GAME DAY LINKS -- McKendree vs. Southwest Baptist -- Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, 1 p.m. -- Leemon Field, Lebanon, Ill.
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McKENDREE/SOUTHWEST BAPTIST VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST SEASON STATISTICS
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME NOTES

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 1)--It will be a Battle of the Bearcats at Leemon Field for Homecoming 2015 when McKendree University plays host to Southwest Baptist University on Saturday. Kickoff for the Great Lakes Valley Conference showdown is set for 1 p.m. Homecoming activites will precede the contest at approximately 12:35 p.m.

McKendree enters Saturday's match-up as the lone unbeaten team of the nine GLVC institutions. The host Bearcats are 3-0 on the year, with a win streak of eight consecutive games dating back to October 2014. In fact, McKendree's eight-game tear began with a 53-43 victory in the first-ever meeting against Southwest Baptist that took place in Bolivar, Mo. The game featured 96 total points and nearly 1,100 yards of total offense between the two squads. McKendree ran a school-record 93 plays against Southwest Baptist while piling up 571 yards on the day. 

Last Saturday, McKendree opened up its 2015 GLVC slate with a 41-23 win at William Jewell College. The Bearcats scored all 41 points in the first half, finding the scoreboard on its their first six possessions. Senior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 44 yards and another score. Fisher maintained his ranking among NCAA Division II leaders in both total offense and passing offense with his effort against the Cardinals. Senior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) hauled in seven passes for 134 yards, including a career-long 75-yard TD reception in the first quarter. Junior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) hit all five extra point attempts and a pair of field goals to earn GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week accolades. Junior linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) led the McKendree defensive effort with a game-high 13 tackles, while Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) added eight stops and an interception. Through games of Sept. 26, Wentland leads all NCAA Division II players in tackles per game, averaging 16 per outing. 

Southwest Baptist comes to Lebanon with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the GLVC. The visiting Bearcats rallied past Quincy University last Saturday at home to notch their first league win of the season, 56-33. Sophomore running back Bubba Jenkins set a new team and conference record by rushing for 258 yards while adding five TDs in the win over the Hawks. Jenkins. who comes into Saturday's game as the reigning d2football.com and GLVC Offensive Player of the Week, currently ranks 13th in NCAA Division II in rushing yards (488). Freshman quarterback Trent Edwards II threw for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Quincy, while sophomore lineback Brycen Gagnon posted a team-best eight tackles and senior defensive back Antion McBee added two interceptions in the effort.

Saturday's game is the first of consecutive home games for McKendree. The Bearcats will host the three-time defending GLVC champions from the University of Indianapolis next Saturday (Oct. 10) before heading out on the road for a pair of league games at Saint Joseph's College and Missouri S & T. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his third season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (12-12 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. 
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST: Robert Clardy is in his first season as the interim head coach of the Southwest Baptist Bearcats (2-2 at Southwest Baptist and overall). 

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
McKendree won the only other meeting between the two schools, which took place last year in Bolivar, Mo.:
   2014 -- McKENDREE 53, Southwest Baptist 43 (at Bolivar, Mo.)

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT...
The Bearcats erupted for 41 first-half points on their way to a 41-23 victory at William Jewell College in the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference opener. McKendree scored on its first six possessions on its way to a 41-10 halftime lead and never looked back in posting its first 3-0 start since the 2003 season. Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) continued the strong start to his season by throwing for 331 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinals. Fisher was 21-of-30 through the air and also rushed for a team-high 44 yards on the day. All three of Fisher's TD passes covered at least 33 yards, including a career-long 75-yard strike to Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) in the first quarter. James finished with a team-best seven receptions for 134 yards. Dustin Walls (Champaign, IL/Centennial) caught three passee for 72 yards including touchdown grabs of 36 and 33 yards. Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) booted a pair of field goals in the win, including a season-long 38-yarder to cap the first-half scoring. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) notched a team-leading 13 tackles, while Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) added eight stops along with his first interception of the season.  

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST -- LAST TIME OUT...
The Bearcats slugged their way to a 56-33 victory over visiting Quincy University last Saturday in GLVC play. Bubba Jenkins was the story for Southwest Baptist as he set new school and conferencre records with 258 rushing yards, while he tied the program record with five rushing touchdowns against the Hawks. Jenkins posted a 56-yard TD burst in the contest, which was his longest run of the day. Nehemiah Gross also topped the century mark on the ground with 124 yards for the Bearcats. Trent Edwards II completed 12-of-19 pass attempts for 166 yards with a pair of scores. His favorite target was Kendrick Payne, who had four grabs. Brycen Gagnon led the SBU defensive effort with eight tackles, including five solos. Tyler Curts added six stops, while Antion McBee collected a pair of interceptions in the win. 

THE LAST MEETING, McKENDREE vs. SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
On Oct. 18, 2014 in Bolivar, Mo., McKendree notched its first victory of the season with a 53-43 win over Southwest Baptist in a Battle of the Bearcats. The game featured big plays, big statistical numbers and record-setting performances along the way. The teams combined for 1,092 yards of total offense, including 571 by McKendree. The visitors also ran a school-record 93 plays on the day, breaking the previous mark of 89 set in a 2000 game against the University of Saint Francis (Ind.). Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) broke the McKendree and GLVC record for sacks in a game as he posted 5 1/2 against Southwest Baptist. Offensively, Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) threw for 243 yards and ran for 103 more while accounting for four touchdowns -- two passing and two rushing. Treye Williams (Mattoon, IL/Mattoon) rushed for 83 more yards for the Bearcats. Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) and Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) each caught five passes at Southwest Baptist. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) and KeLend Smith (University City, MO/University City) each had 10 tackles in the win for McKendree, while Brett Pearman (Granite City, IL/Granite City) added 2 1/2 sacks. SBU quarterback Willie Tindal, who had set a GLVC record with 477 passing yards the week before facing McKendree, topped the mark by throwing for 479 yards against the Bearcats. Kendrick Payne caught six of those passes for 158 yards. 

BEARCAT TRACKS
O'BLOCK EARNS GLVC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOD: Junior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) was honored by the Great Lakes Valley Conference as the league's Special Teams Player of the Week for Sept. 28. O'Block had a perfect afternoon in the Bearcats' 41-23 victory at William Jewell College, converting all five extra point attempts along with a pair of field goals. O'Block booted field goals of 31 and 38 yards during McKendree's 41-point outburst in the first half. It is the first GLVC weekly honor in the three-year career of O'Block.

EIGHT IS GREAT: Dating back to the midway point of the 2014 season, McKendree has won its last eight regular-season contests. That marks the Bearcats' longest win streak since a nine-game tear to close out the 2009 regular season.   The nine-game win streak in 2009 (along with one to open the 2002 campaign) marks the longest win streak since McKendree brought back its football program in 1996. 

HAPPY HOMECOMINGS: Since the revival of the football program prior to the 1996 season, McKendree has posted a record of 18-1 in Homecoming games. The Bearcats won their 2014 Homecoming contest against Missouri S & T by a score of 27-24. 

BEARCATS vs. THE SHOW-ME STATE: McKendree has a record of 10-8 against teams from the state of Missouri. The Bearcats are 5-4 in such contests at Leemon Field.

20 SEASONS OF FOOTBALL: 2015 marks the 20th season of football at McKendree since the program was revived in 1996. 

200 AND COUNTING: The Sept. 12 contest at West Liberty marked the 200th football game played by McKendree since bringing back its football program in 1996. 

DOUBLING UP: McKendree has scored at least 10 points in a game in 171 of its last 183 outings. 

21 AND OVER: McKendree sports a 113-22 record (.837) when scoring at least 21 points in a game. The Bearcats are 89-18 (.832) in their last 107 contests when reaching the 21-point mark.    

PILING ON THE POINTS (AND YARDS): Over the Bearcats' current eight-game win streak, McKendree has averaged 40.4 points per game, along with 512.1 yards of total offense per outing. The Bearcats have gained at least 500 yards in total offense in four of those six contests, while McKendree has reached the 50-point mark three times over that same span. 

BIG PLAY BEARCATS: McKendree entered the William Jewell contest with seven offensive plays of at least 30 yards during the 2015 season. That number doubled with seven such plays against the Cardinals. The highlight was a 75-yard TD pass from Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) to Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville). 

FISHER FACTS: The 331 yards through the air by Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) versus William Jewell marked his sixth career 300-yard passing game, and third in a row (he had 353 yards at West Liberty and 369 versus Northwood). Also, Fisher continued to move his way up the program's career rushing list. Fisher now has 1,180 rushing yards with the Bearcats, which is good for 15th on the all-time list. Jason Jackson sits in 14th place in the team's career rushing chart with 1,241 yards, while Jason Yelton is 13th all-time with 1,255 yards. 

FISHER FACT OF THE WEEK: Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) has thrown 12 touchdown passes in his first three games of the 2015 season. That total is higher than McKendree has posted in 16 different SEASONS since the revival of the football program in 1996. 

MORE MILESTONES FOR JAMES: Senior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) collected two more career records during the Bearcats' win at William Jewell. James notched his 13th touchdown reception with his 75-yard catch and run in the first quarter. That helped James break a tie with Brett Gross (1996-99) for the Bearcats' career lead. In addition, James piled up 216 all-purpose yards to move to the top of the all-time list in that category. He surpassed the previous mark of 3,874 yards set by Brandon Murphy, who played from 1997-2000.

A.J. IS OK: Thanks to his 13-tackle performance at William Jewell College, junior linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) has moved into the top 10 in career tackles at McKendree. Wentland enters today's contest with 189 stops, which is currently ninth on the Bearcats' career list. Ricardo Harris sits in eighth place on the all-time list for tackles at McKendree with 194, while Darius Green holds down the seventh spot at 199. Brandon Nigro holds the top spot with 295 stops during his four-year career with the Bearcats. 

SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?: The triumph at West Liberty marked the first win for McKendree in a road opener since the 2009 season. Since the revival of the football program in 1996, the Bearcats have won their road opener eight different times. In each of those seasons, McKendree closed the year with a winning record. In fact, the Bearcats averaged better than eight wins per season in those instances. 

THIS DATE IN BEARCAT FOOTBALL HISTORY
Oct. 3, 2009
McKendree rallied from a pair of fourth-quarter deficits to post a 24-20 victory over the University of St. Francis (Ill.) at Leemon Field. The win extended the Bearcats' winning streak over the Fighting Saints to 11 games. The winning score came with 3:51 to play when Austin Fisher connected with Myron Hicks on a 21-yard TD pass. Fisher opened the drive with a 31-yard strike to Hicks over the middle to the St. Francis 41-yard line. Two plays later, Fisher scrambled for a 20-yard gain and followed up with his game-winning touchdown pass to Hicks. Fisher was 12-of-19 in the contest for 196 yards, boosting McKendree's season total to 975 passing yards. That established a new Bearcats' record for passing yards in a season. 

Oct. 3, 1998
The Bearcats nearly overcame a 20-point deficit in the second half, falling 27-20 at Saint Ambrose University in a Mid-States Football Association-Midwest League contest. McKendree trailed 27-7 in the later stages of the third quarter when Jason Jackson ripeed off a seven-yard scoring run with 2:45 left in the period to begin the Bearcats' comeback. Jackson later added a 40-yard TD scamper with 2:27 to play to bring McKendree within seven points, the Bearcats held defensively and got the ball back with 1:33 remaining. McKendree drove to the Fighting Bees' 14-yard line, but could not convert on fourth down with 11 seconds on the clock. Jackson rushed for a team-leading 88 yards in the contest.