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Opponent: McKendree
Time: Saturday, October 26th; 2:00 PM
Location: Leemon Field | Lebanon, IL
 
Bolivar, Mo. - Southwest Baptist University will travel to Lebanon, IL to face McKendree in the battle of the Bearcats this Saturday. 
 
Last Time Out
The Bearcats faced Quincy in SBU's homecoming game last Saturday. The Hawks came out on top with a 48-34 score. SBU's defense forced a turnover late, but Quincy defended well to seal the game. Bryce Cabrera pounded the ball on the ground, rushing for 151 yards and a touchdown, also scoring on a reception. Brenden Smith threw for 224 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Cory Hanger added another 8 tackles to his season total, and had a pass break-up. 
 
McKendree took on GLVC opponent William Jewell on the road, defeating the Cardinals 42-12. The Bearcats struck big in the 2nd quarter, scoring 21 points to take a 28-0 lead into the half. McKendree's quarterback Turner Pullen threw for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns. Matt Cole had a day at the receiver spot, hauling in 6 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had a 74-yard punt return touchdown, earning him GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week, his second this season.
 
The Coaches & The All-Time Series
Robert Clardy begins his 5th season as the head coach of the Bearcats. The 2016 was historic for Clardy and the Bearcats, making their first ever NCAA Playoff appearance, National Ranking, and Conference Championship. Due to their success, Clardy was named 2016 GLVC Coach of the Year. In his 4 year stint, Clardy has helped collect 56 All-GLVC Player Awards, 6 All-Americans, and coached the 2015 GLVC Freshman of the Year. Clardy wasn't new to SBU when he took the head coaching reigns in 2015. Clardy played for the Bearcats from 2003-06, leading the team in total offense for 3 seasons and rushing and scoring for 2 seasons. He currently holds SBU's pass completion percentage record and sits top 10 in 11 SBU Career Records. Following his career as a player, Clardy joined the coaching staff as an assistant up until he was named head coach for the 2015 season. 
 
The McKendree Bearcats are led by head coach Mike Babcock. The 2019 seasn marks Babcock's 7th as the leader of the Bearcats. At McKendree, Babckock has a 38-26 (29-16 GLVC) record, where the only season the team was below .500 in conference play was his first season. Prior to his reign at McKendree, Babcock spent 5 years as an assistant coach at Colorado State University-Pueblo. While there, the team had back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. 
 
McKendree leads the all-time series, 4-1. Last season the teams met in Bolivar, where McKendree prevailed in a thrilling overtime game. McKendree scored the tying touchdown with less than a minute to send it to overtime. SBU settled for a field goal on their possession in overtime, and McKendree scored a touchdown to make the final 26-23. In that game, Eric Knight rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown, also leading the receiving category with 3 catches for 26 yards.