KCAC
[Football] Football Gameday Preview: Falcons Return to Adair-Austin Stadium Tomorrow vs. Bethany
The Lowdown: Bethany College at Friends UniversityLocation: Adair-Austin Stadium, Wichita, Kan.Kickoff: Oct. 30, 1:00 pmLive Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons are looking for their first victory of the 2021 campaign following setbacks against a pair of nationally-ranked opponents in Kansas Wesleyan University and Bethel College to start the season and then most recently falling short 28-14 at Ottawa University last Saturday (Oct. 23). Quarterback Joshua Morris (SO/Mt. Pleasant, Texas) leads the Falcons with 412 yards through the air, while Alex Duran (SO/Ventura, Calif.) has thrown for 346 yards in four games. Morris also ranks second on the team in rushing with 327 yards.Laken Clowdus (FR/Barlesville, Okla.) has run for a team-high 409 yards for the Falcons along with a team-leading three scores.The receiving corps is led by Cade Nagy (SO/Broken Arrow, Okla.)'s 24 receptions for 354 yards and two touchdowns.Bobby Schmidt (JR/Sapulpa, Okla.) has made all 11 of his extra-point attempts this season and is 2-3 on field-goal tries.Defensively, Jagger Blubaugh (SO/Wichita, Kan.) paces the Falcons and is second in the KCAC with 79 tackles, with Tucker Trevett (FR/Wichita, Kan.) now leading the way and ranking tied for 10th in the league with 3.5 sacks on the season. Scouting the Swedes: The Bethany College Swedes are also aiming for their first win this season with an identical 0-7 mark. Three quarterbacks have seen action in at least four games this season, with Nick Truelove passing for a team-high 443 yards and three scores. J.J. Allen (269 yards) and Darion Turner (244 yards) each lead the Swedes in rushing, while Trevin Chandler has team-highs in receptions (25), receiving yards (307) and touchdowns (three).Larry Hall leads the Bethany defense in tackles (70) and Ra'Isaiah Johnson has a team-best 4.5 sacks.The Series: The last time these two schools faced off was in 2019 when Nick Navarro booted a 38-yard FG in overtime to give the Falcons a thrilling 34-31 victory for their seventh win in the last eight meetings in the series. Friends is 12-4 vs. Bethany dating back to the 2004 season. Quoting Interim Head Coach Matt Byers: "The kids are excited and looking forward to this weekend's matchup vs Bethany. Although we have come up on the short end of some recent results, this team is getting better and better every single week. The one thing I know about this group is they have no quit. They are resilient! This is a group of great young men who every day come to work to get better and it is starting to be shown. Our mentality is the same, we are looking to go 1-0 every day and every game. We are excited to play in front of a home crowd but more importantly to get back on the field and play with Falcon pride and passion."Ticket Information: Tickets for this matchup vs. Bethany College are available at the link below.https://www.friendsathletics.com/ticketing Phoenix Homecare and Hospice Halftime Report: If you're watching at home, stick around for the Phoenix Homecare and Hospice Halftime Report once the first half concludes. Our play-by-play announcer Jeff Darr will be joined by Friends University women's basketball student-athlete Gracie Sammons. Gracie and the Falcons open the 2021-22 season Tuesday night at home vs. Barclay College. Click HERE to view the broadcast.Mammoth Sports Construction: We are proud to have Mammoth Sports Construction back as an official sponsor of Friends University Football this season! For more info on their services, click HERE to visit their official website.Sponsor Alert: Friends University Athletics is excited to have Home2 Suites by Hilton back as an official athletic sponsor this season! For more on what they can offer, click HERE to visit their official webpage.Falcons by the Numbers:When scoring:0-6 points: 0-17-13 points: 0-214-20 points: 0-321-27 points: 0-128 points+: 0-0When allowing:0-6 points: 0-07-13 points: 0-014-20 points: 0-021-27 points: 0-128 points+: 0-6When leading at halftime: 0-0When trailing at halftime: 0-7When tied at halftime: 0-0When committing fewer turnovers: 0-0When committing more turnovers: 0-6When turnovers are tied: 0-1When leading in total offense: 0-2When trailing in total offense: 0-5When winning time of possession: 0-3When losing time of possession: 0-4The Coaches:Matt Byers is in his fourth season overall at Friends University and was recently named the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021 season. He also serves as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Under Byers last season, the Falcons finished third in the KCAC in rushing defense per game (154.1).A Wichita native, Byers graduated from Wichita East High School in 2009 and was a three-sport athlete (Football, Basketball, and Track).In 2009, Byers was named the Barry Sanders High School Male Athlete of the year.He then competed at the University of Iowa on a Track Scholarship and was a three-time Big Ten Champion, two-time All-American and the school record holder in the Javelin.Byers moved back to Wichita in 2013 after graduating from The University of Iowa and began coaching at East High in the 2014 season as the wide receivers coach.Tyrone Carter is in his first full season as head coach of the Bethany College Swedes after serving as the interim head coach for the 2020 campaign. Prior to arriving at Bethany, Carter was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at the University Saint Mary following a stint as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Grinnell College in 2019. Carter also had prior coaching experience at Bethany as the assistant head coach, offensive line coach, run game coordinator, and academic coordinator from 2017-19.Carter played collegiately at Fresno State University and was part of a Western Athletic Conference co-championship team as a defensive lineman.Up Next: The Falcons will play at No. 15-ranked Southwestern College next Saturday (Nov. 6) at 1 pm in Winfield, Kan.