McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson College hosts Ottawa University Saturday in the school's annual Homecoming football contest. Kickoff for the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) contest is slated for 1 p.m. at McPherson Stadium. The 2-4 Braves are coming off a 34-10 victory over winless Bethel College last week.
Game Broadcasts ~ KCAC Game of the Week
After a number of years riding the terrestrial airwaves, all McPherson College athletics broadcasts have moved online for the 2017-18 academic year. Broadcasts can now be found on the Bulldogs' Game Central portal powered by Stretch Internet at http://www.macbulldogs.com/gamecast. Matt Cole returns as the play-by-play voice for Bulldog athletics to broadcast a full slate of 10 football games, virtually all McPherson home basketball games and select road basketball contests. Pregame for Saturday's audio-only broadcast will start at approximately 12:45 p.m.
This week's game has also been selected as the KCAC Radio Network Game of the Week. The KCAC will be providing the video feed for this week's game (which can also be found at www.macbulldogs.com/gamecast) as well as a separate audio feed that can be heard over the air on radio stations throughout central and western Kansas.
Five to Be Inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame
Five former Bulldogs - including three football players - will be inducted into the McPherson College Athletics Hall of Fame in a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday morning in Mingenback Theatre. The honorees -- Don Barngrover '38 (posthumous), Garth Werner '61, Terry Bruton '92, Camille (Base) Kaiser '94 and Roy McDonald '05 will also be recognized at halftime of Saturday's football game. Barngrover, Werner and Bruton were each all-KCAC selections during their Bulldog gridiron careers.
The Series
Ottawa holds a 59-23 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1929. Ottawa has won the last six with the last McPherson victory coming in the Bulldogs' 2010 KCAC championship season - a 56-24 decision at McPherson Stadium.
Last Meeting
Kyle Wokutch nailed a 21-yard field goal with seven seconds to play to give host Ottawa a wild 55-52 win over McPherson at Peoples Bank Field in Ottawa. The Braves outscored the Bulldogs, 27-14, in the fourth quarter to overcome a 38-28 deficit. Ed Crouch led McPherson with 218 yards and one touchdown through the air and 119 yards and three more scores on the ground. Tyrone Campbell also rushed for 120 yards and two TDs. Defensively, Braden Bush recovered a fumble, returning it 79 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Michael Rabara and Travis Steenson each had 13 tackles, while Kavodric McIntyre had eight tackles and two interceptions.
Last Week
McPherson forced seven turnovers, including six interceptions, but could not hold off a furious second half rally by No. 25 Kansas Wesleyan as the Coyotes overcame a 21-point deficit to top the Bulldogs, 42-35, in overtime at the Graves Family Sports Complex in Salina. Crouch racked up 105 yards on the ground and two touchdowns rushing and had 97 passing yards and another score before exiting in the third quarter with an injury. Campbell added 90 yards and another touchdown on 23 carries. Jackson Goodmiller hauled in seven passes for 46 yards, while Campbell had two catches for 25 yards and a TD.
Defensively, Thomas Lanktree led the Bulldogs with nine tackles, including seven solo stops, and an interception. Tanner Williams added seven tackles, a pair of tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception - which he returned 33 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Looking at the Bulldogs
McPherson continues to exhibit balance on offense, at least in terms of yardage. The Bulldogs are averaging 402.2 yards per game - 207.6 through the air and 194.6 on the ground to rank fourth in the KCAC in total and rushing offense and fifth in pass offense.
Crouch has overtaken Corey Davis for the team lead in rushing, averaging 81.4 yards per game. Davis is next at 64.2 yards per game, while a solid game against Kansas Wesleyan bumped Campbell's average up to 38.7 yards per game. Armond McCray adds another 23.0 yards per game. Crouch, who also averages 6.2 yards per carry, had six TDs, while Campbell has three. Davis and McCray have one each.
Through the air, Crouch is 68-of-134 for 990 yards, 10 touchdowns and an interception, averaging 198 yards per game. He ranks second in the KCAC in total offense, fourth in passing and fifth in rushing.
Goodmiller leads the team in receptions with 22, averaging 41.8 yards per game with three scores. Eman McNeal has hauled in 15 passes, including three touchdowns, while Desmond Anderson has caught 12 passes for two touchdowns and a team-best 52.2 yards per game.
Defensively, Lanktree has 53 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks, to rank second among KCAC players. He also has one forced fumble and an interception. Isaiah Hill leads the team with 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. Alwin Crawford has intercepted three passes the last two weeks and ranks as one of the league's leaders in the category.
Babbling About the Braves
Ottawa has four players averaging at least 50.0 yards per game on the ground. James Reeder leads the team in rushing at 104.8 yards per game, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, but he has yet to find the end zone. He ranks third in the KCAC in rushing. De'Shawn Jones adds 87.0 yards per contest and is coming off a 148-yard day with two scores against Bethel.
Quarterback Connor Byers averages nearly 200 yards of total offense with three-quarters of it coming through the air. He has rushed for at least 50 yards in four of Ottawa's six games. He has accounted for 11 touchdowns - four rushing, seven passing.
Mauricio Uribe has been Byers' top target this season, hauling in 30 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns to rank fourth in the conference in receptions per game. Dylan Foos (14 catches), Parker Williamson (11) and Reeder (10) all have double-digit receptions.
Defensively, Marcus Fenderson leads the Braves with 42 tackles, including 31 solo stops. He also has a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss. Markie Beltram (39 tackles, 5.5 TFL) and Rodney Latham (37 tackles, 3.5 TFL) also top Ottawa's defensive chart, while Jerrell Taylor has 23 tackles and three of the team's four interceptions. Taylor is also a dangerous kick returner, averaging 22.8 yards on five returns.
Tale of the Tape
McPherson (fourth) and Ottawa (sixth) both rank near the middle of the KCAC in total offense, but the Braves possess the league's No. 2 rushing offense at 225.7 yards per game. The Bulldogs currently top the KCAC charts and rank eighth in the NAIA in rushing defense, allowing just 104.0 yards per game on the ground.
On offense, McPherson may choose to do what other opponents have done against Ottawa -- keep the ball on the ground. Ottawa's rush defense ranks last in the KCAC at 256.2 yards per game. By contrast, the Braves' pass defense ranks second nationally at 143.2 yards per game. Ottawa has been thrown on fewer times - on average - than any other KCAC school.
McPherson has also been quite adept at putting points on the board, ranking a close second behind Bethany (37.4 ppg) in scoring offense at 37.2 points per game. Ottawa ranks ninth in the league - ahead of only winless Bethel - at 20.2 points per game. The Braves have fared slightly better than the Bulldogs in keeping teams out of the end zone so far this season, giving up 29.0 points per game to McPherson's 34.4.
Penalties could play a significant factor in Saturday's game. The Bulldogs continue to lead all KCAC schools in penalty yards per game at 96.8, although that number fallen in recent weeks. On average, Ottawa is the least penalized team in the league at just 45.2 yards per game.
Sustaining drives will be also be key as McPherson ranks ninth in the conference in third-down conversion percentage at 35.9 percent. Ottawa is allowing just three successful third-down conversions per game at a rate of 23.1 percent. The Braves convert at a 41.1-percent clip, while the Bulldogs' opponents have converted a full 50 percent of opportunities.
Next Week
McPherson heads to Wichita next Saturday to face Friends University in the Bulldogs' penultimate road game in the 2017 season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Adair-Austin Stadium.
