McPherson, Kan – Under a blazing hot sun this past Saturday afternoon, the McPherson Bulldogs went toe-to-toe with the visiting Ottawa University Braves. It was a sea of red in the home bleachers for the homecoming battle, making it a great afternoon to watch the KCAC showdown. Ottawa looked to improve upon their record sitting at 2-2, while the Bulldogs sought after their fifth consecutive win as they approach the midway point of the regular season.
The Basics
Location: Paul Family Field at McPherson Stadium
Score: MC 70, OU 28
Records: MC 5-0, OU 2-3
How it Happened
Coming off a win over previously ranked Evangel last Saturday, the McPherson Bulldogs faced two opponents on Saturday: the Ottawa Braves, and the sun. This was the first afternoon test for the Bulldogs as every game up to this point had been under the lights in cooler temperatures.
Despite the heat, McPherson looked as strong as ever, scoring on their first possession at the 10:36 mark of the first quarter as
Jalil Brown broke off for a 13-yard burst into the endzone through Ottawa defenders for the 7-0 lead. Following a forced three-and-out by the Bulldogs' defense, it was Brown once again on McPherson's second touchdown of the day; this time through the air.
Ryan Markarian found Brown wide open on a wheel route up the sideline, resulting in a 57-yard reception for the 14-0 advantage.
Xavier Kendrick ended Ottawa's next drive with a highlight-reel interception, giving the Bulldogs an extra possession. On the first play of the drive, Markarian found another wide-open target in
Jamai Rutherford for a 39-yard reception for six more points on the board.
Ottawa managed to score on the ensuing drive as Luke Edwards found Jayden Johnson on a moonball near the goal line where Johnson snatched the ball out of the air and brought it down for the Braves touchdown. With McPherson's lead sitting at 21-7, the Bulldogs added on two plays later when Markarian completed a 71-yard reception to
Horace Bradshaw who won his foot race to the endzone with Ottawa's secondary.
The Bulldogs kept their offense hot in the second quarter as Markarian would once again throw for another touchdown; this time,
Kaden Millinder hauled in the pass and scored for the Bulldogs on a 26-yard reception to take a 35-7 lead in the second quarter. With 3:35 left in the half,
Santiago Salas entered the game and maintained the Bulldogs' offensive firepower. Salas sprinted toward the endzone on a 2
nd & 8 from Ottawa's 38-yard line and made his way to the promise land for the score.
With seconds left in the half, the Braves were knocking on McPherson's door with the ball sitting at the four yard-line. Edwards' pass toward the endzone with time ticking away was intercepted by
Jonavan Asuncion, and it looked as if the Bulldogs would take their 42-7 lead into the halftime break; Asuncion had other plans. With 100 yards separating Asuncion and the Ottawa endzone, he and his convoy of blockers galloped the entire length of the field for the 100-yard pick six. The teams finally made their way towards the locker room at halftime with the score standing at 49-7.
Jonavan Asuncion continued to make plays for the Bulldogs, as the linebacker sacked Edwards in the backfield on Ottawa's first possession of the half and jarred the ball free; McPherson's
Tyler Powell recovered the football, gaining yet another extra possession.
The Braves managed to find two scores towards the end of the third quarter, but McPherson's lead was a tall task to match with just a quarter to go. Markarian threw for his last touchdown of the game at the 13:33 mark of the fourth quarter; Millinder found his second score of the game after hauling in the catch for 21 yards into the endzone. The Bulldogs sent
Greg Robinson into the game who wasted no time at all scoring his first touchdown of the season on an 18-yard rush for six points with 6:16 left to go in the game.
Wyatt Smith also saw action in this contest and threw for a score to
Jamai Rutherford on a 34-yard reception that would cap off the scoring for the day. After the final second ticked off the clock, McPherson ended their homecoming weekend with a 70-28 victory over the Braves; this game marks the most amount of points scored in a single game under Head Coach
Jeremiah Fiscus.
For the first time since 2011, the Bulldogs are 5-0.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will take a short trip up to Lindsborg for their next contest as they face Bethany College on October 4
th at Coach Ted Kessinger Family Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM.
