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Opponent: University of Findlay
Time: Saturday, September 18; 1:00 PM
Location: Plaster Stadium | Bolivar, MO
 
Bolivar, Mo. - The Bearcats return home after taking on the #1 ranked West Florida Argonauts last week. This game was scheduled to be SBU's home opener, but week one was filled with a contest against Texas Permian Basin. SBU enters the contest 0-2 and UF enters the game 1-1.  

Scouting The Bearcats
Robert Clardy will be entering his seventh season (2021-22) as the Head Football Coach and his 14th season overall on the Bearcats Football coaching staff. In 2016, Coach Clardy earned GLVC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Bearcats to their first ever conference title and NCAA National Playoff appearance after finishing the season 10-2 (7-1 GLVC). Clardy's Bearcats were ranked as high as 17th in the NCAA Division II AFCA poll, finishing 22nd in the final NCAA Division II AFCA poll, while earning their first ever regional and national rankings. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the 2020-21 football season took place in the spring of 2021. The spring season was a shortened, three game, conference opponents only, season. Truman State visited Bolivar, taking the first game after a very tight first half. SBU nearly defeated Missouri S&T on the road the next week, but fell short late in the game. The final game finished with a high scoring victory over William Jewell.

The fall 2021 season began a week earlier than expected for the Bearcats, scheduling a home contest last minute against Texas Permian Basin. The Falcons' strong defense held off the potent Bearcat offense, taking the week one matchup 24-16. In that contest, Coleton Smith recorded the third-most tackles in a single game in SBU history, bringing 20 Falcons to the ground. His performance went on to earn him GLVC Defensive Player of the Week. Week two saw the Bearcats take on the defending national champions and #1 ranked West Florida on their turf. The Argonauts took the game 63-14. The spring's GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, Cooper Callis, returns to lead the SBU offense. After leading the conference in nearly every passing category in the spring, Callis has completed 52 passes for 519 yards and 2 touchdowns. Curtis Cuillard, a First Team All-GLVC selection last spring, remains a threat for the 2021 season. Preston Carson leads the team in receiving, hauling in 12 passes for 171 yards this fall. Eric Knight, Bryce Cabrera, Abel Carter, and Alan Worsham will all take reps at running back. SBU's group of linebackers is strong, led by upperclassmen in Aaron Harris, Taylor Jones-Morgan, and Coleton Smith. Last week, Harris and Smith combined for 32 tackles, 2 quarterback hits, and 1 sack. The secondary will be led by of Chris Fuzeme, Bryton Lewi, Troy Landon, and Brenden Smith. The breakdown of the roster consists of 10 seniors, 13 juniors, 17 sophomores, and 48 freshmen.

Scouting The Oilers
The University Findlay is led by Rob Keys, his 11th season as the leader of the Oilers. While in the role, Keys has led the team to a 67-39 record. They competed in the conference championship in the spring, going 4-2 in the shortened season. The Oilers come into Saturday's matchup with a 1-1 record, recently defeating UNC Pembroke 34-28 in overtime. In week one, Findlay took a 54-14 loss to #3 ranked Ferris State on the road. Senior Matt Winzeler has been doing the quarterbacking, completing 35 passes for 477 yards and 5 touchdowns. He has also thrown 5 interceptions. The leading rusher for UF is Derek Lynch. The junior running back has rushed 50 times for 308 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jake Brown has been the leading receiver, hauling in 8 passes for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns. Austin Watt has also caught 8 passes for 125 yards. Marqis Stokes is the team's leading tackler with 20.0 on the year. He also has 1 interception for 30 yards and another pass break up. Ervin Besingi leads the team with 2 sacks.

Saturday will mark the first meeting between the teams.