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(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 31)--The McKendree University football team will be in search of its third consecutive win on Saturday when the Bearcats play host to William Jewell College. Kickoff for the Great Lakes Valley Conference contest is set for 1 p.m. at Leemon Field. 

Saturday's game will mark the Bearcats' home finale for the 2014 season, and it will also be Senior Day at Leemon Field. Prior to kickoff, McKendree will honor 16 players appearing in their final home game. 

McKendree made it two straight victories last Saturday thanks to a 27-24 Homecoming triumph over Missouri S & T. The Bearcats built a 24-0 lead after three quarters of play, then held off a fourth-quarter comeback from the visiting Miners to improve to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in GLVC play. Junior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) once again led McKendree in both rushing and passing, gaining a game-high 84 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdown while completing 34-of-49 pass attempts for 295 yards on the day. Fisher matched a program record he set earlier in the year for pass completions in a contest. The win helped McKendree boost its record to 18-1 in Homecoming games since the Bearcats' football program was revived prior to the 1996 season.

Sophomore defensive lineman Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park), who had a team and GLVC-record 5 1/2 quarterback sacks two weeks ago at Southwest Baptist University, continued to find his way into the opposing backfield versus Missouri S & T with 2 1/2 more sacks in the win. Sophomore linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) had his streak of games with 10-plus tackles snapped at seven but still led the Bearcats' defensive effort with seven stops. Wentland now has 89 tackles on the year, which is sixth on the single-season list for McKendree.

William Jewell is currently 4-4 overall, with all four wins coming in GLVC competition. The Cardinals are 4-1 in the league, and suffered their first GLVC setback of the year last Saturday at home against Quincy University, 42-28. The loss ended a three-game win streak for William Jewell, which was their only blemish in the month of October. Quarterback Nick West completed 21-of-37 passes for 306 yards with a pair of touchdowns. West was sacked four times by the Hawks, however. Darmar Robinson led the Cardinals with 68 rushing yards on just five attempts, while Trejuan Mask added 61 yards on nine carries. Defensively, Quinlan Riser registered a team-best 12 tackles against Quincy and had a fumble recovery. Jimmy DeStefano chipped in with nine stops, while Eric Jackson notched seven tackles.

Thomas Cook leads William Jewell with 382 rushing yards, while Mask is next with 182. West has completed just over 56 percent of his passes on the year for 1,653 yards with 13 touchdowns. Anthony Mullins has caught a team-high 36 passes for 720 yards with four TDs. Nate Egharevba is second with 30 receptions, and Cook is right behind with 29 catches. Defensively, DeStefano paces the Cardinals' defense with 86 tackles, while Marquis Moye has recorded a team-leading 10 quarterback sacks. Riser leads William Jewell with three interceptions.

McKendree has won both previous meetings against William Jewell. The Bearcats collected a 35-20 decision in the 2012 Homecoming contest at Leemon Field before rallying to post a 29-24 victory last September in the 2013 GLVC opener. 

After Saturday's contest, McKendree will be on the road for its final two games in 2014. The Bearcats will take on Lincoln University on Nov. 8 in Jefferson City, Mo., before heading to Quincy University for the season finale on Nov. 15. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/WILLIAM JEWELL GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his second season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (6-12 at McKendree and overall). Babcock came to McKendree from Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he spent the five years as an offensive assistant coach. From 2009-12, Babcock served as the ThunderWolves' quarterbacks coach and passing 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.
WILLIAM JEWELL: Jerod Kruse is in his sixth season as the head coach of the William Jewell Cardinals (21-40 at William Jewell and overall). 

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
McKendree has won both meeting against William Jewell in the all-time series, including last year's contest in Liberty, Mo.:
   2012 -- McKENDREE 35, William Jewell 20 (at Leemon Field)
   2013 -- McKENDREE 29, William Jewell 24 (at Liberty, Mo.)

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats built a 24-point lead after three quarters of play and held off a comeback bid from Missouri S & T to post a 27-24 Homecoming victory last Saturday at Leemon Field. Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) tied his own team record with 34 pass completions, going 34-of-49 for 295 yards through the air while rushing for a game-high 84 yards to lead the McKendree offense. Fisher scored a pair of rushing touchdowns against the Miners. Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) had the Bearcats' other rushing TD on the day, while Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) kicked a pair of field goals in the win. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) notched a team-high seven tackles and added a third-quarter interception to pace the McKendree defense, whiel George Hill (Chicago Heights, IL/Rich Central) and Bryce Colvin (East Peoria, IL/East Peoria) each added five stops. 

WILLIAM JEWELL -- LAST TIME OUT
The Cardinals dropped their first Great Lakes Valley Conference game of the season last Saturday with a 42-28 home loss to Quincy University. Quarterback Nick West was 21-of-37 on the day for 350 yards with two touchdowns for William Jewell. His favorite target was Anthony Mullins, who had eight receptions for 150 yards, which included a 60-yard TD grab. Darmar Robinson led the William Jewell ground attack with 68 yards on just five carries. Quinlan Riser led the Cardinals' defense with 12 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Jimmy DeStefano helped out with nine stops. 

LAST MEETING -- McKENDREE vs. WILLIAM JEWELL
On Sept. 21, 2013 in Liberty, Mo., McKendree squandered a 20-point first half lead but rallied for a 29-24 victory in the GLVC opener for both squads. Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jeruel Taylor (University Park, IL/Marian Catholic) with 7:11 remaining to give the Bearcats the lead for good. McKendree sealed the victory when Brett Pearman (Granite City, IL/Granite City) sacked William Jewell quarterback Sean Shelton near the Cardinals' goal line and knocked the football out of the back of the end zone for a safety with 1:18 left. Fisher went 17-of-24 for 229 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the contest. Ryan Herring (Fairview Heights, IL/Belleville East) rushed for a team-high 104 yards with two first-half touchdowns. Alec Gerdes (Normal, IL/Normal) led the Bearcats' defense with 12 tackles in the win. 

BEARCAT TRACKS
SENIOR SEND-OFFS: The Bearcats have a record of 12-6 in Senior Day games at Leemon Field since 1996. McKendree has won nine of its last 10 Senior Day games at home, including last year's 58-14 decision against Kentucky Wesleyan College.

BEARCATS vs. THE SHOW-ME STATE: McKendree has a record of 7-8 all-time against teams from the state of Missouri since the Bearcats' program was revived in 1996. McKendree is 4-4 at home all-time in contests against Missouri institutions. 

NOVEMBER REIGN: Beginning with the 2002 season, McKendree has posted a record of 12-2 in regular-season home games in the month of November. The Bearcats have been victorious in 10 of their last 11 games during that stretch. 

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES: McKendree is in search of its third Great Lakes Valley Conference victory of the season. That would match the Bearcats' league win total from each of their first two years as members of the NCAA Division II conference. In addition, McKendree will look for its third consecutive win in today's game against William Jewell. The Bearcats have not won three straight games since putting together a four-game tear late in 2010.

TOP "BILL"-ING: McKendree has an 11-2 record all-time against schools with "William" in its name. The Bearcats are 2-0 versus today's opponent, William Jewell College, while they also hold a 9-2 mark against William Penn University, which was a Mid-States Football Association opponent from 2001 through 2011.