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(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 2)--Following its only open date of the year last Saturday, the McKendree University football team will play host to Central State University in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at Leemon Field. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

McKendree enters Saturday's contest with a 2-6 overall record. The Bearcats are 2-4 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, and currently sit in sixth place in the league standings. This will also be McKendree's first game since head coach Carl Poelker announced that he would retire at the end of the season following an impressive 31-year head coaching career, the last 17 of which have come at McKendree. Poelker is 116-60 as the Bearcats' mentor.

The Bearcats last played back on Oct. 20 in Ohio, when a fourth-quarter rally came up short in a 31-23 loss at Urbana University. Freshman quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) matched a career-high by throwing for 187 yards in the contest, 92 of which came in the fourth quarter when McKendree employed a spread offense. Fisher was 15-of-30 on the day and threw a pair of touchdown passes against the Blue Knights. Sophomore wide receiver Pat Doty (Springfield, IL/Springfield) caught four passes -- including a 17-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter -- and became the Bearcats' single-season receptions leader in the process. Doty pushed his season total to 34, passing the old mark of 30 set by Byron Gettis in 2009 and matched by Myron Hicks (Sauk Village, IL/Bloom Trail) a year later.

Freshman running back Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) continued an impressive rookie campaign as he led McKendree with 78 rushing yards and added a 60-yard punt return that set up the Bearcats' first touchdown on the day.

Junior defensive back Jamison Wilson (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) registered a season-high 14 tackles on the defensive side, while fellow junior DB Michael Romshek (Gibson City, IL/Gibson City-Melvin Sibley) chipped in with 12 stops. Wilson also blocked an Urbana field goal attempt in the effort.

Central State will bring a 3-5 overall record and 3-3 GLVC mark into Saturday's contest. The Marauder rallied in the second half for a 32-16 win at home last Saturday against Quincy University. Quarterback Michael Wilson completed 16 pass attempts for 343 yards with three touchdowns in the victory. He threw TD passes of 80 and 50 yards to Zachary Thomas, while Steven Heard grabbed six passes for 113 yards with the other TD catch. Darius Wilson paced the Central State defensive attack with 17 tackles, including a pair of quarterback sacks.

This will be the first meeting on the football field between McKendree and Central State. The Marauders are an associate member of the GLVC and are spending their only season as a member of the league in 2012.