Tony Adame looks at Saturday’s state/juco football games (Sept. 12)
Jayhawk
Fort Scott (1-1, 0-1 Jayhawk) at No. 4 Coffeyville (2-0, 0-0), 7 p.m. — Coffeyville quarterback Riley Ferguson has been a revelation since transferring from Tennessee. The sophomore leads the nation with 405.5 passing yards and eight touchdowns and has been the Jayhawk’s offensive player of the week for both weeks.
What hasn’t been as promising for the Red Ravens is their defense. They’ve given up more than 40 points in wins over Iowa Western and Ellsworth, are dead last in the Jayhawk in total defense and giving up almost 500 yards of offense.
Other games
Ellsworth (0-2) at Garden City (1-1), 1 p.m.
Highland (0-1) at Iowa Western (0-2), 1 p.m.
Independence (0-2, 0-1) at No. 20 Dodge City (2-0, 1-0), 1 p.m.
No. 8 Butler (2-0, 1-0) at No. 3 Hutchinson (2-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.
KCAC
No. 18 Langston (0-1) at Bethany (0-1), 7 p.m. — Don’t let Langston’s 0-1 record fool you — it came in a 35-32 loss in which Langston gave NCAA Division II Lincoln all it could handle. Langston’s defense was particularly impressive, with nine tackles for loss and a big game from senior linebacker Troy Egana, who had 11 tackles and one interception.
Also deceiving was Bethany’s 51-7 loss to Houston Baptist in its opener. Bethany was playing two divisions up — Houston Baptist is an NCAA Championship Subdivision school — and on the road with first-year coach Paul Hubbard. One bright spot in the loss for Bethany was the play of quarterback Virgil Bridges, who was 11 of 18 passing for 136 yards and one touchdown in his first start. Also, Bridges only lost one fumble despite being sacked five times.
Other game
No. 21 Friends (0-1) at Southwest Baptist (0-1), 7 p.m.
MIAA
Lindenwood (1-0, 1-0 MIAA) at No. 5 Pittsburg State (1-0, 1-0), 7 p.m. — Pittsburg State fans got the first glimpse with John Roderique Jr.’s first start in a 38-14, season-opening win over lowly Northeastern State. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound freshman and Sam Houston State transfer was sharp in the opener, rushing for 91 yards and three touchdowns while going 10 of 16 passing for 122 yards. The Gorillas’ greatest teams have come with dual-threat quarterbacks at the helm, including Zac Dickey on the way to the 2011 NCAA Division II title.
Other game
Central Oklahoma (0-1, 0-1) at Missouri Western (0-1, 0-1), 1 p.m.
This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 4:10 AM with the headline "Tony Adame looks at Saturday’s state/juco football games (Sept. 12)."