Box Score
BOX SCORE

(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 8)—McKendree University built a 10-point lead midway through the second quarter, but visiting Henderson State University reeled off 40 unanswered points to pull away for a 47-24 victory Saturday at Leemon Field.
 
Playing in front of a crowd of 1,070 fans in its 2012 home opener, McKendree grabbed a 17-7 lead with 7:44 left in the first half after junior defensive back Jamison Wilson (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) picked off a Henderson State pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. But the Reddies rode a record-setting performance by quarterback Kevin Rodgers to the come-from-behind win. Rodgers threw a school-record seven touchdown passes, including scores on six consecutive drives in the second half.
 
McKendree wraps up non-conference play with a record of 0-2. The Bearcats will make their Great Lakes Valley Conference debut next Saturday (Sept. 15) by playing host to Missouri S & T for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Leemon Field.
 
“The big thing is that we have been able to get off to strong starts in our first two games,” said McKendree head coach Carl Poelker. “Then we get into a little bit of a funk where we start feeling our way and the other team takes advantage of that. We just need to get back to playing 60 minutes of McKendree football.”
 
Senior quarterback David Bergschneider (Pleasant Plains, IL/Pleasant Plains) threw for 158 yards against Henderson State, including a 74-yard touchdown pass to freshman running back Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) in the fourth quarter. James also gained a team-best 48 yards rushing on just four carries for McKendree.
 
All 17 of McKendree's points in the first half came thanks to a trio of Henderson State turnovers. On the Reddies' first drive, sophomore linebacker Bryce Colvin (East Peoria, IL/East Peoria) forced a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive back Tirell Anderson (Decatur, IL/MacArthur) at the Bearcats' 39-yard line. McKendree then drove 61 yards in 14 plays, with junior running back Stephen Wallace (Chester, IL/Chester) scoring from a yard out to give the Bearcats a 7-0 lead.
 
Late in the first quarter, Wilson forced another Henderson fumble, with senior defensive lineman Sherrod Stancil (Naperville, IL/Waubonsie Valley) falling on the loose ball at the Reddies' 36. The Bearcats marched down the field, and senior kicker Matt Kendall (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) booted a 19-yard field goal to extend the McKendree lead to 10-0 with 52 seconds gone in the second quarter.
 
Wilson, who had an interception earlier in the second quarter, stepped in front of a pass from Rodgers and raced 49 yards into the end zone to boost the McKendree lead to 17-7 at the 7:44 mark of the quarter.
 
From there, Henderson State took control. Rodgers tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the final 5:53 of the half to give the Reddies a 20-17 lead at the intermission. Rodgers added three more scoring strikes in the third quarter, then broke the team record with his seventh TD pass of the day with 12:36 remaining to give the Reddies a 47-17 lead. Rodgers finished the day by completing 28-of-36 pass attempts for 442 yards. His favorite target was Robert Jordan, who had nine grabs for 108 yards with two TDs.
 
Bergschneider and James provided the final points of the contest with a 74-yard touchdown pass with 4:43 to play. The connection marked McKendree's longest passing play since Dan Loudenslager threw a school-record 85-yard scoring strike to Zach Atkins at Georgetown College during the 2008 season.
 
“It was a good look by David, and Cameron just took off,” said Poelker. “He's just a freshman, and he's going to be a special player before his McKendree playing days are done. He's going to be a force.
 
Wilson paced the McKendree defense with nine tackles, including eight solos, to go along with his two interceptions against Henderson State. Junior linebacker Javar Murphy (Chicago, IL/Marian Catholic), junior defensive back Michael Romshek (Gibson City, IL/Gibson City-Melvin Sibley) and Colvin each chipped in with five tackles.  
 
For the second consecutive game, sophomore wide receiver Pat Doty (Springfield, IL/Springfield) had seven receptions to lead McKendree. Doty had 67 receiving yards against Henderson State.