KCAC

[Football] Football Gameday Preview: Falcons Back in Action Today at Home vs. Ottawa

The Lowdown: Ottawa University at Friends UniversityLocation: Adair-Austin Stadium, Wichita, Kan.Kickoff: Nov. 7, 1:00 pmLive Broadcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/Flying with the Falcons: The last time the Friends University Falcons saw the field, they ambushed the Sterling College Warriors with their most points since 2011 in a 56-21 rout back on Oct. 10. The Falcons scored 35 unanswered points in registering their most lopsided victory since 2015.Dan Dawdy (SR/Haysville, Kan.) and Joshua Morris (SO/Mt. Pleasant, Texas) each put together effective performances at the quarterback spot for the Falcons. Dawdy was 10-of-18 for 162 yards and three touchdowns, while Morris had the best game of his career with eight completions in 13 attempts for one score to go along with his rushing touchdown. He also carried the ball 10 times for a career-high 79 yards.The Falcons also got a career day on the ground from Dawson Marcum (SO/Durango, Colo.), as the sophomore running back from Durango, Colo. was effective carrying the ball throughout and finished with a career-best 154 yards while averaging 6.7 yards per carry.Tyler English (SR/Dallas, Texas) and Kevin Green (FR/Waxahachie, Texas) each led the Falcons with five receptions, with English hauling in a career-best 81 yards and Green tallying 50 receiving yards. Cade Nagy (SO/Broken Arrow, Okla. ) also had three receptions for 77 yards.Dawdy has completed 96-of-172 passes and is third in the KCAC with 205.6 passing yards per game. The Falcons are also getting similar production on the ground, as running back Juan Salazar (SR/Vernon, Texas) is fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game (93.8). Nagy anchors the Falcon receiving corps, ranking fourth in the league in receptions per game (5.2) and fifth in receiving yards per game (62.6).On the defensive side, David Akao (JR/Wichita, Kan.) leads the Falcons and is third in the league and eighth in the NAIA with 10.6 tackles per game, with Jagger Blubaugh (SO/Wichita, Kan. ) second on the team 34 stops. Christian Ryan (SR/Grapevine, Texas) has three interceptions on the season for the Falcons, which is tied for first in the league and fourth in the nation.Marcum is second in the NAIA in all purpose yards per game (169), while Bobby Schmidt (JR/Sapulpa, Okla. ) is tied for fourth in field goals this season (five).As a team, the Falcons are a solid third in the NAIA in first downs per game (25.6), ninth in third down conversions (46.6) and 10th in rushing offense per game (199.2).Scouting the Braves: The Ottawa University Braves are 3-1 on the season and 2-1 in the KCAC, most recently winning 35-17 at the University of Saint Mary last Saturday (Oct. 31).The Braves have primarily used two quarterbacks thus far this season in Bailey Shire and Eugene Sainterling. Each has tossed three touchdown passes, with Shire throwing for 221 yards and four interceptions and recording 184 passing yards and one interception.Derrick Curtis paces the Braves on the ground with a KCAC-leading 631 rushing yards along with seven scores. Colton Davis has a team-best 16 catches and 197 yards for Ottawa.The Series: The Falcons are 2-3 vs. Ottawa in the past five meetings, but won last season's regular season finale on the road 20-13.  This is the Braves first trip to Wichita since 2017, when the Braves eked out a 34-28 win in triple overtime.Quoting Head Coach Dion Meneley: "We are excited to get back to playing games and look forward to the challenge Ottawa presents. After this long of a layoff, we are focused on playing a fast and clean game.""Special" Special Teams: For his performance in the Falcons' last game, a 56-21 victory over Sterling College, Bobby Schmidt was named the KCAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 12. Schmidt won the award after converting all eight of his extra points in the Falcons' victory while averaging 60 yards on nine kickoffs along with a 32.8 average on four punts.A native of Sapulpa, Okla., Schmidt also recorded three touchbacks and pinned the Warriors inside their 20-yard line on two occasions."Bobby has been an extremely consistent performer for us at the kicking and punting positions," said Dion Meneley, Friends University football head coach."We always know we have a shot at points if we can get a couple first downs on the opponent's side of the field and he does a great job of changing field position in the punting game.  When kicking off, it is fun to know we can move the ball around based on what the weather or opposing talent dictates.  We are very fortunate to have a specialist with Bobby's talents and he is very deserving of this award."What's the Rush?: This matchup features two of the better rushing teams in the NAIA, with the Braves coming in seventh in rushing yards per game (217.3), with the Falcons ranking 10th in the nation (199.2). The Braves' Derrick Curtis is the NAIA's leading rusher at 157.8 yards per game.Ticket Information: Tickets for tomorrow afternoon's home game vs. Ottawa University is available at the following link and must be purchased online.  Face coverings will also be required for entrance into the stadium. https://www.friendsathletics.com/ticketingMammoth Sports Construction: We are proud to have Mammoth Sports Construction as an official sponsor of Friends University Football this season! For more info on their services, click HERE to visit their official website.Falcons by the Numbers:When scoring:0-6 points: 0-07-13 points: 0-014-20 points: 1-221-27 points: 0-028 points+: 1-1When allowing:0-6 points: 0-07-13 points: 1-014-20 points: 0-121-27 points: 1-028 points+: 0-2When leading at halftime: 2-0When trailing at halftime: 0-3When tied at halftime: 0-0When winning the turnover battle: 1-1When losing the turnover battle: 1-2The Coaches:Dion Meneley is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Friends University football program after a brief stint as the Falcon's defensive coordinator when he was originally hired by the university in 2017.For the second straight season, Meneley's Falcons finished the year strong, winning their final two games after beginning the 2019 campaign with seven losses in their first eight games.Meneley coached 10 All-KCAC performers last season, including unanimous first-team senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms, who notched a single-season record 14.5 sacks. Pharms also earned first-team AFCA-NAIA and Associated Press NAIA All-America honors last season.Off the field, Meneley's junior defensive lineman, Kevin McKenzie (SR/Keota, Okla.), received the prestigious KCAC Male Student-Athlete Champion of Character award.After starting last season 0-6 in 2018, Meneley helped the Falcons finish strong with three wins in their last five outings.In his first season at the helm, Meneley oversaw a Falcons' defensive unit that featured the KCAC Defensive Player of the Year, Tim Hamilton in his debut season.Overall, the Falcons led the KCAC in sacks (26.5), yards allowed per game (300.9) campaign, (112.5) and opponent first downs (181) in the 2017 campaign.  The Falcons were also a close second in the league in points allowed per game (22.8 ppg).Meneley helped establish a prowess in the classroom, as 11 Falcons earned KCAC Scholar Athlete honors, eight were on the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society list and five received NAIA Scholar Athlete recognition. The Falcons' Hampshire Honor Society honorees ranked second among NAIA schools, behind only Peru State's nine recipients.Prior to coming to Friends, Meneley was in his fifth season at Hutchinson Community College as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In his first four seasons at Hutchinson, Meneley's defenses produced six NJCAA All-Americans and 31 all-Jayhawk Conference performers. In 2012, the Blue Dragons led the Jayhawk conference in pass defense scoring, they were second in total defense and second in rush defense.In 2014, Meneley's defense was one of the best in the Jayhawk Conference. The 2014 Blue Dragons captured the program's first conference title and had its highest final national ranking of No. 4 after a record 11-1 season.A native of Topeka, Meneley came to Hutchinson with experience at the NAIA and NCAA Division ll levels. Before Hutchinson, Meneley was an assistant coach at Fort Hays State University where he was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers in 2011. He also coached the defensive line. Before that, he spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Southwestern College in Winfield.Meneley was a two-time All-MIAA selection at outside linebacker and one-time All-MIAA selection at defensive end for Pittsburg State. During his playing career, he was a part of three MIAA championships and the 1995 team that finished as the NCAA Division ll runner-up. He was a team captain for the Gorillas in 1999.He received his bachelor's degree in general studies from Pittsburg State University and his master's degree in leadership from Southwestern College.Meneley and his wife Misti have been married for six years and currently reside in Derby, Kan.Dr. Kent Kessinger is in his 17th season as head coach of the Ottawa University Braves. Kessinger has earned three KCAC Coach of the Year awards while guiding the Braves to four KCAC championships and six NAIA National Playoff appearances.      Up Next: The Falcons are scheduled to host the University of Saint Mary next Saturday (Nov. 14), with a 1 pm kickoff at Adair-Austin Stadium.