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McPherson, Kan. – The fourth game of the season for McPherson College football is set for this Saturday, October 3 in Salina, Kansas. The Bulldogs will take on Kansas Wesleyan University at 6:00 p.m. (CT). The venue is a new one for both teams as it is the inaugural game of the Graves Family Sports Complex; the day is also Homecoming for KWU.
Mac heads into the contest at 0-3 on the year, coming off a 28-14 loss to Bethel College. Though they earned an L in the win/loss column, Bulldog football made some huge strides against the Threshers. The team tallied 264 total yards which was more than their first two games combined. They also recorded 15 first downs, over doubling their season total. The defense again held their opponent to under 100 yards passing, doing so now for two-straight weeks.
Chris Linnin led the Bulldog passing attack, going 12-of-28 in the game for 185 yards and one interception. The freshman found seniors Ste'fon Walker and Michael Ramos a combined nine times for close to 150 yards. DeAvonte Doucet topped the MC rushing attack with his 68 yards on 18 carries.
On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore Dalton Whitfield had another spectacular game, racking up 16 total tackles with seven being unassisted; the linebacker is currently second in the NAIA in tackles per game with 15.3. Michael Rabara pulled down 10 Bethel players and also had an interception that was returned for 52 yards. Also grabbing a pick was Braden Bush; the sophomore also had nine tackles in the game.
It's Homecoming for McPherson next weekend as they host Ottawa University on October 10th; start time is set for 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting Kansas Wesleyan
The Coyotes have burst onto the scene this year as they are the lone undefeated KCAC team. KWU was the only conference team to get a win in the KCAC-GPAC challenge as they took down Midland University 55-37. In their conference opener, the 'Yotes were able to hang on against Sterling College, winning 28-21. Then last week, Kansas Wesleyan shutout Southwestern College 42-0. Their current 4-0 record is tops of the KCAC and also has them ranked 21st in the National Poll.
In their game against the Builders, KWU put up two touchdowns in the opening quarter and then got another two in the second, taking a 29-0 lead into the break. The Coyotes scored once more in both the third and fourth quarters to give them the 42-0 shutout victory.
The Kansas Wesleyan offense was on point as they racked up 514 yards on an eye-popping 93 plays, a 5.5 average. The team threw for 374 and ran for 140 on 44 attempts. They converted on 9-of-20 third down tries and 3-of-7 fourth down conversions.
LonDarius Thomas led the 'Yotes in rushing with his 47 yards on 13 carries. Quarterback Jake Curran and Matt Jones each had seven attempts, second most on the team; Curran took his for 23 yards while Jones accrued 17. Both Miles Balthazor and Joe Vela ran for 20 yards with Balthazor logging a touchdown.
Curran had an impressive game throwing the ball as he went 27-of-47 for 359 yards and four touchdowns. He completed six passes to tight end Mitch Kufahl for 139 and a touchdown. Vela grabbed five balls for 107 yards and a TD. Colby Donohue only gained 15 yards on his four receptions but one went for a touchdown. Albert Geason hauled in three for 49 yards.
Defensively, Matt Myers led the team with 11 stops. Three different Coyotes had six tackles in Kretien Webb, Marcus Bradley, Darius Jiggetts, and Tyrone Wright. Both Webb and Tanner Ranieri had a forced fumble while Wright took an interception back 25 yards.
As a team, Kansas Wesleyan sits first in the NAIA in three categories, sacks against (0.300), total sacks against (1.00), and first downs per game (28.3). They are fourth in offense per game at 546.3 and pass offense at 359.3. Their third down conversion percentage of 47.8% is sixth best in the nation.
This season, Balthazor leads KWU in rush yardage with 189 on a team-high 47 carries; he also has three scores on the year. Kelly Cordova is second on the list with 177 on 20 attempts. Curran has also eclipsed the century mark rushing with his 104 on 20 tries. Thomas and Jones are close to 100 yards with 97 and 96, respectively. Curran has played all four games under center for KWU, tallying 1233 yards on 84-of-135; he has thrown 10 touchdowns and three interceptions this year. Curran is fourth in the NAIA in total offense per game with 334.3. Vela and Greason have been the top target for KWU quarterbacks as Vela has 25 snags for 411 yards and Geason totals 286 yards and 20 receptions. Kufahl leads the receiver staff in touchdowns with four on the season; he has 15 catches for 331 yards.
Myers has 24 tackles this year, two for a loss with one being a sack. Bradly is second on the list with 21. Both Kenneth Wells and Wright have 19 tackles, 12 solo and seven assisted. Christian McQueen tops the team in sacks with his 2.5. Michael Guerrero is responsible for two of his team's six interceptions.
Another home contest is on deck for KWU as they host Friends University on the 10th.
