McPherson, Kansas – McPherson College Football welcomed the Friends University Falcons on Saturday afternoon for a battle of two undefeated teams. The Bulldogs looked to remain unbeaten on the season after a strong start to their 2026 campaign, but the Falcons used a dominant rushing attack to pull away in the second half.
The Basics
Location: Brubaker Family Stadium
Records: MC 6-1 (0-1 KCAC), FU 7-0 (1-0 KCAC)
Final Score: MC 24, FU 48
How it Happened
The Bulldogs came out firing in the first quarter, as Jalil Brown broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown run to put McPherson on the board first. After a defensive stop, Jack Finder connected on a 25-yard field goal to extend the Bulldog lead to 10-0.
Friends responded with their first points of the day on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but McPherson answered as Brown punched in his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon from two yards out. The Falcons countered with a 74-yard touchdown run of their own, leaving the Bulldogs with a 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Friends continued to build momentum in the second quarter, putting together a 15-play, 67-yard drive that resulted in a one-yard touchdown run by Elon Conley. The Falcons took a 21-17 lead into halftime after holding McPherson scoreless in the second quarter.
The Falcons carried that momentum into the second half, scoring twice on one-yard touchdown runs by E’derian Sykes to extend their lead to 35-17. McPherson answered with a nine-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by Brown’s third touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 20 yards out. The score brought the Bulldogs within 11 points at 35-24 heading into the final quarter.
Friends continued to find success on the ground in the fourth quarter, as Michael Lopez broke free for a 78-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 42-24. The Falcons added one more touchdown late in the game on a seven-yard run by Sykes, securing a 48-24 victory over the Bulldogs.
Ryan Markarian led the Bulldogs through the air, completing 27 of 40 passes for 298 yards. Jamai Rutherford led McPherson’s receiving corps with eight catches for 102 yards, while Kameron Hamid added six receptions for 79 yards and Brandon McCullough finished with seven catches for 65 yards.
Brown led the Bulldog rushing attack with 110 yards on 17 carries, finding the end zone three times. Max Younie added 25 rushing yards on two attempts.
Defensively, Matthew Garcia Jr. recorded an interception, while Nate Campbell led the Bulldogs with eight total tackles. Chase Thompson added seven tackles, and Trey Kysiak, Kevin Hasley, and Kenneth Ray each recorded six or more tackles.
The Bulldogs finished with 429 yards of total offense, including 298 passing yards, but Friends’ rushing attack proved to be the difference. The Falcons totaled 467 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, averaging 9.7 yards per carry.
