(LIBERTY, Mo., Sept. 23)—The McKendree University football team erupted for 35 first-quarter points on its way to a 54-28 victory at William Jewell College in the Bearcats' 2017 Great Lakes Valley Conference opener.
 
The Bearcats recorded season-highs with 54 points scored, 489 yards of total offense and two interception returns for touchdowns in rolling to their third consecutive victory. McKendree also scored on eight of its first nine possession and never trailed as McKendree improved to 3-1 overall. McKendree will play its next two games at home, beginning with next Saturday's (Sept. 30) Homecoming contest against Southwest Baptist University. Kickoff at Leemon Field is set for 1 p.m.
 
"We wanted to set the tone and get out to a strong start today," said McKendree head football coach Mike Babcock. "We were able to use some big plays early and execute on offense. Our defense also showed its big-play capability. It was good to start conference play on the right foot, especially with a win on the road against an opponent who played hard for 60 minutes today."
 
Junior running back Preston Thompson (Markham, IL/Tinley Park) rushed for a game-high 101 yards on just 10 carries, adding a 19-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter. That marks the third game in a row that a McKendree running back topped the century mark on the ground. Junior quarterback Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) completed 18-of-25 pass attempts for a season-best 198 yards, which included his first two passing touchdowns of the year. Metcalf also had a four-yard scoring run in Saturday's victory.
 
Sophomore defensive back Blake Benoist (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) and senior defensive back Nate Powell (Chicago, IL/King College Prep) collected the interception returns for touchdowns. As a unit, the Bearcats' defense posted a season-high five takeaways, including four interceptions overall.
 
McKendree needed just two play and 21 seconds following the opening kickoff to take a 7-0 lead. Sophomore wide receiver Matt Cole (Chicago, IL/Curie) took the handoff on a jet sweep and raced 46 yards down the sideline to the William Jewell 29-yard line. On the next play, Metcalf connected with junior wide receiver Jalyn Williams (Carbondale, IL/Carbondale) on a 29-yard touchdown pass to put the Bearcats in front.
 
After a Cardinals' punt left McKendree with excellent field position, the Bearcats marched 30 yards in nine plays to grab a 14-0 advantage. McKendree drove to the William Jewell 19-yard line and set up for a short field goal attempt. The Bearcats ran a fake as holder Elcee Burke completed a 15-yard pass to Kennith Wilson (Chicago, IL/Simeon) to convert a first down at the four-yard line. Metcalf scored on the next play to extend the Bearcats' lead.
 
Senior defensive end Darion Simmons (Peoria, IL/Peoria) recovered a William Jewell fumble that led to the next score of the game for McKendree. On the first play following the fumble recovery, Burke took a pitch off a double-reverse and threw a 43-yard completion to Williams down to the Cardinals' 15-yard line. Two plays later, senior running back Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) scored from two yards out to push the McKendree lead to 21-0. After a three-and-out by William Jewell, the Bearcats needed two plays to stretch the margin to 28-0 as Metcalf found Cole in the end zone for a 37-yard TD pass with 5:10 left in the first quarter.
 
Just 46 seconds later, Benoist capped the first-quarter scoring outburst for McKendree when he stepped in front of a William Jewell pass and raced untouched into the end zone for a 25-yard pick-six. Freshman kicker Josh Lazaro (Bradley, IL/Bradley Bourbonnais)'s extra point gave the Bearcats a 35-0 cushion with 4:24 remaining in the opening period.
 
William Jewell (0-4, 0-1 GLVC) got on the board with touchdowns on consecutive drives early in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 35-14. McKendree responded with Thompson's 19-yard touchdown run with 5:05 left before halftime to push the Bearcats' lead back to 42-14. Lazaro closed out the first-half scoring thanks to a 22-yard field goal just five seconds ahead of the intermission, giving McKendree a 45-14 lead at the break.
 
On the second play of the third quarter, Powell picked off a Cardinals' pass and rambled 25 yards to paydirt to give McKendree a 51-14 bulge. After a William Jewell touchdown, Lazaro accounted for the Bearcats' final points of the afternoon on a 32-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
 
Edwards, who had 40 yards on 13 attempts, moved into eighth place on McKendree's career rushing list. Edwards now has 1,717 yards and surged past Allen Walter into the No. 8 spot.
 
Senior linebacker Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) and sophomore linebacker Michael Tucker (Chicago, IL/North Lawndale College Prep) paced a balanced defensive effort for McKendree with five tackles each.