McPherson, Kan. – It was a very lowing scoring game between county rivals McPherson College and Bethany College on a chilly Saturday. After the 60-minute contest, the Swedes came out triumphant 14-7.
It was an eventful first quarter but no points were scored. The Bulldog defense picked off former MC athlete Bo Savage on the Swedes' opening possession but threw one right back. Ashton Serpas blocked another field goal on a very makeable attempt by BC. Unfortunately, following a 20+ run by Miles Balthazor, a lost fumble gave the ball back to Bethany. The opening period ended at 0-0.
In the second quarter, the Swede offense got rolling and went 85 yards on seven plays for the game's first touchdown with 7:41 on the clock. The 'Dogs equaled things out with two minutes to play in the half on a Dalton Whitfield one-yard punch; Mac got the ball in great field position when Ryan Duggan recovered a botched snap by BC. The half came to a close with the score at 7-7.
Neither team had great field position in the third period; the lone score was a 76-yard touchdown pass by the Swedes on a blown coverage by McPherson. The fourth quarter started with Bethany up 14-7.
MC was faced with terrible field position twice in the final period and the final 15 minutes was mainly played on the McPherson side of the field; only two snaps were taken in Bethany territory. The 'Dogs had one chance late in the game but had trouble moving the ball and a fourth and 10 incompletion ended the night for Mac's offense. One first down by Bethany allowed the clock to hit zeroes with the Swedes winning 14-7.
The Bulldogs ran the ball 41 times for 180 total yards which accounted for most of their 259 total yardage. Kelly Cordova ran for a net 88 yards on 11 tries to lead the way; he threw for 74 on 8-of-17 and two interceptions. Whitfield tallied 58 on his 14 carries with a long of 24; on defense, the linebacker also had four total tackles, two were for a loss and one was a sack. Cody Groff returned to the MC lineup for a couple of series; he was 1-of-5 for five yards and also had four carries for two total yards. Michael Ramos gobbled up six passes for 47 yards to lead the team.
Defensively, McPherson held Bethany to 261 total yards and 76 came on one play. The Swedes averaged just 2.0 yards per rush and completed seven passes. Trent Forrester recorded 11 total tackles with five being solo stops. Trea Lott and Duggan each logged six tackles. Serpas ended the game with five tackles, an interception, pass breakup, and the blocked field goal.
Senior Day is next week for Mac as they host Southwestern College in the final game of 2014; kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at McPherson Stadium.
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on Facebook (MCathletics) and Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
