WINFIELD – It was not difficult for Kansas Wesleyan coach Matt Myers to find a positive takeaway from the Coyotes' 24-3 Kansas Conference loss to Southwestern Saturday night.
 
Dented for 24 points the first half the defense emerged from the locker room at halftime with a different mind set and attitude. It showed on the field as KWU shut out the Moundbuilders' juggernaut offense the final 30 minutes.
 
Just how good was the defense the second half?
 
Southwestern (3-0) had 198 total yards at halftime, 108 passing and 90 rushing, but totaled just 85 yards the second half, 53 rushing and 32 passing. They entered the game averaging 36.5 points per game.
 
"Early we weren't doing anything wrong except not running through tackles," Myers said. "That's just an intensity thing. We were getting to the back right around the line of scrimmage and we just weren't tackling. They had to go do it and they did."
 
Cornerback Jordan Dupre intercepted a Moundbuilders' pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and Quatama Massaquoi blocked a short field goal attempt later in the period.
 
Lineman Josh King-Bradley led the defense with 10 tackles, eight of them solo that included a third-quarter sack. Linebacker Ricco Moore had eight tackles, four of them solo, and safety Julian Urioste six tackles.
 
The Wesleyan offense could not get untracked, though. The Coyotes finished with 68 total yards.
 
Their points came on Talon Cope's 45-yard field with 13:28 left in the second quarter. It came four plays after Nate Hays returned a kickoff 59 yards to the Southwestern 30-yard line.
 
Quarterbacks Richard Lara and Jordan Moran were a combined 8 of 23 passing for 57 yards. Running back Tyler Boston had 21 yards rushing on six carries while Darrias Pearsall caught two passes for 25 yards and Jacquante Pitts two for 24 yards.
 
"We missed a couple of opportunities early in the game, we dropped a couple of balls that probably would have been touchdowns," Myers said. "We've got to find our running game offensively, we need to be able to run the ball. I thought we did a better job throwing the RPOs (Run Pass Option) and doing that stuff."
 
KWU (1-2) plays Friends at 6 p.m. next Saturday at JRI Stadium and the Graves Family Sports Complex. The Falcons (3-0) defeated Avila 54-20 Saturday in Wichita.
 
"This group right now is waiting for something to click so we just need to look in the mirror and go fix it," Myers said.