead the Swedes; Brantley led the team in sacks and tackles for a loss with 1.5 and 2.5, respectively.
This year Bethany averages close to 340 yards a week with a relatively even split between rush and pass yardage. The team has used three quarterbacks this season; Jake Umphreyville, who hasn't played in a month, leads the team in yardage with 959 on his 72 completions on 154 attempts. Bridges has appeared in five games on the year, throwing for 330 yards on 27-of-54. Of the team's 1581 net rush yardage, Eley is responsible for 598; the running back has ran the ball 121 times and has accumulated seven touchdowns this season. Drake Wells is the other main back for BC as he's taken the ball 33 times for 255 yards and six scores.
Williams has amassed a team-high 74 total tackles this year with 52 being solo stops; he has nine tackles for a loss, one sack, and one interception. Quan Qalter is second on the team with his 71 tackles; he leads the team in sacks with three for 33 yards and also has 16.5 tackles for a loss.
Bethany hosts Bethel for the final game of the 2014 season.
