POST-GAME INTERVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 4)—Fittingly, on Senior Night at Leemon Field, the McKendree University football team leaned on a few of its seniors to help the Bearcats rally for a 42-14 victory over Quincy University Saturday night at Leemon Field.
Senior running back Shayeen Edwards rushed for a career-high 181 yards on 30 carries, while senior linebacker Austin Weltha posted a team-high 12 tackles and added two interceptions, one of which was returned 94 yards for a touchdown, to help McKendree collect its third consecutive victory in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Bearcats improve to 7-3 overall and claimed sole possession of second place in the league standings at 5-1.
Senior wide receiver Derrick Curry added to his McKendree career record of punt returns for touchdowns when he raced 50 yards for a score early in the first quarter. Curry also had five receptions for a team-leading 91 yards against the Hawks.
"We didn't play our best in the first half," said McKendree head coach
Mike Babcock. "As we got to the locker room (at halftime) I talked to a few of our seniors and told them to put the challenge to the rest of the team. They showed why they are leaders in this program as we came out and had a big second half in all phases of the game. It was a great win for us, especially on Senior Night in front of a great crowd."
Offensively, McKendree registered 483 yards of total offense, which was just six yards shy of its season-high of 489 set in a 54-28 win at William Jewell College back on Sept. 23. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bearcats had four takeaways, including three interceptions.
Junior quarterback Reese Metcalf completed 18-of-28 pass attempts for a season-high 252 yards against the Quincy defense. Metcalf also rushed for the go-ahead score in the later stages of the third quarter on a three-yard quarterback keeper, pushing the Bearcats to a 19-14 advantage. McKendree put the game away by scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Freshman kicker Josh Lazaro booted a 39-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to begin the Bearcats' scoring outburst in the period. Edwards added a seven-yard scoring run on McKendree's next drive to extend the lead to 28-14. Quincy then put together a lengthy drive that reached the Bearcats' 19-yard line. On a third-down play, Weltha reached up to grab his second interception of the game at the McKendree six-yard line. Weltha proceeded to break several tackles and weave his way down the field for his 94-yard pick six with 3:18 on the clock to give the Bearcats a 35-14 lead.
On Quincy's first offensive play from scrimmage following the Weltha touchdown, freshman defensive lineman Isaiah Ward stepped in front of a Hawks' pass and rambled 22 yards to paydirt with 3:08 to play. The two defensive scores give McKendree a total of eight on the season, which sets a new program record.
In addition, Weltha's pick-six enabled him to tie a pair of school season records. Weltha now has five interceptions on the year, tying the record also shared by Rory O'Connell (1996, 1998 and 1999), Mark Williams (2002) and Jamison Wilson (2012). Weltha also matched O'Connell's school mark with three interception returns for touchdowns in a single season.
Edwards continued to move up the Bearcats' record book as well. Thanks to his 181-yard effort, Edwards jumped into second place on McKendree's career rushing list with 2,403 yards. He moved past George Smith (2,378 yards) and Brandon Murphy (2,239 yards) during Saturday's contest. Edwards now has 948 yards on the season, which is the third-highest single-season mark since 1996.
Curry registered his fourth career punt return for a touchdown during the first half, which extended his own McKendree record. This is the second year in a row that Curry has returned a punt for a score against Quincy.
McKendree's victory over Quincy was the Bearcats' fifth straight triumph over the Hawks. McKendree also improved to 10-0 all-time at Leemon Field against Quincy. The Bearcats have also won 13 of their last 14 Senior Day/Night contests at home.
McKendree will close out its 2017 regular season with a GLVC contest at Truman State University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Stokes Stadium in Kirksville, Mo.
