Bolivar, Mo. – SBU football looks to bounce back from another heartbreaking home loss as they travel to the northern part of the conference in battling of Upper Iowa University. This game is scheduled to take place in Fayette, Iowa on Saturday at 1:00pm.
 
This past weekend the Bearcats played in front of yet another magnificent home crowd, with many alumni returning for homecoming. The game was just as entertaining as all other home games this season as ended with a 2-point margin. This final score was not in favor of SBU as McKendree pulled off a last-minute miracle drive winning 24-26.
 
Southwest Baptist offense had some big plays in that game featuring two 60+ yard touchdown receptions from Kamau Ransom (73) and Avery Lambert (65). That helped quarterback Jaron Saunders to 382 total passing yards. These numbers help the Bearcats in passing offense, currently 15^th best in the country. Big credit for this is due to the SBU offensive line who is keeping their quarterback out of harm's way only allowing 1.17 sacks a game, the best in the GLVC. Saunders is also 8^th in the Nation in passing yards per game (288.5).
 
The SBU defense is contributing to the teams' success putting up big numbers themselves. Sitting at 13^th in the Nation, the defensive line is recording 8 tackles for loss per game. This stat line is team rounded, but being led by redshirt sophomore Caleb Saner who is 5^th in the Nation with 1.92 per game. Scoring on offense is great, but scoring on defense is even better and the Bearcat defense does that with three on the season, currently 2^nd in the Nation.
 
All of that will need to come together as they battle a well-rounded Upper Iowa Peacock team on Saturday. Receiving votes earlier in the year, they sit with a 4-2 record, their only losses coming from DI Drake University and Truman State. Their highlight win of the year came against #24 Michigan Tech as they came out on top 21-14.
 
This is only the third time these two teams have matched up with Upper Iowa winning the first two. The Bearcats will look to snag their first victory over the Peacocks in Fayette, Saturday afternoon. Make sure to visit sbubearcats.com to stay up to date with the latest news and scores in SBU athletics. Also, make sure to follow us on Instagram (@sbubearcats) for daily content, updates, and more.