INDIANAPOLIS – Southwest Baptist University and Truman State University were both crowned Great Lakes Valley Conference Football Champions Saturday, following the Bearcats’ 50-12 win at Lincoln University and the Bulldogs’ 41-14 defeat at McKendree University.
Southwest Baptist (10-1, 7-1 GLVC) claimed its first league football title in program history behind record-setting performances from junior running back Bubba Jenkins and sophomore quarterback TJ Edwards. Jenkins, the GLVC’s career rushing leader (3,024 yards), broke the league’s single-season rushing record (1,560) after netting 149 yards on the ground with four touchdowns in the win. Edwards broke the SBU and GLVC single-season passing touchdown records, throwing for 225 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to finish the regular season with 3,012 passing yards. Junior Kendrick Payne also set the school’s single-season record with his record tying 13th touchdown reception.
Truman State (8-3, 7-1) fell behind to McKendree 24-7 at halftime and could not rally for a victory that would have secured an outright conference title. The GLVC Championship is the first league title for the Bulldogs since 1988.
Truman defeated Southwest Baptist 26-16 on Oct. 8, but the Conference declares co-Champions should the regular season end with identical league records. This is the first time in the five-year history of GLVC football that a team other than the University of Indianapolis has won the league crown.