GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. WILLIAM JEWELL
Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 -- 1 p.m.
Leemon Field -- Lebanon, Ill.
VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH BABCOCK
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
WILLIAM JEWELL SEASON STATISTICS
GLVC STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 25)--The McKendree University football team will welcome William Jewell College to Leemon Field on Saturday for a Great Lakes Valley Conference battle. Saturday will also mark Homecoming on the McKendree campus, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. The game will be carried live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree, with the pre-game show set to begin at 12:45 p.m.
The Bearcats are 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the GLVC following a 48-10 loss last Saturday evening on the road against the University of Indianapolis, which is ranked No. 16 in NCAA Division II.
Preston Thompson (Hazel Crest, IL/Tinley Park) continued his solid senior season with a team-high 90 rushing yards on 25 carries. Thompson ranks second in the GLVC in rushing at 100 yards per game.
Josh Lazaro (Bradley, IL/Bradley-Bourbonnais) set a new career-high with a 47-yard field goal in the first minute of the second quarter. Lazaro is second in the league in kick scoring at 7.2 points per contest.
As a team, McKendree leads the league in both scoring offense (34.5 PPG) and total offense (441.1 YPG).
Monte Wolke (Sigel, IL/Cumberland) added to his GLVC punting lead, boosting his season average to 43 yards per kick thanks in part ot a 69-yard punt against the Greyhounds. It was the second-longest punt of Wolke's McKendree career, topped only by his school-record 78-yard effort against West Liberty University in 2016. The Bearcats also continue to excel in the red zone, leading the conference in red zone offense by scoring nearly 91 percent of the time inside their opponents' 20-yard line.
McKendree will be looking to add to its impressive record on Homecoming. Since returning to the gridiron in 1996, the Bearcats have won 21 of 22 Homecoming contests, including a run of four consecutive victories in that span. McKendree will be playing a Homecoming tilt on Oct. 27 for the third time during that span, and have won each of the first two outings.
Saturday's game with William Jewell marks the first contest in a two-game home stand. The Bearcats will entertain Missouri S&T next Saturday on Senior Day at Leemon Field. McKendree will honor its senior players in a special pre-game ceremony prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff.
ABOUT WILLIAM JEWELL
The Cardinals are 1-6 overall and 1-4 in the GLVC. William Jewell was edged at home last Saturday by Lincoln University, 23-14. Quarterback Will Schneider threw for 136 yards against the Blue Tigers, including a 44-yard touchdown strike to Keelon Vann in the third quarter. Vann finished with three catches for 75 yards on the day. Brock Geisz and Major Walker shared team-high honors with 11 tackles versus Lincoln as Walker also blocked a pair of kicks.
In addition to throwing for 1,227 yards and six touchdowns this season, Schneider is the Cardinals' leading rusher with 322 yards and five more scores. Bulla Graft has a team-best 17 receptions, while Vann has added 16 catches and leads the squad with 267 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Geisz is the leading tackler for William Jewell with 58 stops, while Walker is next with 46 tackles. Walker has blocked three kicks this season.
McKendree has won all six previous meetings against William Jewell. Last season in Liberty, Mo., the Bearcats rolled up 35 first-quarter points on their way to a 54-28 triumph over the Cardinals.
Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns, while the Bearcats' defense produced a pair of pick-sixes in the contest.
