Football | 11/15/2024 4:30:00 PM
(RV) McPherson College (8-2) vs #21 Southwestern College (9-1)
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 | 1:00 PM | Paul Family Field at McPherson Stadium | McPherson, Kan.
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The (RV) McPherson College Bulldogs return to the gridiron Saturday (Nov. 16), playing host to the Southwestern College Moundbuilders. The matchup features the top two passers in the Kessinger Division.
A LOOK AT THE 'DOGS
MC enters the contest with an 8-2 record, after suffering their first loss in Kessinger Division play, and their first loss of the season at home. The Bulldogs are 22nd in the country, scoring 36.9 ppg. MC has scored at least 30 points in all but one game this season.
The Bulldogs are led by a dynamic duo of Tristan Szabo and Jalil Brown. Szabo leads the Bulldogs in the passing game, throwing for 1,938 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Brown eclipsed the 1k mark last week, and now has 1,070 rushing yards and a team-best 14 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bulldogs rank 24th in the NAIA, holding their opponents to 19.1 ppg. Nehemiah Figueroa leads the Bulldogs with five interceptions. Jacob Goad is tops on the team with four sacks.
SCOUTING THE MOUNDBUILDERS
Southwestern College enters the contest with a 9-1 record with their lone loss coming to Friends University. The Moundbuilders are ranked 13th in the country in scoring, averaging 43.3 ppg.
Braden Howell leads the Builders' offense, completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 2,479 yards and 34 touchdowns, the latter ranking him second in the country. Matthew Holthusen has caught 53 catches for 875 yards and a team-best 12 touchdowns. Bryce Chambers is second on the team with 42 catches for 431 yards and eight scores. JB Burnett is the Builders leading rusher, recording 772 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Not only do the Builders have a potent offense, but SC boasts one of the top defenses in the NAIA, holding their opponents to just 13.1 ppg which ranks them sixth in the country. Isaiah Yehudah leads the team with 55 total tackles, while Jacardon Hardemon is tops on the team with nine sacks. Deago Stubbs leads the way with four interceptions.
SERIES VS. SOUTHWESTERN
This is the 69th all-time meeting between the two schools, and the Builders hold a 48-20 lead in the series. The Bulldogs are 14-22 at home in the series. Southwestern has won each of the last four meetings between the two squads with three of those games coming in Winfield, Kan.
LAST MEETING
The Bulldogs 2023 campaign came to an end in heartbreaking fashion, falling 28-21 to Southwestern in Winfield, Kan. The Bulldogs found themselves in a battle despite being outgained by over 200 yards. The Moundbuilders also had 20 more first downs, and nearly 30 more offensive plays. The Bulldogs led 21-20 late in the game, but Braden Howell punched it in from a yard out to put the Builders on top with just 29 seconds remaining.
Wyatt Smith threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns, one to Traven Lewis-Johnson and one to Harley Blaske. Brysen Kerby led the Bulldogs with 65 yards rushing, and Jalil Brown finished with 37 yards and a touchdown. Howell finished with 299 passing yards for the Builders.
BULLDOGS BY THE NUMBERS
Home: 4-1
Away: 4-1
When scoring:
0-6 points: 0-0
7-13 points: 0-1
14-20 points: 0-0
21-27 points: 0-0
28-34 points: 2-0
35+ points: 6-1
When allowing:
0-6 points: 0-0
7-13 points: 4-0
14-20 points: 2-1
21-27 points: 1-0
28-34 points: 1-0
35+ points: 0-1
When scoring first: 6-0
When opponent scores first: 2-2
When leading at halftime: 7-1
When trailing at halftime: 0-1
When tied at halftime: 1-0
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second week in a row, Jalil Brown has been named KCAC Offensive Player of the Week thanks to his outstanding performance in the Bulldogs heartbreaking loss to Friends. Brown rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries, as well as caught six passes for 59 yards and a score. He wasted no time letting his presence known, racing 72-yards for a touchdown on his second carry of the game to put the Bulldogs on top early.
KESSINGER DIVISION UPDATE
Friends University controls its own fate entering the final week, following its 36-35 win over the Bulldogs. Southwestern and McPherson are both 3-1 in divisional play.
During non-divisional play, the six Kessinger Division squads hold a combined 29-6 record against the Bissell Division. In the two seasons in this current format, Kessinger teams are 54-17 against the other side. Divisions will be reselected next season based on the combined records over the 2022-2023 seasons. The Kessinger Division outscored the Bissell Division 1,190-577 in 2024.
ACROSS THE LEAGUE
University of Saint Mary at Avila University
Friends University at Bethany College
Kansas Wesleyan University at Sterling College
Evangel University at Bethel College
Ottawa University at Tabor College
OVER THE AIRWAVES
Never miss a moment of the action this season thanks to Ad Astra Radio. Every Bulldog football game will be broadcast on 98.9 FM KMCP. Listen live to play-by-play voice Lane Gillespie as he calls all the action when the Bulldogs are at home or on the road.
A BULLDOG WIN WOULD...
... improve them to
... make them 5-1 at McPherson Stadium this season
... improve them to 17-12 at home under Coach Fiscus
... be the 33rd head coaching win for Coach Fiscus
... be better than a Bulldog loss
COACH FISCUS
Jeremiah Fiscus enters his sixth year as the head coach of the McPherson College Football team in 2024.
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 five years at McPherson, Fiscus has coached 57 All-KCAC players, including six first-team selections and 14 players landing on the All-KCAC second team. He has also coached three NAIA All-Americans, including 2020 KCAC Special Teams Player of the Year, Melvin Reed, and 2022 KCAC Player of the Year, Jonathan White.
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 DII playoff appearances, and twice were #1 in scoring offense in NCAA DII 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).
