Pick Six” points offer a quick look inside GLVC football action this week:
[1 | first full week of league play on the docket]
The first full week of GLVC football conference action is here with four games on the docket Saturday, including three night contests. Missouri S&T (3-1, 0-0 GLVC) hits the road to Southwest Baptist (0-3, 0-1) for its GLVC opener at 1 p.m. CT. A pair of 1-0 teams is set to do battle in Indianapolis as Lincoln (2-2, 1-0) travels to defending league champion UIndy (2-1, 1-0) at 6 p.m. ET. McKendree (2-2, 0-0) is set for its first GLVC game with a road trip to Quincy (1-3, 0-0), which will also be opening the league slate. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT in Quincy. In the nightcap, Truman State (1-3, 0-0) will look to win its second straight as the Bulldogs begin league play at home against William Jewell (0-3, 0-1). GLVCSN will stream all four home contests this week across all of its platforms, including GLVCSN.com, the GLVCSN iOS and Android apps, and the GLVCSN OTT apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV. Be sure to download or upgrade to the newest GLVCSN mobiles apps, which now feature push notifications. Now you can know exactly when your favorite school or team begins its stream.
[2 | the week that was]
UIndy team officially began its GLVC title defense with a decisive 41-14 win against visiting William Jewell last Saturday at Key Stadium. The Greyhound defense sacked the Cardinal quarterback 12 times while Al McKeller and Malik Higgins combined for five touchdowns offensively. Elsewhere in league action, Lincoln rushed for 178 yards and four scores as the Blue Tigers defeated Southwest Baptist, 28-13, in the GLVC opener for both teams. Outside of GLVC action, Missouri S&T’s defense and special teams units showed up in the Miners’ 16-7 win at Tuskegee, as the defensive unit held the Golden Tigers to one score and made several key defensive stops throughout the day, while the Miners also got a touchdown and a blocked kick from the special teams group. Saturday’s win improved the Miners to 3-1 on the season and assured the Miners their first winning record outside of GLVC play since 2012 in the process. Two big plays and a school record tying day helped the Truman Bulldogs to their first win of the season in a 34-20 victory over Valparaiso (Ind.). Freshman kicker Josh Scheiderer netted a school record-tying four field goals in the win. McKendree closed out the non-conference portion of its 2018 schedule with a 55-45 loss at Chowan. Two-time defending GLVC Offensive Player of the Week and senior quarterback Reece Metcalf accounted for five touchdowns on the day for McKendree. Metcalf threw for four scores, marking his fourth straight multi-TD passing performance to open the 2018 season. He also added a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Metcalf was 27-of-44 through the air for 306 yards. It was his second 300-yard passing game in as many weeks. Senior running back Preston Thompson became the 21st player in McKendree history to collect 1,000 yards on the ground as he rushed for a game-high 145 yards on 20 carries. Quincy’s Cody Leonard totaled 19 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, but Quincy fell in its Homecoming contest to Davenport, 26-10. For a complete look at week one action, click here.
[3 | hounds climbs three spots in afca poll]
UIndy climbed three spots to No. 22 in this week’s AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, released Monday. The Greyhounds are coming off a 41-14 win versus William Jewell in the conference opener last Saturday. The Hounds remain the lone GLVC team in the poll. However, they are one of nine Super Region 3 teams in the top 25, including a pair of top-five teams in Grand Valley State (No. 3) and Ferris State (4). UIndy’s inclusion this week increased its own program record of consecutive weeks in the coaches poll to 17, dating back to the 2017 week-one edition.
[4 | uindy, missouri s&t, truman pick up with weekly awards]
UIndy senior wide receiver Malik Higgins, Missouri S&T senior linebacker Bo Brooks, and Truman State sophomore kick returner Lawrence Woods were named Monday as the GLVC Players of the Week. Higgins picked up Offensive Player of the Week accolades after racking up seven catches for 119 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the Greyhounds’ 41-14 win over William Jewell. Defensive Player of the Week honors went to Brooks, who finished the Miners’ 16-7 win at Tuskegee with a team-high nine tackles, including four quarterback sacks, one of which forced a fumble. Woods scored his first career Special Teams Player of the Week award after posting a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
[5 | chapman, woods seeing returns on their investment]
Missouri S&T’s Roderick Chapman and Truman State’s Lawrence Woods have garnered the last two GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week awards with some impressive efforts in the return game. Chapman returned a punt for a touchdown on the final play of the game two weeks ago and then turned around and returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to begin the scoring in the Miner’ 16-7 win at Tuskegee last week. That gave him touchdown returns on back-to-back plays over two games. It was the fourth return for a score in Chapman’s career, one short of the S&T career record. He wasn’t the only one scoring on returns last week as Woods garnered the weekly honor after taking a kickoff 92 yards for a score in Truman’s 34-20 win at Valparaiso. It was his second kickoff return for a TD this season and the third of his career. The two kickoff returns on the same day has now happened on five occasions in GLVC history, most recently when Chapman and McKendree’s Josh Lovings both found the end zone on Sept. 9, 2017. Heading into this weekend, Woods is one kick return touchdown shy of the GLVC career mark of four, held by William Jewell’s Anthony Mullins from 2013-16.
[6 | glvc represented among the nation’s best]
The GLVC currently boasts a handful of teams and student-athletes among the nation’s best in select statistical categories, according to this week’s report released by the NCAA. McKendree is first in the country in sacks allowed (0.25), second in turnovers lost (2), fifth in tackles for loss allowed (2.75), and fifth in team passing efficiency (179.30). UIndy is second (5.00) and Missouri S&T is fifth (4.50) in team sacks. Truman State is third (32.67) and Missouri S&T is sixth (29.25) in kickoff returns, while Truman is eighth in fewest penalty yards per game (34.00). Lincoln is ninth in time of possession (34:39). Individually, Truman’s Josh Scheiderer and Southwest Baptist’s Alec Gathright are tied with 11 other players for first in field goal percentage (1.000). McKendree’s Reece Metcalf is first in passing touchdowns (17), first in points responsible for (110), and fifth in passing efficiency (179.3). Truman’s Lawrence Woods is first in kickoff returns (50.6) and kickoff return touchdowns (2), while Missouri S&T’s Roderick Chapman is eighth in kickoff return yardage (32.2) and second in punt return touchdowns (1). Quincy’s Tionee Harris is ninth in rushing touchdowns (6). On defense, Quincy’s Cody Leonard is first in total tackles (13.8), followed by Southwest Baptist’s Tyler Curts in fifth (12.7). In solo stops, Leonard is fourth (7.8) and Curts is ninth (7.3). UIndy’s Alec Patch is third in sacks (1.67).