BOLIVAR - The Southwest Baptist University football team will continues to get national recognition this season, and have currently received the 38th most votes in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches Poll released earlier this week. SBU received three votes, and is the fourth consecutive week the Bearcats have received votes. The Bearcats will be hosting the Missouri Western Griffons in SBU’s Homecoming game this weekend. The Bearcats will be looking for their fourth straight Homecoming Day victory.

The SBU offense is lead by junior quarterback Dan Connors who has thrown for 1400 with eight touchdowns over the first eight games of the season. Connors has a completion percentage of 65.7% and is averaging 200 yards passing per game this season. Thad Everson leads all Bearcat rushers with 532 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while averaging 60.6 yards per game, and Charles Johnson leads the Bearcat receivers with 515 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 64.4 yards per game.

The Bearcat defense is lead by Zach Moore who has recorded team highs in tackles (66) and tackles for loss (4.5) this season. As a team, the Bearcats have wrapped up 13 sacks, picked off 10 passes, recovered 8 fumbles, and blocked 6 kicks on the season.

The Bearcats are off to the best start in school history, and look to move to 7-2 on the season with a victory over Missouri Western this Saturday. The game is set to kick off at 2:00 p.m. from Bolivar, Missouri.

The Coaches

Keith Allen has already engineered a significant turnaround at SBU, moving the ‘Cats from 0-11 his first year as interim coach, to 5-6 in 2008, to the winning record of 6-5 in 2009, and followed up with a 7-4 record in 2010. Allen served as defensive and recruiting coordinator before being named SBU head coach in 2007. His past coaching experience has included stops at San Jose State, Quincy, TCU and Oklahoma.

Jerry Partridge is in his 15th season as the head coach at Missouri Western State University. In Partridge’s fourteen previous seasons at Missouri Western, he has lead his team to an overall record of 103-59.

Scouting the Griffons

The Griffons enter into this weekend with a 6-2 record, coming off of a 45-7 win against Truman State University.

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Southwest Baptist University is a four-year evangelical Christian university that was established in 1878. The main campus is located about 30 minutes north of Springfield, Missouri, in Bolivar, a town of approximately 10,000 people.

DHS alum Glen Johnson is a defensive lineman for the Bearcats.

For more information on SBU Bearcat Athletics, visit sbubearcats.com.