McKENDREE/MISSOURI S&T VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
POST-GAME INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK
PHOTO GALLERY

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 22)—The McKendree University football team recorded its most complete team effort of the 2016 season on Saturday in posting a convincing 40-7 victory Saturday at Leemon Field against Missouri S&T.
 
Offensively, the Bearcats rushed for a season-high 264 yards and recorded touchdowns on their first two possessions. On the defensive side, McKendree collected a season-best eight quarterback sacks and limited the Miners to just six yards rushing on the day. The Bearcats' special teams unit even figured into the mix with the recovery of a loose ball following a third-quarter kickoff and a career day from senior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) in cruising to the win.
 
McKendree improves to 5-3 on the year and is now 3-2 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
 
"It was great to see all three aspects of our team have a great day today," said McKendree head coach Mike Babcock. "It was a case of push and grind by everyone and the result was a great 60 minutes of football. We had some guys step up when their number was called because of injuries, and they helped get us going today. That's great to see."
 
O'Block tied a school record by kicking four field goals – all of which came in the second half – and set a new program mark for points scored by a kicker with 16. O'Block, who also had four field goals in a 2014 game at Lincoln University, matched the record he shared with Brian Schneider (1998 vs. Walsh University) and Stephen Webb (2002 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma State University). In addition, O'Block's 16 points against Missouri S&T topped the previous game record of 14 that he shared with Schneider and Webb.
 
In addition, O'Block moved past Schneider for second place on the Bearcats' career list for points scored by a kicker during Saturday's victory. O'Block now has 248 points in his four seasons at McKendree and needs just six points to overtake Webb for the career mark.
 
Junior running back Preston Thompson (Markham, IL/Tinley Park) enjoyed a career day against Missouri S&T, rushing for a career-best 105 yards on 26 carries. Thompson also added an 11-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
 
After missing the last two games due to injury, senior defensive end Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) returned to the Bearcats' lineup and registered 3 ½ sacks versus the Miners. Baar, who became the career sack leader at McKendree back on Oct. 1, boosted his career total to 43. He is just three behind the NCAA Division II career mark for sacks of 46 set by March Schiechl, who played at Colorado School of Mines from 2007-10.
 
"It was nice getting Lucky back but it was even better that our entire defensive line was able to get after their quarterback a little bit," said Babcock. "I thought our coverage in the secondary was consistently strong all day, which limited them at times and helped us get a few coverage sacks."
 
McKendree took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards in 11 plays. Freshman quarterback Brandon Wildman (Monticello, IL/Monticello) faked a handoff to Thompson and raced up the middle untouched for a 20-yard touchdown to open the scoring just 2:46 into the contest. O'Block added the extra point for an early 7-0 lead for the Bearcats. After forcing a three-and-out on the Miners' initial possession, McKendree used a short field to extend its lead to 14-0. After a nine-yard run by Thompson, Wildman connected with junior wide receiver Darius Crochrell (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) on a 33-yard scoring strike, and O'Block split the uprights to give the Bearcats a 14-point advantage with 10:06 left in the first quarter.
 
Thompson gave McKendree a 21-0 lead in the early stages of the second quarter when he found running room around the right side and scored from 11 yards out.
 
"I felt like our offensive line did a great job of maintaining those one-on-one blocks and getting a good push on the line of scrimmage," said Babcock. "Our backs were also great today getting those YAC (yards after contact) yards, making guys missing and getting consistently into the secondary."
 
On the kickoff to open the second half, O'Block lifted a short, high kick toward the right sideline at the Miners' 22-yard line. Missouri S&T was not able to get to the loose ball before junior linebacker Carter Vance (Secor, IL/Eureka) swooped in and recovered it for the Bearcats. O'Block then kicked his first field goal of the day, a 35-yarder, to push the McKendree lead to 24-0.
 
Missouri S&T (4-4, 3-2 GLVC) fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, and junior defensive back Damian Reed (Anna, IL/Anna-Jonesboro) came out of the pile with the ball at the Miners' 34-yard line for McKendree's second straight special teams takeaway. The Bearcats drove into the red zone, where O'Block converted from 31 yards out for a 27-0 lead just five minutes into the third quarter.
 
The Miners averted a shutout on a one-yard quarterback keeper by Tyler Swart late in the third quarter to trim the deficit to 27-7. McKendree was able to seal the victory by scoring on all three of its fourth-quarter possessions. O'Block completed his perfect kicking day with field goals of 28 and 30 yards before freshman running back Demarius Ward (Fairview Heights, IL/Belleville East) scored his first career touchdown on a 10-yard burst up the middle with 1:42 remaining.
 
Defensively, McKendree held Missouri S&T to a season-low in points. The Miners entered the contest as the GLVC's most productive scoring offense, averaging 38.7 points per game. The 255 yards produced by Missouri S&T on Saturday is a season-low for a Bearcats' opponent in 2016. With its eight sacks on Saturday, McKendree – which led all NCAA Division II schools entering the day -- pushed its season total to 39.
 
Senior linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) showed the way for McKendree with a team-high 10 tackles. Baar finished the day with eight tackles to go along with his 3 ½ sacks. Senior defensive lineman Tyler House (Los Angeles, CA/Glenelg) and junior linebacker Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) each chipped in with six stops.
 
McKendree will hit the road for its next two contests, beginning next Saturday (Oct. 29) with a GLVC battle at Lincoln University. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. in Jefferson City, Mo.