Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 6)—The McKendree University football team reeled off 29 unanswered points in the second half to pull away for a 35-20 Homecoming victory Saturday at Leemon Field against William Jewell College.
 
Junior running back Jacob Wagner (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) rushed for a career-high 128 yards on 15 carries, while freshman running back Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) added three second-half touchdown runs as the Bearcats collected their second consecutive win. Defensively, McKendree registered four quarterback sacks and forced three William Jewell turnovers.
 
With the win, McKendree improves to 2-4 overall and brings its Great Lakes Valley Conference record even at 2-2. The Bearcats will look for their third straight GLVC win next Saturday (Oct. 13) at Quincy University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
“That was a total team effort today,” said McKendree head coach Carl Poelker. “It took us a while to get things going, but once we did, everything seemed to work well for us. Our running game really got in a rhythm, especially in the second half. Defensively, we were getting consistent pressure on the quarterback, and that allowed our secondary to get aggressive. And I can't say enough about our special teams today. It was one of our best all-around games of the season.”
 
The Bearcats also kept one impressive streak intact with Saturday's victory. McKendree has won all 17 of its Homecoming games since the football program was revived prior to the 1996 season.
 
McKendree trailed 7-3 late in the first half when it stopped William Jewell on a fourth-and-six play at the Bearcats' 41-yard line. The Bearcats took possession with just 53 second left in the half, but a pair of pass completions from freshman quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) to sophomore wide receiver Pat Doty (Springfield, IL/Springfield) – along with a nine-yard scramble by Fisher – put the ball at the Cardinals' 19 yard line with 0.7 seconds left until halftime.
 
Senior kicker Matt Kendall (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) came out and kicked a season-best 36-yard field goal in the final play of the half to bring McKendree within 7-6 at the intermission. After the Bearcats turned the ball over on its first possession of the second half, William Jewell (2-4, 1-2 GLVC) took its largest lead of the day at 14-6 on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Sean Shelton to Jon Molzen early in the third quarter.
 
From there, the Bearcats took control. Two possessions later, James posted his first TD rush of the day, an 11-yard scamper that brought McKendree within 14-12. Sophomore running back Ryan Herring (Fairview Heights, IL/Belleville East) then added the two-point conversion run to tie the contest at 14-14.
 
McKendree then turned an interception by junior defensive back Ryan Keen (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) into the go-ahead touchdown in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. James capped the 10-play, 59-yard drive with a five-yard scoring run, and Kendall's extra point pushed the Bearcats out to a 21-14 lead. Junior running back Chris Murphy (East St. Louis, IL/East St. Louis) stretched the margin to 28-14 on McKendree's next possession with a two-yard TD run with 4:04 remaining.
 
With 1:42 to play, the Bearcats sealed the victory when James broke through a hole and raced 20 yards into the end zone for his final score of the day. The drive was set up by an interception from junior safety Jamison Wilson (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) at the William Jewell 40-yard line.  The Cardinals added a touchdown in the closing seconds to account for the final score.
 
James finished the day with 69 rushing yards on 12 carries. Fisher was 6-of-13 for 115 yards, and he connected with Doty four times for 91 yards. Doty now has 29 catches on the season, which is one shy of the Bearcats' season record of 30, which is shared by Byron Gettis (2009) and Myron Hicks (Sauk Village, IL/Bloom Trail) (2010).
 
Senior defensive end Sherrod Stancil (Naperville, IL/Waubonsie Valley) had one of his best days in a Bearcat uniform. Stancil registered a season-high 10 tackles including four for loss. Stancil accounted for three of McKendree's four sacks against William Jewell.  Freshman cornerback Bakari Woods (Florissant, MO/Hazelwood Central) and junior safety Michael Romshek (Gibson City, IL/Gibson City-Melvin Sibley) each combined for six stops in the contest.