McKENDREE vs. BOWIE STATE -- SATURDAY, SEPT. 15, 2018, 1 p.m.
Leemon Field -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
BOWIE STATE GAME NOTES
BOWIE STATE SEASON STATISTICS
LEBANON, Illinois --The McKendree University football team returns to Leemon Field on Saturday to take on Bowie State University in non-conference play. The Bearcats and Bulldogs are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The game will be carried live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree, beginning with Joe Zydlo's pre-game show at approximately 12:45 p.m.
For the third time in the last four years, McKendree is off to a 2-0 start thanks to its 34-17 victory last Saturday at Kentucky State University. Reece Metcalf (Mount Carmel, IL/Mount Carmel) threw a career-high four touchdown passes -- all in the first half -- to stake the Bearcats to a 27-10 halftime lead it would not relinquish. Metcalf was nearly perfect on the day, completing 18-of-22 pass attempts for 260 yards. In addition to his career-best four TD passes, Metcalf threw the longest scoring strike of his career last Saturday, a 75-yard connection with freshman wide receiver Steven Towns, Jr. (Normal, IL/Normal Community), with just 27 seconds left before halftime. Preston Thompson (Hazel Crest, IL/Tinley Park)also enjoyed a productive afternoon at Kentucky State, rushing for a game-high 143 yards on 16 carries. Among Thompson's totals was a 65-yard touchdown rush in the first minute of the fourth quarter to help seal the victory for the Bearcats.
Defensively, Ricco Gipson paced McKendree with nine tackles, while five other Bearcats each chipped in five tackles. The Bearcats' defense had a pair of goal-line stands in the second half, stopping fourth-down plays inside the McKendree two-yard line on each occasion.
Through two games, Metcalf leads NCAA Division II with a 216.2 passer rating. He is also third in completion percentage (.745) and 25th in passing yards (518). Thompson is 19th in yards per carry (6.7) and 25th in total touchdowns (3). Bowie State, which led all NCAA Division II programs in scoring offense and total offense in 2017 on its way to a 9-2 overall record and a 6-1 mark in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, brings another high-powered attack to Leemon Field. The Bulldogs, who are 1-1 this season following a 38-31 win at Alderson Broaddus University last week, enter Saturday's game ranked No. 5 in Division II in passing offense at 365 yards per game. Quarterback Amir Hall, a returning All-American for Bowie State, ranks third in Division II in total offense (389.5 YPG), fourth in passing yards (730), fifth in passing yards per game (365.0) and ninth in touchdown passes (9).
Brandon Abrams leads the Bulldogs' ground attack with 141 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Montez Clay (13 receptions) and Gilbert Lunsford (12 catches) pace a talented receiving corps for Bowie State, while Lansana Sesay is averaging better than 21 yards per reception. Through two games, 11 different players have registered at least one catch for Bowie State.
Defensively, Joshua Pryor has provided an immediate impact for Bowie State with a team-best 17 tackles, including five for loss. Taylor Johnson has added 12 stops, while William Flowers has collected 10 solo tackles for the Bulldogs.
Saturday's game will mark the first meeting on the gridiron between McKendree and Bowie State. The Bulldogs are also the first of two consecutive CIAA opponents on the Bearcats' schedule this season. McKendree will wrap up non-conference play next Saturday -- Sept. 22 -- with a trip to Murfreesboro, N.C., to take on Chowan University. The Bearcats will open their Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule in two weeks with a night contest at Quincy University on Sept. 29.
McKendree University Bearcats Athletic Communications
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