FAU Owls, Singletary Rush Past Bethune-Cookman, 49-28

BOCA RATON, Florida  – "Motor" Devin Singletary scored four rushing touchdowns in the first quarter alone, towards a school record of five on the night, and the Florida Atlantic University football team upended Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night at FAU Stadium, 49-28.

Quotable
"Obviously the tale of two games," said Head Coach Lane Kiffin. "Started off 29-0. First quarter for four rushing touchdowns from Motor in one quarter shutting them out and we really played sloppy after that. No excuses. We got to play better than that. So, it's always a challenge in a game that was so easy in a quarter to get guys to buy into you and still play in at the same intensity level. We started to relax. It was 29-0. They didn't sing the fight song in there. They were kind of ripping each other about how they played, especially defensively. Our defense really expected to shut out today like last year, so it's good to see them change the standards around here. You know, win the game by 21 points and everyone in there is upset. It's a long ways from when we first got here."

PHOTO GALLERY

Junior Tight End Harrison Bryant

"It was a good night for the tight end room and really for the whole offense, but we left a lot of yards out on the field and we were not really happy with our performance."
On De'Andre Johnson's touchdown...
It was really awesome to see. His helmet almost came off, but he still scored."

Junior Offensive Lineman Brandon Walton
"We were moving the ball pretty well in the first half and got (Devin) some pretty good yards, I feel like we fell off at some point and we lost our drive and that's what we need to focus on for the next week."

Junior Running Back Kerrith Whyte, Jr.
On the team's performance...
"We need to work harder, it was not to our standards...we have a lot of work to do."

Quick Hits

• On the opening drive, the Owls (2-1) held the Wildcats (1-2) to a 3-and-out, and on FAU's ensuing 3rd down, Chris Robison found tight end Harrison Bryant for 21 yards for the team's first 1st down
• On 4th-and-3 from the BCU 27, it was again Robison-to-Bryant, this time for a gain of 22 down to the 5-yard-line
• Three plays later, Singletary made it 16 straight games with a rushing touchdown, from seven yards out. That is a new Conference USA record
• Robison found Jovon Durante for the 2-point conversion and an 8-0 lead at 10:10 in the 1st
• Owls forced another 3-and-out, and punt, with Willie Wright taking the return 51 yards into BCU territory to the 32
• It took the Owls 57 seconds and just four plays to score again, with Singletary going in from 18 yards. Vladimir Rivas' extra point pushed the lead to 15-0
• On FAU's third drive, Robison had a 27-yard rush that ended with a leaping hurdle over a BCU defender
• Singletary notched his third score three plays later (a two-yard run), and Rivas was successful again to make it 22-0
• After the FAU kickoff unit forced a fumble (Ahman Ross jarred it loose, Silver Saunders recovered it), 37 seconds later, Singletary made it four and a 29-0 advantage
• That, in just one quarter's time, tied FAU's single-game mark, recorded previously by Doug Parker (2001), Jason Driskel (2017) and Singletary twice last season
• BCU scored on the first drive of the second quarter, on a 4th down pass that covered 31 yards, from Akevious Williams to Jimmie Robinson
• After a Rashad Smith interception, his second in as many games, the Owls again faced 4th down, but again Robison would find Bryant, this time for 19 to the BCU 5
• Singletary would go in for his fifth touchdown for a new school game record to make it 36-7, midway through the 2nd
• The Wildcats scored with under a minute to go in the first half, on a five-yard pass from Williams to Keavon Mitchell
• On the Owls' first drive of the 3rd, Kerrith Whyte, Jr. had back-to-back 13-yard runs, and again FAU got big yardage on 4th down (at that point going to 4-for-4 on conversions in the game), with Robison finding Durante for 32 yards into BCU territory
• Robison to Durante would end up capping the 12-play, 89-yard drive, a 10-yard score to extend the lead to 43-14
• BCU answered with a long bomb, for 41 yards, Williams to Jonathon Thomas late in the 3rd, cutting it to 43-21
• Early in the final period, De'Andre Johnson came on and had a fantastic touchdown run from 21 yards out, as he kept inbounds on the near sideline and into the end zone. The extra point was not good, but the Owls' lead became 49-21
• A 4-yard rushing score just under three minutes later by Williams
• Whyte would set a new career high on the Owls' next drive, surpassing 80 he had versus North Texas a year ago. He led the squad on the night with an even 100 yards on the ground, just ahead of Singletary's 84
• Only a bad snap on 4th-and-5 with under 2:30 to go prevented FAU from being perfect on 4th down conversions. They were 7-for-7 to that point
• The Owls outrushed the Wildcats on the night, 376 to 122
• Saunders picked up the first carries of his FAU career, eight of them for 46 yards. Robison had 42 yards on the ground, and Gerald Hearns chipped in with 31 yards on four rushes
• True freshman Malcolm Davidson came on on the last drive and had a 32-yard gain up the middle and sophomore James Charles, on his first rush ever, ran for 10 yards on the final play of the game
• Durante and Bryant paced the Owl passcatchers. Durante had the most catches, seven, for 72 yards, while Bryant led in yards, 82, on five receptions 

Looking Ahead
FAU hits the road for a Friday night primetime contest against UCF in Orlando. The Owls and the Knights kick off at 7 p.m., for a nationally-televised ESPN broadcast. UCF, currently ranked No. 18 in the country, has won 15 straight games, which includes a 13-0 mark last season.

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UC Bearcat football airs it out early in 63-7 rout of Alabama A&M

CORRYVILLE, Ohio -- Though it extends into last season, University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell has a two-game win streak now at Nippert Stadium.

After grinding on the ground last week, the Bearcats took to the air early and often against Alabama A&M scoring 28 points in the first quarter on their way to a 63-7 biting of the Bulldogs. Four players recorded their first college touchdowns.

The Bearcats racked up 741 yards of total offense, second only to the 752 they had in a 2015 loss to Memphis. UC ran for 409 yards and threw for 332 with four quarterbacks combining to go 21-for-26. There was balance, but the early plan clearly involved flying footballs.

"The first couple games didn't lend itself for a lot of those opportunities," Fickell said. "We've had confidence in it. We've seen it throughout fall camp."

Quarterback Desmond Ridder threw for more yards in the opening frame than he had in the previous two games. The redshirt freshman was 9-for-10 for 199 yards and three scores. He also ran in his first collegiate score for good measure.

"The first two games, it was obviously tough to throw the ball," Ridder said. "UCLA pressured us a lot, it was hard to get time to throw the ball and last week against Miami the rain made it very tough. This week was perfect conditions. We knew we were going to come out and throw it a lot and that's what we did."



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Week 3: HBCU Football Storm Modified Scoreboard

THURSDAY, Sept. 13, 2018
Newberry 27, Virginia University of Lynchburg 14

SATURDAY, Sept. 15, 2018

CIAA
Bowie State 47, McKendree (IL) 41
Clarion 44, Lincoln (Pa.) 7

SIAC
Morehouse 41, Central State (OH) 14
Fort Valley State 21, Miles 19  
Tuskegee 24, Clark Atlanta 17  
West Georgia 45, Albany State (Ga.) 21
Kentucky Wesleyan 19, Kentucky State 13,  

OTHER HBCUs
UW-Oshkosh 17, Lincoln (Mo.) 7
Notre Dame College 33, West Virginia State 31  
Texas Wesleyan 36, Texas College 7 

MEAC
Jackson State 18, Florida A&M 16` 
Florida Atlantic 49, Bethune-Cookman 28
Albany (NY) 30, Morgan State 27 
Western Michigan 68, Delaware State 0  

SWAC
Cincinnati  63, Alabama A&M 7
Kennesaw State 62, Alabama State 13 
South Dakota State 90, Arkansas Pine Bluff 6 
Southern 33, Langston 18 
Alcorn State  27, Texas Southern 15
UNLV 46, Prairie View A&M 17 

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North Carolina A&T State Men's Golf Heads Into Year Two

EAST GREENSBORO, North Carolina – North Carolina A&T men’s golf begins season No. 2 with new building blocks designed to improve upon their inaugural season in 2017-18. The Aggies will open the 2018-19 season Sept. 28-29 in the National Black College Hall of Fame HBCU Invitational Golf Classic.

The classic will be played at the par-72, 6,954-yard Summer Grove Golf Club in Newman, Ga. It will feature the top Division I and Division II historically black college or university golf teams from across the country. It is the largest HBCU golf tournament sanctioned by the NCAA.

2018-19 Aggies Golf Schedule

The Aggies will wait 2 ½ weeks before competing again as they will travel north to play in the two-day Maryland Eastern Shore Collegiate Challenge hosted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Berlin, Md, Oct. 16-17. The men finished fifth last season at MDES’s event. Four days later the Aggies will be in Gulf Shore, Ala., to participate in the Black College Association Golf Tournament.

The final golf tournament of the semester will be the annual Tiger Invitational hosted by Savannah State University. The men had a strong first two rounds last season in Savannah, Ga., before finishing sixth. A new semester will bring on the Lonnie Barton Invitational hosted by LIU Brooklyn in Daytona, Beach, Fla, March 4-5.

N.C. A&T will stay in sunny Daytona for the week as the Gary Freeman Spring Invitational hosted by Bethune-Cookman University will take place March 7-8. A busy March for the Aggies will continue as head coach Richard Watkins will take his team to the coast to Wilmington, N.C., for the Cape Fear Invitational.

Maryland is the next destination for the Aggies as Towson University will host the Towson Spring Invitational, April 6-7. It will be the Aggies warm-up tournament before traveling back to Savannah for the MEAC Championship Golf Tournament, April 19-21. Another big championship event awaits three weeks later at the PGA Minority Golf Championships in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Men’s golf had its growing pains in Year 1 and they did lose their top golfer Luis Acevedo to graduation, but they return four golfers from last year’s inaugural season and they added two outstanding freshmen and one junior college transfer heading into their second season.

Cody Lissner, Cameron Bryant, Austin Trent and Casey Lindo are back on the course while Diego Gonzalez and Xavier Williams were added as freshmen and Stefan Holczer transferred in from Tyler Junior College in Texas and will have three more years of eligibility.

“We understand there are two ways that we can get better. One of those ways is to improve the athletes we have and the other is to recruit better athletes,” said Watkins. “We accomplished both and now we have to see how that plays out on the golf course this year.”

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

MEAC Women's Basketball Champs, North Carolina A&T Has Tough 2018-19 Schedule

EAST GREENSBORO, North Carolina – North Carolina A&T women’s basketball is fully invested in winning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournaments and regular seasons. If evidence is needed of this fact, take a look at their 2018-19 non-conference schedule.

N.C. A&T has released its latest schedule which includes four non-conference opponents who won 20 or more games last season. Four teams on the schedule reached the postseason.

Women's Basketball 2018-19 Schedule

“I am happy with the way our schedule came together,” said N.C. A&T coach Tarrell Robinson who enters his seventh season with a 122-67 (.646). “Every year it is our goal to provide a competitive and challenging non-conference schedule that will prepare us for conference play. We will be tested but in order to compete for another conference championship, we have to play teams who will prepare us for our MEAC schedule.”

The Aggies are not without clout. They enter the season seeking their third regular-season and MEAC tournament title in four seasons. They return eight players from last year’s team that won a share of the MEAC regular season along with the tournament title with their win over Hampton.

They were rewarded with an NCAA tournament appearance where they play a competitive game against No. 2 seed South Carolina before losing, 63-52 in Columbia. The Aggies entered the tournament after winning 19 of 20 games. They finished the season 23-9. After the Aggies went 15-1 last season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, what may be particularly scary for N.C. A&T’s MEAC foes are that none of their returning eight players are seniors.

“Our core group last year were sophomores and now they are juniors that have a championship under their belt,” said Robinson. “This schedule gives them an opportunity to build on our success from last season.”

Robinson and his crew open the season with three straight home games that include the Aggies season-opener against Morehead State 5:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9 at Corbett Sports Center. The Eagles went 21-11 last season and finished fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Home contests against Akron (Nov. 13) and Division II Winston-Salem State (Nov. 16). They get the University of Virginia on Nov. 20. The Wahoos finished second in the ACC Coastal Division at 10-6. UVa played at the same Columbia NCAA Regional as N.C. A&T last season.

Four days later the Aggies will play in the Navy Thanksgiving Tournament where their first opponent will be a Maine team whose 2017-18 season mirrored N.C. A&T’s. The Black Bears went 23-10, won the American East Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA tournament. N.C. A&T closes out the tournament against the host school, Navy.

After Nov. 29 contest at Western Carolina, the Aggies return home to face Division II Johnson C. Smith on Dec. 10. The Aggies hit the road for another tough contest at East Tennessee State on Dec. 13. ETSU went 20-13 overall and 11-3 in the Southern Conference for a second-place finish. The Buccaneers advanced to the postseason WNIT.

Another 20-win team from last season awaits next when the Aggies travel a few miles from Greensboro for a game at Elon on Dec. 18. The Phoenix went 25-8 last season with one of their wins coming against N.C. A&T at Corbett Sports Center. They also won the CAA tournament and played in the NCAA tournament. Robinson, who served as an assistant coach at VCU for three seasons, will welcome in his old team to Corbett on Dec. 21.

N.C. A&T will close out the non-conference season at the FAU Post Christmas Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. The Aggies open against host Florida Atlantic on Dec. 28 before playing either Yale or St. Louis on Dec. 29.

Conference play opens at S.C. State on Saturday, Jan. 5. N.C. A&T shared the regular-season conference title with Bethune-Cookman last season. Their one and only matchup this season occurs in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 4. They will play arch-rival N.C. Central twice, at NCCU on Jan. 26 and at Corbett Sports Center on March 7.

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Dillard Bleu Devils Set To Battle Crosstown Rival Xavier Gold Nuggets at 1 PM Today (Live Stream Video)

NEW ORLEANS, Louisana  --  Dillard looks to get back in the win column against crosstown rival Xavier (La.) Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Xavier University of Louisiana Convocation Center.

The Lady Bleu Devils (6-9, 1-0 GCAC) will play its third road match of the week and second conference match, while it will be the conference opener for the Gold Nuggets (9-4). Dillard defeated Southern University at New Orleans in straight sets Tuesday before falling to NCAA Division I Mississippi Valley State Thursday.

Dillard and Xavier (La.) will meet for the 26th time, the most for Dillard against any opponent. Xavier (La.) leads the series 18-7.

Head Coach Nancy Sikobe is her third season with the Lady Bleu Devils, while Pat Kendrick is in her second year at Xavier (La.).

Presentation presented to Dillard University student-athletes at the annual Scholar-Athlete Leadership Training held at the beginning of each school year.

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SCOUTING THE GOLD NUGGETS (9-4)

• Xavier (La.) is receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
• The Gold Nuggets are 1-1 against nationally ranked opponents.
• Xavier (La.) went 23-3 in 2017 en route to winning the GCAC Tournament.
• As a team, Xavier (La.) is ranked 17th in the country in total blocks (107.0).
• Vivica Price-Spraggins is eighth in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.385)

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bleu Devils by following Dillard Athletics on Twitter at @GeauxDU, Facebook at Facebook.com/dillardbleudevils/ and Instagram at Instagram.com/dillardbleudevils/. 

DILLARD UNIVERSITY BLEU DEVILS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Alcorn State Braves Put Home Streak at Stake in Non-Conference Game Against Texas Southern

Alcorn Game Notes | TSU Game Notes | Watch Braves All-Access | Live Radio | Live Stats | Clear Bag Policy
LORMAN, Mississippi – Riding a five-game home winning-streak, the Alcorn State University football program will host Texas Southern in a non-conference game Saturday at 6 p.m. at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium.
 
Alcorn's (1-1, 0-0 SWAC) home streak was carried over from last year when it won its final four contests in Lorman.
 
Last weekend, the Braves broke a Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium scoring record after defeating Louisiana College 78-0. It was the second-most lopsided score in school history, only behind a 101-0 victory over Paul Quinn in 1967. Alcorn won its home opener for the sixth year in a row.




Alcorn's offense spread it around against LC as 12 different student-athletes recorded a carry and 10 different wide receivers caught a pass. Touchdown runs were tallied by junior Noah Johnson, freshman Jyron Russell, senior P.J. Simmons, freshman Trey Turner and sophomore Jamaskian Chapman. Touchdown passes were hauled in by junior Raidarious Anderson, senior Dayall Harris, junior Tavares Johnson, junior Chris Blair and sophomore LeCharles Pringle.
 
The Braves lead the SWAC with 229 rushing yards per game this season. Simmons, the SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, has tallied 76 yards on 16 carries for a 4.8 yards per rush average.
 
Senior wide receiver Johnathan Hauer is the reigning SWAC Newcomer of the Week winner. On the very first possession of the game against LC, he darted in from the right side and blocked a punt which was scooped up and returned for a touchdown. The Braves never looked back from there. Hauer also caught three passes for 32 yards including a 21-yard reception.
 
Noah Johnson is expected to get the start at quarterback, though all four on the depth chart have been used. Johnson is 17-for-24 passing for 146 yards this year with two passing and one rushing touchdown.
 
TSU (1-1, 0-0 SWAC) beat UT-Permian Basin 26-16 in its season opener before falling at Texas State 36-20 last weekend. TSU head coach Michael Haywood is in his third season at the helm.
 
The Tigers have used two different quarterbacks this year and the numbers between them are close. Both Jay Christophe and Glen Cuiellette have thrown for three touchdown passes. Christophe is 21-for-40 with 315 yards, while Cuiellette is 19-for-33 with 235 yards. Trenday Dickson has been the go-to target with 191 yards and three touchdown receptions.
 
It's the second straight year Alcorn and TSU (1-1, 0-0 SWAC) will square off in a non-conference match. Last year in Houston, Alcorn came out on top 24-17 in a wire-to-wire victory. The Braves rushed for 244 yards as a team.
 
NOTES
- The Braves are going for their seventh consecutive win over TSU. Alcorn leads the all-time series 34-18-4.
 
- The Alcorn defense has allowed just one sack in two games, the fewest in the SWAC. The Braves are also just one of 34 teams in the FCS to score on 100 percent of their red zone trips offensively this year.
 
- Alcorn is 7-0 when leading at halftime over the last two seasons.
 
- The Braves are the four-time defending SWAC East Division champions and were picked to win the division again in the SWAC Preseason Poll. Alcorn is the only school in the history of the league to play in four consecutive SWAC Championship games.
 
- The Braves are ranked fifth in the current HBCU Poll and were receiving votes in the Preseason FCS Poll.
 
- Junior punter/kicker Corey McCullough boomed a career-long 60-yard punt last week against LC. It came after he booted nine punts for a career-high 372 yards (41.3 ypp) in the season-opener at GA Tech. McCullough broke the school's single-season field goal record with 17 made last year.
 
- Alcorn garnered 11 Preseason All-Conference selections including Simmons who was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Johnson, junior offensive lineman Mustaffa Ibrahim and junior linebacker Trae Ferrell were also named to the Preseason First-Team.

LIVE STREAMING
Fans that subscribed for Braves All-Access to watch last Saturday's football game vs. Louisiana College but were not able to view it will have free access this Saturday.

Email streaming@sidearmsports.com with "Alcorn Live Stream" as the subject and include the subscribed username. SIDEARM will verify last week's subscription and give a free pass for the Texas Southern game.

Alcorn apologizes for those who could not watch the home-opener, but the issue has been resolved.

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY BRAVES ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

MSU Tiwian Kendley Signs Camp Deal with Washington Wizards

BALTIMORE, Maryland – The Washington Wizards and former Morgan State standout Tiwian Kendley agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract on Monday.

Introduced in the NBA's most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals worth the minimum salary. They don't come with any compensation protection, but can include an optional bonus ranging from $5K to $50K.

Kendley, 23, played two college seasons at Morgan State and became the fastest Morgan State player to reach 1,000 career points in MSU's Division I history, finishing with 1,032 points in just 44 career games. He averaged 26.1 points per game and grabbed 4.0 rebounds and had 2.1 steals per game in his senior campaign. 

The camp deal would allow the Wizards to designate the 6-foot-5 guard Kendley as an affiliate player in order to retain his G League rights if he's waived before the regular season.



Kendley averaged 9.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 2.0 APG in four summer league games with Washington (highlights here).
 
By signing this deal, Kendley will join former University of Florida guard Chris Chiozza as the two players that the Wizards will have signed under two-way deals. Both Kendley and Chiozza will attend Wizards training camp during the fall, they're both expected to be assigned to the G League's Capital City Go-Go when the NBA regular season is set begin.
 
The Wizards now have 19 players on their roster, including players on their camp roster, one shy of the limit. NBA teams can carry up to two two-way players during the regular season.
 
The Go-Go, like the Wizards, are owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment. They will play their 24 home games at a new, state-of-the-art venue on the campus of the former St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast Washington, D.C. set to open in 2018. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Events DC, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment have partnered to promote transformative community development in Ward 8 with the construction of the new arena, which will also serve as the practice facility for the Wizards and the home of the WNBA's Washington Mystics.

Morgan State basketball great Marvin "The Human Eraser" Webster is the only player who has played in the NBA.
 
Webster was drafted in the first round by both the NBA and ABA in 1975 and played 10 professional seasons. He played for the Denver Nuggets in the ABA and for the Seattle Supersonics and the New York Knicks in the NBA. 

ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Former SAU Basketball Star Joel Kindred Signs To Play In Canada

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Former standout Joel Kindred of Saint Augustine's University recently inked a deal to play pro basketball in Canada.

Kindred signed with the Halifax Hurricanes of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). The Hurricanes, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, begin the 2018-19 season in November.

The former Falcons' star previously played in Spain, where he averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists for Cantaires Tortosa during the 2017-18 season. Kindred shot 56 percent behind the three-point arc.

A Raleigh, N.C., native, Kindred was a 1,000-point scorer during his four-year collegiate career from 2011 to 2014, earning CIAA Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman. In May 2014, Kindred graduated from Saint Augustine's University with a Bachelor of Science degree in sport management.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

McKendree Bearcats Return Home for Stiff Test Against Bowie State Bulldogs

McKENDREE vs. BOWIE STATE -- SATURDAY, SEPT. 15, 2018, 1 p.m.
Leemon Field -- Lebanon, Ill.

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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