LEBANON, Ill. – The McKendree University football will play its final Great Lakes Valley Conference game of the 2022 season this Saturday, Nov. 5 as the Bearcats travel to Kirksville, Mo., for a 1 p.m. game at Stokes Stadium against 21st-ranked Truman State.

Saturday's game will feature a match-up between one of the top offenses in the league in McKendree facing the league's top defense in Truman State. McKendree averages 39.1 points and 481 yards of offense per game on the season, while Truman State is holding opponents to just under 18 points and 307 yards of offense per game.

McKendree enters Saturday's game sporting a 5-4 overall record and a 2-3 mark in the GLVC following its 49-31 loss last Saturday on Homecoming and Senior Day to Southwest Baptist. The Bearcats have lost three of its last four games overall with the lone win being a 42-35 come-from-behind victory two weeks ago at Missouri S&T. The five wins this season are one more than the Bearcats won all of last season when they finished with a 4-7 overall record.

One of the biggest strengths for the Bearcats this season has been their play on the road as McKendree comes into Saturday's game undefeated away from home this season as the Bearcats are 4-0 on the road, including 2-0 in GLVC play. On the road, the Bearcats are averaging 39.0 points and allowing 32.5 points in its four away games this season, while allowing 43.6 points and scoring 39.2 points per game in its five home contests as the Bearcats went 1-4 at Leemon Field this season.

In last Saturday's home finale loss to Southwest Baptist, McKendree gained 540 yards of offense and scored 30 or more points for the eighth time in nine games, but SBU finished the game with 603 yards of total offense, including running for 337 yards on 33 carries and scoring four rushing touchdowns.

The Bearcats offense has been strong all season as they have recorded 450 or more yards of offense in six of nine games and have amassed at least 400 yards of offense against every team this season but Lake Erie as they were held to a season-low 396 yards of offense. Over its last three games, the Bearcats have gained over 500 yards in each game, including a season high 565 yards of offense against Quincy.

Against Southwest Baptist, the Bearcats rushing attack finished with a season-high 253 yards rushing on 33 carries as redshirt sophomore running back Jayden Mitchell (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway Central) finished with a career-high 140 yards rushing on 15 carries and scored three of McK's four touchdowns. Mitchell averaged 9.3 yards per carry against SBU. In fact, over the last two games, McKendree has rushed for a total of 488 yards and is averaging 244 yards rushing over those last two contests.

On the season, sophomore Narkel Leflore (Chatham, Ill./Glenwood) has gained 669 yards rushing on 109 carries and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 74.3 yards per and has scored six touchdowns, while Mitchell is second on the team in rushing as he has gained 315 yards and is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has scored six times on the ground.

While the running game was strong against SBU last weekend, the strength of McKendree's offense continues to be its passing game as the Bearcats are second nationally in Division II in passing offense as they are averaging 340.3 yards per game and are third nationally in completion percentage (71.4 percent) and eighth in total offense (480.8). On the season, redshirt sophomore quarterback Turner Pullen (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville) has become one of the top quarterbacks this season in Division II football as the four-year Bearcat signal caller leads Division II in passing yards (3,063), passing yards per game (340.3), completions per game (30.00) and total offense (361.4) and is second in passing touchdowns (28) and points responsible for (192) and is third in completion percentage (71.4 percent) and 12th in passing efficiency (160.8).

Against SBU, Pullen passed for a season-low 287 yards as he was 29-for-40 passing for 287 yards with an interception and touchdown pass and gained 45 yards rushing for a total of 332 yards of offense. Pullen had his school-record streak of 300 yard passing games snapped at five with the 287 passing yards against SBU, but he became the school's single season leader in passing yards as he has thrown for 3,063 yards this season, which bettered the old single season school mark of 2,792 set by Isaac Fisher in 2015.

On the season, Pullen is 270-for-378 for 3,063 yards, has thrown for 28 touchdowns, has been picked off six times, has gained 190 yards rushing, and has scored four rushing touchdowns. He has had a hand in 32 of McKendree's 48 touchdowns this season and 99 in his Bearcat career. The 99 touchdowns responsible for are a school record and are fourth-best amongst active Division II players. Pullen has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all nine games this season and enters Saturday's game with a 17 game streak of least one touchdown pass dating to last season. Additionally, Pullen is just 233 yards shy of Fisher's school career record for passing yards as Fisher recorded 8,508 passing yards from 2012-15, while Pullen has passed for 8,275 yards in his Bearcat tenure. Pullen does hold the school's career mark for touchdown passes with 75 and is second in career passing attempts, pass completions and total offense.

McKendree also boasts the top two receivers in the GLVC as sophomore Yogi Flager, Jr. (Belleville, Ill./Butler University) leads the league in receiving yards (859), receiving touchdowns (10), and receiving yards per game (99.4), while redshirt junior Jacob Bachman leads the GLVC and is third nationally in Division II in receptions per game at 8.6 and also leads in receptions with 77, while he is second in receiving yards (729) and has had six touchdown receptions this season and 14 in his career.

Bachman comes into Saturday's game just three receptions shy of tying his single season school mark for receptions as he has caught 77 passes this season after catching a school record 80 passes in 2021. The First-Team All-GLVC selection from a season ago holds the school's all-time marks for receptions (193) and receiving yards (2,068), tied for fourth in touchdown receptions (14), and ninth in all-purpose yards (2,447).

Defensively, the Bearcats had a sack and six tackles for loss against SBU, but failed to record a turnover for the second time this season and first time since the season opener against Northern Michigan. While the Bearcat defense failed to record a takeaway in last week's game, the McKendree offense had three turnovers in the game and now has a +3 turnover margin on the season. The three turnovers were a season high.

Redshirt junior linebacker Luca Gualdoni (Johnston City, Ill./Johnston City) had eight tackles, including a sack and three tackles for a loss against SBU, while redshirt sophomore defensive back Andrew Sherry (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) added six tackles.

On defense, the Bearcats are third in the league in turnover margin (+3) as they have forced 14 turnovers, including picking off nine passes, which is third in the league. In addition, the Bearcats have recorded 47 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and have broken up 22 passes.

Leading the way defensively for the Bearcats is Sherry as he has recorded 48 tackles, including 41 solo stops and has had a tackle for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and two pass break-ups. Sophomore defensive back Brandon Wilson, Jr. (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence) is next in tackles with 40 and has had one interception and two pass break-ups.

Sophomore defensive back Ethan Young (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) is tied for fourth in the league in interceptions with three, while sophomore defensive linemen Jacob Stoneburner (Effingham, Ill./Effingham) and Arman Oshana (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park) have each had 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack each, while Gualdoni and freshman defensive lineman Tanner Hollerich (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) lead in sacks with two.

Meanwhile, Truman State comes into Saturday's game with McKendree sporting a 7-1 overall record and a 4-0 mark in the GLVC following its 59-32 win last Saturday at Quincy. The Bulldogs, who are ranked 21st and 25th respectively in this week's latest AFCA and D2Football.com polls, have reeled off seven straight wins since suffering 20-19 loss at Davenport in its season opener. The seven game win streak is the longest for Truman State since reeling off eight straight wins in 1994.

Following Saturday's game, the Bearcats will close out the 2022 season with 1 p.m. game in St. Charles, Mo., against NCAA FCS foe Lindenwood University. The Lions, who are in their first year of transitioning from Division II to Division I, is currently 6-2 on the season and 1-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference heading into its road game Saturday at Tennessee Tech.

ABOUT TRUMAN STATE
Truman State comes into Saturday's contest as one of the top defensive teams in the GLVC as the Bulldogs lead the league in both total defense as they are allowing just 307.1 yards per game and scoring defense as they are allowing just 17.9 points per game, but allowed a season high 32 points in its last game against Quincy. The Bulldogs are second in the league in rushing defense as they are allowing 90.1 yards per game and are 11th in Division II in interceptions with 13, including sophomore cornerback Ryan Olivas and junior cornerback Ben Thomas each being tied for the GLVC lead in interceptions with four.

Leading the way defensively for the Bulldogs is junior linebacker Isaiah Estes as he has recorded a team-high 56 tackles, has had one sack and one tackle for a loss and has picked off a pass, while senior free safety Ben Watson is second in tackles with 50 and has had two interceptions and has recovered two fumbles.

As a team, Truman State has recorded 42 tackles for a loss and 13 sacks, including 2.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss by sophomore linebacker Ulysses Ross. Freshman defensive end Jack Weltha has had two sacks and three tackles for a loss.

While Truman's defense is one of the best in the GLVC, the Bulldogs offense is also one of the best in the league as they are second in the league in rushing offense as they average 169.0 per game and are sixth in passing offense as they average 164.9 yards per game. Overall, the Bulldogs are fifth in the league in total offense as they are averaging 333.9 yards per game.

Running the ball is a staple of Truman's offensive attack as senior running back Shamar Griffith is third in the league in rushing as he is averaging 85.8 yards per game and 4.7 yards per game. He has gained 686 yards and has scored six touchdowns and he has posted consecutive 100-yard games. In addition to Griffith, freshman running back Denim Cook has gained 274 yards rushing and is averaging 9.1 yards per carry and has scored six touchdowns on the year.

Junior quarterback Nolan Hair is 125-for-197 passing for 1,246 yards and has had 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Hair is also averaging 161.8 yards of total offense per game as he has had 48 yards rushing to go with his 1,246 passing yards. In his career, he has completed nearly 62 percent of his passes for 4,201 yards and 41 touchdowns. He is one of 14th Truman quarterbacks to throw for over 4,000 yards in a career.

The Bulldogs have four receivers that have caught at least 20 passes for 200 or more yards on the year as sophomore Tate Crane and senior tight end Matt Hall are the top targets in the passing game as each have caught 30 passes on the season. Crane has 30 receptions for 284 yards and has had two touchdown receptions, while Hall has 30 catches for 294 yards and four touchdowns.

Another strength of Truman's offense is their ability to score in the red zone as they are 13th in Division II and first in the GLVC in red zone offense at a 90 percent scoring rate. On the year, the Bulldogs have scored 22 touchdowns and had five field goals in their 30 trips into the red zone.

On special teams, senior punter Taylor Cornish is second in the GLVC in punting average as he is averaging 38.2 yards per punt and has downed 14 punts inside the 20-yard line and has had four punt of 50 or more yards.

Sophomore kicker Grant Ross is 8-for-10 on field goals, including being 3-for-3 on field goals or more than 40 yards. Ross has also made 27 of his 29 extra point attempts. He leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 51 points.

Thomas is second in punt returns in the league as he averages 16.7 per return, while redshirt freshman Jack Butchko is averaging 24.7 yards per kickoff return.

Truman State holds a 7-2 advantage in the all-time series with McKendree that dates back to 2011. The Bulldogs have won four straight games in the series, including picking up a 44-13 win last season at Leemon Field. McKendree is 1-3 against the Bulldogs in Kirksville and haven't won on Truman's field since a 31-3 win in 2016.McKendree that dates back to 2011. The Bulldogs have won three straight meetings in the series, including picking up a 45-17 win in the most recent meeting in 2019 in Kirksville, Mo. McKendree is 1-3 against the Bulldogs at Leemon Field.