GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE at SOUTHWEST BAPTIST -- Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018, 1 p.m.
Plaster Stadium -- Bolivar, Mo.

VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
LISTEN LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
WATCH LIVE (SBU Broadcast)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME NOTES
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 11)--The McKendree University football team will hit the road this weekend to open up another two-game road swing, making the trip to Bolivar, Mo., to face off against Southwest Baptist University. The fifth "Battle of the Bearcats" is slated to kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Plaster Stadium on the Southwest Baptist campus. Saturday's game can be heard live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree, beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m.

McKendree, 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, will look to bounce back into the win column following a 45-38 setback last Saturday at Leemon Field against Truman State University. That contest featured two weather delays, including one at the beginning of halftime that lasted just over an hour. The Bearcats piled up 506 yards of total offense, using a balanced attack with 248 rushing yards and 258 yards through the air. For the first time since November 2015, McKendree had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game. Preston Thompson (Hazel Crest, IL/Tinley Park) led the Bearcats with 129 yards on 20 carries, while Jace Franklin (Sprinfield, IL/Williamsville) added 111 yards on 21 attempts. Thompson also ran for a pair of scores, as did Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel). The Bearcats' quarterback went 24-of-38 in the passing department for 258 yards, including a 20-yard TD pass to Jalyn Williams (Carbondale, IL/Carbondale) in the first quarter. That was Metcalf's 21st touchdown strike of the 2018 season, tying the program's single-season record established by Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) in 2015.

Josh Revay (Livermore, CA/Granada) set a new career-high with nine receptions against Truman State, while Williams matched a career-best with eight catches and put up a new personal mark in receiving yards with 138. Blake Benoist (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) registered 11 tackles in the effort, which also equaled a career-high for the Bearcats' strong safety. 

Through six games, Thompson and Franklin have combined to rush for more than 1,000 yards already in 2018. Thompson leads the pack with 588 yards on 95 attempts, while Franklin is next with 429 yards on 84 rushes. Both running backs are averaging better than five yards per carry. Metcalf has thrown for 1,758 yards, completing nearly two-thirds of his pass attempts. Revay (33 receptions) and Williams (32 catches) are the only two teammates in the GLVC to have at least 30 catches so far this season. Ricco Gipson, Jr. (Godfrey, IL/Alton), shows the way on defense with 52 tackles, while Benoist is next with 42 stops. 

Just past the midway point of the 2018 season, Metcalf ranks in the top 10 among all NCAA Division II quarterbacks in seven different statistical categories. He is second in both points responsible for (152) and points responsible for per game (25.3 PPG). Metcalf sits third in passing touchdowns (21) and seventh in passing efficiency (173.1 rating). In addition, Metcalf is eighth in passing yards (1,758) and ninth in both completion percentage (.662) and passing yards per game (293.0 YPG). 

As a team, the Bearcats are in the NCAA Division II top 10 in 10 different categories. They are second in turnovers lost (3), fifth in passing efficiency (173.1 rating), fifth in sacks allowed (0.5 P/G), sixth in completion percentage (.662), 10th in total offense (494.3 YPG) and 10th in third-down conversion percentage (.500). 

McKendree will also have a road contest next Saturday (Oct. 20) at the University of Indianapolis before returning to Leemon Field for the Homecoming game versus William Jewell College on Oct. 27. 

ABOUT SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
Southwest Baptist enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 0-5. The Bearcats moved to 0-3 in GLVC play following a 14-10 loss last Saturday at William Jewell College. The host Cardinals scored the go-ahead touchdown with just under five minutes to play to rally for the win. Bryse Salik threw for 180 yards on the day against William Jewell, completing 18-of-37 passes. He connected six times with E.J. Hackett for 67 yards. Eric Knight rushed for a team-leading 78 yards on 21 attempts. De'shawn Tone paced the SBU defense with seven tackles, while Taylor Jones-Morgan added six stops and forced a pair of fumbles in the contest. 

Through five games, Southwest Baptist has scored 62 points, averaging 12.4 per contest. SBU allows its opponents an average of 34.6 PPG this season. Knight is the leading rusher for Southwest Baptist with 215 yards on 87 carries. Salik has completed just under 51 percent of his pass attempts for 688 yards with five touchdowns. Connor Ratcliff is one of four SBU receivers with more than 10 catches. Ratcliff has a team-leading 18 receptions for 216 yards with three TDs. Defensively, the Bearcats are led by veteran Tyler Curts, who has a team-best 50 tackles including three for loss. Tone is next with 38 tackles and leads the team with three sacks. 

Saturday's game will mark the fifth "Battle of the Bearcats" since Southwest Baptist became an associate member of the GLVC in 2014 (SBU will move to full-time league membership in 2019-20). McKendree has won three of the previous four contests, including last year's 28-7 triumph over SBU at Leemon Field.