Bolivar, MO - The McKendree University Football team (3-3, 3-1 GLVC) authored a finish to remember at Plaster Stadium on Saturday, driving 96 yards in the final 1:35 and cashing in on Ty Michael's five-yard swing to Eddie Clark with :09 left to vault the Bearcats past Southwest Baptist in SBU's Homecoming game, 26-24. Michael threw for 425 yards and two touchdowns. Daryle Jones Jr. and Jaylen Ford each eclipsed 100 receiving yards, and the defense delivered a last-play takeaway to seal McKendree's third GLVC victory. 

The opening sequence belonged to the hosts as SBU hit a 65-yard catch-and-run on the first play of the game, but McKendree's defense quickly leveled off, forcing a fourth-down stop in plus territory. The first quarter closed at 7-0 in favor of SBU, with McKendree moving the ball at their front tightening after the early jolt. 

A defensive playmaker swung momentum in the second. Logan Turbyfill jumped a route at the McKendree 25 and returned in 31 yards to set up a short field. Six snaps later, Michael zipped a 24-yard score to Daryle Jones Jr. to level it at 7-7. SBU answered with a late-half 48-yard kick for a 10-7 edge at the break, but the tenor had changed - McKendree had its timing, its spacing, and a takeaway in its pocket. 

The third quarter turned into a volley. SBU struck first on a 73-yard deep ball at 12:11, only for McKendree to respond with a composed 10-play, 75-yard answer capped by Philip Shaw's one-yard plunge at 6:17. After another stop, Chase Reeves split the uprights from 35 yards at 2:35 to pull even, but SBU had another score in them, this one from 15-yards out with just :20 left in the quarter, setting up the fourth frame with a 24-17 SBU advantage. 

McKendree methodically chipped into the deficit to start the fourth, covering 69 yards in 10 snaps before Reeves banged home a 25-yarder at 11:10. The defenses then tranded stands and field position became the lever. When SBU punted McKendree back to its own four with 1:35 to play, the scenario was stark. You have 95 seconds to go 96 yards. 

What followed was poise under a stopwatch. Michael jump-started the series with quick completions to move the sticks, found Brylan Apholone in stride to get out near midfield, and then leaned on Jaylen Ford on the perimeter - chunk plays that sliced the remaining ground to the red zone. With the clock melting, Michael hit Ford for 16 and again for eight to get to the SBU 5, stopped the clock with an incompletion, and then calmly checked to Clark on third-and-two, a five-yard swing that Clark knifed inside the pylon with :09 on the board to cap a nine-play, 96-yard masterpiece in 1:26.

Chaos ensued, as on the final play, SBU's lateral play ended in a forced fumble by Keaton Fort and Turbyfill's recovery - closing the curtains on this one with a 26-24 McKendree victory. 

BEARCAT STATISTICAL LEADERS
Offensive
Ty Michael | 34-54, 425 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Eddie Clark | (Rushing) 20 attempts, 43 yards | (Receiving) 5 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD

Defensive
Logan Turbyfill | 9 tackles (4 solo), 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery
Dwayne Wilmington | 2 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 sack, 1 QB hurry

Special Teams
Chase Reeves | 2-3 FGs (35, 25), 58 yards per kickoff, 38.2 yards per punt
Eric Dickerson Jr. | 2 punt returns, 16 yards

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
Cancer Awareness Game
vs. Missouri S&T Miners (3-4, 1-3 GLVC)
Saturday, October 18th - 1:00 PM CST
at Leemon Field - Lebanon, IL
Watch Live ($) (GLVCSN)
Listen Live (104.9 FM ESPN)
Live Stats (Sidearm Sports)
Tickets (UniversityTickets)