McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson College returns home for the first time in three weeks to face a ranked Tabor College squad in another KCAC matchup. Kickoff from McPherson Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. The 6-2 Spires, ranked 19th in this week's NAIA Coaches Poll, are coming off a 45-14 win at Friends last Saturday.
Game Broadcasts
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 video broadcast will start at approximately 12:45 p.m.
The Series
Tabor holds a slim 24-22-1 advantage in the all-time series with McPherson dating back to 1969. The Bluejays and Bulldogs have split the last 10 meetings, but Tabor has won three of the last four and is riding a two-game winning streak overall in the series. Tabor has won the last two games contested at McPherson Stadium (29-14 in 2013 & 62-0 in 2015). Only one other game in the series has been held on Nov. 4 - a 21-14 McPherson win at McPherson Stadium in 1995.
Last Meeting
McPherson was outgained, 455-255, and quarterback Ed Crouch was sacked six times as the Bulldogs fell to Tabor at Joel H. Wiens Stadium in Hillsboro.
Tabor jumped out to a 20-0 lead before McPherson was able to get on the board. McPherson notched its first score with just 55 seconds to play in the first half as Crouch found Justin Fagan from nine yards out to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive.
Zach Johnson's 34-yard return on the ensuing kickoff gave Tabor one final chance before the break. Aided by a facemask penalty that moved the start of the drive to the McPherson 33, the Bluejays cashed in as Drevion Cooper scored on a 24-yard run with 20 seconds remaining.
After forcing McPherson into a three-and-out on its first drive of the second half, Tabor drove 83 yards on 10 plays to extend the lead to 33-7 after a successful PAT by Slavens. The teams each added two scores in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs rushed for 152 yards on 40 carries, led by 94 yards on 19 carries from Crouch. He amassed 147 gross but lost 45 yards on six sacks and another eight yards on a scramble. Tyrone Campbell added 67 yards on 17 carries. Crouch struggled to just 8-of-24 passing for 103 yards in blustery conditions, but did have a pair of touchdown passes.
Defensively, Travis Steenson finished with a game-high 19 tackles, while Dalton Whitfield added 12 and Michael Rabara and Thomas Langtree had 10 apiece. In addition to a first-quarter interception, Braden Bush had nine tackles and broke up another pass. Evan Sprayberry was dominant for the Bluejays, finishing with seven solo tackles, including five sacks. He also broke up three passes.
Last Week
McPherson closed out its 2017 road slate with a 41-28 loss at the University of Saint Mary last Saturday in Leavenworth.
The Bulldogs got an early edge on the high-powered Saint Mary passing attack as Daniel Mendenhall returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. After the teams traded touchdowns near the quarter change, the Spires rattled off 20 straight points to close out the quarter, then added another TD in the third quarter to build a 20-point lead.
McPherson scored a pair of fourth-quarter TDs - one on a 3-yard Armond McCray run and the other on an 87-yard pass from Jake Tiernan to Eman McNeal.
Saint Mary racked up 538 yards of offense on a whopping 97 plays compared to McPherson's 327 yards on 59 plays. The majority of the Spires' yards came through the air as Drew Cortez finished 45-of-61 for 455 yards and four touchdowns.
Tiernan was 21-of-45 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in his second career start. McNeal was Tiernan's big target Saturday, finishing with six catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Anderson added four catches for 54 yards, while Jackson Goodmiller had five catches for 30 yards.
Neither team was all that effective on the ground. McPherson finished with an 85-83 edge in rushing yards. Aided by his 29-yarder, McCray led the Bulldogs on the ground with 40 yards on five carries.
The Spires held a 13-minute advantage in time of possession and were 10-of-21 on third-down conversions. McPherson struggled on third down all day, converting just twice in 14 opportunities.
Defensively, Isaac Murphy led McPherson with nine tackles - all solo stops - while Thomas Lanktree added eight tackles. Isaiah Hill and Joey Hale each had a sack, while Alwin Crawford picked off his fifth pass of the season.
Looking at the Bulldogs
After beginning the season with a relatively balanced offense, McPherson's numbers are beginning to favor the pass more and more in recent weeks. The Bulldogs are averaging 372.4 yards overall – 207.1 through the air and 165.3 on the ground – to rank fifth in the KCAC in both rush offense and pass offense and sixth in total offense. McPherson also has the league's No. 2 scoring offense at 33.1 points per game.
McPherson currently has three players averaging 50 yards rushing per game. Ed Crouch is the team leader in per-game average (62.3), yardage (436) and touchdowns (6), while Tyrone Campbell ranks second on the team at 54.0 yards per game and four touchdowns. Freshman Corey Davis is second on the team in total yards (349).
Through the air, Crouch is 83-of-167 for 1,152 yards, 12 touchdowns and and three interceptions. He still ranks fourth among KCAC players in total offense and passing per game, and sits seventh in rushing average. Jake Tiernan has started two of the last three games and is 43-of-85 for 505 yards, five TDs and a pair of interceptions.
Goodmiller continues to lead the team in receiving with 40, ranking fourth among KCAC receivers. He averages 52.8 yards per game with six scores. Eman McNeal has hauled in 26 passes for 367 yards and five touchdowns, while Desmond Anderson now has 20 catches for 391 yards and three TDs.
Defensively, Lanktree has 74 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks, to rank fifth among KCAC players and 17th nationally. He also has two forced fumbles and has two interceptions. In the trenches, Isaiah Hill continues to be an intimidating force. He has 43 tackles overall with 11.0 for loss and 7.0 sacks. Hill has ranks sixth in sacks per game (0.9) and 14th in total sacks. Charles Tisby adds 10.0 tackles for loss and four sacks to the mix. Alwin Crawford picked off his fifth pass last week and ranks fourth nationally in interceptions per game (0.7) and seventh in total interceptions (5).
About the Bluejays
One week after facing one of the NAIA's most potent passing offenses at Saint Mary, McPherson will now be charged with facing one of the NAIA's top rushing offenses. Tabor ranks 10th nationally in rushing offense at 259.3 yards per game – tops in the KCAC by over 60 yards per game (Ottawa, 198.8 ypg).
Brothers Drevion and Ontre'Von Cooper have carried most of the load on the ground. Drevion leads the team in overall yards (728) and touchdowns (8), while Ontre'Von has the team's top per-game average at 91.4. Ontre'Von has been limited to just five games so far. Quarterback Curry Parham also has 67 carries for 204 yards and seven touchdowns.
With their success on the ground, it's no surprise that the Bluejays have thrown fewer times than any other KCAC school. Still, Tabor is averaging 162.9 yards per game – better than both Bethel (156.0) and Southwestern (151.6) – and have the KCAC's third-best pass efficiency rating (125.2).
Parham is 88-for-181 for 1,303 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Zach Johnson has been the most consistent target, with 31 catches for 566 yards and nine touchdowns. Charles Beale adds 20 catches for 208 yards and a score, while Justin Swims is the only other Bluejay with double-digit catches.
Beale and Johnson are also effective returners. Beale has returned 15 punts for a 7.9-yard average, while Johnson averages 22.8 yards per kickoff return.
The Bluejays have also been careful with the football with just six fumbles lost and four interceptions. With 21 takeaways, Tabor leads the KCAC in turnover margin at +11. McPherson is second at +8.
Defensively, Tabor is holding teams to a league-low 21.5 points per game. The Bluejays rank second overall (365.8 ypg) and third against the run (139.6 ypg), but are just eighth in the KCAC against the pass (226.1 ypg), which could open the door for Tiernan and Company to have a solid day.
Both teams have been stingy against the run as McPherson continues to hold teams - on average - under 100 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the NAIA. Evan Sprayberry may not lead the team in tackles, but he has been a monster against McPherson in the past. He had five sacks against the Bulldogs alone last season and currently leads the team with 8.0 sacks and 18.0 tackles for loss. Sprayberry also has four fumble recoveries to go with 46 tackles (26 solo). Brad Kistner leads the team in tackles with 70 (37 solo), while Adrian Rodriguez adds 51 (34 solo).
Next Week
McPherson closes out the season with a Senior Day contest against Sterling College on Saturday, Nov. 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at McPherson Stadium.
