KCAC
[Football] Football Gameday Preview: Falcons Tangle with No. …
The Lowdown: No. 24 Kansas Wesleyan University at Friends UniversityLocation: Adair-Austin Stadium, Wichita, Kan.Kickoff: Sept. 4, 6:00 pmLive Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons are set to kick off the 2021 campaign tomorrow night vs. the No. 24-ranked Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes.On offense, the Falcons will be guided by sophomore signal-caller Joshua Morris (SO/Mt. Pleasant, Texas). Morris saw action in six games in his second year with the program and threw for one touchdown while displaying dual-threat ability with 174 rushing yards along with two scores on the ground last season.A top target of Morris will be returning All-KCAC performer Cade Nagy (SO/Broken Arrow, Okla.). Nagy led the Falcon receiving corps in receptions (37), receiving yards (453) and yards per catch (12.2) last year.The Falcons also return their second-leading receiver Kevin Green (FR/Waxahachie, Texas) (25 receptions, 239 yards) and second-leading rusher Dawson Marcum (SO/Durango, Colo.) (449 rushing yards, two touchdowns). Marcum also proved to be a viable threat out of the backfield, catching 18 passes for 154 yards and one score.Up front, the Falcons lose a pair of All-KCAC offensive linemen (Brock Johnston, Jacob Kerby), but the return of Stephen Acosta (SO/Clovis, N.M.) and Dalton Phillips (FR/Choctaw, Okla.) should allow the Falcons to continue running the ball effectively after ranking fourth in the KCAC and 15th in the NAIA in rushing offense per game (195.6) in the 2020 season.Defensively, the Falcons welcome back an all-conference honoree in linebacker Jagger Blubaugh (SO/Wichita, Kan.). Blubaugh recorded a team-high seven tackles for loss and was second on the team with 61 tackles. He also had a team-high 2.5 sacks and one interception.All-KCAC kicker and punter Bobby Schmidt (JR/Sapulpa, Okla.) returns after earning a KCAC Special Teams Player of the Week nod (Oct. 12) and ranking first in the KCAC in field goals per game (one). He also finished tied for first in both the league and the NAIA in extra point percentage, hitting all 23 of his extra tries last season.A trio of freshmen newcomers that head coach Dion Meneley noted could make an impact early include defensive back Senecca Collins (FR/Muskogee, Okla.) (6-2, 170, Muskogee, Okla.), tight end Dante Eldridge (FR/Coldspring, Texas) (6-3, 245, Coldspring, Texas) and linebacker Marco Torres (FR/Laredo, Tex.) (6-2, 230, Laredo, Texas)."We have a great group of returners that we expect to lead the way with some newcomers that will challenge them daily," Meneley said. "We will attack each day and I know that this team's efforts will be rewarded on game day."Scouting the Coyotes: The No. 24-ranked Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes are coming off an 8-2 overall record in the 2020 season and return starting quarterback Isaiah Randalle. Randalle ranked fourth in the NAIA with 284.1 yards per game through the air last year along with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions.The Coyotes also welcome back their leading receiver in Stevie Williams, who finished fifth in the nation in receiving yards (903) while catching 10 touchdowns.CJ Fluker is KWU's top returning rusher this season after running for 430 yards last season and scoring four touchdowns.Defensively, the Coyotes return standout senior linebacker Zyair Velazquez. Velazquez led the team in tackles (84) last year and was sixth in the NAIA with 15 tackles for loss.The Series: The Coyotes have bested the Falcons in the last six matchups. Friends is 4-8 vs. KWU in the last 12 meetings between the schools, with a 2-3 mark in Wichita during that span.Quoting Head Coach Dion Meneley: "I am so excited to see this team compete against a ranked opponent to start the year. They have been a joy to coach all camp and really seem to enjoy playing together. We have some new faces that will be tested by Kansas Wesleyan, but our upperclassmen have done a great job leading the way. We will play extremely hard and it should be a lot of fun to watch."Ticket Information: Tickets for the season-opening matchup vs. Kansas Wesleyan are available at the link below.https://www.friendsathletics.com/ticketing Kansas Orthopedic Center Halftime Report: If you're watching at home, stick around for the Kansas Orthopedic Center Halftime Report once the first half concludes. Our play-by-play announcer Jeff Darr will be joined by Friends University Associate VP of Athletics Dr. Rob Ramseyer. Dr. Ramseyer will discuss our new refueling station, the exciting Garvey Center reconstruction project and more! 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 Last Season:When scoring:0-6 points: 0-17-13 points: 0-014-20 points: 1-221-27 points: 0-128 points+: 1-2When allowing:0-6 points: 0-07-13 points: 1-014-20 points: 0-221-27 points: 1-028 points+: 0-4When leading at halftime: 2-1When trailing at halftime: 0-5When tied at halftime: 0-0When winning the turnover battle: 1-1When losing the turnover battle: 1-3When turnovers are tied: 0-2The Coaches:Dion Meneley is entering his fifth 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.Last season, the Falcons finished 2-6 overall while Meneley coached 15 All-KCAC selections that included a trio of second-team performers.Meneley coached 10 All-KCAC performers in 2019, 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.), also received the prestigious KCAC Male Student-Athlete Champion of Character award following the 2019 campaign.After starting 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 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.During the 2012 campaign, the Blue Dragons led the Jayhawk Conference in pass defense scoring, while ranking second in both total defense and rush defense.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 seven years and currently reside in Maize, Kan.Myers Hendrickson is in his third season as head coach of the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes.Hendrickson has guided the Coyotes to a 20-3 overall mark during his first two years at the helm, including leading the program to their second straight KCAC championship in 2019 with a 10-0 conference record. The Coyotes went on to advance to the NAIA national quarterfinal round and finished with a 12-1 overall mark.Hendrickson is familiar with KWU, having served as an assistant coach under previous head coach Matt Drinkall for two seasons before a two-year stint at Coe College (Iowa).Up Next: The Falcons will face another ranked opponent when they play at No. 12-ranked Bethel College next Saturday (Sept. 11). Kickoff will be at 6 pm in North Newton, Kan.