GAME DAY LINKS -- McKendree vs. Truman State -- Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, 1 p.m. -- Stokes Stadium, Kirksville, Mo.
LISTEN LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
WATCH LIVE (Truman State Production)

McKENDREE/TRUMAN STATE VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
TRUMAN STATE SEASON STATISTICS
TRUMAN STATE GAME NOTES

(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 12)--The McKendree University football team will wrap up its 2015 regular-season schedule on Saturday with a road trip to take on Truman State University. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. at Stokes Stadium. The contest will air live on the Bearcat Sports Network (www.mckbearcats.com/watch) beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m.

McKendree will be looking to close out the season with a strong finishing kick. The Bearcats enter the contest with a 7-2 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. A win would not only give McKendree its first season with at least eight victories since a 9-3 campaign in 2010, but it would also help the Bearcats end the year in sole possession of second place in the final league standings for the year. With its 5-2 record in the GLVC, McKendree sits a game in front of both Truman State and Missouri S & T in the conference. The University of Indianapolis clinched its fourth consecutive GLVC regular-season title last week with a home win over Missouri S & T. 

Last Saturday, McKendree collected a 56-30 Senior Day victory at Leemon Field against Quincy University. The Bearcats piled up a season-high 606 yards of total offense, which was just two yards shy of the school record. The Bearcats topped the 300-yard mark in both rushing and passing yards against the Hawks, marking the first time in program history that feat was achieved. Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) made his last start at Leemon Field a memorable one as he threw for 296 yards while rushing for a game-high 117 yards. In addition, Fisher caught his first career touchdown pass on a nine-yard toss from wide receiver Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood) off a trick play in the third quarter. Dowling had a career day with 151 receiving yards on seven receptions. Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) rushed for a career-best 110 yards and scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Bearcats reeled off 28 points in the final period. It marked the first time since the 2010 season that McKendree had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game. 

Defensively, A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) registered a game-high 16 tackles, which matched the second-highest total of the season for the Bearcats' middle linebacker. That effort helped Wentland collect GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in 2015. Cruz Navarro (Escondido, CA/Escondido) helped out with 11 tackles while Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic) added 10 stops. 

Truman State enters Saturday's game as one of the hottest teams in the GLVC. The Bulldogs have won four of their last five outings and are 5-5 overall in addition to their 4-3 league mark. The only setback during that five-game span was a 23-19 loss at Quincy, where the hosts reeled off 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Last Saturday, Truman State won a defensive tussle at home against Saint Joseph's College, 10-3. Quarterback Randy Schroeder was 18-of-33 for 173 yards, hitting Joey Schenck seven times on the day for 73 yards. Aaron Hartfield rushed for a game-high 88 yards on 18 carries and recorded the only touchdown scored in the contest, a one-yard burst just before halftime. Nick Dolezal added a 21-yard field goal with just over six minutes to play as the Bulldogs' defense was able to hold off the visiting Pumas. Ben Chaney led the defensive charge for Truman State with 11 stops, while T.J. Fine and Kade Young each added 10 tackles. 

Saturday's game will feature the most prolific offense in the GLVC going head-to-head with the top defensive squad in the league. McKendree heads the conference in scoring offense (39.7 PPG), total offense (495.3 YPG), rushing offense (202.9 YPG) and passing offense (292.4 YPG). This is the first time that the Bearcats have led the league in all four categories heading into the final regular-season contest. Meanwhile, Truman State paces the GLVC in total defense (322.8 YPG) and rushing defense (116.4 YPG) and is tied for the league lead in scoring defense (19 PPG). The Bulldogs are also second in the conference in passing defense (206.4 YPG). Truman State has allowed 20 or fewer points in five of their 10 contests to date in 2015.

McKendree will be in search of its first victory in the series with Truman State since the Bearcats returned to the gridiron in 1996. Truman State has won all three meetings, including last season's 30-17 triumph at Leemon Field in early October. In the Bearcats' only other visit to Stokes Stadium, the host Bulldogs held off McKendree in a 28-21 decision.  

Several McKendree players are nearing career or season milestones heading into the final week of the 2015 season. Fisher is 17 yards shy of becoming the first Bearcat player to reach the 10,000-yard mark in total offense (rushing and passing yards). He enters Truman State contest needing 166 yards of total offense, 127 passing yards and one TD pass to establish new single-season records for McKendree. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) will begin his final contest in a Bearcat uniform needing three receptions to reach 150 for his career. He is also three touchdowns shy of the program's scoring record (non-kicker), which is currently held by George Smith with 180 points. A touchdown reception would enable James to break a tie with former teammate Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) for TD catches in a season, a mark they currently share with seven. 

Defensively, Wentland is 10 tackles behind the school record he set last year with 132 stops. Wentland also sits in third place on the Bearcats' career list for tackles with 263, and needs 15 to move into second place. He is 32 tackles behind the program record of 295, which was set by Brandon Nigro from 2008-11. On the special teams front, Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) is eight points from tying the Bearcats' single-season record of 81 points scored by a kicker, which is held by current McKendree strength and conditioning coach Jordan Fark. O'Block is also three field goals behind the program's season record of 14, which was established by Brian Schneider back in 2001. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/TRUMAN STATE GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his third season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (16-14 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. 

TRUMAN STATE: Gregg Nesbitt is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Truman State Bulldogs (30-34 at Truman State and overall). 

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
Truman State has won all three meetings with McKendree, including last season's 30-17 decision at Leemon Field:
   2011 -- Truman State 25, McKENDREE 10 (at Leemon Field)
   2013 -- Truman State 28, McKENDREE 21 (at Kirksville, Mo.)
   2014 -- Truman State 30, McKENDREE 17 (at Leemon Field)

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT...
The Bearcats used a 28-point fourth quarter outburst to pull away for a 56-30 victory last Saturday at Leemon Field against Quincy University. McKendree piled up a season-high 606 yards of total offense in its Senior Day triumph. Quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) made the most of his final start at Leemon Field, throwing for 296 yards while rushing for a game-high 117 yards in the effort. Fisher also caught his first career touchdown pass, a nine-yard grab off a throw from wide receiver Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood). Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) joined Fisher over the century mark in the rushing department, gaining 110 yards while scoring a trio of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Dowling had a career day with 151 receiving yards on a team-high seven catches. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) led the Bearcats' defensive effort with a game-high 16 tackles. Cruz Navarro (Escondido, CA/Escondido) added 11 stops while Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic) chipped in with 10 tackles against the Hawks. 

TRUMAN STATE -- LAST TIME OUT...
The Bulldogs outlasted Saint Joseph's College in a low-scoring affair last Saturday in Kirksville, Mo., 10-3. The Truman State defense limited the Pumas to a third-quarter field goal and forced three turnovers while helping the hosts to their fourth win in five outings. Ben Chaney led the charge for the Bulldogs with 11 tackles, including three for loss. T.J. Fine and Kade Young each collected 10 stops in the victory. Offensively, Randy Schroeder was 18-of-33 through the air for 173 yards. His favorite target was Joey Schenck, who caught seven passes for 75 yards on the day. Aaron Hatfield rushed for a game-high 88 yards on 18 carries and recorded the lone touchdown of the contest on a one-yard run just before halftime. 

THE LAST MEETING, McKENDREE vs. TRUMAN STATE
On Oct. 4, 2014 at Leemon Field, Truman State used a run of 17 unanswered points early in the second half to pull away for a 30-17 victory over McKendree. The Bearcats struck first on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) to Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) seven minutes into the game, but the Bulldogs answered with a pair of TDs later in the first quarter to grab the lead for good. Fisher was 27-of-47 for 279 yards through the air while adding a team-best 87 rushing yards on 18 attempts. James established a career-high with nine receptions. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) led the McKendree defense with 11 tackles, while Alec Gerdes (Normal, IL/Normal) had nine stops. Brett Pearman (Granite City, IL/Granite City) posted two of the Bearcats' four quarterback sacks on the day. For Truman State, Garrett White rushed for a game-high 159 yards on 24 carries while scoring three times. Quarterback Devonte Black was 14-of-19 for 181 yards with a touchdown pass. Kurt Loyd posted a team-leading five receptions for 49 yards. Defensively, Jordan Brown had a game-high 15 tackles for the Bulldogs, while Ben Chaney and Chris Stanton each added eight stops. 

BEARCAT TRACKS
McKENDREE'S WENTLAND TABBED AS GLVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For the second time in 2015, McKendree junior linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) has been selected as the Great Lakes Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Wentland earned his latest honor after posting a game-high 16 tackles in the Bearcats' Senior Day win over Quincy. The 16 tackles matches the second-highest total this season for Wentland, who boosted his season total to 122 stops. He now has the two highest single-season tackle totals in progarm history. Wentland is 10 tackles shy of the school mark he set a year ago with 132, which was accomplished in 11 games. 

THAT'S A WRAP: McKendree has posted a record of 13-6 in regular-season finales. The Bearcats are 10-1 in their last 11 scheduled regular-season tilts, including a 28-21 triumph at Quincy University to close out the 2014 campaign. 

BEARCATS vs. THE SHOW-ME STATE: McKendree has a record of 12-9 against teams from the state of Missouri since 1996. The Bearcats are 3-1 versus programs from the Show-Me State already this season, with victories over William Jewell, Southwest Baptist and Lincoln. The lone setback came at Missouri S & T. 

POLL POSITION: For the first time since the transition to NCAA Division II membership, the McKendree football team received a vote in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll. The Bearcats' vote came in the rating relased Monday afternoon by the AFCA. 

GETTING THE POINT(S): The Bearcats have scored 121 points in their last two victories against Lincoln University and Quincy University. That is the most points scored by a McKendree football team in any two-game span since the revival of the football program in 1996. 

A CENTURY, TIMES TWO: Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) (117 yards) and and Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) (110 yards) became the first McKendree duo in five years to top the 100-yard mark in the rushing department in the same game. The last time that was accomplished by the Bearcats came in the 2010 season, when Joe Beimfohr (121 yards) and Jimmy Berezik (101 yards) cracked the century mark on the ground at the University of St. Francis (Ill.).

"BLANK" CHECK: McKendree's 65-0 win against Lincoln was the first shutout posted by the Bearcats' defense in more than five years over a span of 58 games. The last time McKendree held an opponent scoreless came in a 41-0 win over Olivet Nazarene University in the second week of the 2010 campaign. 

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Jeremiah Wilkins (St. Louis, MO/Pattonville)' 30-yard interception return for a touchdown versus Lincoln was the second such score for the Bearcats' defense this season. The last time McKendree posted multiple INT returns for touchdowns in the same season came back in 2012, when Jamison Wilson and Zach Haselhorst both accomplished the feat. 

FINAL FISHER FACTS OF THE WEEK: Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) threw for 296 yards and rushed for a game-high 117 in his final start at Leemon Field against Quincy. It is the third time this year -- and fifth time in his career -- that Fisher has thrown for at least 200 yards and rushed for at least 100 yards in the same contest. Also, Fisher enters the Truman State game with 9,983 yards of total offense (passing and rushing yards). He needs 17 yards to become the first Bearcat to top 10,000 yards in total offense. In addition, Fisher has tied the McKendree single-season record with 19 touchdown passes (a mark he set in 2013 and equaled in 2014). He needs one TD toss to become the first player in team history with 20 touchdown tosses in the same year. Finally, Fisher became the first McKendree quarterback since the revival of the program in 1996 to catch a touchdown pass with his nine-yard reception off a pass from wide receiver Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood) in the third quarter of the Quincy contest. He is the second Bearcat signal-caller with a pass reception since 1996. Tyler Pankey had a catch during a 2001 game at Olivet Nazarene University. 

JAMES CATCHES ANOTHER RECORD: With his two touchdown receptions against Lincoln, Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) has tied the Bearcats' single-season mark for TD catches. James now has seven scores on the year, equaling the mark set by former teammate Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita), who had seven touchdown receptions during the 2013 season. 

"LATERAL" MOVEMENT: Offensive lineman Derrik Starrett (Brighton, IL/Alton Marquette) took a lateral early in the fourth quarter against Quincy and produced a 15-yard scoring run. Starrett is the first Bearcats' offensive lineman to score a touchdown in a game since 2002, when John Keeven recovered a fumble in the end zone of a home contest against Tri-State (now Trine) University. 

KICKING UP A NEW CAREER-HIGH: The 21-yard field goal by Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) against Lincoln was his 11th of the season, which sets a new career-high for the Bearcats' placekicker. O'Block booted 10 field goals as a sophomore last season. Also, O'Block has 73 points entering the Truman State contest, and needs nine points to surpass Jordan Fark (81 points in 2010) as the program's single-season kick scoring leader. 

WENTLAND WATCH: With his 16 tackles against Quincy, A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) boosted his season total to 122 stops. Wentland now holds the two highest single-season tackle totals in program history. He set a school record with 132 stops during the 2014 season. Wentland is also the first player in program history to record multiple seasons with at least 100 tackles. On the career charts, Wentland (263 tackles) sits in third place all-time at McKendree. He trails only Mike Garavalia (277 tackles) and Brandon Nigro (295) on the team's career list. 

THIS DATE IN BEARCAT FOOTBALL HISTORY
Nov. 14, 2009
The Bearcats punched a ticket to the NAIA Football Championship Series for the first time since 2005 by posting a 35-17 win at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. Chris Montgomery rushed for a career-high 114 yards on nine carries, including a 55-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter as McKendree wrapped up an undefeated run through the Mid-States Football Association-Midwest League. The Bearcats took a 14-3 lead at the half, then scored on their first two possessions of the second half to stretch the margin to 28-3. The Vikings rallied within 28-17 before Montgomery's burst sealed the Bearcats' seventh conference championship. Austin Fisher threw for 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the day. McKendree also matched a program record by winning its ninth straight game. 

Nov. 14, 1998
McKendree had an eight-game home winning streak snapped with a 21-14 loss to Olivet Nazarene University in the regular-season finale at Leemon Field. Both teams entered the contest looking for an NAIA post-season berth as the 14th-ranked Tigers outlasted the 25th-rated Bearcats. Louis Harden rushed for a team-leading 99 yards on 21 carries for McKendree, while quarterback Billy Gray added 87 yards on the ground. Harden rushed for both touchdowns in the contest for the Bearcats, who led 14-7 after the first quarter. Olivet Nazarene tied the game in the second quarter, then posted the winning points on a one-yard touchdown burst with 6:19 on the clock. Ryan Thornhill led the McKendree defense with 10 tackles, while Brent Baker added nine stops and Ryan Jimison had eight tackles.