ROLLA, Mo. – A two-game swing into the state of Illinois awaits Missouri S&T's football team as it begins its final stretch of road games on the 2014 schedule Saturday against McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. for the Bearcats' Homecoming game.
The Miners, who will play at Quincy on Nov. 1 on the back end of the Illinois swing, are coming off a disappointing 34-27 loss to William Jewell on Homecoming last Saturday in Rolla. S&T rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to tie the game with 6:24 remaining, but an interception on its next possession set up the Cardinals' game-winning touchdown as it dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Next up for S&T is a McKendree squad that is coming off its first victory of the year, as it rallied for a 53-43 win at Southwest Baptist last week. The Bearcats come into Saturday's contest at 1-6 overall and 1-3 in the GLVC.
The Miners will have to contend with one of the GLVC's most versatile quarterbacks this week in Isaac Fisher, who has accounted for 2,042 yards of total offense this season – good for second in the conference – and leads McKendree in rushing as well as throwing for 1,677 yards by completing 59.2 percent of his passes.
Fisher, who has rushed for 365 yards on the season, has completed 39 throws to Cameron James as well as 38 for 376 yards to Dewayne Gatti. The Bearcats have seven receivers who have caught at least ten passes apiece this year, while running backs Ryan Herring and Kevin Witcik are both averaging over five yards per carry.
However, the Bearcats have struggled at times on the defensive side, allowing a league-high 43.4 points per game and 495.7 yards an outing. They gave up 521 yards in last week's win at Southwest Baptist, but did get two stops on downs in the fourth quarter which included one at their own 24-yard line in a one-possession game.
Linebacker A.J. Wentland leads the Bearcats in tackles with 82, while defensive end Lucky Baar, the reigning GLVC "Defensive Player of the Week," has six sacks and 11 tackles for a loss to lead the way. McKendree's defense has intercepted just three passes in the first seven weeks as opposing teams have rushed for just over 210 yards per game against it.
The Miners trailed 27-13 early in the second half, but tied the game on a touchdown pass from
Lamar Wilkes (Maryland Heights, Mo./Pattonville) to
Nick Taylor (Wichita, Kan./Southeast HS) and a four-yard scoring run by
DeSoto Dickson (Florissant, Mo./Trinity Catholic) in the fourth quarter. However, the Cardinals took advantage of the interception to score the go-ahead touchdown with 2:59 to play and stopped S&T just across midfield to hold on for the win.
S&T got a big game on the receiving end from
Leon Moody (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit HS), who caught a season-high nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown and from Taylor, who had a career-high eight receptions for 63 yards. Wilkes was 21-of-40 passing for 221 yards and has thrown for 780 yards since becoming the starting quarterback four weeks ago.
Melvin Stovall (Los Angeles, Calif./Lancaster) ranks third in the league in both receptions and receiving yards, with 37 catches for 675 yards and six touchdowns. Taylor – who needs just 36 yards become the third active Miner with 1,000 career receiving yards – is also among the top ten in receptions with 29 for 262 yards and Moody has hauled in 24 passes for 274 yards.
S&T's leading rusher with 310 yards,
Scott Hendricks (Kechi, Kan./Maize HS), missed last week's contest due to an injury.
Charles Bournes (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park) has recorded 253 yards on the ground for a unit that is averaging 103 per game.
Missouri S&T's defense continues to lead NCAA Division II in quarterback sacks with 31 on the year and ranks fifth in the GLVC in total defense as it is allowing 379 yards per game. The unit is headed by linebacker
Zach Melber (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) with 46 tackles, including a team-high 14 behind the line of scrimmage, while
Nick Kruse (Cuba, Mo./Cuba HS) has been in on 39 stops. The Miners had three interceptions in the William Jewell contest, including one by GLVC leader
Will Brown (Hazelwood, Mo./Hazelwood West) as he picked off his fourth pass of the season Saturday.
Defensive end
Daleroy Davey (Kansas City, Kan./Turner) has a team-high seven sacks and moved into the top ten on the Miners' career list in that category with his 13
th sack a week ago.
Game Notes – Miners vs. McKendreeLive VideoLive AudioLive StatsAlternative directions to McKendree's Leemon Field
