(ROLLA, Mo., Oct. 24)—The McKendree University football team saw a 17-point, second-quarter lead slip away in dropping a 34-27 decision Saturday afternoon at Missouri S & T.
 
The host Miners reeled off 27 unanswered points spanning the second and third quarters in handing the Bearcats their second loss in their last three outings. McKendree slips to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
 
Senior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) topped the 300-yard mark in the passing department for the fifth time this season, throwing for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding another score on the ground to help lead the McKendree offense. He completed passes to nine different receivers against the Miners.
 
In addition to the 61 points scored in Saturday's contest, the two teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of total offense. McKendree piled up 504 yards on the day, while Missouri S & T had 498 yards in the effort.
 
McKendree led 17-0 with just over eight minutes left until halftime before Missouri S & T (4-3, 4-1 GLVC) mounted its comeback. The Miners scored twice to pull within 17-14 at the intermission, then added two more touchdowns within a 59-second span in the third quarter to take a 27-17 advantage. Missouri S & T eventually pushed its lead to 14 points before the Bearcats put together a rally of their own. McKendree trimmed its deficit to seven points with 2:12 to play and eventually got the ball back in the closing seconds, but could not convert on fourth down on its final play to thwart the rally.
 
Big plays were also a factor in Missouri S & T's win as the Miners had three scoring plays of 50 yards or better against the Bearcats.
 
"I thought we came out strong and controlled the tempo of play on both sides of the ball," said McKendree head coach Mike Babcock. "You really have to tip your hat to Missouri S & T. They settled down and made some adjustments, plus they had some big plays that really swung the momentum in their favor. I thought we did a good job of battling back late."
 
On its first play from scrimmage, McKendree reached into its bag of tricks to produce a big play. Senior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) took a handoff on a double-reverse and raced down the left side 65 yards to the Missouri S & T 10-yard line. Three plays later, Fisher found junior wide receiver Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood) on a three-yard touchdown pass just 91 seconds into the contest. Junior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) tacked on the extra point for a quick 7-0 McKendree lead. Fisher then connected with sophomore wide receiver Darius Crochrell (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) for a five-yard TD pass on the Bearcats' next possession to stretch the advantage to 14-0 with 6:03 left in the opening quarter.
 
With 8:33 left in the second quarter, O'Block booted a 22-yard field goal to help McKendree extend the lead to 17-0. Two plays after the O'Block field goal, Missouri S & T started its comeback as Braxton Graham caught a pass from Lamar Wilkes and raced 70 yards for a score, cutting its deficit to 17-7. A nine-yard scoring run by Dalton Major with 2:22 remaining before halftime brought the Miners within 17-14.
 
Missouri S & T then took the second-half kickoff and marched 87 yards in 12 plays to take the lead for good. Wilkes scored on a five-yard quarterback keeper and the point after pushed the Miners in front at 21-17. Just 59 seconds later, Graham fielded a McKendree punt at midfield and eluded three tacklers on his way to a 50-yard punt return for a score and a 27-17 advantage for the hosts.
 
O"Block nailed a 41-yard field goal later in the third quarter to help McKendree pull within 27-20. Missouri S & T answered on its next drive as backup quarterback Tyler Swart threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Elrod with 3:09 left in the period, giving the Miners a 34-20 lead.
 
The score stood until just 2:12 remained on the clock. Fisher capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run up the middle, bringing the Bearcats within 34-27. After a failed onside kick, the McKendree defense held and forced a turnover on downs with 45 seconds to play. After McKendree picked up a first down on the first play of the drive, the Miners' defense held on the next three plays, then sacked Fisher on fourth down with two seconds on the clock to preserve the win.
 
Dowling had a team-high six receptions for 84 yards, while sophomore wide receiver Dustin Walls (Champaign, IL/Centennial) caught five passes for 85 yards. James led the Bearcats' rushing attack with 84 yards on just three carries while adding three receptions for 43 yards. Fisher gained 60 yards on 18 attempts and moved into 10^th place on the Bearcats' career rushing list. Fisher now has 1,472 yards on the ground in his four seasons at McKendree.
 
A trio of defenders – senior defensive back Cruz Navarro (Escondido, CA/Escondido), junior linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) and junior defensive lineman Tyler House (Los Angeles, CA/Glenelg) – shared team-high honors with 11 tackles each for McKendree. Wentland also had two of the Bearcats' three sacks on the day, with the other going to House. Sophomore linebacker Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) chipped in with eight stops.
       
McKendree will return home next Saturday (Oct. 31) to host Lincoln University in GLVC action. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Leemon Field.