LIBERTY, Mo. - William Jewell is back in action this week to host McKendree for Homecoming after getting their first win of the season last weekend in a 24-17 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan.
 

vs. McKendree
Saturday, October 1 • Greene Stadium • 1 p.m.	Live Stats	Live Video

THE SERIES

The Cardinals will be looking for their first win over McKendree, going 0-9 since the Bearcats joined the league in the fall of 2012. Despite the two schools having met in most other sports in their respective NAIA eras, the football programs had never played each other prior to moving to NCAA-II.   

CARDINAL NOTES

• For the third week in a row the offense was more productive than the previous outing, scoring 24 points with 21 first downs and no turnovers. CJ Ward enters the week ranked fourth in the GLVC with better than 16.6 completions per game. The junior bounced back from a three interception game to go 15-of-35 with 137 yards and a touchdown. 
• Defensively, the Cardinals were clutch when it mattered last week. Despite not much game experience in high pressure, late game situations, head coach Mike McGlinchey has made a point to maintain practice time each week for those types of situations and it paid off on Saturday. Jewell got made a redzone stand in the final seconds against Kentucky Wesleyan, including two defended passes from Sean Mitchell at the goal line. The redshirt freshman Mitchell is up to five on the season and is second in the GLVC with 1.5 per game.  
• Jewell committed a season high seven penalties on Saturday but drew 13 out of their opponent. The Cardinals maintain their post as the top in the GLVC in fewest penalty yards per game with 43.25, which is also top-20 nationally.  
• Jewell has used at least two quarterbacks in every game this season. Ward has started three games games, and accounted for more than 500 yards and four touchdowns through the air, while Harris took the start in week two with Ward out due to illness. Additionally, Taylor Eggers has been hard to stop on the ground, totaling 72 positive yards and two scores, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter against Kentucky Wesleyan. 
• The Cardinal defense has been good against the pass this season, ranking second in the conference with a pass efficiency defense rating of 122.24, second behind only UIndy (120.78). Jewell is allowing opponents an average of 249 passing yards per game with just over 6.6 yards per completion. 
• The Cardinals have picked off six passes this season, tops in the GLVC and 15th in Division II, by five different players. Sean Mitchell, Carson Anderson, Ethan Reynolds, Ethan Fuentes each have one, while Kwesi Hooks has two, including a a 66-yard pick-six. 
• Grant Latina got things started on the right foot for Jewell last week with a 62-yard return on the opening kick off, seventh longest in the NCAA era and the longest since Anthony Mullins' 63 yard return in 2016. The redshirt junior enters the week sixth in the GLVC in total yards and averages 31 per return. 
• Jewell welcomes in alumni and friends this weekend and looks for the first Homecoming victory since 2015. The Cardinals are officially 2-9 in homecoming contests, with one win coming over Central State by forfeit. The most recent victory was a dominant 40-16 win over Missouri S&T on October 3, 2015. 
• Greene Stadium was completed in 1955 and has served as the home of the Cardinals for the past 66 seasons but 2022 will be its last. Following the conclusion of the season construction will begin on The Link Project which will include among its features a new indoor arena, locker room and coaches spaces, athletic training room and student fitness center on the inside of the building along with a new stadium and campus entrance design on the outside. The $20 million campaign was matched this summer and the ceremonial ground breaking will take place on homecoming weekend, on Saturday morning prior to the Homecoming tailgate and kick off.