(GEORGETOWN, Ky., Sept. 6)—Junior Kevin Kinsall (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) kicked a 37-yard field goal with just 2:24 remaining to lift the McKendree University football team to a 19-17 season-opening victory Saturday at Georgetown College.

The game-winning kick provided McKendree its only lead of the game in a battle of NAIA Top 25 teams. The Bearcats, ranked No. 25 in the NAIA pre-season poll, won for the seventh time in their last eight season openers, while No. 16-rated Georgetown drops to 0-1. McKendree has won three of the four meetings all-time against the Tigers.

“We showed a lot of resolve today,” said McKendree head football coach Carl Poelker, whose Bearcats trailed 7-0 at the half and had just 86 yards of total offense in the first half. “Things weren't clicking offensively and our defensive spent a lot of time on the field in first half. But we kept fighting back. We knew we had a lot more weapons than we've had in the past, and that started to show in the second half.”

McKendree trailed 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter when junior defensive back Antonio Greer (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) blocked a punt at the Georgetown 30-yard line. The ball shot back toward the Tigers' goal line and was picked up by punter Dempsey Schlueter. With two defenders bearing down on him, Schlueter ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety, cutting the Bearcats' deficit to 17-16.

After taking the free kick, McKendree marched 10 plays and took more than five minutes off the clock to set up Kinsall's field goal. The Bearcats converted a fourth down on a fake punt moments earlier to keep the drive alive. Senior running back George Smith (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail) (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail) took the snap from center and converted the fourth-down attempt with just under five minutes to play.

“Big plays were key for us today,” said Poelker. “Both of our touchdowns came on long plays, plus the blocked punt and field goal at the end showed we were giving the kind of effort you need to win big games like this.”

The Bearcats tied the game at 7-7 early in the third quarter when junior quarterback Dan Loudenslager (Summerfield, Fla./Belleview) (Summerfield, Fla./Belleview) connected with sophomore wide receiver Zach Atkins (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin, Ill.) (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin) on a school-record 85-yard touchdown pass. Georgetown regained the lead at 14-7 on the ensuing possession when Nik Blair scored from eight yards out. The eight-play drive covered 67 yards and consumed just over four minutes.

McKendree needed just 76 seconds to even the score again when senior running back Shane McBride (Troy, Ill./Triad) (Troy, Ill./Triad) took a handoff, broke two tackles and raced 65 yards down the right sideline for a score. Kinsall's point after tied the game at 14-14.

Georgetown took its final lead of the contest early in the fourth quarter on a 19-yard field goal by Schlueter, giving the Tigers a 17-14 lead.

“That drive was really big for our defense,” said Poelker. “They drove down and had a first-and-goal at the six-yard line, but we stopped the run a few times and nearly forced a fumble on the third-down play. Our defense played well all day, but really stepped up in the fourth quarter.”

Loudenslager completed 8-of-22 pass attempts for 117 yards on the afternoon. His favorite target was sophomore end Byron Gettis (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia), who had four receptions for 23 yards. Atkins caught two passes for 91 yards. McBride led the Bearcats' rushing attack with 79 yards on five carries. Senior fullback Steve Moravec (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) added 63 yards on a team-leading 14 attempts.

Smith posted 59 rushing yards on the day to move past Jarrod Karnes for fifth place on McKendree's all-time rushing list. Smith now has 1,864 yards and is 10 yards behind Louis Harden for fourth place on the chart.

Senior linebacker Reece McCall (Weirsdale, Fla./Lake Weir) (Weirsdale, Fla./Lake Weir), senior defensive back Don Petterson (Breese, Ill./Breese Central) (Breese, Ill./Breese Central) and junior defensive lineman Wade Adamson (East Moline, Ill./United Township) (East Moline, Ill./United Township) each had a team-high seven tackles for the Bearcats. Sophomore linebacker Aaron Barnett (Williamsville, Ill./Williamsville) (Williamsville, Ill./Williamsville) had a fumble recovery and interception on Georgetown's first two offensive possessions.

Georgetown quarterback Mike Lewis completed 16-of-34 pass attempts for 159 yards. A.J. Brooks rushed for a team-high 79 yards on eight carries, while Kaelin Ammons grabbed six passes for 61 yards for the Tigers.

 McKendree will play host to Marian College next Saturday at 7 p.m. CDT. The Bearcats will be hosting their first-ever night home game at Leemon Field.

-McK-