OTTAWA, Kan. (MacBulldogs.com) — What a difference a week makes. Fresh off of their first setback of the season, the McPherson College Bulldogs rout the Ottawa University Braves 60-17 at AdventHealth Field in Ottawa, Kan.
“Today was awesome,” Jeremiah Fiscus said. “It was one of those days where you really got to see all of the players put in to action all of the work that they did Sunday to Friday to put themselves in that position. They executed the plans well.”
Tristan Szabo finished with 265 passing yards and five touchdowns through the air, while also toting it eight times for 55 yards and a score.
MC never trailed jumping out to a 13-0 lead thanks to a one-yard touchdown by Hayden Fry and a three-yard pass to Kennan Puckett.
Then, following an Ottawa field goal, Traven Lewis-Johnson caught a pass from Szabo and took it 37-yards for the score to put them on top 20-3.
The Braves put together a seven play, 66-yard drive capped off by a six-yard touchdown by Wynton Ruth with 5:23 left in the opening half. But that would be the last score for Ottawa until seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
However, the Bulldogs weren’t done scoring the first half, putting up two touchdowns in the final 1:09 to lead 33-10 at the break. Following a forced fumble by Marquis Willoughby, Szabo threw a deep fade to Burnts Lewis for a 52-yard touchdown on the very next play. Then, Willoughby flexed his muscles once again, picking off Billy Maples to set up a 21-yard touchdown pass to Harley Blaske with 19 seconds left in the frame.
Out of the half, it was all Bulldogs, driving 80 yards in nine plays, capped off by a Szabo quarterback sneak for the score.
The Bulldogs scored on their next possession to push their lead to 47-10, on a 22-yard pass to Alex Hill, then the defense joined in on the scoring when Kirby Lewis picked off Austin Zavala and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.
Ottawa returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, then Jeremiah Mosley called his own number late in the game, punching it in from three yards out to seal the deal and give the Bulldogs the win.
“We talked about how Saturdays are for the players to showcase their abilities, and show off the work that they put in. The biggest thing I challenged them with was to put in a solid 60 minutes of intensity. The result of that was a bunch of really explosive offensive performances and a consistency throughout the day. Saw a lot of good thing and the guys met the challenge.”
The Bulldogs (3-1) finished with 483 yards of total offense, and 186 yards on the ground. Brysen Kerby led the way with 11 carries for 77 yards. Fry rushed for 29 yards on seven carries. Burnts Lewis caught three passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Lewis-Johnson had three catches for 65 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Bulldogs had four takeaways, including three interceptions. Willoughby led the way with 10 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Zane Cornejo had nine tackles, and Jaylin Sparrow had an interception. The Bulldogs held Ottawa to 25 percent on third down (4-for-16).
MC will return to Paul Family Field at McPherson Stadium next Saturday (Sep. 23) as they play host to Avila University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
