KCAC

[Football] McPherson Hangs on for 20-17 win over Football Falcons

McPherson, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons made things interesting late, but ultimately fell short in a 20-17 setback to the McPherson College Bulldogs tonight (Oct. 3) in McPherson, Kan.Down 20-10 with 4:40 remaining, the Falcons took over at their own 11 and began driving when quarterback Dan Dawdy (SR/Haysville, Kan.) connected with Cade Nagy (SO/Broken Arrow, Okla. ) on three straight plays for 54 yards to set things up at the Bulldog 35 yard line.The Falcons then capped the drive on a third and goal with a seven yard throw from Dawdy to Ty English that made it a three-point game with 2:32 left.Following a defensive stop, the Falcons got the ball back for one final opportunity with 24 seconds left.But after advancing to their own 45, a sack on the game's final play sealed the win for the Bulldogs.The Bulldogs scored the first 13 points of the game before a 17 yard touchdown pass from Dawdy to Dawson Marcum (SO/Durango, Colo.) put the Falcons on the board with 11:10 left in the first half.It stayed that way until Bobby Schmidt (JR/Sapulpa, Okla. ) hit a 30 yard field goal to bring the Falcons even closer at the 4:55 mark of the third quarter.McPherson then regained a two-possession lead when Max Tucker hit Melvin Reid for an eight yard score.Dawdy completed 27-of-53 for a career-high 312 yards with the two touchdown tosses and two interceptions.His primary target was Nagy, who hauled in seven catches for 111 yards.Marcum led the Falcons with 59 yards on the ground while catching seven passes for 44 yards. Kevin Green (FR/Waxahachie, Texas) tallied four receptions for a career-best 74 yards.Tucker threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns, with Ben Nikkel catching seven passes for 106 yards.David Akao (JR/Wichita, Kan.) and Jagger Blubaugh (SO/Wichita, Kan. ) combined to anchor the Falcon defensive unit tonight.  Each had career nights in tackles, with Blubaugh leading the way with 16 tackles and Akao right behind with 15 stops. Akao also had 2.5 tackles for loss, with Blubaugh recording a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage.Jason Weah (JR/Madison, Wis. ) had nine tackles and Kevin McKenzie (SR/Keota, Okla.) made six stops along with one sack for the Falcons (1-3, 1-3 KCAC).Cory Chairs and Kollin Goering each had 13 tackles to pace the Bulldogs (3-1, 3-1 KCAC).The Falcons will next return home and host Sterling College next Saturday afternoon (Oct. 10). Kickoff is set for 1:30 pm at Adair-Austin Stadium.