The Lowdown: Bethany College at Friends University

Location: Adair-Austin Stadium     

Kickoff: Aug. 30 – 6:00 PM

Live Stream https://www.urbanedgenetwork.net/

Live Stats: https://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2025-26/boxscores/20250830_hlms.xml

What's at Stake: A win would be the Falcons' fourth straight season opening victory, the longest stretch on record since winning four straight season openers from 2005-09.    

Flying with the Falcons: The No. 12-ranked Friends University Falcons are the defending KCAC Kessinger Division champions and will compete in the Bissell division for the 2025 campaign. Coming off an 11-2 season that was highlighted by the program's first conference title since 2008 and the team's first-ever NAIA FCS playoff victory, the Falcons feature eight KCAC Preseason Team members.  Led by KCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year K'Vonte Baker, KCAC Kessinger Division first-team members Kyree Watkins (OL), Kenyon Vigil (OL) Nick Cordova (RB), Elias Pino (RB) and Barrett Roads (DL) also return to bolster the preseason Bissell division favorite.  

Baker rushed for 1225 yards and topped the Kessinger Division with 16 rushing touchdowns, while Watkins was an AFCA-NAIA All-America lineman along with earning first-team All-KCAC Kessinger Division honors in 2024. Pino (892 rushing yards) and Cordova (743 rushing yards) give the Falcons a potent veteran running back duo and Roads was a first-team performer after leading the Falcons with nine sacks on the season. Samuel Becker (WR) and Demarieo Sims were also selected to the KCAC Preseason Team this year.

Scouting the Swedes: The Bethany College Swedes finished 3-8 last season and lost all five KCAC Kessinger Division games last year. 

Both Landry Shields and Trapper Enzor return after splitting quarterback duties last year. Shields threw for 795 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions, while Enzor had 630 passing yards along with a touchdown and six interceptions.

Josiah Hardrick (430 yards, team-high five TD's) is the Swedes' leading returning rusher and Ryker Grossner is back after ranking third on the team with 282 receiving yards.

The Series: The Falcons have dominated the Swedes recently, winning eight straight meetings and 16 of 20 matchups since 2004. Friends cruised to a 65-15 victory at Bethany last year to wrap up the regular season to clinch the KCAC Kessinger Division title.

Tickets: Purchase Football season tickets or single-game tickets 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!

First Time for Everything: Last season was a historic one for the Falcons, as the program went 11-2 for its most victories in the modern era and secured its first KCAC conference title since the 2008 season. But the Falcons weren't done and defeated OUAZ for their first NAIA FCS Playoff victory in school history.

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.

Sack Masters: The Falcons set a school modern-era record and were tops in the NAIA with 46 sacks last season.

Top of the League: Friends University quarterback K'Vonte Baker was named the KCAC Kessinger Division Co-Offensive Player of the Year, while Terry Harrison earned Coach of the Year honors and Eric Kelly was selected as the Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024.

Rush Hour: The Falcons have now 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 in his first season with the Falcons after leading the NAIA in rushing scores (25) and ranking third in rushing yards per game (115.3) during the 2023 season. His 1268 total rushing yards were the most by a Falcon since 2016 (Jesse Rogers). This past season, 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 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.

Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 11-2

KCAC Kessinger Division: 4-1

Home: 5-1

Away: 6-1

The Falcons record when … (2024)

Scoring 0-6 points: 0-0

Scoring 7-13 points: 0-0

Scoring 14-20 points: 0-1

Scoring 21-27 points: 1-1

Scoring 28 points+: 10-0

Allowing 0-6 points: 3-0

Allowing 7-13 points: 2-0

Allowing 14-20 points: 2-0

Allowing 21-27 points: 1-2

Allowing 28 points+: 3-0

Scoring first: 9-1

Opponent scores first: 2-1

Leading at halftime: 10-2

Trailing at halftime: 1-0

Tied at halftime: 0-0

Committing fewer turnovers: 4-1

Committing more turnovers: 5-1

Turnovers are even: 2-0

Leading in total offense: 10-0

Trailing in total offense: 1-2

Winning time of possession: 7-2

Losing time of possession: 4-0

The Coaches:

Terry Harrison enters his fourth season as the Friends University head football coach.

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

In his three 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.

Mike Grossner is in his third 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: The Falcons will hit the road and play at Avila University next Saturday (Sept. 6) for a 1 pm kickoff in Kansas City, Mo.