VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS -- McKENDREE vs. NORTHWOOD
PHOTO GALLERY
POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 19)—On a day when he became the all-time leader in receptions at McKendree University, it was a pair of fourth-quarter catches by senior wide receiver Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) that mattered the most to the Bearcats in a 27-24 victory over visiting Northwood University on Saturday.
 
In the early stages of the final period, James hauled in a career-long 67-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) to begin the comeback. With 2:28 remaining, Fisher found James on a 26-yard TD strike to put the Bearcats in front for good. McKendree improves to 2-0 with the non-conference victory over the Timberwolves and will head to Liberty, Mo., next Saturday (Sept. 26) to open Great Lakes Valley Conference play at William Jewell College. Kickoff is set for noon.
 
"I told our guys in the locker room how proud I was of them today," said McKendree head football coach Mike Babcock. "We were inconsistent on both sides of the ball in the first half, but they just kept battling and starting making big plays in the second half. This game played out almost exactly like last year's at Northwood (a 32-27 loss for McKendree) but we were able to finish today, and that shows a lot of character for this team."
 
Fisher closed the afternoon by completing 29-of-44 pass attempts for 369 yards with three touchdowns. He was just six yards shy of his career-high of 375 passing yards, which was set in the 2013 season opener at Leemon Field against Tiffin University. Fisher also rushed for a team-leading 64 yards on 10 carries.
 
James posted six catches for 112 yards against Northwood. His first reception – an eight-yard catch on the first drive of the contest – helped James break a tie with Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) for the Bearcats' career lead in receptions. James now has 110 receptions in his four seasons at McKendree.
 
Junior wide receiver Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood) had a team-high seven catches for 48 yards against Northwood, while sophomore wide receiver Dustin Walls (Champaign, IL/Centennial) matched James with six receptions. Walls also posted a team-leading 123 receiving yards in the effort.
 
Northwood (1-2) broke a scoreless tie late in the first quarter when Luke Shaffer scored on an 11-yard run to give the Timberwolves a 7-0 advantage. Quarterback Mark Morris added a 10-yard touchdown pass to Theron Wilson in the early moments of the second period to extend the visitors' lead to 14-0. McKendree answered on the ensuing drive as Walls capped a 12-play, 98-yard drive as he caught a 16-yard TD pass from Fisher with 4:29 remaining until halftime. The extra point from junior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) trimmed the McKendree deficit to 14-7, which was the score at the intermission.
 
On its first drive of the second half, McKendree pulled even closer as senior running back Treye Williams (Mattoon, IL/Mattoon) bulled his way into the end zone from eight yards out. The point after was blocked, which enabled Northwood to hold on to the lead at 14-13. The Timberwolves tacked on a field goal in the closing minutes of the third quarter to push its advantage back to 17-13. Northwood then regained a double-digit lead at 24-13 with 12:37 remaining when Morris found Shane Barron for an 18-yard TD strike.
 
McKendree took the kickoff and, following a penalty, started the next drive at its own 15-yard line. Following a short run, Fisher completed three straight passes, including the 67-yarder to James, who worked his way behind the Timberwolves' secondary. He raced untouched into the end zone with 11:12 on the clock to help McKendree pull within 24-19. The Bearcats tried the two-point conversion but came up empty to remain five points behind on the scoreboard.
 
With 4:20 remaining, McKendree started a drive near midfield following a Northwood punt. Fisher opened the drive by completing a 10-yard pass to Dowling into Timberwolves' territory. Dowling later caught a pass from Fisher at the Northwood 26-yard line to set up a third-and-one play. James worked his way open one more time down the right side, and Fisher found James for the game-winning 26-yard strike at the 2:28 mark. The Bearcats converted the two-point try this time around as Fisher found freshman tight end Skylar Paulson (Lanark, IL/Eastland) alone in the left corner of the end zone. The McKendree defense then took control by holding Northwood on four straight downs in the Timberwolves' final possession.
 
Junior linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) registered a game-high 13 tackles to lead McKendree. Senior defensive back Cruz Navarro (Escondido, CA/Escondido) helped out with 10 tackles, while junior defensive end Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) notched three of the Bearcats' quarterback sacks in the contest.
 
For Northwood, Shaffer rushed for a game-high 133 yards on 28 carries, while Morris finished the afternoon 11-of-25 for 143 yards.