ROLLA, Mo. -- Missouri S&T closes out its 2019 football schedule Saturday afternoon at Allgood-Bailey Stadium as it plays host to McKendree on Military Appreciation Day.  Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

All military personnel -- active or retired – will be admitted free along with their immediate family members with a military I.D. card.  In addition, with Saturday's contest being the final home game of the 2019 season for the Miners, the 14 senior members of the S&T roster will be honored prior to kickoff.

Although the season will come to a close for both teams Saturday, there is still plenty on the line for both squads.  For the Miners, a win would give them their third straight season with at least seven wins -- which has not happened since a run from 1977-80 -- and allow S&T to complete a perfect season at home for the first time since 1983.

In McKendree's case, the Bearcats need a win this weekend to finish above the .500 mark for the fifth consecutive year.  In addition, the winner of Saturday's game will finish with a winning record in Great Lakes Valley Conference play and take fourth place in the final league standings.
 
ABOUT THE MINERS:  Missouri S&T enters its season finale at 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the GLVC following a tough 37-31 overtime loss last week at Lindenwood.  The Miners had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation time, but had a field goal attempt blocked and the Lions scored in overtime to win the game.

The loss spoiled a career-high day for several Miners, including quarterback Brennan Simms (Punta Gorda, FL/Charlotte) who threw for a career-high 371 yards.  Simms, who completed 27-of-43 passes in the game, has connected on 60.6 percent of his passes this season for 2,631 yards and 20 touchdowns while also running for seven more.

Logan Armontrout (Centralia, MO/Centralia), who leads S&T with 45 receptions this year, caught 11 passes for 136 yards a week ago and Breon Michel (Colorado Springs, CO/Vista Ridge) also went over the 100-yard mark with 135 yards on his seven catches.  Michel has 31 catches this season as one of four Miners with at least 30 catches on the year.

Deshawn Jones (Olympia Fields, IL/Rich Central) comes into the contest ranked fifth in the GLVC in rushing with 668 yards on the season and with 86 yards, would reach Terry Ryan's career rushing record at Missouri S&T.  Ryan rushed for 3,432 yards in the mid-1970s at S&T, while Jones comes into play Saturday with 3,346.

Defensively, the Miners have been paced by the 87 tackles from safety Justin Onwugbufor (Maize, KS/Northwest), while linebacker Wulff Retzlaff has recorded 57 tackles on the year and Dontay White (Florissant, MO/Hazelwood Central) has been in on 55 stops.

Defensive end Tershawn Wharton (University City, MO/University City) -- one of 14 seniors playing their final home game this weekend -- leads S&T with 5.5 quarterback sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss, while linebacker Stefan Camplin (Raytown, MO/Raytown) has seven stops behind the line of scrimmage.  Zach Gallina (Vista, CA/Rancho Buena Vista) is tied for the GLVC lead with four interceptions.

Another one of the seniors, placekicker Ben Styron (Harrisonville, MO/Harrisonville) recently became the first kicker in school and conference history to score 300 points in a career.

ABOUT McKENDREE:  The Bearcats opened 2019 by losing four of their first five games, but have won four of their last five contests and are coming off their best offensive performance of the season in a 62-34 win last week over Quincy to even their records at 5-5 and 3-3 in the GLVC.
 
McKendree used a balanced attack to roll up 567 yards of total offense, running for 260 yards and throwing for another 307.  Quarterback Turner Pullen threw for 302 of those yards on just 15 completions and fired three scoring passes in last week's win.

Pullen has connected on 61.3 percent of his throws on the year for 2,131 yards and 22 touchdowns.  His top target has been Matt Cole with 39 receptions for 859 yards and 11 touchdowns; Cole is also one of the most dangerous kick returners in the GLVC as he is averaging 28.3 yards per kickoff runback and 19.4 yards in the punt return category with two runbacks for touchdowns.

Jace Franklin ranks among the GLVC leaders in rushing with 694 yards on the season for an offensive unit that is posting 168.1 yards per game on the ground and 386.4 yards overall.

Linebacker Ricco Gipson leads the Bearcat defense with his 93 tackles on the season, while Devon Myles has been in on 85 stops.  Defensive end Brandon Purnell leads the team with five quarterback sacks and Jason Bennett has four interceptions that has him tied for the team lead.