WBU vs. Lyon: 'This is when it counts'

Butch Henderson often encourages his Wayland Baptist football players to make the most of every moment.

"You only have one chance to do something in life, so you better take advantage of it when you're there," he said he frequently tells his team.

This season, however, the Pioneers are getting to do something twice: play Lyon College.

Nine weeks after traveling to Batesville, Ark., to face Lyon in the 2016 season-opener, Wayland will host the Scots at 2 p.m. Saturday in Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium.

While Wayland's 37-14 victory the first time the teams played was satisfying, Henderson said a second victory on Saturday is what the Pioneers really want.

"This is when it counts," the coach said.

That's because the first meeting was a non-conference contest arranged after both schools saw teams back out of games and had to scramble to find a replacement opponent.

Saturday's contest between the Pioneers (6-1, 3-0) and Scots (3-5, 2-2) is considered the teams' official Central States Football League game, which the Pioneers – ranked the equivalent of 27^th in the NAIA –  must win in order to stay on track toward their goal of claiming their first CSFL championship.

The game precedes what is shaping up to be a showdown for the league crown next week in Phoenix between Wayland, winners of five straight, and defending CSFL champ and 20^th-ranked Arizona Christian (5-2, 4-0). As tempting as it may be to look ahead to that game, Henderson said the Pioneers are keeping their focus on Lyon.

"You have to play week-by-week or all of it's for naught," he said.

Atmos Energy is serving as Saturday's GameDay sponsor and will offer free food and drinks, while it lasts, at a tailgate party beginning around 12:30 p.m. in the home parking lot at the stadium. Fans are encouraged to greet the Pioneers on their way to the field for warm-ups between 12:45-1 in the tailgate area.

The Hale Center Fighting Owl March Band will perform at halftime in addition to the Pioneer Marching Band.

All of the action can be heard locally on 1090-AM and via live streaming at www.wbuathletics.com/watch.

In the three-plus decades Henderson has coached football, he can't remember playing the same team twice in the same season, although he said he figures it happened at least once when he coached in high school as he faced a team in the playoffs after having played in the regular-season.

While he admits facing Lyon for a second time in the regular-season is a bit strange (the teams are scheduled to meet only once next season), it hasn't been a big deal to the Pioneers.

"I don't think our kids have given it a second thought," Henderson said.

While the WBU players and coaches certainly looked back on that Aug. 25 game in preparing for Saturday's rematch, Henderson said the Pioneers aren't relying too heavily on what they witnessed more than two months ago in Arkansas.

"They're a lot better football team now than whenever we started, but we are, too," he said. "We've talked that through psychologically with the kids."

One thing the Pioneers aren't banking on is Lyon turning the ball over eight times, which the Scots did in the first meeting through seven fumbles and an interception. Wayland directly turned two of those turnovers into touchdowns as Travis White and Dontay Raglin returned fumbles for scores.

"That's not something you can count on happening again," Henderson said.

One of those TD fumble returns followed a goal line stand by the Pioneer defense and came in the fourth quarter not long after the Scots were threatening to pull to within six points of Wayland.

"They're a much different offensive football team than they were we played them. They've really settled into what they want to do," Henderson said. "What they're running is more power offense. They've eliminated some sets but added others to try to gain them leverage."

Much of Lyon's offense centers around a rushing game that ranks sixth in the NAIA, averaging 288 yards per contest. A large part of that attack can be credited to senior tailback Michael Bowles (5-8, 199), who in eight outings has rushed for 1,065 yards, third in the NAIA. His 133-yards-per-game average ranks fifth. Against Wayland in August, Bowles ran for exactly 100 yards and averaged 6.7 yards a carry.

"He's going to get the ball 20-25 times a game," Henderson said. "He has good speed, and he's a big, strong kid who is hard to knock off his feet."

Bowles likes to run up the middle to the edge, Henderson said.

"They complement him well with their quarterback," the coach said of sophomore Dwane Robinson (5-11, 175). "They do some zone read stuff with him."

In Lyon's 34-17 home loss to Arizona Christian last week, Robinson ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Bowles ended with 150 steps on 20 attempts, including a 63-yarder. Against Wayland in their first meeting, Robinson produced 106 yards on the ground while going 16-of-25 for 140 yards in the air.

On the season as a passer, Robinson has completed 54 percent of his passes (69-of-128) for an average of 118 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He shares duty with another quarterback, Micah Wall, who has thrown for 223 yards and three TDs.

On defense, Henderson said Lyon's main priority is to stop the run.

"They want to keep players in the box and not let you run, which puts a lot of pressure on their secondary to cover well," he said.

The Scots haven't yet seen the quarterback they'll face Saturday as Payson Bain was Wayland's starter to open the season before he got hurt the following week, opening the door for Mitchell Parsley. The sophomore has helped Wayland to its best season ever and ranks 17^th in the NAIA in passing efficiency (150.5), 18^th in total offense per game (271 yards), and 21^st in passing yards per game (240).

"Their defense has gotten better all season long," Henderson said of Lyon. "We made some big plays on them, but overall they played well against the things we like to do."

The Scots also possess a dangerous return man in sophomore Tre Hawkins (5-8, 151), who ranks seventh in the NAIA in kick returns (29 yards) and eighth in punt returns (12.7).

Wayland hopes to do more kicking than punting Saturday. If that happens, the Pioneers could be playing for their first conference title a week later in Phoenix.

"I'm sure in the backs of their minds that looms out there, but this bunch has been pretty mature," Henderson said of his team not looking past Lyon and ahead to Arizona Christian. "They've been smart about that kind of thing all season."