McPHERSON, Kan. – The McPherson College football team continues Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday with a trip to Ottawa University. Kickoff at Peoples Bank Field in Ottawa, Kansas, is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Coverage
For those unable to make it to Ottawa, the game can be heard live locally on 96.7 KBBE-FM or at
midkansasradio.com with Sports Director Matt Cole on the call. Live video and statistics can be found at
http://www.macbulldogs.com/gamecast.
The Series
The Braves (2-3, 2-1 KCAC) lead the all-time series 58-23 and won last year's game, 58-0, in McPherson. Ottawa has won five in a row with the last McPherson win coming in 2010 (56-24 in McPherson). The Bulldogs are looking for their first win in Ottawa since October 20, 2007 - a 17-14 victory.
Bulldog Banter
McPherson hung with No. 14 Kansas Wesleyan for a little over three quarters, trailing by just three (28-25) with 12:53 to play. The Coyotes scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to a comfortable 49-25 victory. The teams combined for 1,065 yards of total offense with McPherson running a whopping 92 plays for 556 yards.
As has been the case all year, quarterback Ed Crouch threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns and added 160 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Tyrone Campbell gave McPherson a second 100-yard rusher, finishing with 101 yards on 23 carries. Justin Fagan had four catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns (54, 27), while Jackson Goodmiller had five grabs for 79 yards.
McPherson ranks 33rd nationally in pass defense (192.6 yards per game) and 38th in scoring defense (26.8 points per game), but is still working to shore up a rush defense that allows 233.8 yards per outing.
Crouch currently ranks 12th in the NAIA in total offense (1,435 yards), 14th in total offense yards per game (287.0), 17th in total rushing yards (477) and 19th in rushing yards per game (95.4). Among KCAC players, he continues to trail only Sterling's Cedrick Phillips - already a two-time KCAC Offensive Player of the Week and a former National Offensive Player of the Week - in total offense per game and passing yards per game (191.6). Crouch also ranks fourth in rushing yards per game. Campbell ranks sixth, averaging 82.8 yards per game.
Defensively, Travis Steenson continues to rank among the NAIA's leaders in tackles per game. With 70 tackles through five games, he is averaging a KCAC-best 14.0 stops per game to rank second nationally. Against Kansas Wesleyan, Steenson had 16 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble. Devontae Emory still ranks 13th in passes defended with seven break-ups and an interception, despite not adding to either total against the Coyotes.
Tracking the Threshers
After going 0-3 against a tough schedule to open the season, Ottawa is currently working with a two-game winning streak after defeating Bethel 10-0 last weekend in North Newton.
Much as was the case when Bethel hosted McPherson six days earlier, offense was at a premium. The Braves totaled just 219 yards of offense – 153 on the ground and a paltry 66 through the air, while the Ottawa defense held the Threshers to under 200 yards of total offense.
Evan Paul-Davis led the Braves with 66 yards on 15 carries, while Dalton Buehler added 58 yards on 13 attempts. Quarterback Dayton Walter completed eight of 19 passes for 66 yards and two interceptions, but did hook up with Mauricio Uribe for a 10-yard strike in the fourth quarter to put the low-scoring game out of reach.
The Braves rank 22nd in the NAIA and second in the KCAC against the run, allowing just 142.6 yard per game on the ground. To this point, opponents have opted to air it out as Ottawa allows a KCAC-worst 249.2 yards per game. That number is skewed a bit, though, as the Braves were torched for 390 passing yards by then-No. 3 Morningside in their opener. Excluding the Morningside game, Ottawa allows just 214.0 yards per game, which would sit just behind McPherson's 192.6 among KCAC schools.
Ottawa ranks fifth in the KCAC in total defense, allowing 391.8 yards per game. Reggie Winfield is tied for the national lead in passes defended per game (2.6) with 12 break-ups and an interception. Vinny Wurst ranks ninth nationally in total sacks (5.0) and sacks per game (1.0) - both figures that lead the KCAC - and is 24th nationally tackles per game (9.8). Jonathan Dawson adds 1.5 tackles for loss per game.
The Ottawa offense has had a roughly 50-50 run-pass overall split in terms of yardage. The Braves have moved more towards the run in KCAC play, though, as 595 of their 1,021 yards (58.3%) have come on the ground. Paul-Davis has a team-best 402 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Connor Byers has added 206 yards and three scores on 46 carries. Dayton Walter is 68-of-152 through the air this year with a full one-third (55) coming in the loss to Concordia (Neb.).
Walter's two favorite targets have been C.J. Whitaker Jr. and Uribe. Whitaker has hauled in 22 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He ranks 21st in the NAIA in receptions per game, 25th in receiving yards per game (90.3) and 27th in all purpose yards per game (134.8). Uribe had 19 catches for 219 yards and three scores.
Up Next
Following Saturday's game against the Braves, the Bulldogs will welcome Friends University to McPherson Stadium for the annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 15.
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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.
