The Lowdown: No. 5 Benedictine College at No. 4 Friends University

* NAIA FCS Quarterfinal Round

Location: Adair-Austin Stadium          

Kickoff: Dec. 6 @ 1:00 PM

Live Stream: https://urbanedgenetwork.net/watch/7733

Live Stats: https://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2025-26/boxscores/20251206_b7q6.xml

Tickets: https://tickets.friendsathletics.com/event/naia-football-championship-series-quarterfinals-0dy4d0

Flying with the Falcons: The fourth-ranked and 12-0 Friends University Falcons clinched their first ever NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) quarterfinal appearance with a 53-36 victory over No. 13 seeded William Penn University last Saturday (Nov. 29). Read the top takeaways from the Falcons big NAIA FCS second round win HERE!  

K'Vonte Baker, the KCAC Player of the Year, is second in the NAIA with 29 rushing touchdowns while also leading the Falcons in total rushing yards (1099) following Saturday's three rushing scores. E'Derian Sykes led the Falcons with 119 yards on the ground vs. William Penn and is now second on the team with 928 rushing yards. Nick Cordova ranks third in rushing (864 yards) and has scored 10 times. Michael Lopez has rushed for 673 yards and also has 10 rushing touchdowns on the season for Friends.  The Falcons' offensive line, anchored by KCAC Offensive Lineman of the Year Kyree Watkins, has done the job paving the way for the NAIA's top single-season rushing offense in history (5,641).

Jairo Castillo and Andrew Arnold each have a team-leading six sacks, with Taeylon Garland right behind with 5.5 sacks. Arnold (11.5) and Castillo (11.0) are also tops on the team in tackles for loss, with Tyler Lane right behind with 10.5 stops behind the line. Tyson Wallace leads the Falcons in overall tackles (60.0) and has 10.0 tackles for loss. Joshua Flash (four) and Kasey Lehman (three) lead the Falcons in interceptions this season.

Truitt Bosher has made nine of his 10 field goal attempts this season and has drilled 91 of 92 extra-point attempts.

Scouting the Ravens: The No. 5 seeded Benedictine College Ravens rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to upend No. 12 Campbellsville (Ky.) at home last Saturday. A punt block for a touchdown cut the deficit to three and a 17-yard run by Dalton Witherspoon put the Ravens ahead to stay. Benedictine is now 11-1 on the season and went 6-0 in the Heart South Division, with their only setback of the season a 27-24 loss at No. 1-ranked Grand View back on Sept. 6.

The Ravens feature the Hearth South Division Player of the Year (Jackson Dooley, Offensive Player of the Year (Xavier Ugorji) and Defensive Player of the Year (Isaiah Hasten). Dooley is tied for fourth in the NAIA with 33 passing touchdowns and has thrown for 2900 yards with eight interceptions on the season. Ugorji has rushed for 1157 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Ravens, while Tanner Zimmerman (741 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns) and Titan Osburn (737 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns) pace the receiving corps.

Hasten is tops on the Ravens with eight interceptions and Dylan Witherspoon leads the team with 63 tackles. Jason Anderson has recorded a team-high 3.5 sacks for Benedictine.

The Series: The Falcons and Ravens last met in 2013, with Benedictine winning 28-15 in Wichita. According to Jason Dannelly of the Victory Sports Network, the Ravens have won 11 of 13 matchups over the Falcons historically. Read Dannelly's in-depth preview of this quarterfinal matchup for VSN HERE!

Farha Roofing: We are proud to have Farha Roofing as a sponsor of Friends University Athletics this season!  Click HERE for more info on the services Farha can offer!

Kansas Army National Guard: We are thrilled to have the Kansas Army National Guard on board with us this year as an official sponsor! Click HERE to visit their website. 

Different Methods, Same Success: The two quarterbacks in this matchup, the Falcons' K'Vonte Baker and the Ravens' Jackson Dooley have both unbelievably successful in putting the ball in the end zone this season but have gone about it in vastly different ways. Baker is second in the NAIA with a school single-season modern-era record 29 rushing touchdowns, while Dooley is tied for fourth in the nation with 33 passing touchdowns.

Sunflower Battle: College Football fans in the state of Kansas will be glued to this matchup between in-state foes Benedictine and Friends with a spot in the NAIA FCS semifinal round on the line in Wichita.

Top Offensive and Defensive Performers: K'Vonte Baker was named the Offensive Player of the Game vs. William Penn after rushing for 86 yards with four total touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) and Cooper Skrobecki earned Defensive Player of the Game honors with eight tackles, a sack and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

New Heights for the Heights Product: K'Vonte Baker rushed for four touchdowns in the Falcons' 69-3 victory at Saint Mary in the regular season finale (Nov. 15) to break his own modern-era single-season record with 26 rushing scores. Baker also reached 3,506 career rushing yards at Saint Mary to eclipse Jesse Rogers' modern era rushing record set back in 2016. He has since upped those numbers to 29 rushing touchdowns and 3,592 rushing yards following Saturday's NAIA FCS second round performance vs. William Penn.

Well-deserved Conference Recognition: K'Vonte Baker, Kyree Watkins, Terry Harrison and Eric Kelly each reserved top awards in the 2025 All-KCAC selections. Baker is the KCAC Player of the Year and Watkins is the KCAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, while Harrison is the Coach of the Year and Kelly earned Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Harrison was also the Bissell Division Coach of the Year and Kelly finished in a three-way tie for Bissell Assistant Coach of the Year. This is the third Player of the Year nod for Baker, as he was also named the 2023 KCAC Player of the Year in 2023 and was selected as the Co-Offensive Player of the Year last season. This is also the second consecutive Coach of the Year honors for Harrison and Kelly. Read the full All-KCAC release HERE!

Common Opposition II: Similar to last week against William Penn, the Falcons and Ravens last losses have both came against the top-seeded and defending NAIA National Champion Grand View University Vikings.  The Falcons led 17-7 at halftime in the NAIA Second Round last year before Grand View rallied with 14 unanswered in the second half on the way to the national championship, while Benedictine fell 27-24 on the road in Des Moines, Iowa back on Sept. 6 for their only setback of the season.

Half as good: The Falcons are 12-0 on the season and have led going into halftime in all 12 games this season.

Two-way dominance: The Falcons are pacing the entire NAIA in points scored per game (57.2 ppg) and are second in points allowed (12.9 ppg), further solidifying their status as the premier complimentary team in the country. Friends is also leading the nation in both rushing yards per game (470.1) and rushing yards allowed per game (69.1).

Rushing to History: The Falcons accumulated a NAIA single-season record 5,351 rushing yards last season under head coach Terry Harrison's pristine flexbone offensive system and broke that record with 340 rushing yards last Saturday vs. William Penn. The Falcons' new NAIA single-season rushing record now stands at 5,691 yards and counting.

Rush Hour: The Falcons have led the NAIA in rushing in all three years of head coach Terry's Harrison's tenure. This rushing success particularly correlates with Harrison, as he's now coached the last six NAIA team leaders in rushing (his last three years at Bethel and all three seasons at Friends.

Hometown Hero: A Wichita Heights HS product, K'Vonte Baker was named KCAC Player of the Year during his first season with the Falcons in 2023 after leading the NAIA in rushing scores (25) and ranking third in rushing yards per game (115.3). His 1268 total rushing yards were the most by a Falcon since 2016 (Jesse Rogers). Last year, Baker ran for a team-leading 1225 yards on the ground, bolstered by a career-high 214 rushing yards in a 56-10 victory at Avila University (Sept. 14). Baker was then named the KCAC Kessinger Division Co-Offensive Player of the Year for the 2024 campaign and was named the Offensive Player of the Game after leading the Falcons with 179 yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown in a 47-35 victory over OUAZ for Friends' first-ever NAIA playoff win. He has picked right back up this season and is second in the NAIA with a school single-season modern-era record 29 rushing touchdowns along with a team-leading 1099 yards on the ground in earning his third career KCAC Player of the Year award.  Baker also has a modern-era record 3592 rushing yards for his career.

Click HERE to read Baker describe the thrilling experience of playing in his hometown of Wichita!

Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 12-0

KCAC Bissell Division: 5-0

Home: 7-0

Away: 5-0

The Falcons record when …

Scoring 0-6 points: 0-0

Scoring 7-13 points: 0-0

Scoring 14-20 points: 0-0

Scoring 21-27 points: 0-0

Scoring 28-34 points: 1-0

Scoring 35+ points: 11-0

Allowing 0-6 points: 4-0

Allowing 7-13 points: 3-0

Allowing 14-20 points: 2-0

Allowing 21-27 points: 0-0

Allowing 28-34 points: 2-0

Allowing 35+ points: 1-0

Scoring first: 9-0

Opponent scores first: 3-0

Leading at halftime: 12-0

Trailing at halftime: 0-0

Tied at halftime: 0-0

Committing fewer turnovers: 6-0

Committing more turnovers: 3-0

Turnovers are even: 3-0

Leading in total offense: 11-0

Trailing in total offense: 1-0

Winning time of possession: 7-0

Losing time of possession: 5-0

The Coaches:

Terry Harrison enters his fourth season as the Friends University head football coach and has transformed the Falcons into a legitimate national contender with a No. 4 seed this season and the program's first-ever appearance in the NAIA FCS quarterfinal round.

Harrison appeared to be the perfect choice to lead the Falcon program and has done nothing to change that perception in his fourth season at the helm.

He has now earned consecutive KCAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Falcons to back-to-back conference titles and the program's first undefeated regular season since 2008.

In his four seasons thus far, Harrison has overseen the NAIA's top rushing offense in total yards and yards per game.

Last season, the Falcons' progression reached its apex with the program's first conference title since 2008 and first NAIA FCS Playoff victory in school history. Harrison earned KCAC Kessinger Division and Victory Sports Network (VSN) NAIA Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Falcons to an 11-2 record for the team's most wins in the modern era. 

Under Harrison, K'Vonte Baker was named the KCAC Kessinger Division Co-Offensive Player of the Year and offensive lineman Kyree Watkins was selected as a first-team AFCA NAIA Coaches' All-American. Overall, the Falcons averaged 411.6 rushing yards per game, nearly 100 yards ahead of the next closest team (Taylor, 311.7) while also rushing for a nation-leading 58 touchdowns last season.

In 2023, Harrison guided the Falcons to their first winning record since 2014 (9-2) and coached 20 All-KCAC players, including KCAC Player of the Year K'Vonte Baker along with NAIA All-American and Rimington Award winner Keegan Martin.

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.

Joel Osborn is in his fifth season at the helm of the Benedictine College football program.

Osborn has led the Ravens to four straight Heart South championships and a No. 3 final ranking in the NAIA last season.

Up Next: With a win over Benedictine, the Falcons would advance to the NAIA FCS semifinal round for the first time in school history, with official pairings announced later Saturday evening by the NAIA.