McPherson, KS – The McPherson College football team, put a punctuation mark on Family Weekend 2018, by defeating the Friends University Falcons 37-21 in front of a packed house at McPherson Stadium.
The Bulldogs, behind the right arm, and legs of
Ed Crouch (R-Jr. Miami Gardens, Fla.) racked up 455 total yards of offense on 71 plays. Crouch finished with 172 yards in the air on 11 of 21 passing, with 1 interception. He also had 11 rushes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Jake Tiernan (Jr. Solomon, Kan.) who split time with Crouch under center, was 10 of 16 for 152 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Corey Davis (So. Houston, Texas) was the second leading rusher for the Bulldogs, running 10 times for 38 yards and a pair of scores.
Gabe Reed (Fr. Coweta, Okla.), the Bulldog place kicker had a big night for the home team. He was 3 for 4 in field goal attempts, knocking it through from 43, 42, and 28 yards, and was a perfect 3 for 3 on PATs.
The Falcons opened the scoring with a field goal on their opening drive. The Bulldogs tied the game at 3 with a field goal of their own, on their opening possession. The Bulldog defense forced a 3 and out on the next Falcon possession, but the offense couldn't capitalize. After another punt by the Falcons, the Bulldogs were marching down the field, but an interception by Tiernan in the red-zone put the brakes on the Bulldog momentum. The defense once again rose to the challenge, and held the Falcon offense to another 3 and out.
After the defensive stand, the Bulldogs went 66 yards in 3 plays, culminating in a 60 yard touchdown pass from Tiernan to Davis to put the Bulldogs up 10-3 at the end of the first quarter. The first possession by the Falcons in the 2
nd quarter ended in another punt, and the Bulldogs made the most of the opportunity. Starting at their own 26 yard line, they went down the field in 7 plays and finished off the drive with a 31 yard touchdown run by Crouch, to extend the lead to 17-3, where it would stay for the remainder of the half.
The Bulldogs won the coin toss and deferred, so they received the second half kickoff. The 7 play drive to open the 3
rd quarter ended with a field goal attempt by Reed from 34 yards out. Reed didn't get under the ball enough, and the attempt was blocked by the Falcons' line. The Falcons then went 57 yards in 7 plays and scored a touchdown on a run by Noah Diaz, who was the Falcons leading rusher on the night with 73 yards on 20 carries. The Falcons decided to go for 2 to try and cut the Bulldog lead to a field goal, but their receiver was unable to come down with the ball in the back off the end zone, so the score remained 17-12.
Momentum continued to swing the Falcons' way as their defense forced the Bulldog offense into a 3 and out, then their offense marched down the field into the red-zone on another long drive. The Bulldog defense had a bend but don't break mentality, and they held the Falcons to a field goal, and holding on to the lead 17-15. At the end of the 3
rd period, a 44 yard pass from Crouch to
Jackson Goodmiller (Sr. Saint George, Kan.) set them up at the Friends' 16 yard line, and they looked like they were poised to go in for a score to start the final period. Unfortunately, another interception, this one by Crouch halted the Bulldog advance and once again swung the momentum back to the Falcons.
The Bulldog defense, which had been huge all game long, came through again in the clutch. The sacked the Falcon quarter back on 3
rd down, forcing the visitors to punt. The Bulldog offense took advantage of the great field position, scored on an 18 yard scramble by Crouch. The Bulldog defense forced a turnover on the next Falcon possession, a fumble, and then the offense turned that turnover into a 28 yard field goal by Reed to extend the lead to 27-15.
A couple of minutes later, another fumble by the Falcons resulted in another Reed field goal, this one from 42 yards out. That field goal essentially seal the game for the Bulldogs. Leading 30-15, they added another touchdown, a 5 yard carry by Davis, to go up 37-15, then the Falcons added a touchdown late, but failed on another 2 point conversion to make the score 37-21, the final on the scoreboard.
With the win, the Bulldogs move to 3-1 on the year. They will be on the road next weekend for a 7:00 pm start in North Newton, Kansas, against the Bethel College Threshers, who are winless on the year at 0-4.
