SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 17th ranked Evangel Valor Football team set themselves up for yet another top-25 clash in the NAIA, traveling to Kansas to take on the 18th ranked McPherson College Bulldogs on Saturday (Sept. 19).
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OPENING STORYLINES
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Saturday's contest is the second of five consecutive matchups against teams that were top-25 or receiving votes in the latest poll.
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Evangel eleventh-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 73-36 overall record, the most wins by a football head coach at Evangel, set last season in a road win against Avila.
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Evangel was picked to finish first in the Kessinger Division coaches and media poll. In the Bissell, McPherson was picked just slightly over Friends in the coaches poll, while the Falcons edged the Bulldogs in the media poll.
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The Valor are ranked #17 in the first edition of the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Rating. In the KCAC, Friends is #7, McPherson jumped to #18, while Southwestern, Kansas Wesleyan, and Ottawa are all receiving votes.
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Evangel and McPherson match up for the fourth time in program history, as the Valor look to even the series back up at .500 after dropping last season's home contest, 10-17. McPherson is the lone KCAC team to hold a winning record all-time over Evangel.
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The Bulldogs boast the #1 defense in the NAIA, based on total yards allowed, as opponents average just 161 yards against McPherson.
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Senior Broc Lyle sits 2nd all-time in receptions (163), tied for 5th all-time in receiving touchdowns (24), and 9th in receiving yards (2,124) in school history.
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Erik Spring and Draven VanGilder led the defense last weekend, finishing with eight tackles each.
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Matt Allen and Luke Milligan had solid performances at QB for Evangel last Saturday, as Allen tossed three touchdowns on 111 passing yards and Milligan went 12-15 with 147 yards passing.
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Cullen Snow came away with his third interception of the season in last weekend's 31-13 win over Southwestern.
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Cody Voysey went 4-4 for PATs on Saturday, moving his streak to 54 consecutive PAT makes, dating back to more than a year ago. The current Evangel record is 58 consecutive makes (Derek Robers, 2015-17).
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The Evangel defense recorded five sacks in last Saturday's home win over the Moundbuilders.
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Evangel moved to 6-1 all-time against Southwestern with the win on Saturday, the most wins over a single KCAC opponent other than Avila (formerly HAAC opponents).
UP NEXT
Evangel Football returns home to Nixa, hosting the #7 Friends Falcons on Saturday (Sept. 26) night at 6:05 p.m.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
—#OneValor—
