The following “Pick Six” points offer a quick look inside GLVC football action this week:
[1 | southwest baptist, truman to play on division ii showcase]
This week in GLVC football features four conference contests, including Truman State visiting Southwest Baptist, which is a part of the NCAA Division II Showcase hybrid model. The 2 p.m. CT game will have the flexibility to be distributed on TV and online. The division will work with the TV partners of participating conferences and schools on the opportunity to air games on TV. These games also will be distributed online through NCAA social media accounts — specifically, Division II Facebook (facebook.com/ncaadivisionii) and Twitter (@NCAADII) — and will also be streamed on GLVCSN and its multiple platforms. In other conference action, Lincoln travels to William Jewell for a noon kickoff, Missouri S&T heads to Quincy for a 5 p.m. CT kick, and Indianapolis returns homes to welcome McKendree at 6 p.m. ET. All GLVC games are offered across all GLVCSN 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]
No. 20 UIndy (5-1, 4-0 GLVC) upped its win streak to five with a 35-7 road win at Quincy (2-5, 1-2) last Saturday. The Greyhounds overcame two first-half turnovers while out-pacing the Hawks 483-204 in total yards. Jaden Barr ran for a career-high 165 yards and a stout Truman (4-3, 3-0) defense held Lincoln (2-5, 1-3) to only 43 yards until midway through the fourth quarter in a 20-14 homecoming victory. McKendree (4-3, 2-1), which trailed 17-0 after the first quarter, used a 24-yard touchdown pass with 59.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the score, then won in the extra period on a one-yard TD run to beat Southwest Baptist (0-6, 0-4), 26-23. Scoring early and often, Missouri S&T (5-2, 2-1) rolled to a Homecoming victory as the Miners put up 432 of their 565 total yards in the first 30 minutes en route to a 59-21 win over William Jewell (1-5, 1-3). For a complete look at last week’s action, click here.
[3 | hounds vault four spots in afca poll]
Riding a five-game winning streak, UIndy jumped four spots to No. 16 in this week’s AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll. The Greyhounds (5-1, 4-0 GLVC) are coming off their second straight road win after earning a 35-7 victory at Quincy last Saturday. The Hounds are one of seven Super Region 3 teams in this week’s top 25. Ferris State won the annual Anchor-Bone Classic versus rival Grand Valley last weekend, as the Bulldogs moved to No. 2 and the Lakers dropped to eighth. Ouachita Baptist remained unbeaten and inched to No. 4, while Northwest Missouri State moved up to No. 11. Meanwhile, UIndy’s program record of consecutive weeks in the coaches poll was increased to 20. The last time the Hounds were not in the AFCA top 25 was the 2017 preseason poll.
[4 | missouri s&t, truman earn with weekly awards]
Missouri S&T senior quarterback Tyler Swart and senior return specialist Roderick Chapman, as well as Truman State junior defensive end Sam Reeves, were named Monday as GLVC Players of the Week. Swart picked up Offensive Player of the Week accolades after completing 16-of-21 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came in the first half against William Jewell. His 353 passing yards is the most ever in a half by a passer in GLVC history and third-most in a half in S&T history. Reeves garnered Defensive Player of the Week accolades after posting on 2.5 tackles for loss to become Truman’s new career record holder, while leading a Bulldog unit that held Lincoln to just 43 yards through nearly four quarters. Special Teams Player of the Week accolades went to Chapman, who averaged 30.2 yards on his five returns in the win over Jewell.
[5 | quincy’s leonard quickly tackling all-time glvc charts]
Quincy senior linebacker Cody Leonard is quickly climbing the charts among all-time GLVC defenders this season, while he currently sits as the NCAA Division II leader in total tackles (102) and tackles per game (14.6), and second in solo stops (54) and solo tackles per game (7.7). Perhaps what is most alarming is that Leonard totaled 110 tackles over 11 games last year to rank 21st nationally and is on pace to eclipse that mark in his eighth game of the season this Saturday. After a freshman year of 20 total tackles, Leonard registered 77 as a sophomore and then added 110 as a junior to give him 207 stops for his career. He entered the 2018 season 24 tackles outside the GLVC’s No. 10 position for career tackles, and has since soared to sixth place at 309. Given his weekly average, Leonard should surpass UIndy’s Derrick Bryant (313) and Truman’s Austin Zoda (318) to move into fourth all-time by the end of the week. McKendree’s A.J. Wentland (421), UIndy’s Rob Dury (393) and Saint Joseph’s Joel Wimbley (388) hold down the top three spots in GLVC history. As for single-season success, Wentland registered 145 tackles during the 2016 season and UIndy’s Todd Hacker currently owns 10th place at 120, set back in 2012. To reach Wentland for the GLVC’s single-season mark, Leonard would need to average 11 tackles over the final four games of the season.
[5 | 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. Missouri S&T (.665) is fifth and McKendree (.645) is ninth in completion percentage. McKendree is seventh in red zone offense (.935), UIndy is eighth in sacks allowed (0.67), and the Bearcats and Greyhounds are 10th in tackles for loss allowed (4.00). Additionally, Missouri S&T is seventh (3.57) and UIndy is eighth (3.50) in team sacks. Truman State is second (28.84) and Missouri S&T is fourth (28.55) in kickoff returns, while Truman is seventh in fewest penalty yards per game (39.29). Individually, McKendree’s Reece Metcalf is eighth (.660) and Missouri S&T’s Tyler Swart is ninth in completion percentage (.659). Truman’s Lawrence Woods is first in kickoff returns (47.6) and kickoff return touchdowns (3), while Missouri S&T’s Roderick Chapman is fifth in punt return touchdowns (1) and 10th in passes defended (1.7). Truman’s Josh Scheiderer is fourth in field goals per game (157), while teammate Jaden Barr is fifth overall in rush yards per carry (7.68). UIndy’s Malik Higgins is ninth with in receiving touchdowns (8). On defense, Quincy’s Cody Leonard is first in total tackles (14.6) and second in solo stops (7.7). Southwest Baptist’s De’Shawn Tone is first in forced fumbles per game (0.67) and Truman’s Sam Reeves is seventh in sacks (1.14).