Football | 9/20/2024 4:16:00 PM
McPherson College (2-1) vs Ottawa University (0-3)
Saturday, Sep. 21, 2024 | 5:00 PM | Paul Family Field at McPherson Stadium, McPherson, Kan.
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The McPherson College Bulldogs are back at home this weekend, hosting last year's Bissell Division winner Ottawa University. MC comes into the contest riding a two-game winning streak.
A LOOK AT THE DOGS
The Bulldogs come into the contest with a 2-1 record, the lone setback coming at the hands of Tabor College in week one.
MC has been effective in the run game this season, averaging 214.3 rushing yards per game. Jalil Brown leads the Bulldogs with 260 yards on 29 carries and has scored a team-high five touchdowns. Tristan Szabo is second on the team with 135 yards on the ground.
In the passing game, Szabo has thrown for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Traven Lewis-Johnson leads all receivers with seven catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs' defense has held its opponents to just 283.3 yards per game, including 141.0 passing yards per contest. They have also allowed just 20 points per game through three games.
Nehemiah Figueroa leads the Bulldogs with 20 tackles and three interceptions through three games. Brandon Jones is close behind with 15 tackles.
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
The Braves are 0-3 coming into Saturday's tilt. OU has been held to just 10.3 points per game which ranks them last in the Bissell Division. Ottawa has also allowed 35.3 points per game.
Defensively, the Braves allow 319.3 rushing yards per game. AJ Hemphill leads the way with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Ethan Fuentes has 21 tackles on the season. Fuentes, Marcus Mendoza, and Elijah Hann have each recovered a fumble, while Hann and Jaden Thatcher each have one interception.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Braves average just 182.7 yards of total offense. Taylor Eggers has thrown for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but has five interceptions. Jordan Clay is the Braves leading rusher with 90 yards. Eggers has rushed for 80 yards and two scores.
THE SERIES VS. OTTAWA
The Bulldogs are 4-1 against Ottawa in the Fiscus era, including a 2-0 mark in McPherson. MC is on a three-game winning streak in the series and have outscored the Braves 120-49 over that stretch. Since 2004, the Braves hold an 11-9 lead in the series. OU had a six-game winning streak between 2011 to 2016.
LAST MEETING
The Bulldogs dominated the 2023 meeting between the two teams, scoring 60 points which is the second most in the Fiscus era.
Tristan Szabo threw for 265 yards and five touchdowns including a 52-yard strike to Burnts Lewis. Brysen Kerby was the Bulldogs leading rusher with 77 yards. Three Bulldogs scored touchdowns on the ground with Hayden Fry and Szabo each punching in from a yard out, while, then quarterback, Jeremiah Mosley finding the endzone on a three-yard keeper.
QUOTING FISCUS
"It's great to have the opportunity to be back home and compete in McPherson Stadium. We look forward to good competition against a sound and disciplined Ottawa program. We have to play physical sound football as a team if we want a victory."
BULLDOGS BY THE NUMBERS
Home: 1-0
Away: 1-1
When scoring:
0-6 points: 0-0
7-13 points: 0-1
14-20 points: 0-0
21-27 points: 0-0
28+ points: 2-0
When allowing:
0-6 points: 0-0
7-13 points: 1-0
14-20 points: 0-1
21-27 points: 0-0
28+ points: 1-0
When scoring first: 2-0
When opponent scores first: 0-1
When leading at halftime: 2-0
When trailing at halftime: 0-1
When tied at halftime: 0-0
CONFERENCE UPDATE
Four Kessinger Division teams remain unbeaten after three weeks of play, with Bethel, Southwestern, Friends, and Evangel all sitting at 3-0. All six Kessinger Division teams won last week with Bethel College topping Ottawa in an overtime thriller 27-24, Southwestern routing Kansas Wesleyan 44-14 in Salina, Friends taking down Avila 56-10, and Evangel pulling away in the second half against Sterling to win 38-14. Bethany College picked up its first win of the season, knocking off Tabor in Hillsboro 33-21.
ACROSS THE LEAGUE
Avila University at Bethel College
Sterling College at Bethany College
Kansas Wesleyan University at Friends University
University of Saint Mary at Evangel University
Tabor College at Southwestern 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.
THE BOILER HOUSE
Looking for a pregame meal before Saturday's football game against Ottawa? The Boiler House is now OPEN and will be serving Saturday from 1PM to 6 PM. Stop by for cold drinks and great food before heading to the stadium.
INTEGRATED HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER
Saturday's game sponsor is Integrated Health and Wellness Center. Integrated Health and Wellness Center is the official chiropractic provider of McPherson College Athletics. Located at 1319 E. First Street in McPherson, contact Dr. Brandon Trost at Integrated Health and Wellness today for all your chiropractic care. The first 50 students through the gates will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of Integrated Health and Wellness Center.
A BULLDOG WIN WOULD...
... be their fourth straight win over Ottawa University
... make them 2-0 at McPherson Stadium this season
... be their first three-game winning streak since 2019
... improve them to 5-1 against the Braves under Coach Fiscus
... improve them to 14-11 at McPherson Stadium under Coach Fiscus
... be the 27th head coaching win for Coach Fiscus
... be better than a Bulldog loss
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs are on the road next Saturday, traveling to Kansas City to take on Avila University with kickoff coming at 1:00 p.m. MC bested the Eagles in last years matchup 42-21 at McPherson Stadium.
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 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).
