STERLING, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- McPherson College quarterback
Ed Crouch (Miami Gardens, Fla., Coffeyville CC) 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 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) football win Saturday at Smisor Stadium.
After holding McPherson (1-9, 1-7 KCAC) to just 15 yards on the game's opening drive, Sterling drove 84 yards on 11 plays before Warriors quarterback Cedrick Phillips scored on a 4-yard keeper to grab a 7-0 lead. The Bulldogs responded with a score on their next drive. After a short kickoff gave McPherson the ball on its own 35-yard line, Crouch completed a pair of long passes – the first to
Anthony Schmidt (Fountain, Colo., Fort Carson HS) for 29 yards, the second to
Brandt Wolters (Osborne, Kan., Seward CC) for a 36-yard score to tie the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, Sterling's Richard Newell ripped off a 39-yard return to give the Warriors the ball in McPherson territory. Phillips threw the first of his five TD passes on the day four plays later, finding Nathan Frame on a 12-yard score.
McPherson's next drive resulted in a turnover on downs at its own 30. Sterling quickly capitalized on the short field. After being pushed back five yards by a penalty, Phillips hit TJ Brown for a 35-yard touchdown. Michael Winstead's PAT failed, leaving the Warriors with a 20-7 lead as the first quarter expired.
Sterling drove to McPherson 7 on its first drive of the second quarter, but Winstead's 24-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. The Bulldogs advanced into Sterling territory on the ensuing drive before turning the ball over on downs at the 36-yard line when Crouch's fourth-down pass attempt to
Jackson Goodmiller (St. George, Kan., Rock Creek HS) fell incomplete.
Kavoderic McIntyre (Dallas, Texas, Roosevelt HS) picked off a Phillips pass on the Sterling's next drive, but McPherson couldn't gain any traction on offense and was forced to punt. The Bulldogs were given a second chance, though, as Xavier Bradford fumbled a
Zack Melius (Wakefield, Kan., Wakefield HS) punt, which was recovered by
Tyrone Campbell (Oakland, Calif., Laney CC) at the Sterling 26-yard line. McPherson drove to the 8-yard line before the drive stalled, resulting in a 25-yard
Calef Contreras (Dallas, Texas, Skyline HS) field goal to cut the Sterling lead to 20-10 with just 1:14 to play.
The Warriors' quick-strike offense responded just before halftime, needing only eight plays to drive 77 yards before Phillips hooked up with Frame from 21 yards out with one second remaining to take a 27-10 lead at the break.
Sterling extended the lead to 34-10 just one minute into the third quarter as Phillips and Brown hooked up for the second time in the game, this time from 59 yards out, on the Warriors second play from scrimmage.
Despite the quick score, McPherson rallied for 21 straight points in the third quarter, cutting the Warrior lead to 34-31 as Crouch scored on a 1-yard run and found Wolters and Goodmiller with short touchdown passes. In between,
Michael Rabara (Kona, Hawaii, Butte CC) intercepted a Phillips pass intended for Frame and
Joey Hale (Hutchinson, Kan.) forced and recovered a fumble by Aaron Chisholm.
The Sterling offense got back on track to start the fourth quarter as a 15-yard touchdown pass from Phillips to Chad Bennett capped a 9-play, 70-yard drive and put the Warriors back up by 10. McPherson was forced to punt after a quick three-and-out, but with Sterling driving, Phillips was intercepted at the McPherson 15 by Bulldog linebacker
Travis Steenson (McPherson, Kan., Butler CC).
The Bulldogs gave the ball right back, however, as Crouch was intercepted by Swain Williams at the 27 just two plays later. McPherson was able to keep Sterling out of the end zone on the ensuing drive, limiting the hosts to a 32-yard Winstead field goal.
The teams traded punts on their ensuing drives, giving the Bulldogs one more chance. Taking over at its own 20 with 2:09 to play, Crouch drove McPherson to the Sterling 37 before time expired.
The teams combined for 1,020 yards of total offense in the game, including an even 800 through the air. 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. As a team, the Warriors ran for only 143 yards with Chisholm and Oby Rios rushing for 43 yards apiece.
Brown, the NAIA's leading receiver, added 10 catches, 198 yards and two touchdowns to his totals, while Frame added 129 yards and two scores on eight grabs and Bennett had six catches for 90 yards and touchdown.
Defensively, Kenya Edner had a game-high 10 tackles, while Dezmond Howard and Nicholas McGrew added eight apiece. Koltyn Ratliff was a key defender up front, finishing with five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks.
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. 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.
Wolters was Crouch's favorite target on Saturday, hauling in eight passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, while Goodmiller added three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Dalton Whitfield (Cleveland, Ga., White County HS) led the Bulldogs defensively with nine tackles, while
Dominic DeLuca (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS) registered seven tackles, including a team-high six solo stops. 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.
The Bulldogs conclude the 2016 season on Saturday, November 12 in a Senior Day matchup against rival Bethany College. Kickoff is slated for 12 noon at McPherson Stadium.
