McKendree Game Notes
McKendree Audio Broadcast
Victory Sports Network Video Stream
(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 19)—The McKendree University football team will look to write the next chapter in its NAIA football playoff history Saturday when the Bearcats travel to McPherson, Kan., for a first-round game in the NAIA Football Championship Series Saturday at McPherson College. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the Bearcat Sports Network (www.mckbearcats.com) with a pre-game show beginning at 1:40 p.m. The contest is also marked as the Victory Sports Network “Game of the Week” and will be streamed live on video at www.victorysportsnetwork.com.
McKendree, ranked No. 12 in the final NAIA regular-season rating, earned its spot in the 16-team NAIA Football Championship Series field by winning the automatic berth from the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League. The Bearcats are 8-2 overall and posted a 6-1 record in MSFA Midwest League play. McKendree is making its ninth trip to the NAIA post-season, all of which have come since 1997. The Bearcats reached the national semifinals back in 2002.
McPherson comes in rated No. 6 in the NAIA. The Bulldogs are one of five undefeated teams in the NAIA playoff field at 10-0. McPherson went 9-0 to win the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title. This is the second trip to the NAIA Football Championship Series for McPherson, and the first home playoff game in Bulldogs' history.
The Bearcats and Bulldogs will be meeting for the first time on the football field, and both squads feature offensive units capable of putting points on the scoreboard. McKendree is averaging 33.8 points per contest, which is 22nd in the nation. Traditionally one of the top rushing units in the NAIA, the Bearcats currently sit ninth in the organization in rushing offense at just under 235 yards per contest. McKendree has three running back that have gained at least 500 yards on the season – seniors Jimmy Berezik (Fraser, Mich./De La Salle) (731 yards), Marlone Chenault (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso East) (539 yards) and Joe Beimfohr (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) (510 yards).
Junior quarterback Austin Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) has sparked the McKendree passing game during the Bearcats' current four-game winning streak. Fisher has completed better than 55 percent of his pass attempts for 1,262 yards. In addition, Fisher has tossed 16 touchdown passes to break his own team record set last season. Over the last two games, Fisher has connected on 26-of-39 pass attempts for 368 yards and seven TDs.
Among Fisher's favorite targets are junior wide receiver Myron Hicks (Sauk Village, IL/Bloom Trail) (27 catches, 413 yards, 3 TDs), senior tight end Byron Gettis (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (14 catches, 138 yards, 2 TDs) and Berezik (13 catches, 298 yards, 5 TDs). Hicks needs four receptions to break the Bearcats' single-season mark of 30, set last season by Gettis. A former major league outfielder for the Royals in 2004, Gettis is McKendree's all-time leader in pass receptions.
McPherson enters Saturday's contest ranked No. 3 in the NAIA in both total offense (537.5 YPG) and scoring offense (50.5 PPG). The Bulldogs feature the most prolific passer in the NAIA in Shane Mascarenas. The senior signal-caller leads the NAIA in passing at 341.9 yards per contest. Mascarenas has thrown 35 touchdown passes and has completed 63 percent of his attempts in 2010.
The Bulldogs have a productive duo in the receiving corps as well. Juniors Joe Middleton and Andy Skinner have combined to catch 130 passes for 2,323 yards and 28 TDs. Middleton leads the Bulldogs with 67 receptions and 15 touchdowns, while Skinner has grabbed 63 passes for a team-high 1,183 yards and 13 scores.
Senior Aaron Lafitte leads the McPherson ground game, rushing for 974 yards and 18 touchdowns through the Bulldogs' first 10 games.
On defense, McKendree is once again ranked among the NAIA's top 20 in scoring defense (17.6 PPG) and total defense (292.7 YPG). Junior linebackers Jason Rejfek (Arlington Heights, IL/John Hersey) and Brandon Nigro (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way Central) lead the Bearcats with 81 and 68 tackles, respectively. Rejfek is tied for the team lead with 12 tackles for loss, while Nigro has three sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries on the year. A veteran secondary is led by seniors Ryan Smith (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (51 tackles) and Jon Malandrucco (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail) (47 tackles). Freshman cornerback Ryan Keen (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) has added a team-leading three interceptions.
Along the defensive front, junior J.T. Smith (Clinton, Ill./Clinton) has registered 47 tackles while adding a pair of interceptions – one of which was returned for a score. Sophomore Tim Weidenbacher (Naperville, IL/Naperville North) leads the Bearcats with 12 tackles for loss and 7 ½ sacks.
Like McKendree, McPherson also receives plenty of production from its linebackers. In fact, the Bulldogs' top three tacklers on the season are from the middle layer of defense. Junior J.L. Gomez paces the unit with 82 tackles, while senior Will Powers is second with 62 stops. Rounding out the trio for McPherson is junior Derrick Johnson, who has collected 54 tackles on the year.
McKendree boasts one of the top all-around special teams units in the NAIA. Senior kicker Jordan Fark (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) is in the top 10 in the nation with his 11 field goals on the year. Fark has also made 39-of-44 extra point attempts. The Bearcats' punting tandem of senior Bret Dougherty (Orlando, Fla./Boone) and sophomore Alex McMahon (Westville, Ill./Westville) has combined to average 39 yards per attempt, which is 14th in the NAIA. In kickoff returns, Berezik is 14th in the NAIA with a 26.4 yard average.
For McPherson, senior kicker Travis Eason has been good on 64-of-67 point-after tries, while he is second in the NAIA in punting at 43.7 yards per kick. Junior Thomas Stauts is in the NAIA's top 10 in punt return average at 12.3 yards per attempt.
The winner from Saturday's McKendree/McPherson match-up will advance to the NAIA Football Championship Series quarterfinal round, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 27.
