WICHITA, Kan. — The Southwestern College football team extended its winning streak to six games Saturday afternoon, defeating McPherson College 27-24 in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup at Equity Bank Park in Wichita.
With the victory, the Moundbuilders improved to 8-1 overall and remained undefeated in KCAC Bissell Division play at 3-0, holding sole possession of first place in the division standings. McPherson fell to 7-2 overall and 1-2 in division play.
Southwestern jumped out to an early lead behind a strong first-half performance from its offense and defense. Quarterback Jamie Odom connected with Dazurre Paggett for a 19-yard touchdown pass midway through the opening quarter to put the Builders ahead 7-0.
The Southwestern defense continued to create opportunities, with Isaiah Yehudah intercepting a McPherson pass and returning it 8 yards to set up another scoring possession. Christian Steward capitalized with a 2-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.
McPherson got on the scoreboard with a 16-yard field goal from Jason Weston in the second quarter, but Southwestern responded before halftime. Odom capped a 66-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run as time expired, sending the Moundbuilders into the locker room with a 21-3 advantage.
Southwestern opened the second half with a successful onside kick recovery, setting up another scoring opportunity. The Builders capitalized when Steward connected with Bryce Chambers on a 3-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 27-3 early in the third quarter.
McPherson responded with 21 unanswered points behind a pair of rushing touchdowns from Jalil Brown and a 4-yard touchdown reception by Kameron Hamid. The Bulldogs narrowed the deficit to three points with 2:51 remaining, but Southwestern held on for the 27-24 victory.
Odom led the Southwestern offense, completing 9 of 17 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown while adding a team-high 58 rushing yards and another score. Steward contributed 22 rushing yards and a touchdown while also throwing the 3-yard scoring pass to Chambers.
In the receiving game, Jenson Harness led the Builders with three receptions for 41 yards. Chambers added three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown, while Paggett finished with two receptions for 33 yards and a score.
Defensively, Southwestern forced three interceptions, with Joshua Mars recording two takeaways and Yehudah adding another. Yehudah and Jason Wickliff tied for the team lead with eight total tackles apiece, while Wickliff also recorded a tackle for loss.
The Moundbuilders finished with 225 yards of total offense and 19 first downs. McPherson totaled 292 offensive yards but was limited to just 1-for-6 on third-down conversions.
For McPherson, Ryan Markarian completed 14 of 21 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, while Brown rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
The victory marked Southwestern's sixth consecutive win and kept the Moundbuilders in control of the KCAC Bissell Division race heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Southwestern will return home Saturday, Nov. 7, for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Richard L. Jantz Stadium in Winfield, Kansas.
