GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. KENTUCKY STATE -- Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, 1 p.m.
Leemon Field -- Lebanon, Ill.

WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
KENTUCKY STATE PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK

McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
KENTUCKY STATE GAME NOTES
KENTUCKY STATE SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 8)--The McKendree University football team will make its 2017 Leemon Field debut on Saturday when the Bearcats play host to Kentucky State University in non-conference action. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. The game will air live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree. Joe Zydlo will have the pre-game show beginning at 12:45 p.m., followed by all the live play-by-play action. 

McKendree will look to bounce back from a 42-2 season-opening loss last Thursday in Texas at Angelo State University. The Bearcats' lone points of the contest came in the first quarter on a safety. Sophomore wide receiver Matt Cole (Chicago, IL/Curie) stripped the Rams' punt returner of the football at the four-yard line, and the ball rolled into the end zone, where Angelo State was able to recover. The loss to the Rams snapped a two-game winning streak in season openers for the Bearcats, who are now 13-9 in the first game of the season since returning to the gridiron back in 1996. 

Sophomore punter Monte Wolke (Sigel, IL/Cumberland) was one of the busiest players on the field for McKendree as he set one record and tied another in the Angelo State contest. Wolke matched his own school mark with 13 punts in the contest, while he established a new standard wtih 519 punt yards. He also boomed two kicks of more than 50 yards, including a 60-yarder in the second half. 

Defensively, sophomore Ricco Gipson (Godfrey, IL/Alton) made the most of his first collegiate start at middle linebacker for the Bearcats. Gipson led all players with 14 tackles, including 3 1/2 for loss. He added two quarterback sacks as well. Senior linebacker Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) chipped in with 12 tackles, while senior linebacker Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) helped out with eight tackles at Angelo State. 

Kentucky State is a first-time opponent on the McKendree schedule. The Thorobreds were also defeated in their 2017 season opener, dropping a 42-21 decision at home against Slippery Rock University. Quarterback Paul Campbell went 22-of-33 through the air for 168 yards with a touchdown. He connected with wide receiver Demetrius Anderson 10 times for 74 yards, and the pair connected on Kentucky State's lone TD pass of the contest. Phillip Francis paced the Thorobreds' defense with nine tackles, while Andre Miles added eight stops. 

The Thorobreds are coached by John L. Smith, who is in his second season at Kentucky State. Smith has extensive experience as a head coach at the FBS level, including stops at the University of Louisville, Michigan State University, the University of Idaho and Utah State University. 

McKendree will look to even its season record at a facility it enjoyed great success last season. The Bearcats won all six of their home contests in 2016, marking just the second undefeated campaign at home since the 1996 program revival. In fact, McKendree has won its last eight home games dating back to the 2015 season. 

Saturday's game will be the lone home contest in the first month of the 2017 season for McKendree. The Bearcats will be on the road for their next two clashes, beginning with next Saturday's non-conference affair at Hillsdale College. McKendree will also open its Great Lakes Valley Conference slate on the road on Sept. 23 at William Jewell College before returning to Leemon Field to host Southwest Baptist University for Homecoming on Sept. 30. 

McKENDREE-KENTUCKY STATE GAME NOTES
2017 Records --
McKENDREE: The McKendree University Bearcats are 0-1 overall and 0-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
KENTUCKY STATE: The Kentucky State University Thorobreds posted are 5-6 with a mark of 0-0 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Head Coaches --
McKENDREE: Mike Babcock is in his fifth season as the head coach of the McKendree Bearcats (25-18 at McKendree and overall).
KENTUCKY STATE: John L. Smith is in his second season as the head coach of the Kentucky State Thorobreds (4-8 at Kentucky State and 154-121 overall in his 24th season as a collegiate head coach).

The Series (since 1996) --
This will be the first meeting on the football field between the Bearcats and Thorobreds.

McKendree -- Last Time Out...
The Bearcats kicked off the 2017 season last Thursday (Aug. 31) with a 42-2 loss at Angelo State University in Texas. The host Rams scored on their first two offensive possession and never looked back in avenging a 33-19 setback versus McKendree in the 2016 opener. The Bearcats' lone points of the contest came early in the first quarter, when Matt Cole (Chicago, IL/Curie) stripped Angelo State's Tashani Bibbs of the football on a punt attempt near the goal line. The Rams recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a safety. Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) completed 16-of-24 pass attempts for 124 yards before giving way to Brendan Fred midway through the third quarter. Fred was 5-of-13 for 16 yards in the effort. Nine different receivers caught a pass in the contest for McKendree, including a team-high six receptions for Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic). Ricco Gipson (Godfrey, IL/Alton) registered a game-high 14 tackles in his first start at middle linebacker for McKendree. Gipson also added 3 1/2 tackles for loss with a pair of quarterback sacks. Austin Weltha (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) chipped in with 12 stops, while Kyle Kirkpatrick (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) had eight tackles.

Kentucky State -- Last Time Out...
The Thorobreds opened their 2017 campaign with a 42-21 loss last Saturday at home against Slipper Rock University. Kentucky State dug a 28-0 hole but managed to outscore Slippery Rock 21-14 over the final 20 minutes of play. Paul Campbell completed 22-of-33 pass attempts for 168 yards with a touchdown. His favorite target was Demetrius Anderson, who caught a team-leading 10 passes for 74 yards. Brett Sylve rushed for 35 yards on nine carries to show the way for the Thorobreds' rushing attack. Phillip Francis paced the Kentucky State defense with nine tackles, while Andre Miles added eight stops. Ryan Luckett contributed seven tackles in the contest for the Thorobreds.

Bearcat Tracks...
BEARCATS AND THE HOME OPENERS: Since its return to the gridiron in 1996, McKendree has posted a record of 14-7 (.667) in its first home game of the season. The Bearcats have won three of their last four home openers, including last season's 33-19 come-from-behind win over Angelo State.

BEARCATS vs. THE BLUEGRASS STATE: McKendree has a record of 6-1 against programs from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Bearcats have not faced an opponent from the Bluegrass State since the 2013 campaign, when they rolled past Kentucky Wesleyan College 58-13 in the regular-season finale.

HOME PERFECTION: McKendree won all six of its home games during the 2016 season. That marked the first time since the 2010 campaign that the Bearcats closed a season wtih an unblemished record at home. Entering today's game with Kentucky State, McKendree has won its last eight contests played at Leemon Field, dating back to the 2015 campaign.

EDWARDS CONTINUES CLIMB UP ALL-TIME RUSHING LIST: In 2016, Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) became the 20th player since McKendree revived its football program in 1996 to rush for 1,000 career yards. Edwards has pushed his career total to 1,455 yards, which is currently 11th on the program's all-time list:
7) Isaac Fisher -- 1,749 yards
8) Allen Walter -- 1,692 yards
9) Joe Beimfohr -- 1,652 yards
10) Jacob Rohman -- 1,592 yards
11) Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) -- 1,455 yards
12) Marlone Chenault -- 1,448 yards
13) Ryan Herring -- 1,437 yards
14) Lamont Benn -- 1,436 yards

21 AND OVER: McKendree sports a 124-25 record (.832) when scoring at least 21 points in a game since the beginning of the 1996 season.

UNI-TRACKER: McKendree used five different uniform combinations during the 2016 season. Below are the records for the Bearcats while wearing each combo. We will again track the McKendree football record in 2017 while wearing certain combinations. McKendree's 2016 record in the uniform combination is in parentheses:
**Graphite Jersey/Purple Pants: 0-0 (2-0)
**Graphite Jersey/Graphite Pants: 0-0 (4-0)
**White Jersey/Purple Pants: 0-0 (0-2)
**White Jersey/Graphite Pants: 0-0 (1-1)
**White Jersey/White Pants: 0-1 (1-0)

SAFETY FIRST: The Bearcats' first-quarter safety at Angelo State marked the first time in nearly three years that McKendree has recorded a safety in a game. The last such occurance came back on Sept. 27, 2014, when the Bearcats blocked a punt late in the second quarter of a home game against Saint Joseph's College that was recovered in the end zone by the Pumas.

CATCHING UP: McKendree wide receivers Darius Crochrell (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) and Dustin Walls (Champaign, IL/Centennial) continue to move their way up the Bearcats' career chart for receptions. Both have moved into a three-way tie for seventh place on the program's all-time list. Crochrell and Walls are currently tied with former teammate Tyler Brewer (Arnold, MO/Fox) (2013-16). Both players need two catches to match Byron Gettis for sixth place.

MONTE MAKES HISTORY: Punter Monte Wolke (Sigel, IL/Cumberland) set one McKendree punting record and tied another during the Bearcats' season opener at Angelo State. Wolke totaled 519 yards in punt attempts against the Rams, besting the old mark of 477 yards set by the late Alex McMahon in a 2013 contest at Henderson State University. Wolke tied his own program record with 13 punts at Angelo State, equaling the mark he established last season against William Jewell College.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: McKendree has a record of 14-9 (.609) under the lights since 1996. Last week's game at Angelo State marked the first of four night contests for the Bearcats, with the other late starts coming at Hillsdale College on Sept. 16, at Missouri S&T on Oct. 21 and at home versus Quincy University on Nov. 4. The four night games played this season by McKendree will be the most for the program since having five contests under the lights during Mike Babcock's first season at the Bearcats' head coach in 2013.

BY THE SACKFUL: McKendree, which led NCAA Division II in sacks per game last season at 4.82, registered three sacks in the 2017 season opener at Angelo State. Dating back to the 2016 campaign, the Bearcats have recorded multiple sacks in six consecutive contests.

Longest Plays in Team History...
Since 1996
RUSH: 90 yards by Brandon Murphy vs. Iowa Wesleyan, 2000*
PASS: 85 yards by Dan Loudenslager to Zach Atkins vs. Georgetown, 2008*
KICKOFF RETURN: 100 yards by Brandon Murphy vs. Olivet Nazarene, 1997*;
100 yards by Ryan Keen vs. Tiffin, 2013*
PUNT RETURN: 90 yards by Derrick Curry (Glen Ellyn, IL/Montini Catholic) vs. Truman State, 2016*
INTERCEPTION RETURN: 100 yards by Lawrence Davis vs. William Penn,
2007*
FIELD GOAL: 51 yards by Jordan Fark vs. University of the Cumberlands, 2010
PUNT: 78 yards by Monte Wolke (Sigel, IL/Cumberland) vs. West Liberty, 2016
* -- Touchdown

This Date in Bearcat Football History...
Sept. 9, 2006
In a game that came down to the final seconds, McKendree was defeated at home by Saint Xavier University 13-10 in a battle of NAIA top-10 programs. McKendree was ranked No. 5 in the NAIA pre-season poll, while Saint Xavier entered the contest rated No. 8 in the same ranking. A field goal midway through the fourth quarter pushed the visiting Cougars in front by three points. The Bearcats mounted two scoring threats in the closing minutes, with the last one ending at the Saint Xavier 41-yard line as a fourth-down pass came up short of the marker. McKendree did score on its first two possessions thanks to a Jacob Rohman one-yard touchdown run and a 35-yard field goal by Shane McBride. George Smith led a balanced rushing attack for the Bearcats with 59 yards, while Dan Loudenslager was 7-of-14 through the air for 106 yards. Adam Clapp and Lawrence Davis led the McKendree defensive effort with seven tackles each.