Liberty, MO - The McKendree University football team generated 424 yards of offense to William Jewell's 289 and mounted a late fourth-quarter rally, a high-quality effort all told, but untimely turnovers and a penalty total well above its early-season pace proved costly in a 28-21 road loss amid rainy skies Saturday at Greene Stadium.
RICHARDSON PROVIDES THE EARLY SPARK
McKendree (1-3, 1-1) struck first behind
Jerry Richardson, who broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run on the Bearcats' opening possession. The run capped a five-play, 75-yard drive, and
Truman Carnine's extra point gave McKendree a 7-0 lead with 9:38 remaining in the first quarter. William Jewell answered with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Charlie Loose to Xavier Winston to even the score.
The Bearcat defense delivered a key stand on the Cardinals' next possession. With William Jewell facing third-and-goal at the McKendree 1-yard line, the defense stopped consecutive rushing attempts, with
Drake Mosley and
Keaton Fort combining on the fourth-down stop to keep the game tied early in the second quarter.
McKendree then worked its way out of the shadow of its own goal line, moving from its 1-yard line to the William Jewell 31. A 37-yard completion to
Kendric Johnson helped fuel the march, but an interception and 64-yard return abruptly changed field position, giving the Cardinals possession at the McKendree 21. William Jewell converted that short field into a touchdown three plays later, taking a 14-7 lead on a nine-yard scoring pass to RaeSean Eaton.
The defense prevented further damage before halftime.
Nick Bova's eight-yard sack helped push back another Cardinal possession that began in McKendree territory, and a missed 53-yard field goal kept the deficit at seven heading into the break.
BEARCATS ANSWER AFTER HALFTIME
McKendree opened the second half with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that consumed 5:42 and featured three third-down conversions.
Kendrick Lyons connected with
Aiden Jones for 35 yards on third-and-six before Richardson finished the possession with a 16-yard touchdown reception on third-and-13. Carnine's extra point tied the game at 14-14 with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter.
The Bearcats held William Jewell scoreless throughout the third quarter, limiting the Cardinals to 33 yards of offense in the period to carry the tie into the final 15 minutes.
CRUCIAL POSSESSION SWINGS IN THE FOURTH
McKendree's defense came up with two fumble recoveries early in the fourth quarter, but the ensuing possessions ended before the Bearcats could capitalize.
Josiah Houston recovered the first at the McKendree 41 with 14:37 remaining. The offense advanced to the William Jewell 40 before a lost fumble returned possession to the Cardinals.
Gerald Floyd then recovered a fumble at the McKendree 2-yard line to halt another Cardinal scoring threat with 10:21 left. On the first play following that recovery, however, a fumble was recovered in the end zone by William Jewell, putting the Cardinals ahead 21-14. The sequence turned a defensive takeaway near the goal line into the go-ahead points just six seconds later.
The Bearcats extended their next possession with a 13-yard run by the punter
Luke Herzic on fourth-and-seven, but the drive eventually ended on fourth-and-one at midfield. On the ensuing Cardinal possession, an eight-yard sack on third-and-10 was negated by a defensive holding penalty. William Jewell scored on the next play, a 20-yard touchdown run by Kavious Record, to move ahead 28-14 with 3:35 remaining.
McKendree responded with great urgency. Following
Latrell Bonner's 36-yard kickoff return, the Bearcats covered 64 yards in seven plays and just 1:29. Lyons found
Daryle Jones Jr. for a 21-yard touchdown on third-and-seven, and Carnine's extra point brought McKendree within 28-21 with 1:59 left.
Although the ensuing onside kick did not return possession to McKendree, the defense forced a punt to provide one final opportunity. Johnson's 14-yard return positioned the Bearcats at their own 40 with eight seconds remaining, but the final possession ended with an interception on a downfield pass as time expired. McKendree finished with four turnovers, two interceptions and two lost fumbles, while William Jewell scored 14 points off takeaways.
PENALTIES CONTRAST WITH EARLY-SEASON NUMBERS
Saturday's penalty totals represented a significant departure from McKendree's first three games. The Bearcats entered the weekend as the GLVC's least-penalized team, ranking sixth in NCAA Division II in fewest penalties with just 11 and fifth in fewest penalty yards with just 96.
McKendree was assessed 13 penalties for 106 yards against William Jewell, exceeding its combined totals from the first three games in both categories. The Cardinals finished with five penalties for 35 yards. Seven of William Jewell's 18 first downs came by penalty, while McKendree's 18 first downs all came through the running or passing game.
The impact extended beyond the yardage totals, with penalties prolonging Cardinal possessions and taking gains off the board for the Bearcats. A first-quarter third-down completion that would have moved McKendree to the William Jewell 26 was negated by an ineligible-receiver-downfield penalty, and another first-down completion into Cardinal territory was erased by the same infraction before halftime. Those setbacks, along with the fourth-quarter holding penalty that extended William Jewell's final touchdown drive, added to the obstacles McKendree faced in a one-score game.
BEARCAT LEADERS
Richardson led McKendree with 129 rushing yards on 20 carries and added three receptions for 26 yards, finishing with 155 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. The Bearcats totaled 169 yards on the ground.
Lyons completed 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, distributing completions to eight receivers. Jones Jr. led the receiving group with four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown, while
Aiden Jones added four receptions for 48 yards and
Michale Sutton contributed two catches for 47 yards.
Defensively,
Jayden Howard and Bova shared the team lead with 10 tackles apiece. Bova and
Robert Frank each recorded a sack, and McKendree finished with five tackles for loss. The Bearcats held William Jewell to just one conversion in nine third-down attempts while converting nine of their own 16 opportunities.
UP NEXT
McKendree returns home for the "Top Hat Game" on Saturday, October 3rd, battling the Quincy Hawks (2-2, 1-0 GLVC) in the Battle for the Land of Lincoln. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Leemon Field in Lebanon.
OF NOTE - WILD DAY IN THE GLVC
Perhaps already evident from afar, but the GLVC Football Championship is completely up for grabs. In Week 4 alone, Lincoln, picked last in the GLVC, beat Upper Iowa, who was receiving votes in the preseason AFCA poll. Truman State, who was 0-3 through non-conference play, beat UIndy 29-27, with the Greyhounds now falling to 1-4 and 0-2 in the GLVC after being the #9 team in the nation in the aforementioned AFCA preseason rankings.
Beyond William Jewell at 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the GLVC, nobody in the conference has an overall record above .500, including four teams with one win or less.
