Game:           Malone University (1-0 overall)
                       at McKendree University (0-0 overall)
Date:             Saturday September 10, 2011
Kickoff:         2:30 p.m. EDT (1:30 p.m. CDT) at Leemon Field (Lebanon, Illinois)
Broadcasts: WNPQ 95.9 FM, www.thelight959.com
                        2:15 p.m. EDT pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play)
Live Stats:    http://www.mckbearcats.com/sports/2010/9/10/LiveStats.aspx?
Tickets:         $5.00 adult general admission; $4.00 students; $7.00 reserved

Series:
McKendree has won each of the two previous meetings between the schools. The Bearcats posted a 45-13 home win over Malone in the first-ever contest between the programs on September 16, 2000. The squads then met again the following year (2001) as McKendree tallied a 24-10 victory at Fawcett Stadium.

Coaches:
Malone – Eric Hehman is in his second season as the Pioneers' head coach, having led Malone to a 4-7 overall mark since taking over the reins of the program in 2010. Prior to arriving at Malone, Hehman had spent the previous five years as the head coach at NCAA Division III Greenville (IL) College where he led the Panthers to a 28-22 record and a berth in the 2009 NCCAA Victory Bowl.
McKendree – Carl Poelker enters his 16th season as the head coach of the Bearcats. The 2002 NAIA National Coach of the Year, Poelker has compiled a 113-46 overall record at McKendree. He previously served as the head coach at Millikin (IL) University and has notched an impressive 200-85-1 record over his 29-year career.

Last Season's Records: Malone 3-7 (2-5 MSFA Mideast), McKendree 9-3 (6-1 MSFA Midwest)

Malone Notes – The Pioneers will look to utilize the momentum gained from last week's thrilling 40-34 double-overtime victory over Tiffin as they travel to the St. Louis area this weekend for a challenging match-up with McKendree…Malone piled up 272 rushing yards against the Dragons, the fifth-highest rushing total in the MSFA last week ….While the Pioneers did yield 469 total yards, Malone forced six Tiffin turnovers while allowing the Dragons to convert on just two of their 15 third-downs.

Malone players to watch: RB's Daryon Mosley, Malik Felton and Emil Chambliss all had a big impact in Malone's week one triumph as the trio accounted for five of the Pioneers' six touchdowns…Mosley scored two TD's on the ground while picking up 104 rushing yards on 14 carries (7.4 average)…Felton caught eight passes for 65 yards and registered the game-winning score on a 14-yard run…Chambliss, meanwhile, gained 75 rushing yards on 18 attempts, with one TD catch and one TD run…QB Will Szpor was solid in his collegiate debut, completing 17 of 27 pass attempts for 146 yards and a touchdown…SLOT Justin McLean caught five passes for 26 yards and set a new school record by running back a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown… LB Antonio Scassa paced the defense with 10 total tackles and a sack in week one…Fellow LBs Matt Vick and Brandon Commodore also made solid contributions as Vick notched seven total stops while Commodore tallied six tackles, including two tackles for loss, a sack and one forced fumble….DL Frank McCormick notched five tackles against Tiffin with two sacks and a forced fumble.

McKendree Notes – Like Malone, McKendree is currently in the second year of transition towards NCAA Division II membership…Last year, in its final year of NAIA postseason eligibility, the Bearcats won the MSFA Midwest League championship and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series before falling to the eventual national runner-up, the University of Sioux Falls (SD)…In 2011, McKendree returns 10 starters from last year's squad… With their Wing-T offense, the Bearcats ranked 7th in the NAIA in total rushing (2814 yards) last season...McKendree also ranked 6th in the NAIA in total sacks (36) a year ago.

McKendree players to watch: 2010 All-MSFA Midwest Second Team QB Austin Fisher returns for the Bearcats after completing 108 of 200 pass attempts last fall for 1426 yards with 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions…RB Chris Montgomery is the squad's leading returning rusher, having gained 154 yards on 29 carries last season (5.3 average) with two rushing touchdowns… WR Myron Hicks, a 2010 All-MSFA Midwest Second Team selection, is also back after posting team-highs for catches (30) and receiving yards (435)…WR Nick Jones notched 11 catches for 207 yards and three scores last season…On defense, Jason Rejfek was voted to the All-MSFA Midwest First Team at the LB position a year ago after racking up a team-high 95 total tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks…DL Sherrod Stancil was also voted to the All-MSFA Midwest First Team in 2010 after posting 28 total tackles, including seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks…LB Brandon Nigro ranked second on the squad in tackles with 85… DB Ryan Keen is also back after posting team-highs for interceptions (four) and pass break-ups (10) as a freshman in 2010.

2011 Rosters:
Malone  |  McKendree

Statistics:
Malone (2011)  |  McKendree (2010)