GAME DAY LINKS -- McKENDREE vs. ANGELO STATE -- Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, 6 p.m. -- Leemon Field, Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS

McKENDREE/ANGELO STATE PREVIEW VIDEO WITH COACH BABCOCK
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
FINAL 2015 McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
ANGELO STATE GAME NOTES
FINAL 2015 ANGELO STATE SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Aug. 31)--The McKendree University football team will kick off its 2016 season Thursday evening at Leemon Field with a non-conference game against Angelo State University. The Bearcats and Rams are set to tangle in a contest set to begin at 6 p.m. Fans unable to attend can watch the game on the new home for the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree. 

The months of preparation for the 2016 season began nearly nine months ago, shortly after McKendree closed out an 8-2 season last fall with a 6-2 mark in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Bearcats return 44 lettermen -- including 20 starters -- from the 2015 squad. The biggest objective in the off-season on the offensive side of the ball was to find the successor at quarterback to Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington), who wrapped up a stellar four-year career by earning GLVC Offensive Player of the Year honors last season. Head coach Mike Babcock, who begins his fourth season at the helm of the Bearcats' program, and his staff will turn to a pair of veterans of the team, juniors Brendan Fred and Elcee Burke, to shoulder the work load at the outset of 2016. Fred was the primary back-up quarterback a year ago, while Burke also saw game action last fall. 

Five of the team's top six receivers are back with the program this fall, including senior Sean Dowling (Chatham, IL/Glenwood), who had career-highs with 46 catches and 688 receiving yards. Junior Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) is the leading returning rusher for McKendree after gaining 463 yards on the ground in 2015.  A young offensive line will be anchored by senior center Clint Ratermann (Breese, IL/Mater Dei), who enters his fourth year as a starter for the Bearcats. 

While the team has seven offensive starters returning this season, the Bearcats' defense brings back all but two of its 11 starters from a unit that led the GLVC in scoring defense. Senior middle linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) will head up the McKendree defense after posting a team-record 135 tackles in 2015. Senior defensive end Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) paced the team in sacks for the second straight year, notching eight from his familiar left defensive end slot. 

Juniors Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) (57 tackles) and Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) (52 tackles) are back to help Wentland at linebacker, while senior Jabaree Winston (Chicago, IL/Simeon) (46 tackles) will provide leadership in the Bearcats' secondary. 

Senior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) finished one point shy of the single-season record in kick scoring for McKendree, converting 44-of-48 point after attempts and 12-of-13 field goals for 80 points. 

Angelo State makes the trip to Lebanon after finishing 7-4 overall in 2015 with a 3-3 record in a very competitive Lone Star Conference. Like McKendree, the Rams will be looking to replace their dual-threat quarterback in Kyle Washington. Last year, Washington registered more than 4,500 yards in total offense, throwing for 3,691 yards while rushing for 831 more. He was responsible for 42 of the 67 touchdowns scored by Angelo State. Last year, the Rams' high-octane offense averaged 42.5 yards and 560.4 yards of total offense per game. 

Defensively, Angelo State will rely on senior linebacker Willie Brown, who paced the squad with 84 tackles a year ago. sophomore linebacker Grant Aschenbeck also returns after notching 71 stops for the Rams. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/ANGELO STATE GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock begins his fourth season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (17-14 at McKendree and overall).

ANGELO STATE: Will Wagner enters his sixth season as the head coach of the Angelo State Rams (31-25 at Angelo State and overall).

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
Tonight's game will mark the first meeting on the football field between the Bearcats and Rams.

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats wrapped up their 2015 season with 31-3 victory back on Nov. 14, 2015 at Truman State University. McKendree built a 14-0 lead at the half then pulled away in the second half to collect its eighth victory of the season and its sixth in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) closed out his stellar four-year career by throwing for 196 yards, going 26-for-38 through the air with a pair of touchdowns. Fisher also rushed for a game-high 78 yards on 17 carries. Darius Crochrell (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) grabbed a team-leading six passes for 35 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) had three receptions in his final game as a Bearcat while going 2-for-2 in the passing department, including a 32-yard scoring strike to Girard Jenkins. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) led the defensive effort for McKendree with a game-best 13 tackles while adding a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Bearcats' defense limited the host Bulldogs to just 175 yards on the day, including 68 on the ground. Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) wrapped up the contest by booting a career-long 46-yard field goal in the closing minutes.

ANGELO STATE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Rams collected a season-ending win at Eastern New Mexico University in the third-place game of the Lone Star Conference playoffs on Nov. 14, 2015 by a score of 63-20. Angelo State jumped out to a 49-7 halftime lead and never looked back in cruising to the win. Offensively, the Rams piled up 630 yards of total offense, including 422 through the air. Kyle Washington completed 23-of-40 pass attempts for 403 yards with four touchdowns. Talon Smith grabbed a team-high six passes for 98 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Eddie Smith gained 73 yards on just six carries to lead the ground attack for Angelo State. Justin Jackson showed the way defensively for the Rams with a game-high 14 tackles, including 11 solos. Ryan Clapsaddle, Willie Brown and Markus Jones each chipped in with nine stops in the win.

PRE-SEASON NOTES
McKENDREE EARNS MENTION IN AFCA PRE-SEASON POLL: For the first time since becoming NCAA Division II members, McKendree has received votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) pre-season poll. The Bearcats garnered votes late in the 2015 season while putting together an 8-2 record. McKendree was one of two Great Lakes Valley Conference teams mentioned in the pre-season rating, joining the University of Indianapolis, which is 16th in the nation. Angelo State University also received votes in the AFCA Division II pre-season poll.

BEARCATS GRAB NO. 2 SPOT IN GLVC PRE-SEASON RANKING: Thanks in part to its 8-2 record and 6-2 mark in conference play a year ago, McKendree collected the No. 2 spot in the 2016 GLVC pre-season poll released during the GLVC Kickoff on July 29 in Lebanon. The Bearcats earned a first-place vote on its way to 56 total points in a ranking from the conference's nine head coaches. Only Indianapolis (64 points, eight first-place votes) finished ahead of McKendree in the pre-season poll.

O'BLOCK NAMED TO LINDY'S PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICA SQUAD: Senior kicker Steven O'Block (Libertyville, IL/Carmel Catholic) was named as a second-team NCAA Division II pre-season All-American by Lindy's Magazine, a noted college football preview publication. O'Block earned the honor after leading Division II in field goal percentage (92.3 percent) in 2015, making 12-of-13 attempts while leading the Bearcats in scoring with 80 points. He also made 44-of-48 extra point attempts for McKendree last season. O'Block will enter the 2016 season needing just four points to become the third kicker in program history to score 200 points in a career.

BEARCAT TRACKS
FOR OPENERS...: McKendree has posted a record of 12-8 (.600) in season-opening games, dating back to the Bearcats' return to the gridiron in 1996. In home openers, McKendree is 13-7 (.650) during that same span. Last season, the Bearcats won both their regular-season opener (50-27 at West Liberty University on Sept. 12) and their home opener (27-24 over Northwood University a week later on Sept. 19).

TEXAS FIRST-STEP: The Bearcats' season opener against Angelo State will mark the first time that McKendree will play a team from the state of Texas. It will also be the Bearcats' first contest versus a team from the Lone Star Conference.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: This will be the second time that McKendree will play a Thursday night home opener in the 21 seasons since the revival of the football program. The Bearcats hosted Ferris State University back in the 2014 season and were defeated by the visiting Bulldogs in non-conference play.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: McKendree will be playing its 22nd game at night since 1996. The Bearcats have posted a record of 13-8 (.619) under the lights during that span. McKendree is 5-5 (.500) in night games played at Leemon Field, where lights were first installed prior to the 2007 season.

PILING UP THE POINTS: In its last 15 regular-season games, McKendree has posted a 13-2 record. The Bearcats have scored in double figures in each of those games, and are averaging 39.5 points per contest during that span. McKendree has hit the 50-point mark five times in that stretch.

FISHER SHINES IN FINLAND: After closing out a record-setting career last fall at McKendree, quarterback Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) continued his playing career professionally this summer as a member of the Wasa Royals of the Maple League (Vaahteraliigc) in Finland. Fisher led the Royals to the league's post-season, completing nearly 60 percent of his pass attempts for 2,477 yards with 25 touchdowns. He also rushed for 546 yards and eight more scores.

ELITE 11: McKendree will have 11 seniors on its 2016 roster: 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), 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).

BEARCATS TO FACE FAMILIAR FCS FOE: McKendree will be playing its first Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA) opponent since the 2000 season when the team travels to Drake University for a Sept. 17 contest. The last FCS team that the Bearcats faced was...Drake University. In that meeting, the host Bulldogs posted a 28-11 victory over McKendree in the Bearcats' 2000 season opener.

RECORDS WATCH: Four McKendree players enter the 2016 season with a chance to become the Bearcats' career leader in at least one statistical category. Listed below are those players, with their rank entering the year and the statistics needed to become the all-time leader in the respective categories:
A.J. WENTLAND
• Career Tackles -- Third all-time with 276. Brandon Nigro holds the Bearcats' all-time mark with 295 tackles.
LUCKY BAAR
• Tackles for Loss -- Second all-time with 44. Oku Satcher holds the Bearcats' career record with 59.
• Quarterback Sacks: Second all-time with 29. Oku Satcher is the program's all-time leader with 38.
• Forced Fumbles: Tied for third with six. Zach Carter and Deveon Moss lead the way with eight.
STEVEN O'BLOCK
• Kick Scoring -- Third all-time with 196 points. Stephen Webb set the Bearcats' career mark with 253.
SEAN DOWLING
• Receiving Yards -- Sixth all-time with 908. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) closed his McKendree last year with a program-record 1,614 yards.

THIS DATE IN BEARCAT FOOTBALL HISTORY
Sept. 1, 2012
McKendree opened the 2012 season with a 23-13 loss at Tiffin University. The Bearcats built a 13-9 lead early in the third quarter thanks to a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by Zach Haselhorst before the host Dragons rallied for the win. Haselhorst led the way defensively with 12 tackles, including
3 1/2 for loss, along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Pat Doty (Springfield, IL/Springfield) caught a game-high seven passes for 78 yards for the Bearcats.