No. 16 KWU faces stern test at No. 25 Sterling
STERLING — Suffice it to say Kansas Wesleyan football coach Matt Drinkall doesn’t expect a duplication of last Saturday’s 83-0 massacre of Friends on Saturday.
The No. 16-ranked Coyotes play No. 25 Sterling a pivotal Kansas Conference. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Smisor Stadium.
Wesleyan (2-0 overall, 1-0 KCAC) raced to a 69-0 halftime lead against Friends and was up 83-0 with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Today will most certainly be different.
“It’s going to be tougher across the board,” Drinkall said, “because one, they’re really well coached. Two, they’re really good at running the ball, they’re very efficient on offense.”
Sterling (1-1, 1-1) defeated Southwestern 43-20 last week in Winfield after dropping its opener to Avila 38-34.
The Warriors are led by first-year coach Chase Hansen, who was offensive coordinator last season and was being promoted to head coach after Chuck Lambert’s resignation.
Sterling returns just one starter on defense, but makes up for it on offense.
Quarterback David Butler was the KCAC Player of the Year in 2017 and is off to a flying start this fall. He’s second in rushing in the KCAC with 109 yards per game and third in total offense with 322.5 yards. He’s completed just under 60 percent of his passes for 427 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. Daryl Terrell (12 catches, 187 yards) is his top target.
“They will get in one-back but will run the quarterback a ton,” Drinkall said. “And that’s really like buying an extra blocker, so it thins out the box.
“They have some really good young offensive linemen. They’re super athletic and super physical and technically sound.”
Drinkall also respects the Warriors’ defense.
“They’re going to be youthful and young and for some of these guys this will be their first substantial big game against somebody ranked,” he said. “They just play so hard. They fly around everywhere, they don’t quit on anything, they do a lot of movement up front.”
KWU counters with an offense that’s averaging 62.5 points and a defense that’s allowing 3.5 points.
Quarterback Johnny Feauto leads the KCAC in passing with 615 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 58.7 percent of his passes. He's second in total offense at 344.5 yards.
While pleased with the Friends’ romp, Drinkall saw room for improvement.
“Some good and some bad,” he said. “When you go back and watch the film things weren’t quite as clean as you thought or as dominant as you hoped.
“Our kids understand that and practiced at a very high level this week.”
Wesleyan’s starters didn’t play much or at all the second half, which also was a mixed bag.
“You need reps to get better,” Drinkall said. “I’d rather play in games where every single snap matters because I think when it comes down to the end and how competitive the conference is you need more of those opportunities than not.”
Sterling hasn’t been kind to Wesleyan in recent years. The Warriors have won six of the last seven games in Sterling and 11 of the last 14 overall.
“We have to play our best in all three facets just to be in the game,” Drinkall said.
Ottawa (2-0) at Bethany (1-2)
Bethany will try or its second victory in a row against the Braves at 7 p.m. in Lindsborg.
The Swedes notched their first win last Saturday, defeating Bethel 31-28 in Lindsborg on Fernando Avila-Castro's 24-yard field goal with 47 seconds left. Isaiah Salazar threw for 394 yards and three touchdowns for Bethany.
Ottawa edged Saint Mary 29-27 last week in Ottawa as Nicholas Rodriguez kicked a 24-yard field goal with 26 seconds left. Connor Kaegi, who stands 6-feet-7, threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns for the Braves.