The Lowdown: Bethany College at No. 24 Friends University

Location: Adair-Austin Stadium  

Kickoff: Nov. 11, 1:00 pm

TV Broadcast: Cox YurView - 122

Live Stream: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/

Live Stats: https://friendsathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons gave the more than 1,100 fans at Riverfront Stadium something to cheer about with a 66-17 rout of the McPherson College Bulldogs to improve to 8-2 on the season and 3-1 in the KCAC Kessinger Division. The eight victories are the most for the program since also winning eight times in 2014.

The Falcons ran over the Bulldogs to the tune of 470 total yards of offense, all on the ground.

Treylan Gross rushed for a career-high 117 yards for the Falcons, with K'Vonte Baker scoring twice on the ground to add to his NAIA-leading total with now 23 touchdowns on the ground this season.

Elias Pino also added 83 rushing yards in addition to his pair of rushing scores.

Andrew Arnold paced the Falcon defense with eight tackles and Trey Palmer and Braden Gordon each recorded a pick-six. Cooper Skrobecki continued his run of solid performances by recording both the first interception and sack of his career at Friends.

Leading the charge this season is Baker, who is tops in the NAIA in rushing touchdowns (23) and second in the KCAC in rushing yards per game (109.2). Elias Pino is fifth in the KCAC in rushing touchdowns (nine) along with 647 yards on the season. The Falcons have also got solid contributions on the ground from Laken Clowdus (530 yards, four TD's), Zach Dressler (521 yards, 1 TD), Jett Cheatham (490 yards, seven TD's) and Kaden Rigsby (343 yards, three TD's).  

Cheatham has also caught four passes for 118 yards and one score, with Kevin Green suppling three receptions for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Defensively, the Falcons are led by Nolan Ewing (6.7 tackles per game) and Ja'coby Smith (5.2 tackles per game), with Marco Torres leading the team with eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.  

On the Falcon special teams unit, Cole Thompson has made six of seven field-goals, with a long of 49 yards.

Scouting the Swedes: The Bethany College Swedes are 1-9 on the season, with their lone win coming 28-17 over Tabor College in their third game of 2023.

The Swedes have deployed multiple quarterbacks this season, with Landry Shields passing for a team-high 904 yards along with six touchdowns and 13 interceptions, followed by 731 yards, three scores and five picks from Peyton Mainolfi. Zamarion Spencer leads Bethany with 577 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Josiah Hardrick has 234 yards on the ground and has also run for three scores. Michael Young paces the Swedes' receiving unit with 524 yards and five touchdowns.

Terry McCutcheon leads Bethany's defensive unit with team-highs of 6.2 tackles per game and 7.5 tackles for loss. David Sweetman has made a team-leading 3.5 sacks this season for the Swedes.    

The Series: The Falcons are riding a six-game win streak in the series vs. the Swedes and are 14-4 overall since 2004.  Nine of the last 10 matchups have gone to Friends, including a 55-6 romp last season in Lindsborg, Kan. Friends also hasn't lost to Bethany at home during that span, winning all nine matchups in Wichita.     

Ticket Information: Tickets for the Senior Day matchup vs. Bethany College can be purchased HERE.

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux: We are proud to have Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux as a sponsor of our Football Falcons this season! Walk-On's is also now the host of weekly football coach's show and is the place to be for all Falcon post-game gatherings this season! Click HERE for more info on Walk-On's, including their menu and rewards program.  Also, stay tuned for the Walk-On's Halftime Report featuring Friends University Baseball head coach Adam Neisius as he prepares for his 14^th season at the helm!

Cox YurView: Friends University Falcon home football games, including this week's gave vs. Bethany College, will air LIVE on Cox YurView Kansas! Check local listings for stations in your area.

Veteran's Day Celebration: A special Veteran's Day celebration coincides with Saturday's regular season home finale vs. Bethany College. Veterans will receive discounted tickets at $5 with Military ID and will also receive a free hamburger. A special recognition for veterans is also planned during halftime. Check out the full release HERE!

What's at Stake: With a Falcon victory over the Swedes and a Bethel College win at No. 9-ranked Evangel University, a three-way tie for first in the KCAC Kessinger Division would occur.  The Falcons would likely have the advantage for the championship and an NAIA national playoff berth thanks to an edge in point differential.   

National Recognition: The Friends University Falcons are ranked No. 24 in the latest NAIA Football Coach's Top 25 poll, the program's highest ascension since the 2015 season. Read the full release HERE!

Rank and File: With the victories over then No. 18-ranked Avila University and then No. 6-ranked Southwestern College, the Falcons now have two ranked wins in the same season for the first time since at least 2010, the furthest back the NAIA weekly ratings calendar shows.

Hometown Hero: A Wichita Heights HS product, K'Vonte Baker is still a Falcon and is giving the local fans a lot to cheer about in his first season on the field. Baker is a major facilitator of the Falcons' flexbone offense that is tops in the NAIA in rushing yards (3995), rushing yards per game (399.5), yards per attempt (7.1) and rushing touchdowns (50).  Individually, Baker leads the NAIA in rushing scores (23) and is second in the KCAC in rushing yards per game (109.2).

Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 8-2

KCAC Kessinger Division: 3-1

Home: 5-0

Away: 3-2

The Falcons record when …

Scoring 0-6 points: 0-0

Scoring 7-13 points: 0-1

Scoring 14-20 points: 0-0

Scoring 21-27 points: 0-0

Scoring 28 points+: 8-1

Allowing 0-6 points: 1-0

Allowing 7-13 points: 1-0

Allowing 14-20 points: 6-1

Allowing 21-27 points: 0-0

Allowing 28 points+: 0-1

Scoring first: 7-0

Opponent scores first: 1-2

Leading at halftime: 8-0

Trailing at halftime: 0-1

Tied at halftime: 0-1

Committing fewer turnovers: 3-0

Committing more turnovers: 4-2

Turnovers are even: 1-0

Leading in total offense: 8-2

Trailing in total offense: 0-0

Winning time of possession: 5-1

Losing time of possession: 3-1

The Coaches:

Terry Harrison is in his second season as the Friends University head football coach.

Harrison appeared to be the perfect choice to lead the Falcon program, and did nothing to change that perception in his debut season. 

Last season, Harrison oversaw the top rushing offense in the NAIA in both total yards (3026) and yards per game (275.1).

Harrison arrived on campus after transforming fellow KCAC member Bethel College into a conference and national power.

After taking over a Bethel program in 2018 that was 1-9 and at the bottom of the league the previous season, Harrison's impact was felt immediately as he installed the flexbone offense and guided the team to finish third in the NAIA in rushing offense (274.4) per game.

The following season, Harrison would begin to affect the wins column by leading the Threshers to a second-place showing in the KCAC with an 8-3 overall record.  Bethel continued to climb the leaderboard nationally, finishing tops in the NAIA in total rushing offense (4,084) and rushing offense per game (371.3) while ranking third in passing efficiency (180.3).

The best was yet to come as the next season, Harrison and the Threshers captured a Co-KCAC regular season championship and an NAIA national playoff berth to wind up No. 13 in the final NAIA FirstDown PlayBook Top 25 poll. The conference championship was the Threshers' first since 2007 and the national playoff appearance represented the first since the 2006 campaign and only the third in school history.

Once again, Harrison's squad set the standard nationally in rushing, leading the country in both total rushing offense (3828) and rushing offense per game (348.0) for the second consecutive season.

Harrison had the Threshers rolling again this year with a 9-2 overall record and a 9-1 league mark that netted the squad their second consecutive co-KCAC regular season title along with a final NAIA national ranking of 17th.

Harrison is embarking on his second go-round as a head coach of the Falcons in Wichita, as he spent five seasons as the head coach of the Wichita Heights High School Falcons.  At Heights, Harrison guided the team to four Kansas 5A regional titles, a district championship and a Greater-Area Wichita-League title along with a 38-16 overall record.  In 2016, Harrison was named the City-League Coach of the Year.

He has also received the opportunity to speak at multiple coaching clinics, with the most recent engagement being the Tulsa Glazier Mega Clinic in 2016.

Harrison was a three-year captain at Sterling College and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Sciences in Physical Education and Health.  He then earned his Masters of Science in School Leadership from Baker University in 2011.

Mike Grossner is in his first season as head coach of the Bethany College football program.

Prior to arriving at Bethany, Grossner was the head coach for the Leicester Falcons, an American football team located in Leicester, England. He helped Leicester to a No. 7-ranking; the program's highest ever ranking before guiding the team to a conference championship the following season.

Grossner is best known for his 15-year tenure at Baker University, where he directed the team to seven NAIA playoff berths, six HAAC titles and 12 consecutive winning seasons. He was a two-time AFCA Region Coach of the Year and won the HAAC's top coaching honor on three occasions.

His playing career was highlighted by setting the all-time career passing yardage and touchdown record for the Nottingham Hoods.

Up Next: With the regular season over, the Falcons will await to see if they will qualify for the NAIA postseason for the first time since the 2008 campaign.