Box Score (QUINCY, Ill., Nov. 15)—The McKendree University football team registered a season-high 10 quarterback sacks in holding off a late comeback attempt from Quincy University for a 28-21 season-ending win on Saturday at Flinn Stadium.
 
Sophomore defensive lineman Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) led the charge with four of the Bearcats' 10 sacks, while senior defensive lineman Cameron Ford (Danville, IL/Danville) added a career-best 3 ½ sacks in the win. After opening the season with six straight losses, McKendree ended the year with a five-game win streak to post an overall record of 5-6. The Bearcats also finished in a four-way tie for second place in the final Great Lakes Valley Conference standings with a 5-3 ledger.
 
"We've challenged our guys all year to start fast, finish faster," said McKendree football coach Mike Babcock. "These last five weeks, they have taken that challenge to heart. We got off to a quick start offensively today, and our defense responded time and time again with some big plays in key situations. This is a great way to end our season, and also great that we were able to send our seniors out in this fashion."
 
McKendree registered 474 yards of total offense against Quincy and ran 58 of their 83 offensive plays in the first half. The Bearcats had 33 snaps in the first quarter compared to just nine for the host Hawks. In rolling to its five-game win streak, McKendree averaged just over 512 yards per game in total offense.
 
The 10 sacks recorded by McKendree on Saturday is just one shy of the school record of 11 set in a 2010 home game against Olivet Nazarene University. It is the first time that the Bearcats reached double figures in sacks since becoming an NCAA Division II member and the 39 sacks in 2014 is the fourth-highest season total in program history.
 
Junior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) wrapped up the most prolific offensive season ever for a McKendree quarterback as he threw completed 27-of-40 pass attempts for 284 yards with a touchdown while running for a team-leading 99 yards and two more scores. Fisher set new team marks in nearly every passing category, including attempts (434), completions (270), passing yards (2,722) and total offense (3,486 yards). He also matched the season record of 19 touchdown passes that he established last season.
 
On the defensive side, sophomore linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) posted a team-leading 13 tackles at Quincy. That enabled Wentland to extend his school record for tackles in a season to 133. Baar's four sacks extended his McKendree season mark to 18, and his 26 ½ tackles for loss in 2014 breaks the old mark of 23, which was set by Oku Satcher back in 1999.
 
McKendree took the opening kickoff at Quincy and need just nine plays to grab a 7-0 lead. Fisher capped the 55-yard drive when he scrambled into the end zone from four yards out. During the drive, Fisher connected with senior wide receiver Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) for a 13-yard completion to the Hawks' 27-yard line. That allowed Gatti to become the first Bearcats' receiver to register 100 career receptions. Gatti closed the day with five catches, giving him a school-record 104 during his two seasons at McKendree.
 
Quincy (6-5, 4-4 GLVC) answered on its next possession as Nick Lonergan found Eric Poindexter for a 60-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7. Later in the first quarter, Fisher was flushed from the pocket on a third-and-10 play, found room down the left sideline and broke three tackles on his way to a 31-yard scoring run. Sophomore kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) added the point after to give McKendree a 14-7 lead with 4:44 left in the period.
 
Midway through the second quarter, McKendree was pinned back on its own two-yard line following a Quincy punt. The Bearcats promptly drove 98 yards in 11 plays to take its first 14-point lead of the contest at 21-7. Fisher threw a 30-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville), who made a diving catch in the end zone with 3:24 left until halftime. Quincy rallied with a touchdown just 88 seconds before the half, giving McKendree a 21-14 lead at the intermission. James ended the day with a team-high six receptions for 89 yards for the Bearcats.
 
Following a scoreless third quarter, McKendree struck quickly after a Quincy turnover to regain a 14-point advantage. The Hawks muffed a punt deep in their own territory, and junior defensive back Cruz Navarro (Escondido, CA/Escondido) recovered the loose ball at the Quincy 11-yard line. On the next play, freshman running back Myles Hammonds (Lee's Summit, MO/Park Hill South) took a handoff and raced into the end zone, giving the Bearcats a 28-14 lead with 13:47 to play.
 
Quincy put together a 14-play drive that took nearly seven minutes to pull back within seven points. After the Hawks got the ball back midway through the fourth quarter, the Bearcats turned up the defensive pressure. Quincy drove to midfield, but junior defensive end Brett Pearman (Granite City, IL/Granite City) was part of three consecutive sacks (two solos and an assist) to force a punt.
 
With 2:04 remaining, Quincy got the ball back one more time, but Baar chased down Lonergan from behind and stripped the football away at the nine-yard line. Senior defensive lineman Collin Townsend (Moweaqua, IL/Central A & M) recovered the fumble to seal the victory for the Bearcats.
 
Junior linebacker George Hill (Chicago Heights, IL/Rich Central) finished the day with eight tackles and a fumble recovery for McKendree, while Pearman and Baar each registered seven tackles. Baar also had an interception off a deflected pass in the second half.
 
Lonergan threw for 337 yards to lead Quincy, while Poindexter had six receptions for 189 yards in the contest.