Fayette, IA - The McKendree University Football team (4-5, 4-3 GLVC) ran into a red-hot Upper Iowa (7-2, 5-1) squad Saturday afternoon and fell 57-7 on the road in Fayette. The Peacocks - winners of six of their last seven entering the day - asserted control early and never relinquished momentum, while the Bearcats battled through all four quarters and broke through with a touchdown drive in the final quarter.
Upper Iowa opened the scoring in the first quarter with a safety, then capitalized on field position to find the end zone moments later for a 9-0 lead. McKendree crossed midfield on its next drive, but the Peacocks answered with a quick strike and continued to build their advantage. A 12-play, 94-yard UIU drive late in the second quarter pushed the margin, and a field goal as time expired sent McKendree to halftime trailing 26-0.
The Peacocks continued their surge out of the break, adding touchdowns on their first two possessions and cashing in an interception for another score. McKendree moved the ball effectively at times in the third, including a multi-first-down march that crossed midfield, but Upper Iowa tacked on a 38-yard field goal to make it 43-0 heading to the fourth.
The Bearcats finally broke through with a sustained 17-play, 85-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, capped by an 11-yard scoring run from
Philip Shaw at the 12:01 mark. Upper Iowa answered with long touchdown plays down the stretch to close out the game.
Despite the result, McKendree out-possessed Upper Iowa by nearly five minutes and generated 19 first downs on the afternoon.
BEARCAT STATISTICAL NOTABLES
Offensive
Eddie Clark | 18 carries, 84 rushing yards (4.7 per carry)
Philip Shaw | 6 carries, 42 rushing yards, 1 touchdown
Defensive
Nick Bova | 10 total tackles (5 solo), 1 tackle for loss
Isaiah Loera | 7 total tackles (4 solo), 1 tackle for loss
Special Teams
Chase Reeves | 5 punts, 44.4 yards per punt, long of 49 yards, 1 inside the 20
David Richard | 6 kickoff returns, 91 yards (15.2 yards per return), long of 20 yards
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
@ Northeastern State Riverhawks (6-3)
Saturday, November 8th - 1:00 PM
at Doc Wadley Stadium - Tahlequah, OK
Watch Live ($) (MIAA Network)
Listen Live (KEOK-FM)
Live Stats (Sidearm Sports)
Tickets (Vivenu)
