GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. TRUMAN STATE -- Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, 1 p.m.
Leemon Field -- Lebanon, Ill.

VIDEO PREVIEW WITH COACH MIKE BABCOCK
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
TRUMAN STATE GAME NOTES
TRUMAN STATE SEASON STATISTICS
GLVC STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 5)--The McKendree University football team returns from a two-game road swing to host Truman State University Saturday afternoon in a key Great Lakes Valley Conference contest. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Leemon Field. Saturday's game will be carried live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree, beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m.

McKendree opened its GLVC schedule on the right foot last Saturday evening with a 48-14 victory at Quincy University. For the second straight game, the Bearcats' offense topped the 500-yard mark in total offense as they registered 548 yards versus the Hawks. Defensively, McKendree allowed Quincy just 161 yards of total offense through three quarters of play, holding the Hawks off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter in cruising to the win. The Bearcats bring a 3-2 overall record into Saturday's match-up against Truman State.

At Quincy, Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) continued to lead the way for the McKendree offense. Metcalf threw for 323 yards on 22-of-28 passing. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, giving him 20 passing TD's for the season. That is just one shy of the program mark of 21, which was set by Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) back in 2015. Metcalf was especially sharp the second half at Quincy, completing 10-of-11 pass attempts as the Bearcats erupted for 35 points in the final 30 minutes of play. Jalyn Williams (Carbondale, IL/Carbondale) had a career day with eight receptions for 121 against Quincy, and matched a career-best with two touchdown grabs. 

Blake Benoist (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) and Brandon Purnell (Chicago, IL/Simeon) each had seven tackles to pace McKendree on defense. Purnell added a forced fumble on a fourth-and-one play early in the second quarter that ended a Quincy drive inside the Bearcats' 10-yard line. Jason Bennett had an interception on the Hawks' opening drive that led to the first points of the evening for McKendree, a 37-yard field goal by Josh Lazaro (Bradley, IL/Bradley-Bourbonnais). In addition to his 37-yarder, Lazaro booted a 25-yard field goal to give the Bearcats a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. 

With his 20 TD passes, Metcalf leads all NCAA Division II quarterbacks in the category. Metcalf ranks in the top 20 in 10 different statistical categories entering Saturday's game. He is fifth in passing efficiency (184.7 rating), eighth in competion percentage (.669), ninth in passing yards (1,500) and 11th in passing yards per game (300.0 YPG). As a team, the Bearcats rank in the NCAA Division II top 10 in 10 different statistics. They lead the nation in fewest turnovers (2) while ranking second in passing efficiency (184.7 rating), fourth in completion percentage (.669), sixth in red zone offense (.958) and seventh in third-down conversion percentage (.515). 

ABOUT TRUMAN STATE
The Bulldogs are 2-3 on the season and, like McKendree, are 1-0 in GLVC action. Truman State needed an 18-yard touchdown run by Andy Satulla with 27 seconds remaining to post a 27-20 home victory over William Jewell College last Saturday evening in Kirksville, Mo. Satulla and quarterback Jaden Barr each rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals. Barr was also 11-of-24 for 124 yards with a TD through the air versus William Jewell. Wyatt Fishel led the charge for the Bulldogs' defense with 10 tackles, while Zach Nadle added seven stops. 

Barr is the leading rusher through five games for Truman State with 435 yards, and is averaging seven yards per carry. He has completed just under 50 percent of his pass attempts for 693 yards with two touchdowns, but has thrown eight interceptions. Dante Ruffin leads a versatile receiving corps for thd Bulldogs with 12 catches. 

Fishel and Bryan Edwards share the team lead in tackles for Truman State with 34 stops each. Nine different Bulldogs have registered at least 20 stops in five games. Among that group is Sam Reeves, who has 7 1/2 tackles for loss, including five quarterback sacks. 

Truman State holds a 4-2 edge in the overall series against McKendree. The Bulldogs rallied from a 14-0 deficit early in the second quarter of last year's contest to record a 17-14 win in the 2017 regular-season finale for both teams on Nov. 11, 2017 in Kirksville, Mo. The loss snapped a two-game win streak in the series for McKendree. 

Following Saturday's meeting with Truman State, McKendree will head back on the road for its next two contests, beginning with a GLVC tilt next Saturday -- Oct. 13 -- at Southwest Baptist University. The Bearcats will also visit the University of Indianapolis on Oct. 20 before returning to Leemon Field on Oct. 27 for its Homecoming game versus William Jewell.