After a 27-17 win at Southwest Baptist last week, the Cardinals return home this weekend to face off with another set of Bearcats, this time from McKendree University, who come into the contest at 1-2 overall but are coming off a big 35-31 win over (RV) UIndy last Saturday. McKendree is led by third-year head coach Jason Rejfek. 

The Bearcats bring the GLVC's top rated passing offense into the weekend, averaging 271.3 yards per game as quarterback Kendrick Lyons is top-10 in NCAA-II with more than 22 completions per game. Kendric Johnson and Quincy Hall, Jr. are the top targets of Lyons as the duo lead the league with 287 and 249 receiving yards per contest, respectively. Defensively, McKendree is last in the GLVC, allowing an average of nearly 48 points per contest but are disciplined with just 32 penalty yards each week, best in the GLVC.  

THE CARDINALS VS. BEARCATS
The Cardinals are 1-12 all-time against McKendree, meeting for the first time in 2012 (35-20, loss). Jewell defeated the Bearcats for the first time with a 45-14 route on Senior Day in 2024 but they returned the favor last fall, with a dominant 40-24 victory.   

GLVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Frankie Kapetanovich captured the Cardinals third GLVC Player of the Week honor in the last 14 days as he was selected as the Special Teams Player of the Week. The rookie stepped in and hit a 50-yard field goal on his first collegiate attempt last weekend at SBU. Jewell has now had a Special Teams, Offensive (Charlie Loose), and Defensive (Du'Vaughn Williams) Player of the Week in the same season for the third time since joining the GLVC (joining 2014 & 2024). 

OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
Despite losses in key areas the offense to both graduation and early season injuries, Jewell has shined in the early part of 2026 as they rank among the top half of the GLVC in both passing and rushing yards. On the ground, Hunter Bailey leads the attack with 96.5 rushing yards per game and nearly 120 all-purpose yards. Ronnie Thomas, Jr. is a solid No. 2 back at 66 yards per game as the Cadinals are fourth in the league in rushing offense and first in defense. Jewell is also third in passing offense at more than 226 yards per game and enter the week second overall with an average of 405.5 yards of total offense per outing.

LOOSE CANNON
Charlie Loose has moved into the QB1 position and has not missed a beat, leading the GLVC in passing efficiency (154.8) and completion percentage (.646) and is sitting top-30 nationally in both categories. He is also second in the conference in yards per completion (13.10), and third in passing yards per game (203). 

DOMINANT DEFENSE
The Cardinals knew coming into 2026 that the defense would be the strong point and they have not risen to the occasion, currently ranked 16th in the Division II, allowing just 15.5 points per game, while also leading the GLVC in sacks (3.50), tackles for loss (9.0), and total defense (219.0). Jayshawn Richmond leads Division II with one interception per game while Caden McGhee is fifth with two tackles for loss per outing.