GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. TRUMAN STATE -- Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, 1 p.m.
Leemon Field, Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE/TRUMAN STATE VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
TRUMAN STATE GAME NOTES
TRUMAN STATE SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 11)--The McKendree University football team will bring its 2016 regular season to a close on Saturday by hosting Truman State University in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match-up. Kickoff at Leemon Field is set for 1 p.m. Austin Lagesse will have the broadcast live on the Bearcat Sports Network (http://www.glvcsn.com/mckendree), beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m.
Saturday's contest will mark Senior Day for the McKendree football program. Prior to kickoff, the Bearcats will honor their 12 senior players in a special on-field ceremony. Those seniors include
Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park),
Tyler Brewer (Arnold, MO/Fox),
Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood),
Tyler House (Los Angeles, CA/Glenelg),
Brandon Moody (La Habra, CA/Sonora),
Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic),
Dominick Pickens (Springfield, IL/Lanphier),
Clint Ratermann (Breese, IL/Mater Dei),
A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem),
Jeremiah Wilkins (St. Louis, MO/Pattonville),
Jabaree Winston (Chicago, IL/Simeon) and
Brandon Zehr (Pontiac, IL/Pontiac).
McKendree enters its regular-season finale riding a four-game win streak. The Bearcats kept their winning ways intact last week with a 35-17 victory over in-state GLVC rival Quincy University. McKendree jumped out to a 21-3 lead midway through the second quarter, but held off a Hawks' rally in the later stages of the third quarter.
Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) rushed for a career-high 129 yards and scored on a 16-yard touchdown burst late in the third period to help the Bearcats take control.
Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic) also registered his first career punt return for a touchdown as he fielded a kick at his own 36-yard line and raced 64 yards to paydirt early in the final period.
During its win streak, McKendree has averaged 37.5 points per game. On Saturday, the Bearcats will face the GLVC's top scoring defense in Truman State. The Bulldogs have allowed their opponents a league-low 18.3 points per game. In fact, the game will feature the top two scoring defenses in the GLVC as McKendree is right behind Truman State. The Bearcats are giving up 18.8 points per outing.
Truman State brings an 8-2 overall record to Leemon Field. The Bulldogs have clinched at least a share of the GLVC regular-season championship as they are undefeated in league play at 7-0. A win by Truman State on Saturday, or a Southwest Baptist University loss to Lincoln University would give the Bulldogs their first outright GLVC title. Head coach Gregg Nesbitt's squad is currently receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll and sits fifth in the latest Super Region rankings.
Last Saturday, Truman State recorded a 23-3 win at Saint Joseph's College. That marked the third straight win for the Bulldogs. Defensively, Truman State allowed the Pumas just 221 yards on the afternoon, including 32 on the ground. Quarterback Jaden Barr threw for 141 yards and a touchdown while adding 53 rushing yards and two more scores to highlight the win for the Bulldogs.
This will be the fifth meeting in the last six seasons between the two programs. Truman State holds a 3-1 edge in the series, although the Bearcats rolled to a 31-3 triumph in last year's contest that was played in Kirksville, Mo.
INSIDE THE McKENDREE/TRUMAN STATE GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his fourth season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (24-17 at McKendree and overall).
TRUMAN STATE: Gregg Nesbitt is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Truman State Bulldogs (38-37 at Truman State and overall).
THE SERIES (Since 1996)
The Bulldogs hold a 3-1 advantage in the overall series with the Bearcats. McKendree won the last meeting between the two programs last year in Kirksville, Mo.:
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)
2015 --
McKENDREE 31, Truman State 3 (at Kirksville, Mo.)
McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats notched their fourth straight win with a 35-17 triumph last Saturday at Quincy University. McKendree jumped out to a 21-3 lead midway through the second quarter and pulled away late after a charge by the host Hawks in the third period.
Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) rushed for a career-high 129 yards on 25 carries to show the way for the Bearcats.
Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) completed 11-of-22 pass attempts for 127 yards. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to
Colton Lockwood (Decatur, IL/Eisenhower) in the first quarter.
Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) paced the McKendree defense with 11 tackles, while
Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington),
Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) and
A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) each collected nine stops. The Bearcats' defense had six sacks on the day to boost the team's season total to 49, which is a new program record.
TRUMAN STATE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs clinched a share of the Great Lakes Valley Conference title thanks to a 23-3 victory last Saturday at Saint Joseph's College. Truman State used a balanced rushing attack as Jaden Barr led the way with 53 yards on 12 carries, while Malique Robbins added 52 yards on nine attempts. Jordan Salima was next with 47 yards on the day. Barr threw for 141 yards and a touchdown at Saint Joseph's. His favorite target was Drew Slager, who caught three passes for 73 yards. The Bulldogs posted seven sacks against the Pumas, including three by Sam Reeves, who also had a team-leading six tackles.
THE LAST MEETING -- McKENDREE vs. TRUMAN STATE
On Nov. 14, 2015 in Kirksville, Mo., McKendree wrapped up its 2015 season with a 31-3 victory at Truman State. The Bearcats' defense stole the spotlight by allowing the Bulldogs just 175 yards of total offense, which was a season-low for a McKendree opponent. A.J Wentland showed the way with a game-high 13 tackles and added a 44-yard interception return for a score in the fourth quarter. Wentland also broke his own record for tackles in a season, finishing the year with 135.
Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) closed out his stellar four-year career by completing 26-of-38 pass attempts for 196 yards with two touchdowns. Fisher also rushed for 78 yards and became the first player in McKendree history to amass 10,000 yards of total offense.
Darius Crochrell (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) had six receptions and caught both TD passes thrown by Fisher.
BEARCAT TRACKS
SENIOR SENDOFFS: McKendree has posted a record of 14-6 in Senior Day games at Leemon Field since 1996. The Bearcats have won 11 of their last 12 Senior Day contests, including last season's 56-30 triumph over Quincy University.
BEARCATS vs. THE SHOW-ME STATE: Mckendree has a record of 16-10 against teams from the state of Missouri since 1996. The Bearcats were 4-1 in such contests a year ago. Today's game with Truman State is the last of five games versus Missouri teams in 2016, and currently has a 3-1 mark in those games.
SOMETHING "SPECIAL": Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic) was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his 64-yard punt return for a touchdown at Quincy. It is the fourth straight week that a Bearcat player has grabbed the honor.
John Alvin III (Fairview Heights, IL /Belleville East) took the Oct. 17 award against Saint Joseph's before
Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) captured the award in consecutive weeks.
SIX-PACK GROUND ATTACK: Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) rushed for a career-high 129 yards in the Bearcats' win at Quincy. It marked the sixth week in a row that a McKendree running back has gained at least 100 yards in a game.
CARRYING THE LOAD: Speaking of
Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia), his 25-carry game against Quincy gave him 192 rushing attempts for the season. Edwards has become the Bearcats' single-season leader in the category, surpassing the old mark of 185 set by Louis Hardin during the 1997 season.
EDWARDS CONTINUES CLIMB UP ALL-TIME RUSHING LIST: Earlier this season,
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 has pushed his career total to 1,408 yards, which is currently 15th on the program's all-time list:
10) Jacob Rohman -- 1,592 yards
11) Marlone Chenault -- 1,448 yards
12) Ryan Herring -- 1,437 yards
13) Lamont Benn -- 1,436 yards
14) Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) -- 1,408 yards
15) Dominique Jones -- 1,344 yards
THOMPSON SETS NEW McK DIVISION II-ERA RUSHING MARK: The 150 rushing yards collected by
Preston Thompson (Markham, IL/Tinley Park) in the Bearcats' 55-3 win at Lincoln is the most by a McKendree player in the program's NCAA Division II era, which dates back to the 2012 season. The previous mark was 138 yards, which was set by
Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) in a 2015 game against the University of Indianapolis.
21 AND OVER: McKendree sports a 123-25 record (.831) when scoring at least 21 points in a game.
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 409. Wentland also has topped the 100-tackle mark for the third straight year, and has 133 stops entering today's contest. He needs two tackles to equal his McKendree single-season record of 135 set last year. Wentland also set another record by reaching 100 tackles in the fastest time in a season (seven games).
RAISING THE BAAR: Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) added to his McKendree career record with two sacks at Quincy. Baar now has 45 1/2 sacks in his four seasons with the Bearcats. He now stands one-half sack shy of tying the NCAA Division II career mark of 46 sacks, which is currently held by Marc Schieckl, who played at Colorado School of Mines from 2007-10. In addition, Baar is now the Bearcats' career leader in tackles for loss at 63 1/2, moving past Oku Satcher, who had 59 tackles for loss during his McKendree career from 1999-2001.
THE "FORCE" IS WITH HIM: Speaking of
Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park), he stripped the football from Quincy quarterback Robbie Kelley on Baar's first sack of the afternoon. That enabled Baar to tie the Bearcats' career record for most forced fumbles. He now has eight in his four seasons at McKendree, tying the mark previous established by Zach Carter and Deveon Moss.
SACK MASTERS: As a team, McKendree has registered 49 quarterback sacks so far in 2016, which is now a single-season program record. The Bearcats lead the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the category, and top all NCAA Division II programs by averaging 4.9 sacks per game.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic) has 37 punt returns through the Bearcats' first nine games of 2016. That is the second-highest single-season total in program history. The Bearcats' record is 42, which was set by Adam Clapp during the 2004 campaign.
DEJA VU: Speaking of
Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic), his 64-yard punt return for a touchdown against Quincy was the first for the Bearcats since the 2013 season.
Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) was the last McKendree player to perform the feat...when he had a 64-yard punt return for a score against Quincy.
GETTING A KICK OUT OF O'BLOCK: Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) has also enjoyed a record-breaking season for McKendree. He has become the Bearcats' career leader in kick scoring, and brings 266 points into today's contest. In addition, O'Block is now the program's all-time leader in field goals with 41.
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: 2-0
**Graphite Jersey/Graphite Pants: 3-0
**White Jersey/Purple Pants: 0-2
**White Jersey/Graphite Pants: 1-1
**White Jersey/White Pants: 1-0
SEEKING PERFECTION: McKendree has won all five of its home games this season heading into the regular-season finale against Truman State. The Bearcats have not finished with an umblemished record at Leemon Field since 2010, when they won all four home games.
THIS DATE IN McKENDREE FOOTBALL HISTORY
Nov. 12, 2005
McKendree wrapped up the Mid-States Football Association-Midwest League championship and a fifth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Seires with a 23-6 victory at Trinity International University. Playing in a misty rain and a wind of 30 miles per hour throughout the contest, the Bearcats overcame a three-point deficit by erupting for 20 points in the fourth quarter to rally for the win. Mike Harrison's 99-yard interception return for a touchdown on the first play of the final period put McKendree in the lead for good. During the contest, Daryle Jones became the first player in program history to reach the 3,000-yard mark in rushing yards for a career. Jones rushed for a game-high 131 yards and had a 39-yard TD run in the big fourth quarter for McKendree. Nathan House led the defensive effort with eight tackles.
Nov. 12, 2011
McKendree held a 13-0 lead midway through the third quarter at Olivet Nazarene University, but the host Tigers rallied to claim a 17-13 win in non-conference play over the Bearcats. David Bergschneider threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Richard Bailey for the only touchdown of the afternoon for McKendree. Josh Pruitt also kicked a pair of field goals in the contest. The Bearcats put together a 12-play drive in the final two minutes, but was stopped on a fourth-down play at the Tigers' six-yard line with 30 seconds remaining. Bergschneider threw for 137 yards on the day while Chris Montgomery paced the running game with 49 yards. Theo Odom, Jason Rejfek and Brandon Nigro each collected eight tackles to lead the McKendree defense.
