Friends demolishes turnover-troubled Tabor
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
There might have been a reason for KCAC teams to be jumping for joy weeks ago when the report came out that Friends' standout tailback Trey Hightower was done for the year after sustaining a season-ending injury.
Tabor should consider pursuing false advertising charges after Hightower out-did the Bluejays' ground game single-handedly, running rampant Saturday night for 152 yards and three touchdowns in Wichita.
While the Bluejays (1-3, 0-3 KCAC) have yet to win a league game, they had not been blownout, losing two games by nine points.
That changed in Saturday's second half with Friends (3-1, 3-1 KCAC) charging to a 35-point head start off six of Tabor's seven turnovers, and four unanswered touchdowns in the final 11 minutes, for a 66-13 blowout.
The loss leaves the Bluejays in last place in the KCAC and in a three-way tie for last overall with McPherson and St. Mary, while the Falcons trail only Bethel for first.
If Tabor was going to surprise the Falcons in Wichita on a Saturday loaded with upsets in college football, it would have to play its best game of the year, take care of the football and sustaining drives.
Forget that.
Everything that could have gone wrong for the Bluejays did, giving the Falcons 10 of its first 17 points from turnovers with Hightower responsible for 14 of them.
The Bluejays earned a living on defense with Friends dominating the time of possession, keeping Tabor's offense dormant.
The Falcons put up an impressive offensive flurry against a fatigued Bluejay defense, picking up 328 yards rushing and 410 yards of total offense, while its defense held Tabor to a season-worst 191 yards with 149 passing.
Tabor finally got into the game with 12 seconds left in the first half on Jason Aubrey's nine-yard pass to Jason Medelin to cut the Falcon lead to 17-7.
The Bluejays were lucky they were within 10 by halftime, mustering a meager 22 yards running the ball and 90 yards totaled with the Falcons controlling the ball nearly 10 minutes more and Hightower running for 109.
The Falcon defense limited Tabor's ground game to a season-low 42 yards and a bitter 2-for-13 on third down.
Friends busted the game open the second half, getting two unanswered touchdowns to build a 38-7 lead by the 6:44 mark in the third quarter.
Aubrey then was knocked out of the game with an injury.
By the time the Bluejays scored their final touchdown with reserve quarterback Anthony Davis scoring from 15 yards out, with 13:35 left in the game, Tabor was out of striking distance, 38-13.
The Bluejays' schedule gets no easier, as they host upstart Bethany at 1:30 p.m. Saturday for another KCAC game.
The Swedes currently are in a three-way tie for second overall with the Falcons and Kansas Wesleyan.
