GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE at SOUTHWEST BAPTIST -- Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, 2 p.m.
Plaster Stadium, Bolivar, Mo.

LISTEN LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
WATCH LIVE (SBU Broadcast)
LIVE STATS

McKENDREE/SOUTHWEST BAPTIST VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME NOTES
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 30)--The McKendree University football team will open up a two-game road swing on Saturday with a visit to Bolivar, Mo., for a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at Southwest Baptist University. The annual "Battle of the Bearcats" is set for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Plaster Stadium. The game can be heard live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree, with the pre-game show set for 1:45 p.m.

Both teams enter Saturday's game with an undefeated record in conference play. McKendree brings a 3-1 overall record into the match-up and won its GLVC opener last Saturday at Leemon Field against Wililam Jewell College, 28-14. Southwest Baptist brings a perfect 4-0 mark on the year and a 2-0 conference record into the meeting with McKendree. The 4-0 start for SBU matches the best start to a season in school history.

McKendree ran a school-record 97 plays in the win over William Jewell last Saturday, piling up a season-best 440 yards of total offense in the process. Quarterback Brandon Wildman (Monticello, IL/Monticello), making his first career start at Leemon Field, threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns, with two of the scoring tosses going for at least 50 yards. Matthew Cole (Chicago, IL/Curie) had a 68-yard TD reception to open the scoring in the first quarter, while Dalton Balster (Springfield, IL/Springfield) added a 50-yard scoring grab in the second quarter. Defensively, McKendree registered six sacks against the Cardinals and forced three turnovers in the win. In addition, McKendree held William Jewell to just 3-for-21 on third-down conversion attempts. Linebacker A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) earned his second GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honor in 2016 after posting 10 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception against the Cardinals. 

Southwest Baptist turned in an impressive 37-20 win last Saturday at Quincy University. As a team, SBU rolled up 288 rushing yards on the day. Bubba Jenkins -- who leads the GLVC in rushing -- registered a game-high 123 yards rushing at Quincy. Quarterback T.J. Edwards added 57 yards on the ground and also threw for three scores as the visitors built a 21-point lead in the third quarter on its way to maintaining its perfect start in 2016. Shaun Hutchinson posted a team-leading nine tackles for Southwest Baptist.

This will be the third meeting between McKendree and Southwest Baptist. McKendree has won both previous match-ups, including last season's 38-13 triumph at Leemon Field on Oct. 3, 2015. In the only other game between the two squads, McKendree rallied for a 53-43 victory over Southwest Baptist at Plaster Stadium. The 96 points in the game is the highest combined scoring total in a McKendree game since the Bearcats' program was revived in 1996. McKendree also set a school mark by running 93 plays in the 2014 contest versus Southwest Baptist, a mark that stood until last Saturday's win over William Jewell.

Follow Saturday's game, McKendree will continue its road swing next Saturday at the University of Indianapolis. 

INSIDE THE McKENDREE/SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME
THE HEAD COACHES
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his fourth season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (20-15 at McKendree and overall).

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST: Robert Clardy is in his second season as the head coach of the Southwest Baptist Bearcats (8-6 at Southwest Baptist and overall).

THE SERIES (Since 1996)
McKendree has won both previous meetings with Southwest Baptist, including last year's contest at Leemon Field:
2014 -- McKENDREE 53, Southwest Baptist 43 (at Bolivar, Mo.)
2015 -- McKENDREE 38, Southwest Baptist 13 (at Leemon Field)

McKENDREE -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats won their Great Lakes Valley Conference opener for the third time in four years thanks to a 28-14 victory last Saturday at Leemon Field against William Jewell College. Offensively, McKendree set a school record by running 97 plays in the contest while piling up a season-high 440 yards of total offense. Brandon Wildman (Monticello, IL/Monticello) made his first home start at quarterback and finished the day by throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went for at least 50 yards. Wildman connected with Matthew Cole (Chicago, IL/Curie) on a 68-yard TD strike in the first quarter, then followed in the second period with a 50-yard scoring toss to Dalton Balster (Springfield, IL/Springfield). Eight different receivers had at least one catch on the day for the Bearcats, led by Balster with five grabs. Cole posted a team-high 95 receiving yards against the Cardinals. Elcee Burke rushed for a team-leading 56 yards on 14 carries, while Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) added 55 yards on the ground. A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) led the defensive effort for McKendree with 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a fourth-quarter interception that ended a William Jewell scoring threat. Jabaree Winston (Chicago, IL/Simeon) and Blake Benoist (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) each chipped in with nine stops, while Benoist had a fumble recovery in the win.

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST -- LAST TIME OUT
The Bearcats maintained their perfect record to start the 2016 season with a 37-20 victory last Saturday in GLVC play at Quincy University. The 4-0 start for Southwest Baptist ties the best start on the gridiron in school history. Bubba Jenkins showed the way on offense, rushing for a game-high 123 yards on 24 carries for the Bearcats. Cory Hanger added 78 yards on the ground, while quarterback T.J. Edwards accounted for both rushing touchdowns on the day for SBU. Edwards was 11-of-20 through the air for 108 yards with three TD passes. Scottie Wilson and Kendrick Payne each had three catches and a touchdown reception in the win. Shaun Hutchinson paced the Bearcats' defense with nine tackles, including eight solos. Brycen Gagnon added seven tackles, while Via Manuma had six tackles with a pair of quarterback sacks for Southwest Baptist.

THE LAST MEETING -- McKENDREE vs. SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
On Oct. 3, 2015 in Leemon Field, McKendree scored the final 31 points of the day en route to a 38-13 victory over Southwest Baptist. The win pushed the Bearcats' record to 4-0 overall, marking the best start to a season since 2003 for McKendree. The hosts rolled up 489 yards of total offense on the day, including 326 in the passing department by Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington). In the win, Fisher was 30-of-42 with a pair of touchdown passes. He also ran for two scores against Southwest Baptist. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) caught a career-high nine passes for 91 yards against SBU. Cruz Navarro (Escondido, CA/Escondido) led the Bearcats' defense with 11 tackles, while A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) posted 10 stops. Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) had a season-high 4 1/2 sacks in the win. Trent Edwards threw for 182 yards and a touchdown for Southwest Baptist as Kendrick Payne caught a team-leading six passes. Bubba Jenkins led all rushers with 86 yards on the day for the visiting Bulldogs. Shaun Hutchinson registered a game-high 13 tackles for SBU, while Tyler Curts and Brycen Gagnon each added 10 tackles.

BEARCAT TRACKS
BEARCATS vs. THE SHOW-ME STATE: McKendree has a record of 14-9 against teams from the state of Missouri since 1996. The Bearcats were 4-1 against programs from the Show-Me State a year ago. McKendree will have five games against Missouri schools in 2016.

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.

RAISING THE BAAR: Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) leads NCAA Division II in sacks per game at 2.25. In addition, Baar has tied the Bearcats' career record for quarterback sacks with 38. Oku Satcher had 38 sacks during his McKendree career from 1999-2001.

SACK MASTERS: As a team, McKendree has registered 23 quarterback sacks in its first four games of the 2016 season. The Bearcats lead the GLVC in the category, and are tied with the University of West Florida for the NCAA Division II lead in sacks per game at 5.75.

RUNNING WILD(MAN): Brandon Wildman (Monticello, IL/Monticello) posted a 39-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Bearcats' game at Drake University. He is the first true freshman to post a touchdown run in his first career start at McKendree since Austin Fisher had a 12-yard TD scamper at Saint Ambrose University in 2008. Wildman is also the first true freshman to start a game for the Bearcats since Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) in 2012.

NO. 1 CLOSING IN ON 1,000: Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) enters the Southwest Baptist game with 961 rushing yards in his three seasons at McKendree. He needs 39 yards to become the 20th player to rush for 1,000 career yards since the football program was revived in 1996.

FAST STARTERS: Through its first four games of the 2016 season, McKendree has outscored its opponents by a margin of 33-14 in the first quarter.

EXTRA EFFORT: McKendree's 16-15 double-overtime victory against West Liberty University on Sept. 10 marked the first time in 12 years that the Bearcats have played in an overtime contest. The last time McKendree needed more than 60 minutes to decide the outcome of a game was in 2004, when the Bearcats edged past Saint Ambrose University 38-31, which was also a double-overtime affair. McKendree was able to maintain its perfect record in overtime games, pushing its record to 5-0 in those contests.

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: 0-1
**White Jersey/White Pants: 0-0
**White Jersey/Graphite Pants: 0-0

21 AND OVER: McKendree sports a 120-24 record (.833) when scoring at least 21 points in a game.

POINTS-A-PLENTY: The last time that McKendree and Southwest Baptist played at Plaster Stadium (2014), the two teams combined to score 96 points in a 53-43 McKendree victory. The 96 points in the highest combined scoring total in a McKendree football game since the Bearcats' program was revived in 1996.

RECORDS WATCH: A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) surpassed Brandon Nigro as the career leader for tackles during the Bearcats' victory at home against West Liberty University. Three other 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
• Quarterback Sacks: Tied for first all-time with 38. Oku Satcher also had 38 sacks for the Bearcats from 1999-2001.
• Tackles for Loss -- Second all-time with 55. 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 223 points. Stephen Webb set the Bearcats' career mark with 253.

SEAN DOWLING
• Receiving Yards -- Sixth all-time with 1,118. Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) closed his McKendree career last year with a program-record 1,614 receiving yards.

THIS DATE IN McKENDREE FOOTBALL HISTORY
Oct. 1, 2005
The McKendree defense remained perfect at home as the Bearcats opened defense of their Mid-States Football Association-Midwest League championship with its third consecutive shutout win at Leemon Field, a 52-0 triumph against Iowa Wesleyan College. Defensively, McKendree allowed just 127 yards of total offense to the visiting Tigers. Seven different players found the end zone for McKendree, including Lamont Benn, who rushed for a team-leading 86 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Brendan Delaney only completed four passes on the afternoon, but two went for scores. The Bearcats' defense also got in on the scoring frenzy as safety Mike Harrison picked off an Iowa Wesleyan pass and raced 38 yards for a touchdown.

Oct. 1, 2011
McKendree dropped a 25-10 non-conference decision to future GLVC foe Truman State University at Leemon Field. The Bearcats jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a 26-yard field goal by Josh Pruitt and a four-yard touchdown pass from Austin Fisher to Jake Strausbaugh, but the visiting Bulldogs reeled off 25 unanswered points to pull away for the victory. Fisher threw for 163 yards and the one touchdowns as four different receivers each had three catches on the day for McKendree. Chris Montgomery led the ground attack for the Bearcats with 52 yards on 15 rushes. Brandon Nigro led the defense for McKendree with 10 tackles, while Jason Rejfek helped out with eight stops. Sherrod Stancil registered the lone quarterback sack of the day for the Bearcats.