McPherson, Kan – On Saturday night, the McPherson Bulldogs faced their third KCAC opponent of the season, the Tabor College Bluejays. The Bulldogs sought after an extension on their early two-game win streak after dominant showings against Bethel and Avila to open up the year. Tabor, coming off a heartbreaking loss to 14
th nationally ranked Southwestern, looked to get ahead in the win column sitting right at .500 following their two first games.
The Basics
Location: Paul Family Field at McPherson Stadium
Score: MC 49, TC 7
Records: MC 3-0 (0-0 KCAC), TC 1-2 (0-0 KCAC)
How it Happened
Tabor elected to defer to the second half, giving McPherson the opening possession to start off the day. The Bulldogs proceeded to take over six minutes off the clock with a 13-play drive that resulted in the first strike of the game. From the Tabor 12-yard line,
Ryan Markarian found
Traven Lewis-Johnson on a slant into the endzone for the 7-0 lead. On Tabor's first offensive drive, Jonavan Asuncio intercepted Ahmad Bailey's pass attempt and ran it back the other way 47 yards for a defensive touchdown, extending the lead at 14-0 early in the contest. Following a forced three-and-out, the Bulldogs were able to find the endzone one more time in the first quarter.
Jalil Brown, doing what he does best, turned what should've been a 10-yard run for a first down into a 40-yard sprint into the endzone for the 21-0 advantage.
Santiago Salas sparked the second quarter scoring for McPherson with a punch-in from a yard away to spread the lead to 28-0. With 5:48 left in the first half, it was
Jalil Brown finding his second score of the day on a six-yard carry into the endzone for another touchdown for the Bulldogs, giving his squad a 35-0 cushioned lead in the first half. Following a 55-yard field goal attempt from
Jack Finder that came up short, the Bulldogs took their 35-0 lead into the locker room.
The Bluejays would score on their first possession following the halftime break as Jerome Stewart found AJ King for a 49-yard touchdown reception, but it would only put a dent into the difference made from the first half scoring. Later in the quarter, Markarian would throw for another score finding
Edgar Bell Jr. for a 13-yard pitch-and-catch for more points, maintaining their lead at 42-7.
McPherson's last score of the day came from a
Wyatt Smith and
Jamai Rutherford connection through the air for the 32-yard touchdown, pushing the score to 49-7 which held as the eventual final for the Bulldogs.
McPherson totaled 570 yards of offense, averaging 7.6 yards per play. Defensively, the Bulldogs were lights out all night. McPherson forced 2 interceptions out of the Bluejays and got home to the quarterback six times throughout the game, racking up 40 yards for loss on the sacks alone.
Up Next
Following their third consecutive victory, McPherson College will head to Springfield, Missouri for a road matchup with the Evangel Valor on September 20
th at 6:00 PM.
