McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson College plays its final road game of the season Saturday as it visits No. 15 Sterling College in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) football matchup. Kickoff at Smisor Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Coverage
For those unable to make it to Sterling, 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
Sterling holds a 41-31-2 edge in the all-time series and defeated McPherson, 35-7, last season. The Bulldogs have dropped four in a row and are looking for their first win over the Warriors since 2011 (24-17). Sterling has also won two in a row at Smisor Stadium, with the last McPherson road win coming in 2010 (31-21).
Bulldog Banter
McPherson was held to a season-low 255 yards of total offense last week in a 47-19 loss at league-leader Tabor. After being limited to just three net yards on the ground the week prior against Saint Mary, quarterback Ed Crouch responded with 94 yards on 19 carries. He was limited to just 8-of-24 passing for 103 yards, though, but did throw for a pair of scores. Tyrone Campbell added 67 yards on 17 carries and had a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Justin Fagan, Jackson Goodmiller and Brandt Wolters had two catches each to lead the Bulldogs with Fagan and Goodmiller hauling in TD passes. Goodmiller racked up 37 receiving yards, while Fagan added 26 and Wolters 17.
As a team, McPherson ranks 27th nationally in total rushing (1,570 yards) and 35th in rushing offense per game (174.4). Crouch currently ranks 14th in the NAIA in total offense (2,385 yards), 21st in total offense per game (265.0), 25th in total rushing yards (727), 31st in total passing yards (1,658), 33rd in rushing yards per game (80.0) and 37th in passing yards per game (184.2). 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 slipped two spots to sixth on the league's rushing list, while Crouch fell one to eighth. Campbell, at 87.6 yards per game, ranks 20th nationally in total rushing yards (788) and 26th in rushing yards per game (87.6)
Travis Steenson posted a game-high 19 tackles, including a game-high nine solo stops, while Dalton Whitfield added 12 against the Bluejays. The Bulldogs were held without a sack or tackle for loss in the contest. With 142 tackles through nine games, Steenson remains atop the KCAC tackles chart with a league-leading 15.8 tackles per game and ranks third nationally. Whitfield has begun to creep up the conference and national rankings in recent weeks. He currently ranks fifth in the league and 26th nationally at 9.4 tackles per game.
Michael Rabara (five solo) and Thomas Langtree (four solo) each added 10 stops, while Braden Bush had five.
With opponents seemingly eschewing the pass in favor of the run in recent weeks, the Bulldogs' pass defense has risen in the national rankings. So much so that McPherson now ranks ninth in the NAIA, allowing just 164.0 yards per game through the air.
Scouting Sterling
Sterling, with a high-powered offense led by Phillips, has scored at least 38 points in each league game this season - including surpassing 50 in each of its last four. Despite splitting with current KCAC leaders Kansas Wesleyan (a 43-12 home win on September 17) and Tabor (a 45-42 road loss on October 1), the Warriors remain on the outside looking in the race for the KCAC title. If not for a 42-38 loss at Friends on September 25, Sterling would be in line for a shared title.
The Warriors toppled Saint Mary, 51-9, last week - rolling up 483 yards of total offense against a Spires defense that held McPherson to just 284 in a 17-7 victory one week prior.
TJ Brown set the tone early, returning the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, but Sterling led only 17-3 at halftime. The Warriors ran away from the Spires in the second half, scoring 17 points in both the third and fourth quarters as Cedrick Phillips found Nathan Frame and TJ Brown for touchdown passes, Lars Lind and Dentton Hudspeth each scored a rushing TD and Michael Winstead added a pair of field goals.
Phillips, who leads the NAIA in total offense at 407.8 yards per game, threw for 227 yards and three scores and added another 109 yards on 17 carries. He also ranks third nationally in pass effieciency (181.0) and total offense yardage (3,262), fifth in passing yards per game (308.6), eighth in total passing (2,469 yards) and 19th in both total rushing yards (793) and rushing yards per game (99.1).
Brown, who ranks in the NAIA's top six in 12 different statistical categories, caught seven passes for 58 yards and had four carries for 42 yards in addition to his long kick return. He currently leads the nation in all-purpose yards (1,934; 241.8 per game), kickoff return yards per attempt (40.0), receptions (70) and receiving yards (1,207; 150.9 per game), ranks second in receptions per game (8.8) and fourth in scoring (12.8 points per game).
While the majority of the Sterling ground game has come on the legs of Phillips, Aaron Chisholm and Brown have also made significant contributions. Chisholm has 299 yards and five touchdowns on 44 carries, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Brown has 167 yards rushing on 23 carries - an average of 7.3 yards per game.
And while Brown has been Phillips' primary target, he is by no means alone. Nathan Frame has hauled in 34 passes for 572 yards and six scores. Dentton Hudspeth, who is also the Warriors' backup quarterback, has 21 catches for 219 yards and three TDs. Chad Bennett (18 catches, 238 yards, 3 TDs) and Richard Newell (13 catches, 209 yards, 2 TDs) also have double-digit catches.
Sterling placekicker Michael Winstead has gotten a lot of work this season, converting 51 of 54 extra points and six of eight field goals. Also the team's punter, Winstead is averaging 35.1 yards on 24 kicks with a long of 53 yards.
Defensively, Kenya Edner leads the team with 100 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. From his inside linebacker position, Dezmond Howard has totaled 81 stops with team-highs in tackles for loss (7.0) and sacks (4.0). Tyus Williams and Ray Winfield lead the Warriors in interceptions with two apiece.
As prolific as its offense has been this season, the Warriors' defense has been significantly less than that, ranking last in the 10-team KCAC in total defense at 477.1 yards per game. It's a bit of a bend-but-don't-break defense, though, as they rank only fifth in scoring defense at 30.1 points per game. Opponents have not solely concentrated on the run or the pass against Sterling, as the Warriors rank seventh in rushing defense (245.0 yards per game) and eighth in pass defense (232.1 ypg). McPherson is currently ninth in the KCAC against the run (264.1 ypg), but balances it out with the league's No. 2 ranked pass defense (164.0 ypg).
In terms of yardage, Sterling has gained roughly 63 percent of its yards on the ground. Opponents have tended to be a little more balanced, leaning to the run by a two-percent margin. In conference play, their opponents percentage of yardage gained on the ground jumps to 54 percent.
Up Next
Following Saturday's game against the Warriors, the Bulldogs welcome Bethany College to McPherson Stadium for Senior Day on Saturday, November 12. Kickoff for the season finale 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.
