Photo by Junior Silva
Kansas City, Mo. – The McPherson College football team fell to 5-4 on the season with a 33-17 loss, on the road, at Avila University.
The first half belonged to the Bulldogs. They scored the only points in the opening quarter, a 21 yard field goal by
Caden Bush. In the second quarter, the Eagles scored nine unanswered points on a touchdown and a safety. Trailing 9-3, the Bulldogs scored a touchdown on their final drive of the half, an eight yard touchdown pass from
Tristan Szabo to David Macmahon.
Out of the break, back to back fumbles by the Bulldogs led to 14 points for the Eagles, in a matter of four five minutes. Avila would score 24 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters, before the Bulldogs finally got on the board again on their final drive, another touchdown pass from Szabo, this one to
Hayden Fry from four yards out.
The Bulldogs would finish the game with 294 yards of total offense. After over 200 yards rushing last week against St. Mary, the Eagles had a good game plan defensively, holding the Bulldogs to just 53 yards on the ground.
Individually, Szabo finished with 241 yards through the air on 23 of 34 attempts. He also finished with three interceptions.
Jonathan White was the Bulldogs' leading rusher, carrying the ball 12 times for 42 yards. He was also Szabo's top receiving target, catching five passes for 36 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball,
Kollin Goering led the Bulldogs with 9 tackles, six solo, and three assisted.
Kaleb Hamblin caught the Eagles behind the line of scrimmage three times for 10 yards lost. The Bulldogs forced one turnover, a fumble recovered by
Aaron Cyrus.
The Bulldogs will wrap up the season next Saturday at home against the Sterling College Warriors, who will also enter the game with a 5-4 record. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm at Paul Family Field.
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