McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson College closes out its 2016 football season with a Senior Day matchup against McPherson County rival Bethany College. Kickoff for the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) event is 12 noon.
Coverage
For those unable to make it to McPherson Stadium, 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
Bethany holds a 61-28-3 lead in the all-time series and defeated McPherson, 48-21, last season for its second straight win. The Bulldogs have won eight ot the last 12 dating back to 2004, but will be looking for their first home victory over the Swedes since 2009 (44-17).
Senior Day
Just four seniors will be playing their final collegiate game for McPherson on Saturday -- wide receivers Justin Fagan (Harper, Kan. / Chaparral HS) and Landon Stang (Limon, Colo. / Limon HS), defensive back Kavoderic McIntyre (Dallas, Texas / Roosevelt HS) and linebacker Michael Rabara (Kona, Hawaii / Butte CC). Fagan and McIntyre have both been with the program for five years, while McIntyre and Rabara are both two-year captains for the Bulldogs.
Bulldog Banter
McPherson College quarterback Ed Crouch threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns, but the Bulldogs had no answer for the high-powered offense of 15th-ranked Sterling College as the Warriors pulled away late for a 44-31 win last Saturday at Smisor Stadium.
The teams combined for 1,020 yards of total offense in the game, including an even 800 through the air. Sterling quarterback Cedrick Phillips, who entered the game as the NAIA's leader in total offense, finished 31-of-44 for 460 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. A threat to run as well, he was limited to 33 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
Sterling bucked the recent trend of opponents favoring the run over the pass against the Bulldogs and the team's national pass defense ranking sufffered as a consequence. McPherson dropped from ninth to 29th nationally, allowing 193.6 yards per game through the air.
For McPherson, Crouch finished 22-of-48 through the air for 340 yards and three touchdowns, giving the Bulldogs their first 300-yard passer since Jordan Hoffman threw for 362 in a 51-31 win over Bethel on September 21, 2013. He was also picked off once and sacked twice. Crouch was also the Bulldogs' top rusher with 46 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Tyrone Campbell, the team's leading rusher, was limited to 26 yards on 10 carries. He also caught five passes for 46 yards out of the backfield.
Brandt Wolters was Crouch's favorite target agaisnt Sterling, hauling in eight passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, while Jackson Goodmiller added three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.
As a team, McPherson still ranks 34th nationally in total rushing (1,647 yards) but has seen its pass offense jump to No. 39 (2,070 yards). Crouch currently ranks 11th in the NAIA in total offense (2,771 yards), 17th in total offense per game (2771), 29th in total passing (1,998 yards), 31st in passing yards per game (199.8), 32nd in total rushing (773) and 38th in rushing yards per game (81.4). Among KCAC players, he trails only Sterling's Phillips in total offense and passing yards per game. Campbell (sixth) and Crouch (eighth) maintained their spots on the league's rushing list this week. Campbell, at 81.4 yards per game, ranks 27th nationally in rushing yards (814) and 32nd in rushing yards per game (81.4).
Dalton Whitfield led the Bulldogs defensively with nine tackles, while Dominic DeLuca registered seven tackles, including a team-high six solo stops. Travis Steenson, who entered the game ranked third nationally in tackles per game, had his opportunities limited by Sterling's pass-heavy scheme and finished with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception. McIntyre and Rabara added five tackles and an interception apiece. With 148 tackles through 10 games, Steenson ranks second in the NAIA in total tackles and third in tackles per game with a KCAC-leading 14.8. Whitfield has begun to creep up the conference and national rankings in recent weeks. He currently ranks sixth in the league and 28th nationally at 9.4 tackles per game.
Scouting Bethany
Bethany enters this weekend's game on a three-game losing streak, allowing 49 points each to Kansas Wesleyan (49-27), Friends (49-30) and Tabor (49-0).
In last week's loss to Tabor, the Swedes were held to just 83 yards on 33 carries and went 4-of-16 through the air for 46 yards – roughly half the yardage total McPherson was able to post against the Bluejays in a 47-19 loss one week prior.
Nate Ocran sits on the cusp of being the KCAC's third 1,000-yard rusher this season after Friends' Jesse Rogers and Saint Mary's Easton Ridley. He has 977 yards on 185 carries - an average of 5.3 yards per carry - with three scores. He ranks 14th nationally in total rushing yards and 20th in rushing yards per game (97.7).
The Swedes are averaging 132.7 yards per game on the ground this season as a team. In addition to Ocran, Louie Gonzalez has 214 yards on 45 carries and is listed as Bethany's No. 2 halfback despite not registering a carry since mid-October. Brad Smith has 179 yards on 54 carries.
Darius Handcox and Isaiah Salazar have both seen time at quarterback this season, with varying degrees of success. Handcox has completed 61 of 132 passes for 886 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Salazar is 65-of-131 for 824 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The pair have had three primary targets this season. Anthony Jackson has a team-leading 37 catches for 454 yards and four scores, while Michael Wimberly has added 36 catches for a team-high 554 yards and five touchdowns. Dalton Goodwin has 25 grabs for 546 yards and four touchdowns.
Wimberly has also been one of Bethany's three primary kickoff returner. He ranks 19th in kickoff return yards per attempt (25.2) and 49th in total kickoff return yardage (328). Javan Moore has 16 returns for 277 yards (17.3 ypa), while Deauntre Roberts has 15 returns for 235 yards (15.7 ypa).
Up front, the Swedes' offensive line has struggled to open holes for runners or keep defenders off. Bethany ranks ninth in the KCAC in rushing offense (132.7 yards per game) and last in sacks allowed with 43.5, resutling in 301 yards of offense lost due to sacks. McPherson ranks eighth in that category, allowing 26 sacks for 163 yards.
On defense, Bethany will need to see improvement from a defense that ranks ninth in the KCAC at 468.4 yards allowed per game. The Swedes also rank 10th in scoring defense at 40.1 points per game.
On special teams, Kyle Gfeller is listed as the Swedes' starting punter and placekicker, but James Augusta has received much of the live game action this season. Augusta has made 8-of-13 field goals with a long of 40 and has punted 53 times, averaging 34.4 yards per attempt. Gfeller has handled PATs all year, going 13-of-17. He has also made a 28-yard field goal.
Six different players have intercepted passes this season, with Moore and Damien Bell-White returning picks for scores. Jau'marl Clark has a team-high 87 tackles, including 8.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and an interception. Rhett Mizer has added 84 stops and 3.5 tackles for loss, while Bell-White has 72 tackles, a team-high 9.5 TFLs, five sacks, two fumble recoveries and the pick-six.
In terms of yardage, Bethany has gained roughly 60 percent of its yards through the air. Opponents have leaned in the opposite direction, however, gaining 56 percent of their yardage on the ground. In league play, that percentage has increased slightly to nearly 58 percent.
Up Next
Saturday's game marks the end of the season for McPherson. The Bulldogs will open the 2017 season on Saturday, September 2 with a home game as part of the KCAC-GPAC Challenge against an opponent to be determined.
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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.
