NOTE: This is part one of our three-part season preview of the 2018 McKendree football program. Part one focuses on the Bearcats' offense. Part two will take a look at the McKendree defensive unit, while the third installment will feature the McKendree special teams unit and the overall outlook from head coach Mike Babcock. 

VIDEO PREVIEW -- PART ONE WITH COACH MIKE BABCOCK

(LEBANON, Ill., Aug. 29)—The McKendree University football team continued to flex its muscles on the offensive side of the football in 2017. For the fourth consecutive year, the Bearcats topped the 300-point mark, posting 323 during its 11-game schedule. McKendree was third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in total points scored and finished fourth with its scoring average of 29.4 points per contest.
 
With eight returning starters back from last year's squad, head coach Mike Babcock and his staff have reason to believe that McKendree will be productive in the scoring column once again in 2018.
 
"We really have a good balance of returnees on offense," said Babcock, who begins his sixth season as the head coach at McKendree. "We bring a lot back at the skill positions, plus we are experienced up front. Add in some of the younger guys who gained valuable experience last year and it's a deep and talented group."
 
Showing the way on offense for McKendree will be senior quarterback Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel). In his first full season as the Bearcats' starter in 2017, Metcalf threw for 1,902 yards and 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions in 293 pass attempts. He completed nearly 63 percent of his throws on the way to honorable mention All-GLVC honors.
 
Metcalf, who burst onto the scene by starting the Bearcats' final three games of 2016, had a similar finish a year ago. He tossed seven touchdowns over McKendree's final four contests, including a pair of three TD performances against Missouri S&T and Lincoln University.
 
The Bearcats return four of their top six receivers from last season, including the senior wideout tandem of Jalyn Williams (Carbondale, IL/Carbondale) and Josh Revay (Livermore, CA/Granada). Williams had a breakout season for McKendree in 2017, leading the team with 45 catches for 596 yards and tied for the program lead with four touchdown receptions. Revay came on strong over the second half of the year to finish second on the squad with 32 catches for 449 yards and matched Williams with four TD grabs. Williams picked up second-team All-GLVC mention, while Revay was an honorable mention All-GLVC choice.
 
Junior wide receiver Matt Cole (Chicago, IL/Curie) added 20 receptions for 178 yards with a touchdown last season. He was fourth on the team in total catches. Cole also rushed for 121 yards – good for fourth on the team – and averaged 11 yards per carry a year ago. In his first year at McKendree, senior tight end Zach Bobos (Lowell, IN/Lowell) registered 17 catches for 122 yards and was right behind Williams and Revay with three TD grabs.
 
Among the other candidates to see playing time at wide receiver for McKendree include senior Kyle Harris (Chicago, IL/King College Prep), junior Coree Harrell (Normal, IL/Bloomington) and sophomore Sean Ballenger (Chicago, IL/Foreman).
 
McKendree brings back a veteran unit along the offensive line with four returning starters. Anchoring the group up front for the Bearcats will be seniors Cole Foster (Columbia, IL/Columbia) and Jake King (Rochester, IL/Rochester). Once again, Foster helped anchor a line that ranked among GLVC leaders in fewest sacks allowed. McKendree quarterbacks were brought down behind the line of scrimmage just nine times in 11 games in 2017. Foster collected first-team All-GLVC accolades following the season.
 
For the second year in a row, King started all 11 games at left guard for McKendree. King helped pave the way for Shayeen Edwards (East St. Louis, IL/Cahokia) to become just the third running back in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. King received All-GLVC mention for the second time in his career, picking up second-team honors in 2017.
 
Junior Quinn Polaski (Homer Glen, IL/Lockport Township) and sophomore Jake Stevenson (Ludlow, IL/Paxton-Buckley-Loda) are also back to begin their second year as starters on the McKendree offensive line. Stevenson will once again serve as the Bearcats' starting center, while Polaski shifts to right guard after spending the 2017 campaign as the starter at left tackle.
 
Sophomore Austin Huls (St. Charles, MO/Pattonville), who saw action in a reserve role last season, is projected as the Bearcats' starter at left tackle heading into the new year. Junior Basil McClain (Peoria, IL/Manual Academy), senior Dustin Logan (Tennessee, IL/Bushnell-West Prairie) and sophomore Logan Anthony (Elsberry, MO/Elsberry) will help provide depth up front for McKendree.
 
With the graduation of Edwards, McKendree will be using a new starter at running back for the first time since the 2015 season. Babcock has plenty of options to choose from, with senior Preston Thompson (Hazel Crest, IL/Tinley Park) and sophomore Jace Franklin (Sprinfield, IL/Williamsville) headlining the list. Thompson was the Bearcats' second-leading rusher with 309 yards last season with three touchdowns. He averaged nearly five yards per carry. Franklin transferred to McKendree from fellow NCAA Division II member Minnesota State University, where he rushed for 244 yards with a score during his freshman season.
 
The Bearcats also have experience returning in the backfield with Kyle Harris (Chicago, IL/King College Prep) (98 yards in 2017) and sophomore Jerrico Johnson (Bourbonnais, IL/Bishop McNamara) (44 yards, 14.7 yards per carry).