Box Score (MIDLAND, Mich., Sept. 20)—The McKendree University football team closed out the non-conference portion of its 2014 schedule with a 32-27 loss Saturday afternoon at Northwood University in Michigan.
 
The Bearcats overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half for the second time in as many weeks and held a 27-26 lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but the host Timbewolves punched in the eventual game-winning touchdown with 7:31 remaining to register the win.
 
McKendree had two more possessions following the Timberwolves' go-ahead score in an attempt to rally for the win, but both drives ended with interceptions by Northwood. The last interception by the Timberwolves' came in the end zone with just 1:29 on the clock.
 
The loss sends the Bearcats to 0-3 on the season. McKendree will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play next Saturday when it hosts Saint Joseph's College at Leemon Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
 
"We battled back after a slow start and really came on in the second half for the second week in a row," said McKendree head coach Mike Babcock. "I think that shows a lot about the character about this team, that we can find a way to get things accomplished on the field. We need to find a way to sustain that for 60 minutes. We want our team to start fast, and finish faster, and I believe we are heading in that direction as a football team."
 
It was a record-setting afternoon for McKendree senior wide receiver Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) and junior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington). Gatti had a game-high 12 receptions in the contest to become the Bearcats' career leader in catches. Gatti now has 87 receptions at McKendree, breaking the old mark of 80 set by Myron Hick, who played for the Bearcats from 2008-11. Gatti's 12 catches also shatters the single-game mark of 10 he set in the 2013 season opener versus Tiffin University. On the day, Gatti had 117 receiving yards, boosting his career total to 1,157, which is 70 shy of the Bearcats' all-time mark of 1,227 yards held by Hicks.
 
Fisher established new game records with 31 pass completions on 51 attempts. Fisher broke the completions mark of 28 he set in the Tiffin contest last year, and edged past older brother Austin for the pass attempts mark. Austin Fisher threw the ball 49 times in a 2011 game at home versus Malone University. Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) also threw for a season-high 326 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions at Northwood. It is the second career 300-yard effort for Fisher.
 
Northwood (2-1) grabbed an early 6-0 lead before McKendree turned its first interception of the 2014 season into its first points of the afternoon. Sophomore linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) stepped in front of a Timberwolves' pass and raced 28 yards for a touchdown with just 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Sophomore kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) split the uprights to give the Bearcats their first lead of the day at 7-6.
 
In the final 1:27 of the second quarter, Northwood scored 10 points to regain the lead and take a 16-7 lead into the locker room. After a touchdown pushed them back out in front at 13-7, the Timberwolves' recovered a McKendree fumble at the Bearcats' 33-yard line and converted that into a 43-yard field goal by Keegan Haggarty with just nine seconds left until intermission.
 
McKendree senior defensive back David Thomas (St. Louis, MO/Kirkwood) picked off a Northwood pass on the Timberwolves' first drive of the second half, and the Bearcats promptly drove down the field and scored to pull within three points. Fisher hit junior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) on a 21-yard pass on the first play of the drive and later connected with freshman wide receiver Dustin Walls (Champaign, IL/Centennial) on a 27-yard completion to put the ball at the Northwood 15-yard line. On the next play, senior running back Ryan Herring (Fairview Heights, IL/Belleville East) took a handoff and raced 15 yards for a score, which cut the Bearcats' deficit to 16-13.
 
Northwood needed just two plays to regain a 23-13 advantage when McKendree struck again for its second straight touchdown. Fisher capped the seven-play, 75-yard drive when he rambled up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw. O'Block's point after trimmed the margin to 23-20 with just over six minutes left in the third quarter. The Timberwolves got another field goal from Haggarty just before the end of the third quarter to extend the Northwood lead back to 26-20.
 
On its first possession of the fourth quarter, McKendree marched 58 yards in six plays to take the lead once again. Three straight completions from Fisher to Gatti drove the ball to the Timberwolves' 31-yard line. Two plays later, Fisher found Walls, who broke loose for a 31-yard TD grab with 9:46 remaining to tie the score at 26-26. O'Block converted the extra point attempt to push the Bearcats in front by a point.
 
On the ensuing possession, Northwood took the lead for good on a two-yard scoring run by Damian Nicholson with 7:31 left. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, giving the Timberwolves a five-point lead.
 
McKendree drove to the Northwood 40-yard line before Fisher was intercepted in the red zone with 3:14 to play. The Timberwolves looked to take time off the clock, but a fumbled snap on a third-down play was recovered by McKendree freshman linebacker Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) at the Northwood 21 with 1:46 on the clock.
 
On the next play, Fisher tried to hit Walls in the end zone, but the Timberwolves' Jerry Taylor stepped in front of the pass for the interception to end the Bearcats' final threat. Northwood was able to pick up a first down to help run out the clock and preserve the win.
 
Herring led McKendree with 72 rushing yards on 19 carries. James caught seven passes, while senior tight end Reuben Bowlby (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) had four receptions for 68 yards. Walls finished with three catches for 72 yards on the day for the Bearcats.
 
Defensively, Wentland led McKendree once again with 10 tackles, while Thomas finished with a career-high eight stops.