GAME 3: SBU BEARCATS (3-2)
vs URBANA BLUE KNIGHTS (1-3)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 • 11:00 AM
BLUE KNIGHT STADIUM • URBANA, OH
RADIO: KBFL 99.1 FM (Josh Thompson, play-by-play)

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BOLIVAR, Mo. -- With a winning record for the first time this season, the SBU Bearcats are back on track as they continue the longest road stretch of the 2010 schedule, with the longest trip of the year. The 'Cats will face off against the Urbana Blue Knights, for the first time in school history.

The Bearcats continue to be one of the highest-powered offenses in the nation, posting a fourth-best 525.4 yards of total offense per game. SBU has ran 403 offensive plays from srimmage to date, the first team in Division II to reach the 400-mark.

Senior quarterback Steven Gachette had yet another strong day against Southern Nazarene last week. The Lehigh Acres, Fla. native went 38-for-44 while throwing for 424 yards passing and three touchdowns. Gachette also recorded his 8th career (and first of this year) 100-yard rushing performance, with 179 yards and three more scores on 16 carries. Gachette's 584 yards of total offense is the highest total this season in all divisions of the NCAA.

Gachette currently ranks tenth in Division II with 315.4 passing yards per game, and ninth in the country with an average of 27 completions each week. Sophomore Justin Duhaney's 8.4 points per game ranks him 47th on the D-II scoring list. Duhaney has racked up seven touchdowns this year, including a pair of scores last week against Southern Nazarene. Duhaney also reached the 100-yard mark for the first time as a Bearcat last week, taking 21 carries for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

One big way the offense has been supported this season is through the Bearcats' special teams play. Punt returner Chris Muhammad is averaging 19.3 yards per return, the seventh-best average in the nation, and tops among independant schools.

The SBU defense has been anchored by a trio of Bearcats up the middle. Defensive end Will Ramirez, Jr. has recorded a sack in four of five games this year, and has racked up six total tackles for a loss. Ramirez's 4.5 sacks ranks him 23rd in the nation, while nose tackle Ino Vitale's 1.5 tackles for loss per game puts him 48th-best in the country. Shaquille Shedd (8.8 tackles per game, best among independents), Andre Hicks (8.5), and Austin Otwell (8.2) all are among the top 100 most prolifant defenders in D-II.

THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Keith Allen has already engineered a significant turnaround at SBU, moving
the 'Cats from 0-11 his first year as interim coach, to 5-6 in 2008, to the winning record of 6-5 in 2009. Allen served as defensive and recruiting coordinator before being named SBU head coach in 2007. His past coaching experience has included stops at San Jose State, Quincy, TCU and Oklahoma.

David Taynor was named head football coach of the Blue Knights in 2008, the ninth head coach in Urbana football history. After winning the home opener in his first season against West Virginia Tech, the Blue Knights finished the year with nine straight losses. Urbana re-grouped last year with a 6-5 finish including a win over D-I (FCS) Dayton.

Not only is this the first meeting between Urbana and the Bearcats, the 51st new foe SBU has faced in program history, but it's also the first opponent from Ohio the Bearcats have faced. The Bearcats are 21-29 when meeting an opponent for the first time.

SCOUTING THE BLUE KNIGHTS
Urbana is looking to rebound from two straight losses to NCAA- and NAIA-nationally ranked opponents. The Blue Knights boast a play-making quarterback of their own, in freshman D.J. Mendenhall. The signal-caller from West Jefferson, Ohio has a team-high seven rushing touchdowns while splitting time with junior quarterback Evan Gehlert. Mendenhall has racked up over 600 yards of total offense over four games. With an average of 105.8 yards through the air, Mendenhall throws at a 68.6 completion rate.

On the other side of the ball, senior linebacker Travis Brisco anchors the Blue Knights defense with a nation-leading 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Brisco reached a season high on the road against #13 Tusculum, with five sacks, the most in a single game this season across all divisions.

Urbana also tends to win the turnover battle, with a +4 turnover margin, highlighted by Juan McKeever's D-II leading five picks.