(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 7)—Senior running back Dominique Jones (St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central) (St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central) became part of an exclusive club Saturday as the McKendree College football team posted a 37-7 victory at home against Olivet Nazarene University.

 

Jones gained 80 yards on eight carries, and became the 12^th player in team history to rush for 1,000 yards in a career. Jones hit the mark with an 80-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. He finished the day with 1,056 career yards.

 

McKendree, the No. 21 team in the NAIA, improves to 3-2 overall and 3-1 in Mid-States Football Association Midwest League play. The Bearcats earned their sixth consecutive victory over Olivet Nazarene. The Tigers drop to 0-6 on the year and 0-4 in the MSFA Midwest.

 

“We really got in sync in the second half,” said McKendree head football coach Carl Poelker, referring to three turnovers by the Bearcats in the first half. “We were able to run the ball effectively, and pressured their quarterback early which took (Olivet Nazarene) out of their rhythm.”

 

Freshman kicker Kevin Kinsall (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O’Fallon, Ill./O’Fallon) started the scoring for McKendree by kicking his first collegiate field goal, a 41-yard on the Bearcats’ opening possession. Jones followed three minutes later with his 60-yard run to give McKendree a 9-0 advantage. The Bearcats’ defense got into the act early in the second quarter when junior linebacker Derrick Summerlin (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) picked off a Tiger pass on a crossing route and returned it 25 yards for a score. Kinsall’s point after helped extend the McKendree lead to 16-0.

 

On their first possession of the second half, McKendree scored again on a seven-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Dan Loudenslager (Summerfield, Fla./Belleview) (Summerfield, Fla./Belleview) to senior wide receiver JaRon Dent (East St. Louis, Ill./Althoff Catholic) (East St. Louis, Ill./Althoff Catholic). Loudenslager finished the day with four completions in 10 pass attempts for 73 yards.

 

“Danny really looked comfortable in the pocket,” said Poelker. “He was long on a couple of deep balls, but threw the underneath routes effectively. We were able to roll him out of the pocket a few times which helped keep the defense off-balance.”

 

Senior defensive back Mike Harrison (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) recovered an Olivet Nazarene fumble at the Tigers’ 32-yard line, and McKendree took advantage of the turnover. Junior running back George Smith (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail) (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail) capped the six-play, 32-yard drive with a two-yard scoring burst to push the Bearcats’ lead to 30-0. Sophomore running back Shane McBride (Troy, Ill./Triad) (Troy, Ill./Triad) capped the scoring for McKendree with a five-yard touchdown run with 3:29 to play.

 

Facing the Bearcats’ second-unit defense, Olivet Nazarene was able to break up the shutout bid with just 5.6 seconds remaining. Billy Lawrence, who led the Tigers with 70 yards on 24 carries, scored from two yards out.

 

Smith was a dual threat for McKendree as he posted 73 yards rushing on 10 carries, and had a team-leading three receptions for 34 yards. Sophomore fullback Jacob Rohman (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) chipped in with 51 yards on 10 rushes.

 

Sophomore linebacker Steve Moravec (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) led a balanced defensive effort for McKendree with seven tackles. He also had one of a season-high three interceptions for the Bearcats. Sophomore linebacker Emanuel McCall (Weirsdale, Fla./Lake Weir) added six stops and had McKendree’s lone sack of the game.

 

McKendree will be on the road next Saturday to face St. Ambrose University, which is currently ranked No. 8 in the NAIA. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Davenport, Iowa.