Ottawa, Kan. – It was a tough day for the McPherson College football team, falling on the road to the Ottawa University Braves 31-13.
The Bulldogs trailed the Braves 14-7 after the first quarter, and were still within striking distance at the half, down just one score, 21-13. In the second half, the Braves defense pitched a shutout while their offense put up 10 more to take care of the Bulldogs.
On the stat sheet, the Bulldogs dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 38:42, and they had five more first downs than the Braves. They had 266 yards through the air, while their counterparts threw it just 12 times for 54 yards. The difference came in the ground game, and turnovers. The Braves ran the ball 39 times for 282 yards, while the Bulldogs rushed 27 times for just 31 total yards. The Bulldogs also coughed the ball up four times, to just twice for the home team.
Trent Graves (Fr. Colorado Springs, Colo.) made his first start against the Braves. He finished the day going 33 of 48 for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the first of his young career. Unfortunately, he also had three interceptions in the loss. His favorite target was Melvin Reid (Jr. Winslow, N.J.) who caught 7 balls for 85 yards, and was on the receiving end of both touchdown tosses. On the ground, Corey Davis (Sr. Houston, Texas) was the Bulldog leader, carrying the ball 10 times for 28 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs were led by Bailey Sites (Jr. Spearville, Kan.), 4 unassisted 3 assisted tackles, Drew Labertew (Jr. McPherson, Kan.) 4 unassisted 2 assisted, Kollin Goering (Jr. McPherson, Kan.) 3 unassisted 4 assisted, and Kendryk Rankin (R-Jr. Fountain, Colo.) 3 unassisted 3 assisted.
With the loss, the Bulldog fall to 3-3 on the year. At this time, next week's game, scheduled against the University of St. Mary has been postponed. They will take the field again on October 31, at home against Kansas Wesleyan University. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:30 pm.
