No. 11 Tabor Runs Past KWU

 ~Courtesy KWU Sports Information~

Tabor College came to Salina Stadium with a little steam to blow off after last week’s loss to Southwestern. The No. 11 ranked Bluejays rushed for 517 yards in the game as Tabor beat the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes 70-35 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Salina Stadium.

Riddled with injuries, the Bluejays were forced to take pull Jordan Bernhardy out of red shirt status, and the freshman scored six touchdowns on the ground and passed for two more in his first game with the Bluejays this year.

The 70 points allowed by Wesleyan was the most given up since allowing 63 to Friends on October 1, 2011.

The offensive line struggled again for the Coyotes as quarterback Jake Curran(JR/Garden City, Kan.) was sacked 12 times in the game.

Tabor scored on its first drive of the game with the benefit of a very short field after a long return by the Bluejays on the opening kickoff. Bernhardy scored the first of his six rushing touchdowns on the day with a 3-yard plunge to put the Bluejays ahead 7-0 with 13:20 to go in the first. The Coyotes would score on its second drive of the game, needing only one play as Curran hit Mitch Kufahl(SO/Wheaton, Kan.) over the middle for a 61-yard touchdown pass to tie things up 7-7 with 9:17 to go in the first after the extra point.

Tabor answered back with a touchdown on its next drive and would tack on two more in the quarter. The Coyotes scored in the first again as well when Curran hit John Lewis (FR/Collinsville, Texas) for an 11-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone with 17 seconds left in the quarter. The drive by the Coyotes was aided by a 39-yard pass from Curran to Jacob Tatge (SO/Azle, Texas).

After the 42-point first quarter by both teams, the teams combined for 28 second quarter points as Tabor would extend its lead to 49-21 at the half. Tabor scored first on a 26-yard touchdown pass and on its next drive needed only one play as Bernhardy broke free for an 84-yard touchdown run with 8:46 to go in the half. Tabor scored again on its next drive covering 86 yards in three plays as Bernhardy ran for 25 yards on the scoring play with 6:18 to go.

Wesleyan scored on its next drive, capping an 11 play. 65-yard march with a 25-yard connection between Curran and Lewis with 3:29 to go before the half that made it 49-21. That score would carry over to the half.

The Coyotes had the ball to start the second half, but Wesleyan’s drive stalled at the KWU-49 and Tabor would drive 71 yards on 11 plays on its next drive capped by a 1-yard run by Bernhardy to put the Bluejays ahead 56-21.

On the next Wesleyan drive the Coyotes used a 40-yard run by Taylor Sachs (SR/Georgetown, Texas) to get down to the Tabor-24, and after a run by Devin Rizzo-Foden (SO/Laguna Niguel, Calif.), Curran hit Kufahl again. Kofhal was stripped of the ball just inches from the goal line and Tabor would take over at its own 1-yard-line. The Coyote defense would hold Tabor to a punt and then Wesleyan would answer back with a 14 play, 52-yard drive that made it 56-28 with 127 to go in the third. The drive was aided by a Tabor pass interference penalty and later a 24-yard pass from Curran to Kufahl. On the drive Sachs dove and had appeared to score from three yards out, but the officials ruled him out of bounds at the 1-foot-line and on the next play he would score for the Coyotes.

Tabor scored on its next two drives before the Coyotes scored again, this time on a 34-yard pass from Curran to Lewis with 6:48 left in the game for the final points of the night for either team.

Curran had another great outing for the Coyotes, throwing 21-of-42 for 363 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Lewis who had seven catches for 113 yards on the day. Kufahl added four catches for 113 yards and one touchdown. Sachs carried 25 times for 104 yards and one touchdown. Sachs also added 109 yards of kick return yardage in the game.

Wesleyan had no answer for Tabor’s stout running game, as the Bluejays had two rushers for over 140 yards in the game and 517 as a team. Bernhardy was 5-of-11 passing for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

The Coyotes are back at home next week for Homecoming 2014. The Coyotes welcome the Bethany Swedes to Salina Stadium for a 7:00 kickoff.