Byron McNair may just be a freshman, but on Saturday in Kansas Wesleyan's 10-7 win over McPherson, he played like a veteran. McNair led the Coyotes on a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter and got a huge defensive stand to come away with the win on Gene Bissell Field at JRI Hospitality Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex.
The win is the third straight for the Coyotes who improved to 4-2 overall completing a grueling cross-division slate in the Kansas Conference. KWU is the only team in the Bissell Division to have a winning record heading into this week's league-wide bye week before division play starts on October 14.
It was also Wesleyan's 59th win in the all-time series, which today was the 100th meeting between the ย teams.
The Coyotes were on the board first as Talon Cope hit a 38-yard field goal with 11:03 left in the first quarter to give the Coyotes a 3-0 lead.
The game was a defensive battle after that.
On its next drive the Coyotes drove to the McPherson 37, and were forced to try another Cope field goal, but the kick with the gusty south wind drifted just enough right to miss.
McPherson tried to tie in at the end of the first half. The Bulldogs had drive to the KWU 23, but quarterback Tristan Szabo was sacked but Dylan Worrell and Deyondre Gomez and a delay of game, and another sack, this one by Ricardo Garcia pushed the ball back to the KWU 41.
The Bulldogs quickly ran out Jack Lowery to try a 58-yard field goal, but Julian Urioste blocked it and Jordan Dupre recovered.
The Coyote defense got two big turnovers in the third, as James Preston picked off a pass after it had been tipped by Shaylan Lewis, and on the next McPherson drive Jordan Dupre had an interception to stop a McPherson drive.
Meanwhile, enter Mr. McNair. After the Preston pick, he led the Coyotes to the McPherson 19, but the drive stalled there and Cope missed the 38-yard field goal.
McPherson took the lead with 8:17 left in the fourth after a KWU turnover as Szabo hit Burnts Lewis for a 30-yard pass play.
Back came the Coyotes. McNair hit Rhadarious Lomax-Spivey for 16 yards, then three plays later converted a third down with a pass to Darrias Pearsall. After an incompletion, McNair hit Lomax-Spivey again for 24 yards to the McPherson 22, and two plays later McNair passed it to Jacquante Pitts for 20 yards down to the McPherson 2, setting up Tyler Boston to walk into the end zone untouched to give the Coyotes a 10-7 lead.
McPherson took possession and would drive down the field, and had first down at the KWU 13 yard line.
Szabo would get sacked on a third down at the 13 and the ball stripped by Dylan Worrell after a 20-yard loss and Josh King-Bradley would recover it with 59 seconds left.
The Coyotes took two knees to run out the clock and come away with the 10-7 win.
Szabo threw it 52 times completing 29 for McPherson for 273 yards, but had two interceptions and was sacked four times. He also added 15 yards rushing as the Coyotes held the Bulldogs to 24 yards rushing.
McNair was 7 of 11 for 115 yards in the win. Richard Lara was 7 of 16 for 54 yards. Nick Allsman ran for 41 yards on 16 tries. Lomax-Spivey had 67 yards receiving on five grabs.
Ricco Moore led KWU's defense with 11 tackles and had three break-ups.
The Coyotes get next Saturday off, before hosting Avila on October 14 in a 1 p.m. kickoff.
KWU Football rallies past McPherson
Oct 1, 2023
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3 min read