Bulldogs rip Bethel

Erik Johnson takes off for one of the three touchdowns he scored on Saturday.

By STEVE SELL, Sentinel Sports Editor

Statistically, McPherson College's defense was among the worst in the country last year, allowing 42 points and 455 yards a game.

But for the second straight game here Saturday, the new-and-improved Bulldog defense was amazing.

The Bulldogs permitted Bethel just 128 yards, and offensively they put together some nice scoring drives to dominate the Threshers, 29-6.

It was the conference opener for the Bulldogs, who are now 2-0 overall. On the year, they have allowed only 101 yards a game.

"I knew we were ready to play," McPherson coach David Cunningham said. "I got conservative with the play-calling, but when you're playing that well on defense, I didn't want to give them an opportunity to score unless they earned it."

Bethel, which scored 57 points against Mac last year, could manage only 63 yards on the ground and 65 through the air, as quarterback Cornell Richardson was harassed all night.

"We did a great job of what we call attacking the football," Cunningham said. "We rotated a lot of people, and a lot of people stepped up and made big plays."

Offensively, it was a big night for Erik Johnson in his starting quarterback debut. He directed the Bulldogs to touchdown drives against the wind in each of their first two possessions. He made a terrific 32-yard run for the first score and hooked up for a 21-yard strike to Robert Ullom for a 13-0 lead.

After Bethel scored in the second quarter to make it 13-7 on a 5-yard run by Jonathan Horton, the Bulldogs' special teams got into the act. They forced a fumble on a Bethel punt attempt, which led to a 23-yard Zia Gunay field goal for a 16-6 lead. And the killer came just before the half as a Travis Sears fumble recovery led to a 2-yard run by Johnson for a 23-6 lead.

The only score in the second half came when Mac's Ian Keiper stole the ball out of a Bethel receiver's hands after a catch, and Mac then went 54 yards in seven plays. Darrell Cole had a 40-yard TD run nullified, but that didn't stop the Bulldogs, as Johnson continued the drive to set up his third score of the night, a 1-yard run.

Mac finished with 301 yards of offense. Johnson threw only seven times, as the Bulldogs relied on a consistent ground game, led by Kevin Steiner with 108 yards on 23 carries. Johnson had 49 on 10 tries and Cole added 40.

"The guys were hungry and I knew they were ready to play," Cunningham said. "I think the Haskell game was perfect for us. They (Bethel) saw what we did (beating Haskell 24-23) and maybe we kind of snuck up on them."

The Bulldogs' defense will get put to the test Saturday at Bethany.

STATISTICS

Mac Listed First

First Downs -- 15, 7. Rushes-Yards -- 52-213; 33-63. Passing -- 5-7-1-88; 10-22-1-65. Punts-Avg. -- 4-30.0; 4-25.2. Fumbles-Lost -- 1-1; 6-4. Penalties-Yards -- 11-103; 11-83.

INDIVIDUALS

Rushing

Mac -- Steiner 23-108, Johnson 10-49, Cole 3-40, Griggs 8-18, Irvine 1-(-5), Boatner 3-3, Dufrene 1-(-3), Trevino 2-2, M. Bingham 1-2.

Bethel -- Horton 14-35, Richardson 15-32, Barrone 1-1, Starr 2-9, Atilano 1-(-14).

Passing

Mac -- Johnson 5-7-1-88.

Bethel -- Richardson 10-22-1-65.

Receiving

Mac -- Berlanga 1-17, Ullom 2-42, Mireles 1-10, Cole 1-19.

Bethel -- Westhoff 3-31, Starr 3-19, Butcher 4-15.