Football Loses Shootout to Ottawa on Late Field Goal

OTTAWA, Kan. --- Kyle Wokutch nailed a 21-yard field goal with seven seconds to play to give host Ottawa University a wild 55-52 win over McPherson College in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) action on Saturday at Peoples Bank Field.

The Braves (3-3, 3-1 KCAC) outscored the Bulldogs (1-5, 1-3 KCAC), 27-14, in the fourth quarter to overcome a 38-28 deficit. 

The teams traded punts on the initial possessions of the game and interceptions on their second, so the first quarter was nearly half gone before either side found the end zone. McPherson struck first as Ed Crouch (Miami Gardens, Fla.) hit paydirt with a 24-yard touchdown run. Ottawa countered on the ensuing drive when Ethan Paul-Davis scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 48-yard drive. The next three drives ended in punts, allowing the rest of the quarter to expire with the score tied at 7-7.

Set up at midfield to start the second quarter, CJ Whitaker Jr. busted through the McPherson defense on a 49-yard scamper, taking it all the way to the Bulldog 1-yard line before being brought down by Kavoderic McIntyre (Dallas, Texas). Connor Byers scored on a quarterback keeper on the next play to give Ottawa its first lead of the game.

McPherson appeared to be stopped on its next series before Tyrone Campbell (Oakland, Calif.) took a fourth-and-1 carry at his own 49 and sprinted 51 yards for the tying score.

The Bulldogs forced a three-and-out on defense on the next series, but the Braves responded with a takeaway on McPherson's next offensive play as Jonathan Dawson got a strip sack of Crouch and Levi Huneke recovered the loose ball at the McPherson 30. Byers scored on a 15-yard run four plays later to put Ottawa up 21-14.

It took McPherson just three plays to tie the game as Campbell scored from 15 yards out. The key play of the 3-play, 65-yard drive was a 45-yard pass from Crouch to Anthony Schmidt (Fountain, Colo.).

The defenses took over for the rest of the half, which proved to be especially frustrating for McPherson. The Bulldogs ended each of Ottawa's three drives via interception - one each by McIntyre, Dominic DeLuca (Hutchinson, Kan.) and Michael Rabara (Kona, Hawaii) - but were only able to manage a pair of punts and a missed Travis Steenson (McPherson, Kan.) field goal in the waning seconds of the first half.

Ottawa took the ball to start the second half and made it pay off as Byers scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 9-play, 65-yard drive and give the Braves a 28-21 lead. McPherson answered the score with one of their own as Crouch found Justin Fagan (Harper, Kan.) from 19 yards out for a touchdown. Steenson's point-after attempt failed, however, leaving Ottawa in the lead by one.

The Braves kept to the ground on their next drive, using seven runs against just two passes to move from the Ottawa 36 down to the McPherson 23. The drive came to an abrupt end, though, when Dalton Buehler lost the ball at the 21. McPherson's Braden Bush (Blanchard, Okla.) scooped up the loose ball and returned it 79 yards for the touchdown. Crouch rushed for the two-point convert to give the Bulldogs a 35-28 lead.

An Isaac Murphy (Houston, Texas) interception ended Ottawa's next drive, giving McPherson the ball at the Ottawa 48-yard line. The Bulldogs drove inside the 20 but were forced to settle for a 34-yard Calef Contreras (Dallas, Texas) field goal to make it 38-28 headed to the fourth quarter.

Another interception - this one by Devontae Emory (Garland, Texas) in the end zone - cut the Braves' first drive of the fourth quarter short. A McPherson three-and-out and a sub-par punt by RJ Garza (McAllen, Texas) gave Ottawa great field position at the McPherson 40. Byers moved the ball to the 12 with a 28-yard run on first down, but three subsequent rushes netted just two yards and the Braves opted for a 27-yard Wokutch field goal to make it a one-score game.

A 67-yard touchdown run by Crouch gave McPherson a 45-31 lead with 8:12 to play. Ottawa cut the lead in half on its next drive when Gavin Lively scored on a 4-yard run. The five-play, 60-yard drive took just 1:37 off the clock. The ensuing Wokutch kickoff was fair-caught by Emory at the McPherson 10. Two plays later, Crouch was picked off by Levi Huneke at the 15 after Jake Bade broke up a pass intended for Brandt Wolters (Osborne, Kan.).

Gifted with excellent field position, the Braves cashed in three plays later as Byers found Terrance Polk II for a 10-yard touchdown strike to tie the game at 45-45 with 5:23 left in regulation.

Another three-and-out followed for the McPherson offense, giving Ottawa a chance to take the lead. The Braves responded as Lively capped a 6-play, 77-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. The drive took just 1:44 off the clock, leaving the Bulldogs 2:41 to provide a response. Trailing 52-45, McPherson moved 65 yards in six plays and 1:26 before Crouch tied the game with a 4-yard scoring run.

A solid return of the ensuing kickoff by Jerrell Taylor put the Braves at their own 45-yard line to start the next drive. After an incomplete pass on first down, Byers rushed four straight times, taking the ball down to the McPherson 3. After opting for a run on first-and-goal and an incomplete pass on second down, Wokutch was brought on for the game-winning field goal attempt.

The teams combined for 1,117 yards of total offense, including 726 on the ground.

Ottawa ran for 487 yards overall, led by Byers and Ethan Paul-Davis. Byers had 20 carries for 179 yards and three scores, while Paul-Davis added 167 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. Lively added 61 yards and two scores on six carries - mostly in the second half. Walter and Byers combined to throw for 173 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. Mauricio Uribe had a game-high six catches for 38 yards, while Polk added three catches for 45 yards and a score. Paul-Davis had four grabs for 42 yards.

Huneke had a team-best 13 tackles, including 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and two interceptions.

Ed Crouch led McPherson with 218 yards and one touchdown through the air and 119 yards and three more scores on the ground. Campbell added 120 yards and two TDs and also caught a couple of passes for 11 yards. Tyler Giron (Houston, Texas) and Justin Fagan each hauled in five passes - Giron for a game-high 81 yards and Fagan for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Rabara and Steenson led the Bulldogs defensively. McIntyre had eight stops, two interceptions and broke up another pass. Dalton Whitfield (Cleveland, Ga.) matched McIntyre's eight tackles and had 3.0 tackles for loss. In addition to his interception, Emory also returned seven kickoffs for 157 yards.

Of the 16 scoring drives, none lasted longer than 3:58.

"We've made great strides to this point in the season," said head coach Paul Mierkiewicz. "But we're still looking for that complete game in all three facets of play."

The Bulldogs are at home the next two Saturdays. First up is Friends University on October 15 for the annual Homecoming game, followed by the University of Saint Mary on October 22 for Service Appreciation Day. Kickoff for both contests is 1 p.m.