(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 13)—Playing in its first night home game in 76 years, the McKendree University football team dropped a 28-21 decision in non-conference play against Marian College.
The Bearcats nearly overcame a 21-0 deficit late in the second quarter, and had the ball in the closing moments with a chance to tie. But the visiting Knights stopped McKendree's final drive at the Marian 34-yard line with 33 seconds to play.
McKendree, the No. 25-ranked team in the NAIA, slips to 1-1 on the year, while Marian won its second consecutive game to move to 2-1 on the year.
The Bearcats installed lights at Leemon Field back in the summer of 2007. This marked McKendree's first home game under the lights since the 1932 season, when the team played its home games at Hypes Field.
Marian built a 21-point lead midway through the second quarter thanks to a trio of touchdown passes from Matt Rogers. The Knights were driving late in the half when McKendree junior cornerback Derrick Quals (North Hills, Calif./Chaminade) (North Hills, Calif./Chaminade) picked off a Rogers pass and raced 43 yards down the right sideline for the score. Junior Kevin Kinsall (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) added the extra point to help the Bearcats pull within 21-7 with 1:30 left in the half.
Just 48 seconds into the fourth quarter, McKendree rallied to within 21-14 thanks to a 63-yard touchdown run by senior Shane McBride (Troy, Ill./Triad) (Troy, Ill./Triad). After ducking one would-be tackler, McBride hurdled another defender and raced to the pylon for his second scoring run of at least 60 yards in as many weeks. He had a career-best 65-yarder last week at Georgetown College.
After Rogers connected with Darrell Spencer for his fourth TD pass of the day, a 52-yarder that followed McBride's run, McKendree rallied again. Sophomore Tommy Gayfield (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run, and Kinsall's point after brought the Bearcats within 28-21.
On its final drive, McKendree took possession at its own 47-yard line with 1:34 remaining. The Bearcats picked up a first down and moved to the Marian 34-yard line, but the Knights held on third- and fourth-down to preserve the win.
Junior quarterback Dan Loudenslager (Summerfield, Fla./Belleview) (Summerfield, Fla./Belleview) completed 13-of-28 pass attempts for 142 yards. He became the Bearcats' all-time leader in pass completions (116) and pass attempts (252) during the contest. His favorite target was sophomore tight end Byron Gettis (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia), who had six receptions for 31 yards. Junior wide receiver Mason Williams (Marion, Ill./Marion) (Marion, Ill./Marion) added three catches for a team-high 53 yards.
McBride rushed for a team-leading 94 yards on nine carries, while Gayfield contributed 45 yards on 12 attempts.
Sophomore linebacker Aaron Barnett (Williamsville, Ill./Williamsville) (Williamsville, Ill./Williamsville) led the Bearcats' defensive effort with nine tackles, including seven solos. Senior linebacker Reece McCall (Weirsdale, Fla./Lake Weir) (Weirsdale, Fla./Lake Weir) and junior defensive back Jon Malandrucco (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail) (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail) each posted six tackles.
For Marian, Rogers was 13-of-25 for 260 yards. JaQuan Patilla added five receptions for 39 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while William Stubbs gained a team-high 88 yards on the ground.
McKendree will have an open date next week before heading to Ohio Dominican University on Sept. 27 for a Mid-States Football Association crossover game. Kickoff in Columbus, Ohio, is set for 12:30 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m. CDT).
-McK-
