KCAC

[Football] Football Gameday Preview: Falcons Wrap Up Season at Home Tomorrow vs. No. 23 Southwestern

The Lowdown: No. 23 Southwestern College at Friends UniversityLocation: Adair-Austin Stadium, Wichita, Kan.Kickoff: Mar. 27, 1:00 pmLive Broadcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/Flying with the Falcons: The last time the Friends University Falcons saw the field, they fell 34-22 in a hard-fought battle to now No. 11-ranked Bethel College back on Nov. 21 in North Newton, Kan. The Falcons are now 2-5 overall, with an identical mark in the KCAC. Dawdy has completed 123-of-230 passes and is fifth in the KCAC with 174.3 passing yards per game. The Falcons are also getting similar production on the ground, as running back Juan Salazar (SR/Vernon, Texas) leads the team with 102.3 yards along with a team-high three rushing touchdowns. Nagy anchors the Falcon receiving corps, ranking tied for fourth in the league in receptions per game (4.7) and sixth in receiving yards per game (57.7).On the defensive side, David Akao (JR/Wichita, Kan.) leads the Falcons with 68 tackles, with Jason Weah (JR/Madison, Wis. ) and Jagger Blubaugh (SO/Wichita, Kan. ) next on the team with 49 and 47 stops, respectively. Akao and Blubaugh also each have a team-high two sacks on the season. 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.Nationally, Bobby Schmidt (JR/Sapulpa, Okla. ) is first in PAT percentage (1.000) and seventh in field goals (seven). Dawson Marcum (SO/Durango, Colo.) is also second in the KCAC and eighth in the NAIA in all-purpose yards per game (155).As a team, the Falcons are a solid ninth in the NAIA in first downs per game (23.9).  Scouting the Moundbuilders: The No. 23-ranked Southwestern College Moundbuilders are coming off a 47-15 win over the Sterling College Warriors to snap a two-game skid and improve to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the KCAC.The trio of running back Keyshawn Wyatt, quarterback Brad Cagle and wide receiver Keyshawn Jones has been the fuel behind the Builders' offensive attack, with Wyatt ranking second in the KCAC with 126.9 rushing yards per game along with a conference-leading 12 touchdowns on the ground. Cagle is also second in the league with 224.5 passing yards per game and is tops in passing efficiency (202.5). He has also thrown 16 touchdown passes and 1347 yards for the season.  Jones paces the KCAC in receiving yards per game (105.9) and has caught eight touchdowns, including a 97-yard score. Overall, Jones has team-highs in receptions (34) and yards (741).Grant Torgerson leads the Builders in tackles (51), while Caleb Helsey has team-high totals in sacks (four) and tackles for loss (8.5).The Series: The Builders have won the past two matchups in the series, but prior to that the Falcons had won 13 of 14 meetings over Southwestern.  Quoting Head Coach Dion Meneley: "We are excited to get to play after a long spring together.  Southwestern has a really good team and we are looking forward to seeing how well we can execute and how fast we can play each and every snap.  They have very sound offensive and defensive schemes that demand everyone's focus and communication so we can have extended success on Saturday.  Our kids are ready to play someone other than ourselves and will play extremely hard."Ticket Information: Tickets for the matchup vs. Southwestern 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.Sponsor Alert: Friends University Athletics is excited to have Home2 Suites by Hilton 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: 0-07-13 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: 0-121-27 points: 1-028 points+: 0-4When leading at halftime: 2-1When trailing at halftime: 0-4When tied at halftime: 0-0When winning the turnover battle: 1-1When losing the turnover battle: 1-2When turnovers are tied: 0-2The Coaches:Dion Meneley is in 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.Brad Griffin is in his sixth season as head coach of the Southwestern College Moundbuilders and has the program in the midst of a breakout season.Before arriving at Southwestern, Griffin served 11 seasons as Defensive Coordinator at William Penn University and also worked with the linebackers.Griffin earned the Midwest League Tri-Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011 after his defense led the league in scoring defense and ranked second in yards allowed. Up Next: The Falcons will begin an atypical short offseason ahead of the 2021 Fall campaign.