The Coyotes are back home for a Kansas Conference and Gene Bissell Division game against Friends. It will be Senior Day and the final regular-season home game of the year.
GAME INFORMATION
- Kickoff: 1 p.m.
- Day: Saturday
- Location: Gene Bissell Field at JRI Hospitality Stadium in the Graves Family Sports Complex
- Records: Kansas Wesleyan 6-2 (2-0 division), Friends 7-1 (1-1 division)
- Tickets are available at www.kwucoyotes.com/tickets
- Spots in the Premium Tailgate Lot remain available for Saturday. Reserve your spot now! - www.kwucoyotes.com/tickets
LIVE COVERAGE
- The video stream of the game will be available online on the Coyote Sports Network, powered by the Urban Edge Network (https://www.urbanedgenetwork.net/watch/3927). The game will also be streamed on the KCAC Network (https://kcacnetwork.com/kansaswesleyan/?B=4691606). Saturday's network stream will include the Eagle Radio Pregame show starting at Noon.
- Live Stats will be available at https://kwucoyotes.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
- The Eagle Radio Pregame Show with Tyler Henry and Brooks Garretson will start at Noon on 99KG. The online radio stream is available at https://99kg.live/.
THE SERIES
Friends won the last two games, including a 63-6 victory last season in Wichita. KWU had won nine in a row before 2025. The Coyotes have a 16-9 lead in the series since 2001.
KANSAS WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE
- Twenty-four Coyote seniors will be recognized during pregame ceremonies on Bissell Field. It's a group that has made significant contributions to the football program specifically and the university in general during their time.
- The Coyotes defeated Sterling 24-14 last Saturday in Sterling thanks to a frenzied last-minute comeback. KWU scored 14 points in the final 38 seconds after trailing 14-10 for almost three quarters. Caleb Deal ran nine yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 38 seconds to go. Taylor Collins clinched it with a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown with seven seconds remaining. It was his fourth interception and second pick six of the season.
- KWU got the ball with 3:43 left and drove 70 yards, culminating with Deal's touchdown. He was 4 of 5 passing for 55 yards during the drive. The Coyotes overcame four turnovers but stayed in it with another superb defensive effort. Sterling had 177 yards total, just 71 rushing on 42 attempts (1.7 per carry).
- The numbers show how effective the defense has been. The Coyotes rank first in the NAIA in defensive touchdowns (six), first in quarterback sacks (34), third in rushing defense (70 yards per game), third in tackles for loss (73), fifth in total defense (238 yards/game) and ninth in interceptions (13).
- Deal continues to lead the offense with 929 yards passing and nine touchdowns along with a team-high 483 rushing and four touchdowns. Will Wilcox is the top wide out with 31 receptions for 362 yards, Alexander Elam 29-214 and Kyler Brown 23-304.
- Friends led 42-0 at halftime and had 342 yards rushing in last year's game. The Coyotes finished with 374 total yards and were led by D'Heaven Domena who rushed for 191 yards on 47 carries.
FRIENDS AT A GLANCE
- The Falcons suffered their first loss of the season falling to Southwestern 40-21 last Saturday in Wichita. They lost four fumbles and trailed 17-0 midway through the first quarter after fumbling twice. Southwestern had 584 total yards, 332 rushing while Friends had 328 yards total.
- The offense has had another monstrous season operating out of the triple option. The Falcons lead the NAIA in rushing yards per game (420.3), are first in yards per carry (8.2), second in points (58.1) and fifth in total offense (504.8).
- Six Falcons have at least 382 yards rushing led by Elon Conley with 521 followed by E'Derian Sykes with 498 and quarterback Walker Overman with 475. Conley averages 13.4 yards per carry while Sykes has 12 touchdowns.
- Friends has thrown more frequently this season with Overman completing 38 percent of his passes for 439 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.
- Opposing teams are averaging 23.5 points and 346 yards - 134 rushing and 212 passing. Friends has forced 20 turnovers including eight interceptions.
HEAD COACH MATT MIDDLETON
"We finished; I guess that's the biggest thing (against Sterling). We did not play well offensively at times. We had four turnovers and it's hard to win doing that. I think a little bit of panic set in at the end of the first half, but we stayed with it. We found a way to play great defense through the remainder of the game, and then we found enough mojo to find a way to get in the end zone at the end.
"Our kids have played lights out (on defense). (Linebacker) Myles Elam is to me one of the best players in the country. If you put him in a different scheme, it doesn't allow him to play to his strengths. What we've done is we fit a scheme to match our personnel and we play that well ... and our kids make the plays. I don't want to make anything of it less than that. Our kids have played lights out.
"They (Friends) just reload. They're athletic on their offensive line; they've got a new starting quarterback that makes them go; two backs are back. On defense they cause as much chaos and havoc as they can. They come from everywhere. They're still Friends, and that's what the Hardings of the world and the Friends of the world do. They establish, they develop, and they build within. That way when people leave there's no hiccup."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DAVID LEONARD
"What we did is we looked at schemes that matched our personnel and once again it all goes back to the guys you've got. I think what we're doing matches those guys' skill sets and so they believe in it.
"(Friends is) has an extremely talented offense. What they do is a little bit of an anomaly because you don't see it all the time and so you have to be extremely disciplined. But I think more so it's a mindset. I mean, those guys are going to line up and get after it every single play, and so you've got to be willing to match that. Then you've got to be disciplined with your assignment, know what your job is and do that consistently."
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