McPherson, Kansas – After their road victory to open up their 2026 campaign, McPherson College hosted the Bethel College Threshers just as the sun was going down over the press box. In 2025, the Bulldogs made the quick trip to North Newton, Kansas and defeated the Threshers 33-7. This year, McPherson would set a school record for the most offensive yards in a game of football.
The Basics
Location: Brubaker Family Stadium at Paul Family Field
Records: MC 2-0, BC 0-2
Score: MC 73, BC 0
How it Happened
The Bulldogs racked up 740 total yards of offense on Saturday night, shattering a program record for the most offensive yards in a game of football. Even more impressively for the Bulldogs, they were able to play complementary football on the other side of the ball and shut out the Threshers on the scoreboard.
Jalil Brown and Jamai Rutherford were responsible for the first two scores of the night in the first quarter. Brown got the Bulldogs on the board at the 5:38 mark after finding his way into the endzone on the ground from 11 yards out, followed by Rutherford and Ryan Markarian’s 43-yard connection through the air three minutes later.
Defensively, the Bulldogs forced three turnovers from the Threshers throughout the night although there were four total from Bethel; two of them through the air and one forced on the ground. Nate Campbell managed to force a fumbled while Azaiah Gonzalez and Major Hart intercepted passes from Bethel’s quarterback Brady Norman.
There were many other things to celebrate on Saturday night aside from the dominance from McPherson College. In between the first and second quarter, the 2025 KCAC Volleyball Champions (McPherson College Volleyball) received their rings from their previous season. The Brubaker Family was celebrated at halftime with the renaming of the football stadium to “Brubaker Family Stadium.” The McPherson College Drum Line was performing all night in front of a great crowd under the direction of Tom Fabing. The McPherson College Dance Team gave a great halftime performance under the lights.
In total, Ryan Markarian finished his night with 300 yards and three touchdowns through the air with a long of 43 yards. Jalil Brown finished with a season-high 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns with a blazing-fast 60-yard touchdown run to highlight his night; he averaged 11.5 a carry. Max Younie, Jacob Ford (QB), Semaj Carmichael, and RiChard Faulks all contributed on the ground with a rushing score from each.
Kenny Ray had a great night for McPherson on the other side of the ball with two solo tackles (four total) with two sacks to accompany his night. Brandon Jones added three solo tackles to his season total, while Joshua Ferguson contributed two solo tackles and 1.5 TFLs for a total loss of five yards.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will take a short road trip to Hillsboro, Kansas to take on the Bluejays of Tabor College at Joel H. Wiens Stadium this Saturday on September 12th at 6:00 PM.
