By BOB DAVIDSON

Salina Journal

Kansas Wesleyan cornerback Kendrick Mitchell handled last week's challenge against Ottawa just fine.

Another taller challenge -- literally -- awaits him today when the Coyotes entertain Kansas Conference foe Friends. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. at Salina Stadium.

Wesleyan (4-4 overall, 3-4 KCAC) has lost four in a row while the 14th-ranked Falcons (7-1, 6-1) have won their last seven since losing to McPherson in the season opener.

In an attempt to get Mitchell more involved in the defense, KWU coaches put Mitchell on Ottawa's standout wide receiver Clarence Anderson last week. Anderson, who led the KCAC in pass receiving entering the contest, had a relatively pedestrian game, catching five passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Teammate Corey Schultz picked up the slack, catching eight balls for 221 yards and two scores in Ottawa's 42-10 victory.

Mitchell faces a similar, but loftier challenge today against Friends, when he will be assigned to cover either Mike Hyde or Doug Pierce, the Falcons' top receivers.

Anderson stands 5-foot-9 and Mitchell had to deal with his speed and quickness. Hyde stands 6-5 and Pierce 6-6, making today's task much different. Hyde, who also plays basketball, has 59 receptions for 918 yards and eight touchdowns while Pierce has 31 catches for 721 yards and nine TDs.

"With the smaller receivers it's easier to get your hands on them and slow them down a little bit," said Mitchell, who's second on the team in tackles with 38. "With them being so tall they give away their (pass) routes a lot. They have to break down and get low to get in and out of their routes. My plan is to just use my quickness and be aggressive."

Mitchell has had a fairly quiet season, slowed by a couple of injuries and victimized by opposing teams' decision to work away from him. Mitchell, a sophomore from Humble, Texas, had seven interceptions a year ago, but has two in 2009 as teams play keep-away.

"It gets to be a little bit (frustrating), but that's part of the game," Mitchell said. "We've done a couple of different things the last couple of weeks, have me follow the No. 1 receiver and hopefully I can make a couple more plays and help the defense out."

"He's played well all year long, but I think people have gone away from him," KWU coach Dave Dallas said. "That's been unfortunate and statistically he doesn't have the numbers he had last year.

"I think some of the injuries have slowed him down a little bit in terms of his confidence and swagger. It's certainly back now."

Wesleyan has forced 11 turnovers this season, but has turned the ball over 25 times -- an alarming minus-14 margin that ties them for last in the KCAC with Southwestern. The margin improved last week as the Coyotes didn't turn the ball over and forced three Ottawa turnovers.

"We've talked about that all week. We've got to get the ball back and put our offense in good situations to put points on the board. That's our main goal as a defense," Mitchell said.

Dallas knows today's task won't be easy. Friends leads the KCAC in total defense, scoring defense and rushing offense. The Falcons are second in rushing defense and third in total offense and scoring offense.

Quarterback Tim Rozzell has steadily improved. He has thrown for 2,050 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 59.5 percent of his passes.

"Certainly their defense has helped them and their special teams have helped them get good field position," Dallas said. "They're playing real well right now.

* Sports editor Bob Davidson can be reached at 822-1404, or by e-mail at bdavidson@salina.com

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