(ROLLA, Mo., Oct. 21)—The McKendree University football team jumped back into the win column Saturday evening with a 39-31 victory at Missouri S&T.
 
Trailing 9-7 at the half, the Bearcats reeled off 25 unanswered points in the third quarter to grab the lead for good. McKendree then held off a late rally from the host Miners to improve to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
 
Senior linebacker Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) ignited the Bearcats' third-quarter outburst with interception returns for touchdowns on consecutive drives by Missouri S&T midway through the period. Weltha nearly had a third defensive score moments after the two pick-sixes, but his 53-yard fumble return for a touchdown was nullified by an incomplete pass call.
 
Junior quarterback Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) threw for 149 yards and three touchdowns passes in the win, including a pair of strikes to junior wide receiver Josh Revay (Livermore, CAl). Junior wide receiver Jalyn Williams (Carbondale, IL/Carbondale) had a team-leading four receptions for 76 yards, which included a 23-yard catch down to the Miners' two-yard line that set up the go-ahead score for the Bearcats.
 
In addition to Weltha's two pick-sixes, the McKendree defense registered a season-high eight quarterback sacks. Senior linebacker Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) had three of the Bearcats' eight sacks, while senior defensive ends Tobias Cook (Chicago, IL/Westinghouse College Prep) and Darion Simmons (Peoria, IL/Peoria) each added two. Kirkpatrick paced McKendree with a career-high 14 tackles.
 
"We knew we had to make some adjustments in the second half," said McKendree head coach Mike Babcock. "Missouri S&T moved the ball on us but our defense responded and held them to nine points in the first half. We came out and really picked up our momentum in the third quarter. We didn't show any quit and we responded from a couple of tough weeks with a big win on the road against a quality opponent like Missouri S&T."
 
Missouri S&T (5-3, 3-1 GLVC) built a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of field goals before McKendree scored the only touchdown of the first half. Metcalf threw the first of his three touchdown passes of the night, a 26-yard connection to Revay, with 1:05 left in the opening quarter. Freshman Josh Lazaro (Bradley, IL/Bradley Bourbonnais) added the extra point to give the Bearcats a 7-6 advantage. The Miners posted the only points of the second quarter thanks to Ben Styron's third field goal of the contest, a 45-yarder, to give the hosts a 9-7 lead. Missouri S&T tried to extend its lead just before halftime, but senior cornerback Jordan Osborne (Quincy, IL/Quincy Senior) intercepted a pass in the end zone just before the intermission to end the Miners' scoring threat.
 
On its second drive of the third quarter, McKendree marched down the field to take the lead for good. After pinning the Miners deep in their own territory, the Bearcats took possession at the Missouri S&T 37-yard line. Following two running plays, Metcalf hooked up with Williams on a 23-yard strike to the Miners' two-yard line. Two plays later, Metcalf found junior tight end Zach Bobos (Lowell, IN/Lowell) in the end zone for a four-yard TD pass. The pair then hooked up for a successful two-point conversion to give McKendree a 15-9 lead.
 
Moments later, Weltha provided his first score of the night. On the first play from scrimmage following the Bearcats' touchdown, Weltha stepped in front of a Tyler Swart pass and raced untouched to the end zone for a 25-yard TD. Lazaro's point after boosted the McKendree lead to 22-9 with 9:33 remaining in the quarter.
 
Three plays and 82 seconds later, Weltha caught a deflected pass at the Miners' 43-yard line and weaved his way down the left sideline for a 43-yard touchdown. In a span of one minute and 41 seconds, McKendree turned a 9-7 deficit into a 29-9 advantage. Lazaro capped the Bearcats' third-quarter scoring frenzy on a 29-yard field goal with just four minutes left in the period to stretch the lead to 32-9.
 
Missouri S&T scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull within 32-16 before McKendree posted its final points of the contest. Just 65 seconds after the Miners' score, Metcalf and Revay teamed up for their second TD connection of the night on a 30-yard touchdown with 13:53 on the clock to give the Bearcats a 39-16 lead. The Miners put together a lengthy scoring drive to pull within 39-23, and later added another TD and two-point conversion to get within eight points in the final minute. McKendree recovered the ensuing onside kick and then converted one first down to run out the clock.
 
Thanks to Weltha's two interception returns, McKendree was able to tie a 20-year old team record for pick-sixes. The Bearcats now have five INT returns for touchdowns this season, matching the mark first established by the 1997 squad.