(HILLSDALE, Mich.., Sept. 16)—The McKendree University football team battled its way to a 24-21 non-conference victory Saturday night at Hillsdale College.

A 12-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter turned out to be the game-winning score as the Bearcats took control in the fourth quarter to collect the win. McKendree improves to 2-1 overall with Saturday's triumph.

"We knew we had a tough battle in front of us tonight," said McKendree football coach Mike Babcock. "Any time you play on the road, at night, against a quality non-conference opponent, you're going to have your hands full. I challenged the guys to come out, eliminate the distractions of being away from home, and getting prepared to beat a good football team tonight. They responded to the challenge, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome."
 
Senior running back Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) rushed for a game-high 100 yards, which included a 20-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Edwards moved into ninth place on the Bearcats' career rushing list. He now has 1,677 yards, surging past Jake Rohman (1,592 career yards) and Joe Beimfohr (1,652 yards) into the top 10. Metcalf completed 20-of-34 pass attempts for 194 yards, connecting with seven different receivers in the outing. Metcalf also rushed for a pair of touchdowns against the Chargers. Junior wide receiver Jalyn Williams (Carbondale, IL/Carbondale) had a game-high six catches for 40 yards for the Bearcats.
 
With the game tied 14-14 at the half, McKendree stopped Hillsdale on the first possession of the third quarter. Following a short punt and a Chargers' personal foul penalty, the Bearcats began their first drive of the second half at the Hillsdale 32-yard line. A 24-yard pass from Metcalf to junior wide receiver Josh Revay (Livermore, CAl) moved the ball down to the eight-yard line. Four plays later, freshman kicker Josh Lazaro (Bradley, IL/Bradley Bourbonnais) booted his first collegiate field goal, a 19-yarder, to push McKendree to a 17-14 lead.
 
Hillsdale (2-1) countered with a touchdown on the ensuing drive to regain the lead for the final time at 21-17 midway through the third quarter. The Bearcats took the kickoff and marched 72 yards in 12 plays. Metcalf capped the drive of nearly five minutes when he faked a handoff and eluded a Hillsdale safety on his way to the 12-yard scoring run that pushed the Bearcats in front for good.
 
From there, McKendree rode the strength of its rushing attack paired with a stout fourth-quarter defense to preserve the victory. The Bearcats held a 78-5 edge in total offense over the final 15 minutes of play, pounding out six first downs in the period. Defensively, McKendree held the Chargers without a first down during that span.
 
Twice during the fourth quarter, McKendree sophomore punter Monte Wolke (Sigel, IL/Cumberland) pinned Hillsdale inside its own 15-yard line. The Bearcats' defense forced a three-and-out both times. After Hillsdale punted the ball one last time, McKendree started its final drive of the game at its own 42-yard line with 3:12 on the clock. The Bearcats were able to convert a key third-down play with 2:28 remaining, then collected one more first down to seal the victory.
 
"It was great to see that kind of effort, especially in the second half," said Babcock. "We continue to make strides each week, and I think we took a really big step with our overall effort down the stretch against Hillsdale."
 
The host Chargers struck first in Saturday's game, scoring on its initial possession to take a 7-0 lead with 8:12 left in the first quarter. McKendree broke into the scoring column with just over three minutes left in the period as Metcalf scored on a one-yard quarterback keeper. The Bearcats missed the extra point which kept Hillsdale in front at 7-6.
 
Early in the second quarter, as McKendree faced a fourth-and-one from the Hillsdale 20-yard line, Edwards took a handoff from Metcalf, bounced off a would-be tackler at the line of scrimmage and raced down the right side for a touchdown. Metcalf then connected with junior tight end Zach Bobos (Lowell, IN/Lowell) on the two-point conversion to stake the Bearcats to a 14-7 advantage.
 
On its final drive of the first half, Hillsdale pulled even at 14-14 when Chance Stewart threw a six-yard scoring strike to Austin Sandusky with just 18 seconds left until the intermission.
 
Senior linebacker Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) led the way for the McKendree defense with 11 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Ricco Gipson (Godfrey, IL/Alton) added 10 stops, including one for loss. Senior defensive back Dakota Reid (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) and freshman defensive lineman Luis Medina (St. Louis, MO/Saint Mary's) each had a fumble recovery in the win for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play next Saturday (Sept. 23) at William Jewell College. Kickoff is set for noon at Greene Stadium in Liberty, Mo.