Football | 10/29/2016 2:38:00 AM
McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson College hits the road this Saturday to face rival Tabor College in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) football matchup. Kickoff at Joel H. Wiens Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Coverage
For those unable to make it to McPherson, the game can be heard live locally on 96.7 KBBE-FM or at
midkansasradio.com with Sports Director Matt Cole and Steve Sell on the call. Live video and statistics can be found at
http://www.macbulldogs.com/gamecast.
The Series
Tabor holds a slim 23-22-1 lead in the all-time series and shut out McPherson, 62-0, last season but the Bulldogs have won four of the last six meetings, including the last three in Hillsboro.
Bulldog Banter
McPherson outgained Saint Mary, 284-272, overall but was limited to just 52 yards rushing as the Spires defeated the Bulldogs, 17-7, last week at McPherson Stadium. Ed Crouch finished 21-of-39 through the air for 232 yards and the late interception but was limited to just three net yards on seven carries. Campbell had 64 yards on 16 carries to lead the Bulldogs. McPherson's only score came on a 3-yard touchdown run by Crouch in the first quarter.
Crouch spread the ball around as seven different receivers caught passes, led by six each for Wolters and Jackson Goodmiller. Wolters racked up 97 receiving yards while Goodmiller had 35. Schmidt added three catches for 77 yards.
The Bulldogs had one of their best passing days of the year against the Spires, but were unable to pair it with the running game they had come accustomed to. McPherson entered the game averaging over five yards per carry but were held to just 2.0 yards per attempt against Saint Mary.
As a team, McPherson ranks 24th nationally in total rushing (1,418 yards) and 31st in rushing offense per game (177.3). Crouch currently ranks 11th in the NAIA in total offense (2,188 yards), 16th in total offense yards per game (273.5), 27th in total rushing yards (633), 28th in total passing yards (1,555) and 32nd in passing yards per game (194.4) and 33rd in rushing yards per game (79.1). Among KCAC players, he trails only Sterling's Cedrick Phillips in total offense per game but remains third behind Phillips and Kansas Wesleyan's Wesley Geisler in passing yards per game.
Campbell jumped up to fourth on the league's rushing list, while Crouch remained seventh. Campbell, at 90.1 yards per game, ranks 18th in total rushing yards (721) and 24th in rushing yards per game.
Dalton Whitfield finished with a game-high 17 tackles, while Travis Steenson added 16, including a game-high seven solo tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss against the Spires. With 123 tackles through eight games, he is averaging a KCAC-best 15.4 stops per game to rank second nationally. Whitfield ranks 31st nationally at 9.1 tackles per game.
Thomas Langtree added seven tackles, including a shared tackle-for-loss, while Michael Rabara and Chandler Tisby added six stops apiece. Antonio David added a 10-yard sack. Devontae Emory ranks 13th nationally in passes defended per game (1.5), while Chandler Tisby is 16th in forced fumbles per game (0.3).
Scouting Tabor
Tabor, the defending KCAC champion, opened its 2016 campaign with a 35-21 loss at then-No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan in the KCAC-GPAC Challenge then rattled off four straight wins in league play before stumbling, 45-42, in overtime at No. 15 Kansas Wesleyan a couple of weeks ago.
The Bluejays responded with a 32-27 homecoming win over Friends last week, surviving a late Falcons rally after leading 32-6 early in the third quarter.
Zach Johnson scored twice in the win – once on an 84-yard kickoff return and once on a 18-yard reception Keith Thomas. Joseph Donnell and Ontre'Von Cooper also ran for scores and Jared Slavens added a 25-yard field goal.
Tabor has been one of the top teams all season long, ranking in the top-3 in a number of statisticial categories. The Bluejays enter this week's game with the league's top pass defense at 166.6 yards per game.
The Bluejays also have a top-tier offense, ranking ninth in the NAIA in rushing offense at 250.7 yards per game, 16th in scoring offense at 36.7 points per game, and 17th in total offense at 447.1 yards per game.
Opponents are converting at a 37.1 percent clip (39-of-105) on third down and at 55.0 percent (11-of-20) on fourth down - ninth in the 10-team KCAC.
Johnson is a huge factor in the Bluejays' passing attack, ranking 16th in receiving yards at 94.7 yards per game and 20th in total receiving yards (663). He is also one of the top kick returners in the NAIA, ranking sixth nationally (and second in the KCAC) in kickoff returns at 29.7 yards per game. Johnson ranks 11th in all-purpose yards per game (156.0), 15th in all-purpose yards (1,092) and 27th in scoring per game (7.7 points per game).
Tabor placekicker Jared Stevens has been a key factor on special teams. He is 7-for-11 in field goals, ranking ninth in field goals and 10th in scoring by a kicker (7.1 points per game).
Defensively, Alex Neuschafer averages a team-best 9.0 tackles per game. He ranks 37th nationally. Maurice Payne is tied for fifth in the league with 9.5 tackles-for-loss per game. Evan Sprayberry has been a force up front, ranking 16th nationally in forced fumbles per game (0.3) and 22nd in sacks per game (0.7)
On offense, the Bluejays have leaned more on the run this season with 56 percent of their offense coming on the ground. The same has been true of their opponents, who are also averaging 56 percent on the ground.
At quarterback, Curry Parham has thrown for 1,118 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 51.5 percent of his passes. His backup, Keith Thomas, is completing passes at a 65.2-percent clip for 246 yards and another score. The favorite target has been Johnson with 32 catches for 663 yards and eight TDs. Charles Beale has added 22 grabs for 381 yards and two touchdowns, and Skylar Valencia had 11 catches for 119 yards and three scores.
Five different running backs have run for at least 200 yards this season with a sixth just a hair shy. Joseph Donnell leads the way with 344 yards on a team-high 64 carries. Cody Coleman adds 291 yards and two scores. Drevion Cooper is just short of 200 yards with 198 and a team-best four rushing scores.
Up Next
Following Saturday's game against the Bluejays, the Bulldogs visit Sterling College (Nov. 5) before welcoming Bethany College to McPherson Stadium for Senior Day on Saturday, November 12. Kickoff for the Sterling game is 1:30 p.m., while the kickoff for the finale against Bethany is scheduled for noon.
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McPherson College is a charter member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
