Wichita, Kan – It was a rainy Top 20 matchup down the road in Wichita as the Bulldogs, ranked 20th in the nation, made the trip down south to face 5th nationally ranked Friends University on their homecoming weekend.
The Basics
Location: Adair-Austin Stadium
Records: MC (6-1, 0-1 KCAC), FU (7-0, 1-0. KCAC)
Score: MC 32, FU 56
How it Happened
The first quarter displayed McPherson’s high-caliber offense back in action as Ryan Markarian and Horace Bradshaw connected for a 73-yard reception for the opening score, taking an early 7-0 lead. Friends’ triple option offensive attack was tough to stop on their first drive, marching 79 yards downfield on a 12-play drive capped off by a highlight reel touchdown from quarterback K’Vonte Baker to tie knot the game at 7-7.
On McPherson’s very next drive, Markarian found Jamai Rutherford up the sideline as Rutherford made his way to the endzone from 63 yards away to take the lead back at 14-7. On the Falcons’ next possession, an errand pitch on the triple option fell off target and was recovered by Dominique Bell deep in Friends’ territory, resulting in Markarian punching his way into the endzone from a yard out to take a 21-7 first quarter lead.
The Falcons had brought themselves back to within a score after E’derian Skykes broke loose for 68 yards to bring McPherson’s lead down to 21-14. After McPherson’s ensuing six-and-a-half-minute drive, Jack Finder would connect on a 31-yard field goal to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 24-14. With just seconds left on the clock in the first half, K’Vonte Baker found the endzone again from five yards away to bring the lead back to one score at 24-21.
What happened on McPherson’s next drive changed the game immensely. With seconds left on the clock, the Bulldogs attempted to get downfield to score before having to kick the ball back to Friends following the halftime break. Markarian’s pass attempt up the sideline would be intercepted by Joshua Flash who brought the ball back to the goal line before lateralling the ball over to Kasey Lehman for the completed pick-six, taking a stunning 28-24 lead into the locker room.
The Falcons continued to dominate entering the second half as they marched downfield 80 yards and the score. Baker would find his third rushing score of the day from 11 yards out to extend the lead to 35-24. Jalil Brown was able to find his first rushing score of the day with 5:58 left in the third quarter on an 11-yard carry. He would then score a two-point conversion off the throw from Markarian to shrink the Friends lead down to 35-32. The Falcons matched McPherson’s score with one of their own as Kaden Rigsby galloped into the endzone from 28 yards away to put the lead back up to 42-32 with 3:41 remaining in the contest.
Just when it looked like the Bulldogs would march downfield to keep their hopes alive, a fumble at midfield would haunt McPherson as Friends recovered the ball and brought it back into McPherson territory, steepening the uphill battle for the visitors.
The defense managed to stall Friends to get the Bulldogs’ offense back onto the field, but the Falcons put the nail in the coffin with a 55-yard pick-six from Camari Geddis to take the 49-32 lead. Sykes would put one more touchdown on the board for the Falcons with five minutes left in the contest, taking a 56-32 lead for the eventual victory over McPherson.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be back at home for the first time in over three weeks. They’ll take on the St. Mary Spires at McPherson Stadium this upcoming Saturday on October 25th with kickoff set for 1:00 PM.
