(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 25)—The road grind continues for the McKendree University football team as the Bearcats head to Rensselaer, Ind., for a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest Saturday at Saint Joseph's College. Kickoff is set for noon at Alumni Stadium.
Saturday's game can be heard live on the Bearcat Sports Network at
www.mckbearcats.com/listenlive, beginning with the pre-game show at 11:40 a.m.
The Bearcats are playing their second consecutive road tilt and fourth in its first seven games. McKendree brings a 2-4 overall record and 1-2 mark in GLVC play into Saturday's game. The Bearcats battled to the finish last Saturday at Truman State University, but the host Bulldogs held on for a 28-21 victory over McKendree.
Junior wide receiver
Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) had a big day at Truman State, catching seven passes for 152 yards with three TD grabs. In the process, Gatti tied a team mark for touchdown catches in a game, while establishing new McKendree season records for receptions (40) and receiving yards (556). In addition, he doubled his season total to six TD catches to tie another Bearcat record. Sophomore quarterback
Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) completed 19-of-39 pass attempts for 228 yards on the day. Defensively, sophomore linebacker
George Hill (Chicago Heights, IL/Rich Central) collected a season-high 15 tackles in his first start at middle linebacker for the Bearcats, and junior linebacker
Harrison Skokos (Bradenton, FL/Lakewood Ranch) added 10 stops.
Gatti is currently second in the GLVC in receiving yards per game at 89.8 per outing. He is third in the league in receptions per game at 6.5. Sophomore linebacker
Alec Gerdes (Normal, IL/Normal) ranks fifth in the GLVC in tackles with an average of 8.2 per contest.
Saint Joseph's had its four-game win streak snapped with a 14-13 loss last Saturday at Missouri S & T. The Pumas built a 13-0 lead in the first half but could not hold off the late charge from the host Miners. Quarterback Billy VandeMerkt was 13-of-28 through the air for 111 yards. His favorite target was wide receiver Julian Walker, who grabbed four passes for 35 yards. Running back Kobi Cook rushed for a game-high 109 yards on just 16 carries, including a 62-yard scoring run on Saint Joseph's first play from scrimmage.
The Pumas boast the GLVC's leading rusher in junior Braxton Shelton. Through the Pumas' first four games, Shelton has gained 803 yards, averaging just under 115 yards per contest. Shelton also tops the league in scoring at 8.6 per game. Sophomore linebacker Joel Wimbley is second in the GLVC in tackles with 66, averaging 9.4 stops per contest.
McKendree and Saint Joseph's met for the first time last November 10 in the final game of the 2012 season. The Bearcats nearly overcame a 24-6 halftime deficit but came up just short in a 24-19 loss to the Pumas.
Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) rushed for a team-high 91 yards, caught four passes for 66 yards and returned a third-quarter punt 75 yards for a touchdown.
Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) went 16-for-30 for 187 yards.
Bryce Colvin (East Peoria, IL/East Peoria) and
Javar Murphy (Chicago, IL/Marian Catholic) each had a team-leading eight tackles in the contest. Billy VandeMerkt threw for 227 yards and a touchdown to lead Saint Joseph's, while Julian Walker set a team record with 15 receptions for 165 yards. Joel Wimbley registered a game-high 17 tackles in the win for the Pumas.
