LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University is set to close out the non-conference portion of its 2021 football schedule this Saturday, Sept. 25 as the Bearcats travel to Canton, Ohio, for game against Walsh University at Bob Commings Field at Glen Oak High School. Live video of the game will be provided by Walsh University at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/walsh/.
 
The Bearcats come into the contest still in search of its first win of the 2021 season as they bring an 0-3 overall mark into Saturday's contest. McKendree's most recent setback came last Saturday at home as they fell 17-10 to Lake Erie College at Leemon Field. In the game, the Bearcats got down 17-0 midway through the second quarter, before rallying to score 10 straight points and had the ball with a chance to tie late in the game but was held without scoring.
 
In Saturday's game against Lake Erie, the Bearcats were their own worst enemy as they were flagged 14 times for 145 yards in penalties, which negated its 372-239 advantage in total offensive yards. For the game, the Bearcats ran the ball 46 times for 221 yards and passed for another 151 yards. The 372 yards of offense, 151 yards passing and 221 yards rushing were all season highs.
 
Senior running back Jace Franklin VI (Springfield, Ill./Minnesota State) finished the game with a season-high 18 carries for a season-high 153 yards, including scoring the lone touchdown on a 15-yard run nearly four minutes into the third quarter. Franklin's 153 yards are the second most in a game in his career and pushed him over the 1,600 yard mark rushing in his career as he has now gained 1,608 rushing yards, which is 12th on the school's all-time list.
 
While the Bearcat offense had a strong day against the Storm, so too did its defense, as the Bearcats held Lake Erie to just 239 yards of offense, including just 78 yards rushing on 33 carries. In addition, the Bearcat defense also recorded five sacks, 13 tackles for a loss and forced a fumble. The Storm came into the game averaging 422.5 yards and 31 points per game.
 
Senior linebacker Michael Tucker (Chicago, Ill./North Lawndale Prep) led the Bearcat defense with nine tackles, including five solo stops and added 1.5 sacks and 2.0 tackles for a loss and recovered a fumble. In addition to Tucker, redshirt sophomore linebacker KeShon Spraggins (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South)  added seven tackles and three pass break-ups and freshman defensive lineman Jacob Stoneburner (Effingham, Ill./Effingham) added five tackles and a game-high 2.5 sacks.
 
On the season, Tucker is third in the league in tackles per game as he is averaging 10.7 per game as he has recorded 23.5 tackles, including 16 solo stops and has also had 5.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while Spraggins has recorded 13.5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and sophomore defensive lineman Sidney Houston (Cahokia, Ill./East St. Louis) has had 9.5 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and 2.0 sacks on the year.
 
The Bearcat offense was led under center by redshirt junior quarterback Brenden Dickmann (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville), who started in place of redshirt sophomore quarterback Turner Pullen (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville), who took a late hit out of bounds in the third quarter of the Delta State game, but is expected to play this weekend. In Pullen's place, Dickmann went 18-for-29 passing for 136 yards with redshirt sophomore receiving Jacob Bachman (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) catching seven passes for 67 yards.
 
Through three games this season, the Bearcats are third in the league in scoring at 15.7 points per game, third in total defense (337.0 yards/game), second in passing defense (204.0 yards/game) and is tied for first in turnover margin at +3. In addition, McKendree is third in field goals as they are 4-for-5 on the season and third in the league in time of possession at 31 minutes per game.
 
Saturday's game will mark the fourth of four non-conference game this season for the Bearcats as the second consecutive game for McKendree against an opponent from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference as the Bearcats as their opponent last week, Lake Erie, was also a member of the GMAC.
 
The game with Walsh University will mark just the second-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron and the first meeting since McKendree earned a 26-23 overtime win in North Canton, Ohio, in 1998. In addition, the contest will mark the 20th all-time contest for the Bearcats against a team from the Buckeye State. The Bearcats are 9-10 all-time against teams from the state of Ohio.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Bearcats will open the Great Lakes Valley Conference portion of its schedule at home next Saturday, Oct. 2 as they host William Jewell College in a 1 p.m. game at Leemon Field. That game will be the first of seven straight GLVC games for the Bearcats to close out the 2021 season.
 
ABOUT WALSH
The Cavaliers come into Saturday's game sporting a 1-2 overall record after suffering a 38-17 setback last Saturday at fellow GLVC member Quincy University. That loss to Quincy followed a 10-6 loss at home on Sept. 11 to Davenport (Mich.) University. Walsh, who was picked to finish sixth in the Preseason GMAC Coaches poll, opened the 2021 season with a 27-6 win at West Liberty (W.Va.) University.
 
Walsh comes into action on Saturday averaging 16.7 points and 301 yards per game. The Cavaliers are averaging 118 yards rushing and 210 yards passing and have thrown four touchdowns and two interceptions. In their loss last week at Quincy, Walsh gained a season high 366 yards of offense and recorded 19 first downs.
 
The Cavaliers offense is led the play of redshirt senior quarterback Jeremy Hodge. On the season, Hodge is 39-for-81 passing for 495 yards and has thrown four touchdowns and two interceptions and has an efficiency rating of 110.8. Along with Hodge, the Walsh running game is paced by redshirt sophomore Thomas Wilks, who has gained 148 yards on 35 carries and is averaging 4.2 yards per carry and is coming off a 119 yard effort last week against Quincy, while the receiving corps is led by senior Tyre Gray and freshman Jaden Gresham. Gray has caught 16 passed for 265 yards and two scores and is averaging 88.3 receiving yards per game, while Gresham has caught six passes for 114 yards and one score.
 
Defensively, Walsh is allowing 18.0 points per game and 328 yards per game on the season. The Cavaliers defense has forced five turnovers, recorded 10 sacks, including five sacks last week against Quincy and 21 tackles for loss. Leading the way defensively is junior defensive end Marcus Shellenbarger, who has recorded 18 tackles, three tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. In addition to Shellenbarger, redshirt junior linebacker Doug Taylor has had 12 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sacks and redshirt freshman cornerback Noah Caston has had a sack and broken up six passes. Lake Erie's opponents are converting just 33 percent (17-for-51) of its third-down attempts.
 
On special teams, redshirt senior punter Trey Crockett is averaging 39.7 yards per punt and has had six of his 15 punts go inside the 20-yard line, while senior kicker Mason Brown is 5-for-6 on field goals with a season long of 38 yard and is a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points. Gray is averaging 3.0 yards on punt returns and senior Koby Adu-Poku is averaging 12.5 yards per kickoff return.