Football | 8/25/2023 4:16:00 PM
McPherson College (0-0) vs Tabor College (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 | 6:00 PM | Paul Family Field at McPherson Stadium
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The McPherson College Bulldogs open the 2023 season at home tomorrow (Aug. 26) against the Tabor College Bluejays.
With the reigning KCAC Player of the Year,
Jonathan White, graduating the Bulldogs will have to replace the production of the single-season school record holder.
Brysen Kerby returns for his sophomore season after rushing for 117 yards a touchdown on 33 carries, and catching seven passes out of the backfield for 89 yards and one score.
The Bulldogs also bring back
Tristan Szabo for his junior season. Szabo completed just over 50 percent of his passes for 1,563 yards and 14 touchdowns, and was key in the Bulldog running game, rushing for 158 yards and a touchdown on 85 carries.
Defensively, the Bulldogs held their opponents to 17.7 ppg ranking them 23
rd in the nation, and 246.0 yards of offense per contest, good for 10
th in the NAIA. The Bulldogs held five of their opponents to 14 points or less last season.
The Bulldogs were also 17
th in the country with 17 interceptions, led by
Avery Crawford and
Christopher Roshell who each had two picks in 2022.
SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS
Tabor finished the 2022 season with a 6-5 record and a 5-5 mark in the KCAC. The Bluejays had wins over Iowa Wesleyan, Friends, Sterling, and Ottawa, in addition to the win in McPherson.
The Bluejays return a number of familiar faces from last season including Kourtney Craig, Cole Hernandez, Martavian Jackson, and Brooks Gardner, who all received All-Conference honors during the 2022 campaign.
Craig, a McPherson High product, led the team last season with seven sacks, and finished with 49 tackles, two force fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Gardner paced the Bluejays with 83 tackles, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Also returning for the Bluejays defense is Charles Jones, who was tops on the squad with four interceptions.
Offensively, Jakob Feil carried the ball 109 times last season, rushing for 340 yards and three scores, while Jordan Bolden had 73 totes for 222 yards.
THE SERIES VS. TABOR
The Bulldogs have won three of the last four games between the two teams, including a 42-9 drubbing in Hillsboro, Kan., in 2021. The Bluejays won four straight meetings between 2015 and 2018.
LAST MEETING
The Bluejays came out on top at McPherson Stadium in 2022, 17-16. Tabor jumped out to a 17-3 advantage at halftime, capitalizing on a fumble, then marching nearly the length of the field for a score. The Bulldogs held Tabor scoreless the rest of the way, and scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 65-yard pass from
Tristan Szabo to
Aidan Frieson with 2:28 remaining in the game. However, the PAT failed. The Bulldogs recovered the ensuing on-side kick, but were unable to move the ball down the field, turning it over on downs.
QUOTING FISCUS
"We're excited to see our kids compete. We can't wait to get our season started against a well-known and respected opponent."
2022 BULLDOGS BY THE NUMBERS
Home: 2-3
Away: 3-2
When scoring:
0-6 points: 0-0
7-13 points: 0-2
14-20 points: 0-1
21-27 points: 2-2
28+ points: 3-0
When allowing:
0-6 points: 1-0
7-13 points: 2-0
14-20 points: 1-3
21-27 points: 1-1
28+ points: 0-1
When scoring first: 3-5
When opponent scores first: 2-0
When leading at halftime: 4-3
When trailing at halftime: 1-2
When tied at halftime: 0-0
BLAKE REED MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Blake Reed was a Student Assistant Manager for the football team beginning in 2006. The coaching staff considered Blake as part of the team and an extension of the coaching staff. He learned the nuances of the game and became the team's inspirational leader. Blake passed away from complication of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy prior to the 2010 season that saw the Bulldogs go 10-1 and go undefeated in the KCAC.
In 2010 an endowed scholarship fund was established from funds raised during the inaugural Blake Reed Game and the Blake Reed Miracle Mile. To date the scholarship has raised over $80,000. Prior to Saturday's game will be the Blake Reed Memorial Scholarship Ceremony presented by head coach
Jeremiah Fiscus and Blake's father Ronnie Reed.
KCAC PRESEASON RANKINGS
The Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the KCAC Kessinger Division earlier this month, by the conference coaches. Southwestern took the top spot in the division, with Evangel picking up a pair of first-place votes to come in second. Bethel received 17 points to round out the top three, while Friends grabbed the last first-place tally.
DIVISIONAL FORMAT
With the addition of Evangel University, the KCAC introduced a new divisional format to decide the NAIA Qualifiers for the upcoming season. The two divisions are named after a pair of legendary coaches in the conference, Dr. Ted Kessinger and Franklin "Gene" Bissell. To set the 2023 and 2024 Divisions, the KCAC utilized total conference wins over the 2020 and 2021 seasons by all KCAC programs. Institutions were then placed into divisions using a snaking method to competitively balance the divisions. Divisional makeup will be reset every two years to maintain a competitive balance within and between each division.
A BULLDOG WIN WOULD...
... be their first season opening win since 2020
... be their first home opening win since 2018
... be their fourth win in the last five tries against Tabor
... improve them to 10-9 at home under
Jeremiah Fiscus
... be the 20
th head coaching win for Coach Fiscus
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs travel to Sterling, Kan. next Saturday (Sep. 2) to take on the Sterling College Warriors. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. The team will be back in McPherson on Sep. 9 to take on the University of Saint Mary.
COACH FISCUS
Jeremiah Fiscus enters his fifth year as the head coach of the McPherson College Football team in 2023.
The 2022 season proved to be a promising one, as Fiscus led the Bulldogs to a 5-5 record, but four of those five setbacks came to the top teams in the KCAC by a combined five points.
In his four years at McPherson, Fiscus has coached 46 All-KCAC players, including five first-team selections and nine players landing on the All-KCAC second team. He was also instrumental in the success of the 2020 KCAC Special Teams Player of the Year, Melvin Reed, and 2022 KCAC Player of the Year,
Jonathan White, both securing NAIA All-American honors.
Coach Fiscus is a former Bulldog who played for the college from 2006 – 2007 under coaches Dave Cunningham and Brian Ward.
Upon graduation from McPherson, he was hired as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he was the running backs coach. After earning a master's degree in sports administration from Northwestern State in 2010, Coach Fiscus was hired as a graduate assistant at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. While at TCU, he earned another master's degree, this one in educational administration, and worked for head coach Gary Patterson as assistant offensive line coach and recruiting assistant.
In his two seasons at TCU, the Horned Frogs won two Mountain West Conference championships, in addition to winning the Rose Bowl and the Poinsettia Bowl. He coached two All-Conference offensive linemen and the MWC offensive player of the year, Andy Dalton.
After two years with the Horned Frogs, Coach Fiscus was hired by Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He spent six seasons with the Reddies in a multitude of positions. He worked as director of equipment operations, team travel coordinator, NFL liaison, OL/TE/FB coach, recruiting coordinator, and offensive coordinator. During his time there, the Reddies won three GAC championships, had three NCAA D2 playoff appearances, and twice were #1 in scoring offense in NCAA D2 football.
Coach Fiscus is a 2003 graduate of Stafford High School in Kansas and was a multi-sport standout, lettering in track and field and football. After high school, he attended Dodge City Community College, playing for the Conquistadors from 2003-2005. After getting his associate degree at DCCC, Coach Fiscus transferred to McPherson College, where he played for two seasons and finished his education, graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in education.
Coach Fiscus is married to Jessie, and they have two daughters, Lennox (2016), and Laiken (2019), and a son Leonard (2021).
