Lebanon, IL - Fresh off an overtime victory that kept the Top Hat in Lebanon, the McKendree University football team will look to give its Homecoming crowd another reason to celebrate when Southwest Baptist visits Leemon Field on Saturday. 

McKendree enters the matchup following its 46-43 win over Quincy. Southwest Baptist just cruised to victory over Lincoln in their homecoming game last week. 

Head coach Jason Rejfek's team is unbeaten at Leemon Field this season, having defeated UIndy 35-31 before outlasting Quincy last weekend. A Homecoming victory would give McKendree three consecutive home wins and bring its overall record back to .500.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Southwest Baptist (3-3, 2-1) at McKendree (2-3, 2-1)
Date: Saturday, October 10th
Kickoff: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Lebanon, Illinois
Stadium: Leemon Field
Watch: GLVCSN ($)
Listen: No Radio This Week
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Tickets: UniversityTickets

**Fans are encouraged to arrive earlier for this game due to an anticipated limited amount of parking. Tailgate lot opens at 9:00 AM. Admission into Leemon Field begins at 11:30 AM.** 

RICHARDSON POWERS McKENDREE'S OFFENSE
Junior running back Jerry Richardson enters Homecoming following his most productive outing of the season. The Collinsville, Illinois native rushed for 199 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries against Quincy, earning GLVC Offensive Player of the Week recognition. His scoring runs covered 72 and 30 yards, and a 23-yard reception pushed his all-purpose total to 222 yards. 

Richardson has rushed for 328 yards over his last two games after gaining 129 at William Jewell. He leads McKendree with 414 rushing yards this season, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

McKendree's ground game produced 287 yards and three touchdowns against Quincy, with Izaias Primus adding 49 yards and a score and quarterback Kendrick Lyons contributing 39 yards. McKendree finished with 454 yards of total offense and averaged 7.2 yards per play.

Ten different McKendree players caught a pass in the victory. Charlie Blondin connected with Michale Sutton for a 25-yard touchdown on the opening possession, while Lyons found Brylan Apholone for a 30-yard score on the next drive. Lyons has thrown for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, with Kendric Johnson leading the receiving corps in yardage at 356 and touchdown catches with four. Quincy Hall Jr. has added 283 receiving yards and two scores.

CARNINE AND SPECIAL TEAMS MAKE THEIR MARK
Freshman kicker Truman Carnine's perfect afternoon against Quincy brought both conference and national recognition. Carnine earned GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week honors before being named the D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week. He accounted for 14 points, making field goals from 38, 41, and 39 yards and converting all five extra-point attempts. His final kick provided the winning points in overtime. 

McKendree's special teams impact extended beyond the kicking game. Kaleb Randolph and Aden Chase each blocked a Quincy extra point attempt, with Mylan Nettles returning Chase's block 83 yards for a defensive two-point conversion that immediately erased a 33-31 third-quarter deficit.

McKENDREE'S DEFENSE DELIVERS IN DECISIVE MOMENTS
McKendree's defense supplied the opportunity for Carnine's game-winner when Johnnie Robinson intercepted Quincy's second play of overtime and returned the ball 64 yards. Robinson finished with six tackles and a pass breakup, while Darren Pennell broke up a fourth-down pass earlier in the fourth quarter to halt another Quincy scoring opportunity.

Senior linebacker Nick Bova led McKendree with nine tackles against the Hawks and has a team-high 41 stops this season. Jayden Howard added seven tackles, while freshman defensive lineman Cooper Zimmer recorded five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Those timely plays will be important against an SBU offense capable of moving the ball through the air and on the ground.

SCOUTING SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
Southwest Baptist arrives with consecutive conference victories, following a 31-28 road win over Missouri S&T with a 52-17 Homecoming victory over Lincoln. SBU generated 561 yards against the Blue Tigers, including 292 rushing yards, and forced four turnovers. Through six games, SBU averages 39.3 points and 451.2 yards of total offense.

True freshman quarterback Cooper Owens made his second consecutive start against Lincoln, completing 20 of 24 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Owens has completed 72.5 percent of his passes this season for 710 yards and eight touchdowns. Marcus Rhoden and Jaden Mays provide big-play targets, combining for 622 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches. 

Jobe Smith leads SBU's rushing attack with 620 yards, averaging 103.3 per game, while Tyrone Scyrus has contributed 353 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Smith and Scyrus gained 94 and 90 yards, respectively, against Lincoln. SBU averages 207.5 rushing yards per game but also allows 212.8, giving McKendree an opportunity to build on its recent success on the ground. 

Protecting the football will be another priority after McKendree completed the Quincy game without a turnover. SBU has intercepted 10 passes this season, with Maxwell Kates and Joel Beshore collecting three apiece. Ricky Woodhouse leads SBU with 75 tackles.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 12th meeting between the programs, with McKendree holding an 8-3 series advantage and a 4-1 record in Lebanon. McKendree has won the last two matchups, defeating SBU 37-14 in 2024 and 26-24 in Bolivar last season.

The 2025 meeting ended with a nine-play, 96-yard McKendree scoring drive, capped by Ty Michael's five-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Clark with nine seconds remaining. Rejfek is 2-0 against Southwest Baptist as McKendree's head coach.