Having played linebacker at Kansas Wesleyan then serving as a defensive coach for five seasons before becoming the head man Matt Myers has a deep appreciation for the guys who are tasked with stopped the opposing team from scoring.
What he witnessed Saturday night in the Coyotes' 21-6 Kansas Conference victory over Bethel at JRI Stadium and the Graves Family Sports Complex was as satisfying as it gets.
KWU's swarming defense smothered the Threshers limiting them to two field goals and 216 total yards on 62 plays - an average of 3.5 yards per play. Bethel had just 49 yards rushing on 34 attempts - 1.4 per play. There also were three sacks, two by Josh King-Bradley, and interceptions by James Preston and Daren Hawkins.
Most impressive, though, was the whopping 17 tackles for loss that pushed Bethel back 70 yards - King-Bradley with 3.5.
"That's incredible," Myers said on his postgame radio show. "Suffocating the run was really good to see. The difference tonight was we started penetrating and getting tackles for loss. That's a big deal when you're getting them in a second-and-long situations and making them play behind the (first down) sticks. We hadn't necessarily done that in the first three weeks."
KWU improved to 2-3 on the season while handing Bethel its first loss (4-1).
Bethel was forced to throw to gain yardage and quarterback D.J. Ciers was 18 of 26 for 167 yards and an interception.
"He completed 69 percent of his passing ... but that's okay. That doesn't bother me," Myers said. "Points bother me. Making sure (the defense) is getting off the field is what we want and forcing them to kick field goals is fine.
"The point all week going into tonight was making sure we're getting penetration in the backfield and forcing guys to make cuts in the backfield and getting them on the ground before they can get back to the line of scrimmage."
Seven Coyote defenders had at least five tackles led by Myles Elam with eight; Quatama Massaquoi and King-Bradley each had six. Dylan Worrell had three tackles for loss.
The defensive gem took some pressure off the offense which had 280 total yards. Richard Lara started at quarterback for the injured Byron McNair and was 10 of 17 passing for 129 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Lara alternated with Daedon "Buck" Taylor who had a team-best 69 yards rushing on nine carries and a touchdown.
Defense played a key role in the Coyotes' second touchdown late in the second quarter. Leading 7-0 Preston intercepted a Ben Schmidt pass and returned it 25 yards to the Bethel 20-yard line with 1:38 left in the half.
KWU scored two plays later when Alexander Elam raced around the left end and into the end zone on a jet sweep that gave the Coyotes a 14-3 lead at intermission.
Lara threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Zarek Fewell with 3:25 left in the first quarter giving the Coyotes a 7-0 lead. It capped a quick 87-yard, three-play drive that started with Lara's 44-yard pass to fullback Epoki Tafea and included a pass interference call on Bethel.
Taylor put the game out of reach with a 43-yard touchdown run with 4:02 left in the game. The six-play drive covered 65 yards.
"Offensively we had to do some different things," Myers said. "Our right tackle (Antonio Caballero) is out, our quarterback was out. Lara came in and played well and did what he needed to do. He threw a good ball to Fewell there early to get us on the board. Putting Buck in worked out well, he averaged 7.7 yards per carry. We needed some juice in the run game."