GAME DAY LINKS -- McKENDREE vs. WEST LIBERTY -- Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 -- West Family Stadium, West Liberty, W.Va.
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McKENDREE/WEST LIBERTY VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
McKENDREE 2014 SEASON STATISTICS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
WEST LIBERTY SEASON STATISTICS
WEST LIBERTY GAME NOTES

(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 11)--The McKendree University football team will head east for its first road contest of the 2015 season set for Saturday at West Liberty University. Kickoff between the Bearcats and Hilltoppers is set for 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT) at West Family Stadium in West Liberty, W.Va. Saturday's game can be heard live on the Bearcat Sports Network (www.mckbearcats.com/watch) with the pre-game show starting at 12:45 p.m. ET (11:45 a.m. CT). 

The Bearcats' lone non-conference road game of 2015 will also mark the longest road trip of the season for the team. McKendree will have a nine-hour trip to the northern tip of West Virginia to take on West Liberty in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Bearcats tuned up for Saturday's contest with a 68-0 shutout win last Saturday at Leemon Field against the College of Faith. McKendree held the visiting Warriors to minus-four yards of total offense and did not allow a first down in the effort. The Bearcats also received a strong special teams showing in last Saturday's game. Senior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) returned punts of 48 and 71 yards for touchdowns, while junior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) booted four field goals on the night. 

West Liberty comes into Saturday's match-up with a 1-0 record following a 29-28 come-from-behind upset victory at home over Concord University, the No. 9-ranked team in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II pre-season poll. Freshman Christian Morris kicked a 32-yard field goal with just 16 seconds remaining to lift the Hilltoppers to the victory. As a team, West Liberty ran 98 offensive plays in the contest while forcing four turnovers on defense. Dakota Conwell completed 30-of-53 pass attempts for 288 yards against Concord, while Daree Goodwin caught nine of those passes for 111 yards. Tyler Peterson led a balanced rushing attack for the Hilltoppers with 54 yards on 13 carries. 

Following Saturday's game, McKendree will have a week to prepare for its final non-conference opponent of the season, Northwood University. The Bearcats and Timberwolves will face off at Leemon Field on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. Prior to the contest, McKendree will hold a special on-field ceremony to recognize the 20th season of football at the University since the program was revived in 1996. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/WEST LIBERTY GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKendree: Mike Babcock enters his third season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (9-12 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.
West Liberty: Roger Waialae is in his 11th season as the head coach of the West Liberty Hilltoppers (63-49 at West Liberty and overall).

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
The contest will mark the first meeting on the football field between the Bearcats and Hilltoppers.

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats tuned up for their regular-season opener last Saturday with a 68-0 victory over the College of Faith at Leemon Field. McKendree scored 28 first-quarter points on its way to a 51-0 lead at the intermission. The Bearcats scored on 12 of their 13 possessions in the contest and put up 352 yards of total offense. Defensively, McKendree limited the Warriors to minus-four yards of total offense while holding the College of Faith without a first down on the night. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) had punt returns of 48 and 71 yards for touchdowns in the effort while hauling in an 11-yard TD pass from Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) on the Bearcats' opening drive of the night. Fisher rushed three times for 68 yards including a 51-yard scoring burst late in the first quarter. Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) kicked four field goals for McKendree, including a long of 42 yards in the second quarter. Drake Kruep (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell North) led a balanced defensive showing for the Bearcats with six tackles, while Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) chipped in with five stops. As a team, McKendree had 11 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks against the Warriors.

WEST LIBERTY -- LAST TIME OUT
The Hilltoppers opened their 2015 season with a 29-28 upset victory at home last Saturday over Concord University, the No. 9-ranked team in the AFCA Division II pre-season poll. Christian Morris booted a 33-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining to provide the game-winning points for West Liberty. The Hilltoppers had the for more than 39 minutes in the contest and ran 98 offensive plays on the afternoon. Dakota Conwell completed 30-of-53 pass attempts for 288 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. His favorite target was Daree Goodwin, who caught nine passes for 111 yards with a 10-yard TD reception. Tyler Peterson rushed for a team-high 54 yards on 13 carries, while Jeremiah Ortiz added 53 yards on 19 rushes. Cordell Felder posted a team-leading eight tackles against Concord, whie Garrett Vulcano helped out with six tackles, and scored the first points of the contest for the Hilltoppers when he recoved a blocked punt in the end zone.

BEARCAT TRACKS
FOR OPENERS...: McKendree has posted a record of 11-8 (.579) in season-opening games, dating back to the Bearcats' return to the gridiron in 1996. In the first road game of the season, McKendree has an 8-11 mark (.421) in that same span. The Bearcats' last victory in the first road game of a season came back in 2009, a 55-3 triumph at Olivet Nazarene University.

RAISING THE BAAR: Junior defensive end Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) set new McKendree program records with 26 1/2 tackles for loss and 18 quarterback sacks in 2014. Baar led all NCAA Division II players in sacks a year ago, and also topped the national statistics chart with 1.64 sacks per game. Baar became the first Bearcat football player to top an NCAA statistical category since the move to Division II in 2013.

WENTLAND TACKLES BEARCATS' SEASON MARK: Junior linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) established a new McKendree season record with his 132 tackles in 2014. He topped the previous mark of 108 stops set by Brandon Nigro during the 2011 campaign.

CAMERON CAN DO: At the outset of the 2015 season, senior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) is second on the Bearcats' career list with 99 receptions and is fourth in both receiving yards (980) and touchdown catches (9). James is also the all-time leader at McKendree in kick returns (52) and is second in kick return yards (1,151). For punt returns, James is fifth on the Bearcats' career list for total returns (39) and is fourth in punt return yards (498).

THE FACTS ON FISHER, PART ONE: In 2014, senior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) became the first McKendree signal-caller to lead the team in rushing since the football program revival in 1996. Fisher enters tonight's game with 946 career rushing yards, and needs just 54 yards to join the Bearcats' 1,000-yard club.

THE FACTS ON FISHER, PART TWO: Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) already holds five all-time career marks entering his senior campaign, including total offensive yards (6,662), pass attempts (891), pass completions (537), passing yards (5,716) and passing touchdowns (43).

20 AND COUNTING: The kickoff to 2015 marks the 20th season of football at McKendree since the program was revived in 1996.

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK: McKendree enters the 2015 season riding the five-game win streak that closed out the 2014 campaign. That matches the Bearcats' longest win streak since 2010. Another win would give McKendree its longest streak of consecutive victories since the 2009 season, when the Bearcats reeled off nine wins in a row.

HONORING 20 SEASONS OF McKENDREE FOOTBALL: Members of the inaugural 1996 McKendree football team along with key individuals who helped revive the program will be on hand prior to the Bearcats' Sept. 19 game at Leemon Field against Northwood University. There will be a special pre-game ceremony to recognize the 20th season of the modern era of McKendree football.

THIS DATE IN McKENDREE FOOTBALL HISTORY
Sept. 12, 1998
McKendree broke open a close game with 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 39-9 victory over Doane College at Leemon Field. The win marked the first of the 1998 season for the Bearcats, along with the 100th career triumph for McKendree head coach Carl Poelker. Two of the three touchdowns scored in the final period for the Bearcats came via interception returns -- 25 yards for Rory O'Connell and 50 yards for John Foran. Billy Gray only completed two passes on the day, with one resulting in a 21-yard TD strike to Brett Gross. Mike Garavalia showed the way defensively with 10 tackles, including three quarterback sacks.

Sept. 12, 2009
Joe Beimfohr rushed for a career-high 129 yards and two touchdowns as McKendree won its 2009 home opener over Marian University, 21-17. Quarterback Austin Fisher added a 26-yard scoring run in the third quarter that proved to be the winning score for the Bearcats. The visiting Knights pulled within four points in the fourth quarter, but an interception by Derrick Quals with two minutes to play helped seal the victory for McKendree. The interception marked the fourth takeaway for the Bearcats' defense on the day. Antonio Greer had a team-best 12 tackles in the contest.