(WHEELING, W.Va., Oct. 12)—For the second consecutive week, McKendree University junior running back Jace Franklin IV (Sprinfield, IL/Williamsville) turned in a career performance in helping the Bearcats to a 28-14 non-conference victory Saturday afternoon at Wheeling University.
 
Franklin led a productive McKendree rushing attack with 185 yards on 28 carries with a pair of touchdowns to help the Bearcats hold off a challenge from the host Cardinals. In the contest, McKendree held a 305-45 edge in rushing yards against Wheeling. The Bearcats improve to 2-4 on the year and will resume Great Lakes Valley Conference play next Saturday at William Jewell College. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Liberty, Mo.
 
"We knew our passing game wasn't quite working, and we found success on the ground early," said McKendree head football coach Mike Babcock. "We figured let's live with it a little bit more and see if we can't grind some first downs because we knew it might not be a track meet. But with the way our defense was playing we thought we could grind it out, take that time off the clock and everything clicked. This was an all-around team victory, in all phases of the game."
       
Franklin – who had established his career-high in rushing yards just seven days earlier with 136 yards at home against Lindenwood University – picked up 40 of his yards on a crucial fourth-quarter drive that helped seal Saturday's victory. His eight-yard burst up the middle with 4:46 to play, followed by a two-point conversion pass from freshman quarterback Turner Pullen (Shelbyville, IL/Shelbyville) to senior wide receiver Matt Cole (Chicago, IL/Curie), stretched the Bearcats' lead to 14 points.
 
"I give all the credit to the offensive line, they were big out there today," said Franklin after his performance. "They kept opening up holes for all of us, and we took advantage of that. It's great when it's a team effort, and that's what we had out there today."
 
Pullen also rushed for 59 yards on seven carries, while freshman running back Jayden Mitchell (St. Louis, MO/Parkway Central) collected 58 yards on seven attempts, which included a 27-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Pullen was just 9-of-22 through the air for 87 yards, with sophomore wide receiver Steven Towns, Jr. (Normal, IL/Normal Community), grabbing four passes for 35 yards.
 
McKendree scored on each of its first two possessions to build an early 14-0 advantage. On their first drive, Pullen hit Cole with a 48-yard pass down to the Wheeling three-yard line. Franklin took the handoff on the ensuing play and barreled into the end zone. Junior kicker Josh Lazaro (Bradley, IL/Bradley-Bourbonnais) added the extra point a little more than four minutes into play to give the Bearcats a 7-0 cushion. After getting the ball back on a short field following a Cardinals' punt, Mitchell capped a five-play drive when he bounced off a tackle at the line of scrimmage and raced down the right sideline for his 27-yard score. Freshman kicker Ryan Kastl (Washington, IL/Washington) split the uprights to stake McKendree to its 14-point lead.
 
Wheeling (0-6) answered back in the opening moments of the second quarter with a bit of trickery. Wide receiver Jaquaun Davidson took a handoff on what appeared to be a sweep. Davidson then turned and fired a pass to quarterback Tucker Strachan, who rumbled to paydirt for an 11-yard touchdown, cutting the Bearcats' lead in half at 14-7. The Cardinals' Aaron Finch then grabbed a Pullen deflected pass and raced 36 yards for an interception return and score, tying the contest at 14-14 with 9:03 remaining until halftime.
 
The Bearcats then put together scoring drives on their final two possessions of the opening half that resulted in field goals. First, Lazaro made a 43-yarder with 4:18 left in the half to give McKendree the lead for good at 17-14. With just 1:17 on the clock before intermission, Kastl drilled a 46-yarder on his first collegiate field goal try to push the Bearcats to a six-point cushion at the half.
 
McKendree held its six-point lead through three quarters thanks in part to another big play from its special teams unit. Freshman cornerback Drew Crooks (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington) charged from the right side and blocked a Wheeling 20-yard field goal attempt with 6:16 to play in the period. Then early in the fourth quarter, Wheeling marched to the Bearcats' one-yard line before a rush for loss and a penalty put the ball at the Bearcats' seven on fourth down. McKendree forced a Strachan incompletion to thwart another scoring attempt by the hosts.
 
With 8:58 to play, McKendree took possession following a Wheeling punt at the Bearcats' 29-yard line. Franklin then shouldered the load on the Bearcats' defining drive of the day as he picked up three first downs. A 15-yard burst put McKendree at the Cardinals' 22-yard line. Three plays later, Franklin scampered up the middle for the eight-yard TD that helped put the game out of reach.
 
Defensively, McKendree registered four first-half sacks, with two each by senior defensive lineman Mike Smith and junior defensive lineman Brandon Purnell (Chicago, IL/Simeon). Senior linebacker Kennith Wilson (Chicago, IL/Simeon) led a balanced defensive effort for the Bearcats with seven tackles, while Purnell and senior linebacker Michael Tucker (Chicago, IL/North Lawndale College Prep) each posted six stops. McKendree's defense limited Wheeling to just 235 yards of total offense, including 45 on the ground. The 235 yards allowed is a season-low for the Bearcats' defensive unit.