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McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICSSOUTHWEST BAPTIST SEASON STATISTICS
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME NOTES

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 16)--It will be a first on a few different fronts when the McKendree University football team travels to Bolivar, Mo., on Saturday for a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest against Southwest Baptist University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Plaster Stadium. The game can be heard live on the Bearcat Sports Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 12:40 p.m.

Saturday's match-up between McKendree and Southwest Baptist will be the first meeting on the football field between the two schools. Southwest Baptist -- along with Lincoln University -- was admitted as an associate member of the GLVC last fall as part of a strategic scheduling alliance with the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Southwest Baptist is a full-time member of the MIAA, but competes in the GLVC in football only.

It will also be the first time that McKendree faces another football-playing institution that has the Bearcat mascot. This will be the 194th game since McKendree revived its football program prior to the 1996 season, and will mark the first Battle of the Bearcats. There are only 13 colleges and universities across the country hat have a Bearcat as its athletics mascot. 

McKendree enters the game at 0-6 overall and 0-3 in GLVC play. The Bearcats were defeated last Saturday at the University of Indianapolis, 52-7. Southwest Baptist brings a 2-4 overall record into the meeting with McKendree, and is 1-4 in the conference. The host Bearcats were on the short end of a 59-34 score last Saturday at Quincy University.

The McKendree/Southwest Baptist battle will feature two of the top three passing offenses in the GLVC. Southwest Baptist currently leads the league in passing offense by a wide margin, averaging more than 336 yards per game through the air. McKendree holds down the No. 3 spot in the conference in passing offense at 241.3 yards per outing. The starting quarterbacks in Saturday's game -- Southwest Baptist's Willie Tindal and McKendree's Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) -- rank first and second, respectively, in both passing yards per game and total offense in the GLVC. Tindal, who threw for the league-record 477 yards in last week's loss at Quincy, is throwing for 311 yards per game and has totaled 304 yards per contest in total offense. Meanwhile, Fisher has collected 239.5 yards per outing in the passing department, while he has posted 283.2 yards per game in total offense. 

Following Saturday's game at Southwest Baptist, McKendree will play its next two contests at Leemon Field. The Bearcats will host Missouri S & T for Homecoming next Saturday (Oct. 25) before closing out the home portion of its 2014 schedule on Nov. 1 against William Jewell College. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his second season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (4-12 at McKendree and overall). Babcock came to McKendree from Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he spet the five years as an offensive assistant coach. From 2009-12, Babcock served as the ThunderWolves' quarterbacks coach and pasisng game coordinator. Babcock helped CSU-Pueblo to consecutive undefeated regular seasons in 2011 and 2012 along with a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships.
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST: Craig Schuler is in his second season as the head coach of the Southwest Baptist Bearcats (3-14 at Southwest Baptist and overall). 

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
Today's meeting will be the first on the gridiron between McKendree and Southwest Baptist.

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats were defeated in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest last Saturday night at the University of Indianapolis, 52-7. McKendree scored its lone touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, when Kevin Witcik (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) found the end zone from two yards out to cap a nine-play, 59-yard drive. Witcik led the Bearcats with 83 yards rushing. Quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) was 14-of-22 for 73 yards on the night, completing passes to eight different receivers. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) had a team-high three receptions in the contest. Alec Gerdes (Normal, IL/Normal) led McKendree with a game-high 13 tackles, while A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) helped out with 11 stops. George Hill (Chicago Heights, IL/Rich Central) had five tackles and an interception against Indianapolis. 

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST -- LAST TIME OUT
Despite piling up 500 yards of total offense, the Bearcats dropped a 59-34 road decision last Saturday at Quincy University. Quarterback Willie Tindal set a GLVC single-game passing record with 477 passing yards in the effort. Tindal was 31-of-49 in the contest with four touchdown passes. Derwyn Lauderdale had a team-high nine receptions, while Kendrick Payne had eight grabs for 122 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Mourik caught seven passes for a game-high 167 yards with a pair of TDs. Defensively, Antion McBee registered a team-leading 10 tackles at Quincy, while Nick Burns added nine stops. 

BEARCAT TRACKS
BATTLE OF THE BEARCATS: Today's game will mark the first time that the McKendree Bearcats have played another football-playing collegiate institution that also has a Bearcat mascot. 

BEARCATS vs. THE SHOW-ME STATE: McKendree has a record of 5-7 all-time against teams from the state of Missouri. The Bearcats are of 2-4 in road games against teams from its neighbor to the west. 

SAFETY FIRST: McKendree recorded its first safety since early in the 2013 season against Saint Joseph's when Carter Vance (Secor, IL/Eureka) blocked a Pumas' punt out of the back of the end zone in the second quarter. The last time the Bearcats registered a safety came at William Jewell College on Sept. 22, 2013, when Brett Pearman (Granite City, IL/Granite City) sacked Cardinals' quarterback Sean Shelton in the the end zone late in the fourth quarter.  

CATCHING UP WITH THE BEARCATS' RECEPTIONS LEADER: Senior wide receiver Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) has surpassed Myron Hicks as the Bearcats' career receptions leader. Gatti has 87 catches at McKendree, eclipsing the old mark of 80 that Hicks set from 2008-11. Gatti had 12 catches at Northwood University when he surpassed Hicks' career total, which also broke the single-game record he set for the Bearcats in the 2013 season opener at home against Tiffin University. The single-game mark lasted just one week, however.

TYLER TAKES THE TOP SPOT: Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Brewer (Arnold, MO/Fox) entered the Saint Joseph's game with two receptions on the season. Against the Pumas, Brewer surpassed Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita)'s single-game receptions record set just one week earlier. Brewer hauled in 13 passes to top Gatti's mark of 12 and also posted another career-best with 116 receiving yards. 

HERRING CONTINUES MARCH UP CAREER RUSHING LIST: Senior running back Ryan Herring (Fairview Heights, IL/Belleville East) is the 18th player at McKendree to rush for 1,000 yards in a career. Herring now has 1,302 yards with the Bearcats and is in 13th place on the team's all-time list. The next three players on the Bearcats' career rushing list are:
10) Marlone Chenault -- 1,448 yards
11) Lamont Benn -- 1,436 yards
12) Dominique Jones -- 1,344 yards

DOUBLING UP: McKendree has reached double figures in the scoring column in 163 of its last 175 games.

CAMERON CATCHES UP: Junior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) continues to move up the Bearcats' career list for career receptions. He moved past Byron Gettis into fourth place on the program's all-time list with 72 receptions. James ais also eighth on McKendree's career chart for receiving yards with 657. James also has 96 career points at McKendree, which is tied for 10th on the scoring (non-kickers) list. He is also moving up the career list for special teams as well. James has 46 kick returns with the Bearcats, which is one behind Brandon Murphy for the top spot, while his 1,044 kick return yards are second only to Murphy (1,508). On punts, James is fifth in career returns (32) and fourth in return yards (405). 

FISHER KEEPS IT IN THE FAMILY: During the 2014 season, junior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) has become McKendree's career leader in several statistical categories. Fisher holds program records for pass attempts (705), completions (414), passing yards (4,428), total offensive plays (885) and total yards (4,872). To grab the top spot for each of the records, Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) topped the marks previously set by his older brother Austin, who was the Bearcats' starting quarterback from 2008-11. In addition to his career records, Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) has set new game records for pass attempts (58) and completions (34) during the 2014 campaign. 

LONGEST PLAYS IN McKENDREE FOOTBALL HISTORY (Since 1996)
RUSH: 90 yards by Brandon Murphy vs. Iowa Wesleyan, 2000*
PASS: 85 yards from Dan Loudenslager to Zach Atkins vs. Georgetown, 2008*
KICKOFF RETURN: 100 yards by Brandon Murphy vs. Olivet Nazarene, 1997*; 100 yards by Ryan Keen (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) vs. Tiffin, 2013*
PUNT RETURN: 86 yards by Adam Clapp vs. Quincy, 2004*
INTERCEPTION RETURN: 100 yards by Lawrence Davis vs. William Penn, 2007*
FIELD GOAL: 51 yards by Jordan Fark vs. University of the Cumberlands, 2010
PUNT: 74 yards by Mark Albertini vs. St. Francis (Ind.), 1999
* -- Touchdown

THIS DATE IN BEARCAT FOOTBALL HISTORY
Oct. 18, 2008
McKendree notched it second straight win over an NAIA-ranked team with a 21-7 triumph at No. 15 Saint Ambrose University. The Bearcats heald nearly a 2-to-1 edge in total offense and never trailed in the contest. Making his first collegiate start at quarterback, freshman Austin Fisher was 4-of-5 for 51 yards while guiding the Bearcats to 350 yards of total offense. Defensively, McKendree held the Fighting Bees to minus-14 yards rushing and 179 yards of total offense on the day. Reece McCall and Brandon Nigro each posted eight tackles to lead the defensive effort for McKendree. 

Oct. 18, 2003
Saint Xavier University snapped the Bearcats' five-game win streak to open the 2003 season as McKendree dropped a 24-14 decision in Chicago. The Bearcats took their only lead of the game in the first quarter when David Rhodes blocked a Cougars' punt and returned it 39 yards for a score. A 55-yard TD run by Jason Yelton in the fourth quarter helped the Bearcats trim their deficit to 17-14 but Saint Xavier scored with just over three minutes to play to seal the win. Cory Wilson set a McKendree team record (that still stands today) with a game-high 21 tackles, while Mark Williams added 18 stops. 

Oct. 18, 1997
McKendree racked up 496 yards in total offense on its way to a 48-0 victory at Blackburn College. The Bearcats pounded out 454 rushing yards on the day as two running backs had 100 yards and a third nearly reached the century mark. Brandon Murphy led the way with a game-high 141 yards, including a pair of fourth-quarter TD runs, while Louis Harden added 126 yards on 18 attempts. Jarrod Karnes helped out with 92 yards on the day as the Bearcats exploded for 27 points in the final period of play. Mike Garavalia led the defensive effort for McKendree with seven tackles and added a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown.