Box Score WINFIELD, Kan. – On Family Day at Richard L. Jantz Stadium, the No. 6-ranked Southwestern College football squad played host to the McPherson College Bulldogs for the Builders' second straight home Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) contest on their slate. After a thrilling comeback win last week against Avila, SC pulled off a similar triumph in the battle with the Bulldogs on Saturday, winning 23-22 after trailing 16-7 at one point in the second quarter.
Points were coming fast and furious in the early stages of play, as after each team failed to score on their opening possessions, McPherson quickly constructed a touchdown drive of one 20-yard rushing play. The great field position was the result of a special teams gaffe by the Southwestern punt team. A poor snap back to Gabriel Medrano ended up in a loss of 17 yards and a turnover on downs by the home team at their own 20 yard-line. Then, after throwing an interception on their next possession, the Builders were able to force a punt from the Bulldogs. Southwestern would finally crack the scoreboard with an 80-yard march on five plays, which was capped off by a 44-yard TD catch and run by Josh Edson from Brad Cagle. Unfortunately, MC quickly responded with a lightning quick 75-yard drive on three plays, finished off by a 14-yard pass to the endzone. That would conclude the scoring in the opening quarter, as it was a 14-7 McPherson lead.
Offense was difficult to come by for the Moundbuilders for the majority of the day, as evidenced by the first points scored in the second quarter by the visitors. After starting their second full possession of the period at their own 12 yard-line, SC took a holding penalty which backed them up half of the distance to the goal. Then, after an incomplete pass and a one-yard rush, it was 3rd and 15 from the Builders' seven yard-line. Brad Cagle dropped back and was sacked on the play in the endzone, resulting in a safety and two points for McPherson. After holding the visitors to nothing on their ensuing drive by making a critical 4th down stop near midfield, Southwestern would take advantage of a short field by going 52 yards on five plays. Edson cashed in again for his second TD reception of the afternoon, hauling in a 13-yard pass from Cagle. The Bulldogs looked like they may threaten for points before the half, but a huge sack from Shane Rodriguez stopped the MC momentum and kept the score at 16-14 at the intermission.
Outside of the locker rooms in the third quarter, Southwestern had a massive time-wasting possession to start things, as a 6:40 drive that amassed 92 yards on 17 plays concluded with a 10-yard touchdown run from Jaqulis Coleman. A two-point conversion attempt would not be converted successfully, though, as the score remained 20-16 nearly halfway through the penultimate stanza. Nothing else would be added to the scoreboard in the third frame, as three three-and-outs and an interception were the results of the final four possessions of the quarter.
In the fourth, the Bulldogs would start things out by punting back to the Moundbuilders, who responded to that with a six-play field-goal drive aided by three consecutive 15-yard penalties from the Bulldog defense. A difficult 45-yard field goal by Medrano would put SC up by a 23-16 tally with 10:45 left in the bout. McPherson, though, would not go down easily. In fact, they were able to score a touchdown on their next possession after driving 75 yards on nine plays. A passing TD of four yards completed the march for MC, as they were just a PAT shy of tying the game. Incredibly, the extra-point attempt clanked off of the left upright and bounced back into play, keeping the game at a 23-22 score. After a quick three-and-out from the Builder offense, McPherson had a chance to summon a game-winning drive, but could not sustain their possession on a 4th down play from two yards away from the first-down marker. An incomplete pass that was broken up by Taveon Williamson severely dashed the Bulldogs' chances at an upset. The SC offense still had to pick up a first down, which they did with relative ease, rushing for a total of 13 yards on their first two plays of the game-sealing possession to earn the victory by a final of 23-22.
In the Builder passing game, Cagle began the day as the quarterback, as he was able to complete 11 of 23 passes for 135 yards and two TD's. He also threw a pair of interceptions, before leaving the game with an injury. Thomas Yam relieved Cagle with a 3-of-12 passing performance for 41 yards and was picked off once.
Coleman led the running game in carries with 18 totes. He tallied 61 yards on the ground, adding a touchdown to his resume. His longest carry of the afternoon was the 10-yard TD burst that he had in the third quarter. Martez Jones II was efficient when called upon, racking up 37 yards on seven carries with a single-rush long of 18 yards. The QB's, Cagle and Yam, totaled 17 yards combined on 12 carries in the battle, which was hurt by 21 yards in sack yardage. Cameron Cornelius did convert on a fake punt in the opening half, as his 15-yard run on a direct snap in punt formation converted a necessary first down for Southwestern.
Edson was the talk of the town after this one, putting up career-best numbers in single-game catches (7), single-game receiving yards (90), and single-game TD's (2). His efforts led the squad on Saturday, as the team was also aided by two catches for 50 yards by Layke Hoffman and three grabs for 24 yards from Ziyon Kenner. Jordyn Jackson added a catch for 13 yards, which picked up a first down.
Though the defense did allow 326 yards of offense to the Bulldogs, they stepped up in the most important moments, as they have done all season. Travon Crockett and Josh Carter led the team in stops, as they each racked up nine total tackles. They also each had one tackle for a loss. Drew Smith added value defensively with eight total tackles and a half sack, as well as an assisted tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Shane Rodriguez tallied one-and-a-half sacks in the matchup, along with four total stops. The squad swatted away five passes in this tilt, as Williamson denied two passes, and Havird and Kiare Worthy each knocked one pass awry. The aforementioned D. Smith knocked the other pass off target.
Medrano's 45-yard field goal proved to make a large difference in this game, as well, as the 23-22 victory largely depended on him knocking through a tremendously difficult and pressure-filled kick.
Southwestern (5-0, 5-0 KCAC) continues their undefeated season with all eyes on the upcoming battle with the Bethel College Threshers in North Newton, Kan. next Saturday, October 8 at 6 p.m. The battle is the faceoff of the two remaining unbeaten squads in the conference, and will no doubt attract heavy fanfare from the national pollsters around the country.
--buildersports.com--
