McPHERSON, Kan. (MacBulldogs.com) — The McPherson College Bulldogs used a balance offensive attack Saturday (Sep. 23), rushing for 238 yards and passing for 231 more to grab their first ever win over the Avila University Eagles at Paul Family Field at McPherson Stadium.
The Bulldogs got stops when they needed to, holding Avila to just nine percent (1-for-11) on third down.
Tristan Szabo finished with five more touchdowns through the air, to run his season total to 17, while also throwing for 231 yards.
The Bulldogs were moving the ball at will, finishing with 24 first downs, including four on a 13-play 69-yard scoring drive, capped off by a six-yard touchdown pass to Harley Blaske.
It took the Bulldogs just two plays to make it a 14-0 lead, when Szabo found Dillion Coleman for a 41-yard touchdown with 14:53 left in the opening half. Szabo added to his total with a 25-yard pass to Alex Hill that blew the game wide open less than four minutes later.
Avila showed signs of life with 19 seconds left in the half when Eli Williams called his own number scoring from two yards out, but Brysen Kerby pushed the lead to 28-7 early in the third quarter with a 12-yard touchdown.
The Eagles again trimmed the lead to 28-14 on a Williams pass to Luis Alvarez, but the Bulldogs kept answering this time a 23-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Bochert. Traven Lewis-Johnson put the icing on the cake, capping a four-play 50-yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown reception.
Kerby paced the Bulldogs in the running game with 102 yards and one touchdown. Hayden Fry was also effective on the ground, rushing for 90 yards on 15 carries. Lewis-Johnson finished with eight catches for a team-high 120 yards receiving.
The Bulldogs wrap up non-divisional play next Saturday (Sep. 30) when they travel to Salina, Kan. to take on Kansas Wesleyan. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
