GAME NOTES

(LEBANON, Ill., Aug. 31)--The McKendree University football team will head east for its 2012 season opener at Tiffin University in Ohio. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. ET) at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin, Ohio. The game will be carried live on both WIBV (102.1 FM) and the Bearcat Sports Network (www.mckbearcats.com) with a pre-game show to start 20 minutes prior to kickoff.

McKendree is looking to wash away the memory of a 2-8 season in 2011 when they played an independent schedule. This year, the Bearcats will take on 10 NCAA Division II opponents and will be part of the inauguarl Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) slate which begins on Sept. 15. A total of 16 starters are back for head coach Carl Poelker's squad.

Tiffin finished the 2011 season with an 0-11 record, but the Dragons have 20 returning starters among their 40 lettermen looking to give head coach Gary Goff his first victory at the college level.

Saturday's game will mark the first meeting on the gridiron between McKendree and Tiffin. Following the contest, the Bearcats will return home and have a week to prepare for their home opener against Henderson State University. McKendree nearly overcame a 16-0 deficit against the Reddies last season in Arkadelphia, Ark., but ran out of time in a 16-10 loss.

DID YOU KNOW? -- McKendree is 3-0 in road openers in the state of Ohio. The Bearcats outlasted the University of Dayton in a 38-31 double overtime thriller to kick off the 1999 season. McKendree followed that with wins at Malone University in 2001 and Ohio Dominican University in 2004.