(BOLIVAR, Mo., Oct. 13)—The McKendree University football team pulled off a 26-23 overtime victory Saturday afternoon at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo.
 
McKendree -- which trailed 17-0 after the first quarter -- used a 24-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Antonio Triplett (Florissant, MO/Hazelwood Central) to senior wide receiver Jalyn Williams (Carbondale, IL/Carbondale) with 59.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the score, then won in the extra period when Triplett dove over the top for a one-yard TD run. The Bearcats improved to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference by virtue of the late rally.
 
"When you look at the games we've played over the last six years, this is the most proud I have been of our team with the way we overcame adversity today," said McKendree football coach Mike Babcock. "We found ourselves facing a 17-0 deficit in the first quarter but our defense stepped up today and made some key plays at important stages of the game. Our offense faced the prospect of losing our starting quarterback, but Antonio and others led the charge late, and we had some big moments on special teams. Overall, this a great team win."
 
After holding a 17-7 lead at the half, Southwest Baptist (0-6, 0-4 GLVC) extended its advantage to 20-7 on a 46-yard field goal by Alec Gathright midway through the third quarter. With just over five minutes left in the period, McKendree began its comeback thanks to a 28-yard touchdown run by senior running back Preston Thompson (Hazel Crest, IL/Tinley Park), who carried three defenders on his back on the last 10 yards of his run. The point after was blocked, leaving the Bearcats within a touchdown at 20-13. Thompson accounted for the last 54 yards of the 70-yard scoring drive.
 
The 20-13 score stood until the closing moments of regulation, when McKendree started its final drive of the fourth quarter at its own 13-yard line with 3:02 remaining. The Bearcats converted a fourth-and-six from its own 17-yard line when Triplett found senior tight end Zach Bobos (Lowell, IN/Lowell) over the middle for a 10-yard gain. The pair connected for a 28-yard strike down the middle on the next play to put the ball at the Southwest Baptist 45.
 
Two plays later, Triplett threw a strike into the end zone where Williams made a spectacular diving grab with 59.3 seconds on the clock to bring McKendree within a point. Sophomore kicker Josh Lazaro (Bradley, IL/Bradley-Bourbonnais) tacked on the extra point to knot the score at 20-20.
 
McKendree won the toss and elected to play defense first. The Bearcats limited Southwest Baptist to a 22-yard field goal by Gathwright as the hosts regained a 23-20 advantage. Triplett started the McKendree drive with a five-yard scamper before Thompson burst up the middle for 17 yards to bring the ball down to the SBU three-yard line. Three plays later, Triplett took the snap and dove over the top and into the end zone to give the Bearcats their only lead of the contest and the victory.
 
The Bearcats' defense helped fuel the comeback over the final three quarters and overtime. After allowing Southwest Baptist 110 yards of offense in the first 15 minutes of play, McKendree limited the hosts to 149 yards over the final three periods and the overtime session.
 
In the first quarter, Southwest Baptist converted two McKendree turnovers into 10 points on its way to the 17-point lead. The Bearcats overcame a season-high four turnovers to win its first overtime game in almost one year. McKendree was edged 27-24 in overtime last Oct. 14, 2017 at Davenport University.
 
It appeared that SBU would take a 17-point lead into the locker room before McKendree took advantage of a turnover to put its first points on the scoreboard. Senior defensive back James Young II (University Park, IL/Crete Monee) intercepted a pass at the host's 47-yard line with 3:11 on the clock. The Bearcats then put together a 10-play drive that ended when Triplett bowled into the end zone from a yard out with 17.6 seconds left before the intermission, and Lazaro's extra point brought McKendree within 17-7.
 
Thompson led McKendree with 115 rushing yards on 17 carries. Triplett added 77 yards on 10 rushes while sophomore running back Jace Franklin (Sprinfield, IL/Williamsville) contributed 48 yards on 12 attempts. As a team, the Bearcats rushed for a season-high 275 yards at Southwest Baptist.
 
Defensively, junior linebacker Ricco Gipson, Jr. (Godfrey, IL/Alton), led the way for McKendree with 12 tackles while sophomore linebacker Kennith Wilson (Chicago, IL/Simeon) added nine stops. Junior defensive back Blake Benoist (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) and junior defensive lineman Michael Smith (Smithton, IL/Freeburg) each chipped in with six tackles.
 
McKendree will wrap up its two-game road trip next Saturday (Oct. 20) with a visit to the University of Indianapolis. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) at Key Stadium.
 
BEARCAT TRACKS                
**Williams' touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was his seventh of the season, tying him for the Bearcats' single-season record. Dewayne Gatti (Pasadena, CA/Bonita) (2013) and Cameron James (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) (2015) also had seven TD grabs in a season for McKendree.

**McKendree improves to 6-1 all-time in overtime games since returning to the gridiron in 1996.

**Thompson registered his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the 2018 season. He also moved past Dominique Jones into 15^th place on the Bearcats' career rushing list with 1,409 yards.

**Saturday's win marked the second time in its three visits to Southwest Baptist that the Bearcats overcame a double-digit deficit to SBU to rally for the win. Back in 2014 (the first meeting in the series against SBU) McKendree trailed 36-21 before rallying to win 53-43 in Bolivar.