College gameday: Hawks and Bearcats to square off in Land of Lincoln rivalry game

QUINCY — There’s a little more at stake when the only NCAA Division II football programs in Illinois square off Saturday. Quincy University and McKendree will play for the Land of Lincoln Trophy for the first time, as was announced by the schools in late August.

The rivalry has been one-sided with McKendree winning 10 of the last 11 meetings and owning a 20-5 lead in the all-time series. However, Quincy won its last trip to Leemon Field, scoring a 63-62 victory in 2022 in a game that featured a combined 1,268 yards of offense.

Both teams are vastly better defensively, so don’t expect a shootout, but there’s a good chance it will be a slobberknocker. 

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:

Records: Quincy — 2-1 (2-1 Great Lakes Valley Conference). McKendree — 2-2 (1-0 GLVC).

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Leemon Field, Lebanon, Ill.

TV/Livestream: GLVC Sports Network

Radio: WGEM 105.1 FM

Previous meeting: Oct. 28, 2023 — Missouri S&T 41, Quincy 34. The Bearcats outscored the Hawks 20-3 in the second half to earn the victory at QU Stadium. Teon Dollard rushed for 93 yards on nine carries for the Hawks, who played without starting quarterback Drake Davis because of a knee injury.

Scouting the Hawks: First-year coach Jason Killday and his staff are going to find out how the Hawks respond to adversity on multiple levels. First, they have to bounce back from last week’s 29-27 loss in which they were outscored 22-7 in the second half. Now, they head into this game with some injuries to deal with, notably a knee injury that will sideline senior tight end Garrett Drew. Senior running back Teon Dollard has three consecutive 100-yard games, making him the first Hawks’ tailback to do so to start a season since Jaylan James in 2016. However, James had only one 100-yard effort the final eight games of that season. Quincy tops the GLVC in scoring defense, allowing 16 points per game, and ranks fourth in total defense, allowing 303 yards per game.

Scouting the Bearcats: McKendree stepped out of conference play last week, falling 49-32 at Western Illinois University, but the Bearcats won their previous two games against NCAA Division II foes and rank third in the GLVC in total offense, averaging 373 yards per game. Bearcats quarterback Ty Michael is second in the GLVC in passing, averaging 218.3 yards per game while completing 52.1 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Sophomore running back Eddie Clark has 360 yards rushing and six touchdowns.