GAME DAY LINKS -- 
McKENDREE vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S -- Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, 1 p.m.
Leemon Field, Lebanon, Ill.

WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS

McKENDREE/SAINT JOSEPH'S VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS

SAINT JOSEPH'S GAME NOTES
SAINT JOSEPH'S SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 13)--The McKendree University football team returns to the friendly confines of Leemon Field this weekend for the first of two straight home games. The Bearcats will entertain Saint Joseph's College on Homecoming, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. Austin Lagesse will have the call live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree, beginning with the pre-game show at 12:50 p.m. 

McKendree will look to bounce back in the win column following a pair of losses on the road to Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents. Last Saturday, the Bearcats battled the University of Indianapolis until the closing minutes, when a late turnover enabled the hosts to record a 34-24 victory. The Bearcats will bring a 3-3 overall record and a 1-2 GLVC mark into Saturday's game in front of the alumni. McKendree will look to build on a very favorable Homecoming record since the program was revived in 1996. The Bearcats are 19-1 over the last 20 seasons in Homecoming affairs, which includes a 38-13 triumph in the 2015 Homecoming tilt against Southwest Baptist University. 

Last week at Indianapolis, Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) posted his second consecutive 100-yard rushing effort. Brandon Wildman (Monticello, IL/Monticello) tossed a pair of touchdown passes, including a 77-yard bomb to Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood) that is the Bearcats' longest play from scrimmage to date. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) registered a team-leading 13 tackles, while Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) chipped in with eight tackles along with a blocked punt in the second quarter. Weltha scooped up the loose ball and raced 29 yards for a score to tie the contest at 17-17 just before halftime. Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) also matched a career-long with a 46-yard field goal against the Greyhounds. 

Prior to Saturday's contest, McKendree will recognize members of the 1996 squad on the 20th anniversary of the return of football to the institution. Those former Bearcats will participate in a special game ball presentation. 

In addition, McKendree will honor the memory of Alex McMahon, the former McKendree punter who lost a five-year battle with nasopharnygeal cancer on Oct. 9. McMahon, who was 25 years old, played for the Bearcats in 2009-10 and again in 2013-14 after taking time away from the program for treatments. McKendree will have a moment of silence prior to kickoff of Saturday's contest. 

Saint Joseph's brings a 4-2 overall record and a 3-1 GLVC mark to Lebanon. After dropping their season opener, the Pumas have won four of their last five games. Saint Joseph's was on the road in Jefferson City, Mo., last weekend and earned a hard-fought 27-17 win at Lincoln University. The Pumas had three scores of at least 40 yards in their victory over the Blue Tigers, including a 69-yard touchdown pass from Phillip Kimble to Tremel Glasper. Saint Joseph's overcame an early 10-point deficit to remain among the GLVC leaders. 

McKendree will also be at home next Saturday to host Missouri S&T in another 1 p.m. kickoff at Leemon Field. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/SAINT JOSEPH'S GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his fourth season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (20-17 at McKendree and overall). 

SAINT JOSEPH'S: Daniel Day is in his second season as the head coach of the Saint Joseph's Pumas (9-8 at Saint Joseph's and overall). 

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
Saint Joseph's has taken three of four meetings against McKendree, although the Bearcats won last year's contest between the two programs on the road:
   2012 -- Saint Joseph's 24, McKENDREE 19 (at Leemon Field)
   2013 -- Saint Joseph's 31, McKENDREE 13 (at Rensselaer, Ind.)
   2014 -- Saint Joseph's 35, McKENDREE 33 (at Leemon Field)
 2015 -- McKENDREE 29, Saint Joseph's 10 (at Rensselaer, Ind.)

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats dropped a 34-24 decision last Saturday in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at the University of Indianapolis. For the second consecutive year, an interception return for a touchdown in the final two minutes of play helped the Greyhounds seal the victory over McKendree. Brandon Wildman (Monticello, IL/Monticello) threw for 265 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the effort. Wildman's first TD pass of the game was a 77-yard strike to Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood), which is the longest play from scrimmage to date in 2016. Dowling finished with three receptions for 99 yards. Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) rushed for a team-leading 100 yards for the second week in a row. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) led the defensive effort for McKendree with 13 tackles, while Tobias Cook (Chicago, IL/Westinghouse College Prep) added nine stops. Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) chipped in with eight tackles while he blocked a second-quarter punt and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) matched a career-long with a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter at Indianapolis. 

SAINT JOSEPH'S -- LAST TIME OUT
The Pumas improved to 3-1 in GLVC play with a hard-fought 27-17 victory last Saturday at Lincoln University. Saint Joseph's overcame an early 10-point deficit to rally for the win. The Pumas had three scoring plays of at least 40 yards against the Blue Tigers, the longest of which was a 69-yard TD pass from Phillip Kimble to Tremel Glasper to begin the comeback in the second quarter. Kimble completed 13-of-24 pass attempts for 204 yards with a pair of scores. Latrell Giles had a team-high four receptions in the effort. Martez Walker rushed for a game-high 151 yards on 22 carries and also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass at Lincoln. Chad Veccharella and Kenneth Naylor each had 10 tackles to pace the Pumas' defense. The Saint Joseph's defense registered eight quarterback sacks against the Blue Tigers, including 2 1/2 by Evan Gill. 

THE LAST MEETING -- McKENDREE vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S
On Oct. 17, 2015 in Rensselaer, Ind., McKendree used a pair of big players from its defense in the closing minutes to post a 29-10 victory over Saint Joseph's. The Bearcats turned a pair of interceptions into 13 points in the final 3:53 of play to pull away and move to 5-1 on the year. McKendree led 16-10 when Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) stepped in front of a Pumas' pass for his first interception of the season, which he promptly returned 45 yards for a touchdown. On Saint Joseph's next play from scrimmage, Cruz Navarro (Escondido, CA/Escondido) intercepted a pass and returned it to the Pumas' 21-yard line. Three plays later Treye Williams (Mattoon, IL/Mattoon) raced 15 yards for a score to seal the win for the Bearcats. Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) led a balanced rushing attack for McKendree with 87 yards on 12 carries, while Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) added 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Fisher threw for a season-low 94 yards, with Dustin Walls (Champaign, IL/Centennial) catching six passes in the win. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) notched a game-high 12 tackles for the Bearcats as Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) added eight stops. Weltha finished the day with seven tackles along with his interception. 

BEARCAT TRACKS
HAPPY HOMECOMINGS: Today's contest will mark the 21st Homecoming game for the McKendree football team since reviving its football program in 1996. The Bearcats hold a 19-1 record on Homecoming at Leemon Field during that stretch, winning last year's game in front of the alumni against Southwest Baptist University, 38-13. 

BEARCATS vs. THE HOOSIER STATE: McKendree has a record of 11-15 against teams from the state of Indiana since 1996. Excluding the 2006 season, the Bearcats have played an Indiana school each year since the program was revived for the 1996 campaign. 

PLAYING AT WARP SPEED: McKendree set a new program record by running 97 offensive plays in the 28-14 win against William Jewell College. The Bearcats broke the previous mark of 93 plays, which came in a 2014 contest at Southwest Baptist University. 

WENTLAND CONTINUES TO TACKLE THE BEARCATS' RECORD BOOK: A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) matched his own McKendree program record for tackles in a game with 22 stops in the Bearcats' contest at Southwest Baptist University. Wentland first established the mark in the 2015 regular-season opener at West Liberty University. Wentland continues to add to his McKendree career mark for tackles, which now stands at 365. 

RAISING THE BAAR: Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) leads NCAA Division II in sacks per game at 2.10. In addition, Baar has beciome the Bearcats' career record for quarterback sacks with 39 1/2. Oku Satcher held the previous mark with 38 sacks during his McKendree career from 1999-2001. 

SACK MASTERS: As a team, McKendree has registered 28 quarterback sacks so far in 2016. The Bearcats lead both the Great Lakes Valley Conference and NCAA Division II in the category. 

EDWARDS CONTINUES CLIMB UP ALL-TIME RUSHING LIST: With his 100-yard effort at Southwest Baptist University, Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) became the 20th player since McKendree revived its football program in 1996 to rush for 1,000 career yards. Edwards enters the Saint Joseph's contest with 1,161 yards, which is currently 18th on the program's all-time list:
14) Dominique Jones -- 1,344 yards
15) Jason Yelton -- 1,255 yards
16) Jason Jackson -- 1,241 yards
17) Anthony Roland -- 1,100 yards
18) Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) -- 1,061 yards
19) Chris Montgomery -- 1,038 yards

PASSING GRADE: McKendree enters today's game having thrown at least one touchdown pass in 10 consecutive games. That streak dates back to the Missouri S&T game in Rolla, Mo., last October. 

PICK 'EM: McKendree has had six players record an interception so far in 2016. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Bearcats have had at least six players with one interception. 

UNI-TRACKER: McKendree made history of sorts against Angelo State by wearing purple uniform pants for the first time in program history. The purple pants give the Bearcats multiple uniform combinations as they can also be worn with the new white road jerseys. We will track the McKendree football record in 2016 while wearing certain combinations.
**Graphite Jersey/Purple Pants: 1-0
**Graphite Jersey/Graphite Pants: 2-0
**White Jersey/Purple Pants: 0-2
**White Jersey/White Pants: 0-0
**White Jersey/Graphite Pants: 0-1

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic) already has 23 punt returns through the Bearcats' first five games of 2016. That is the most in a season for a McKendree punt returner since Shane McBride had 23 back in 2007. The Bearcats' single-season record is 42, which was set by Adam Clapp during the 2004 campaign. 

21 AND OVER: McKendree sports a 120-25 record (.828) when scoring at least 21 points in a game.

RECORDS WATCH: A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) (tackles) and Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) (quarterback sacks) have already eclipsed McKendree careers they were chasing entering the 2016 season. Three more McKendree players on the 2016 roster have a chance to become the Bearcats' career leader in at least one statistical category. Listed below are those players, with their current rank and the statistics needed to become the all-time leader in the respective categories:

LUCKY BAAR
• Tackles for Loss -- Second all-time with 56.5. Oku Satcher holds the Bearcats' career record with 59.
• Forced Fumbles: Third all-time with seven. Zach Carter and Deveon Moss lead the way with eight.

STEVEN O'BLOCK
• Kick Scoring -- Third all-time with 230 points. Stephen Webb set the Bearcats' career mark with 253. 

SEAN DOWLING
• Receiving Yards -- Sixth all-time with 1,237. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) closed his McKendree career last year with a program-record 1,614 receiving yards. 

THIS DATE IN BEARCAT FOOTBALL HISTORY
Oct. 15, 2005
Defense ruled the day for McKendree in a 12-6 win at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The Bearcats' defense recorded a season-high six takeaways on the day, including four by Lawrence Davis, who had two interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries in the Mid-States Football Association-Midwest League triumph. Deveon Moss also added two interceptions for McKendree, which limited the Statesment to just 46 passing yards on the day. Lamont Benn scored the only touchdown in the contest, a one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for the Bearcats. Stephen Webb also booted two field goals to provide the remainder of the offense for McKendree. Moss finished the contest with 13 tackles at William Penn. 

Oct. 8, 2011
The Bearcats dropped a 14-0 decision on the road at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. The host Vikings scored the only points of the game in the second quarter on a pair of five-yard touchdown runs by Darryl Ford. McKendree was held to just 122 yards of total offense by Grand View. Austin Fisher threw for 96 yards, completing passes to seven different receivers. Stephen Wallace rushed for 33 yards on just five carries to lead McKendree. Brandon Nigro registered a game-high 15 tackles to lead the Bearcats' defense, while Jason Rejfek chipped in with 13 stops, including three for loss.