The 23rd all-time matchup between Lenoir-Rhyne and Tusculum takes place this Saturday with the Bears owning a 12-10 advantage. The rivalry kicked off in 1924 but the two schools didn't meet again until 1998. LR is just 4-6 all-time at Greeneville but the Bears have taken three straight on the road and seven straight overall in the series.
A year ago, Tusculum played LR close but ran out of steam late. The Bears held a slim 14-10 lead heading into halftime but LR exploded for 21 second-half points and held the Pioneers scoreless to claim the victory. LR WR
T.J. Smith exploded for five catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns in the contest and
Ameen Stevens racked up 163 rushing yards on just 15 carries.
Jaquay Mitchell added seven rushes for 106 yards on the evening.
A week ago, the LR defense dominated an overmatched UVA Wise team and held them to just 165 total yards, the lowest amount given up by LR under reigning AFCA National Coach of the Year
Drew Cronic. In that contest,
Kyle Dugger returned two punts for touchdowns -- the second time he has done that in his career -- en route to being named National Special Teams Player of the Week. It's the second straight national honor for the Bears as
Eric Jackson was the National Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 for his 3-INT effort against Mars Hill.
Offensively, the high-powered Bears rank fourth in the nation in rushing offense and third in scoring.
Grayson Willingham enters fifth in the nation in pass efficiency and sixth in Division II in yards per attempt. He sits at 37 career touchdown passes and is just three shy of breaking the all-time record of 39 set by Brian Bryson in 1987.
The LR rushing attack is led by junior
Jace Jordan who has accounted for 340 yards rushing on just 26 carries, an average of 13.1 yards per carry. The junior has not lost yardage on a single carry this season and has only played in three contests after returning from an injury. Stevens has five rushing touchdowns and five players have at least 100 yards on the season for LR.
Special Teams may be a deciding factor in this one as two of the best punt returners in the nation square off. Dugger ranks sixth in the nation in punt return yards, while Dee Alford is second. Dugger's average of 21.3 is third in the land and Alford sits in ninth at 15.7 yards per return.
This is the second straight national ranked team Tusculum has played and the third on the season. The Pioneers own losses to West Alabama (47-14) and Wingate (28-21) on the year and the only victory they own in 2019 came against Limestone (38-10).
