SALISBURY, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Football Team scored the final 42 points of the game in a 49-3 thrashing of Catawba on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Bears closed out the regular season unblemished and ran their South Atlantic Conference winning streak to 15 games. In addition, LR claimed back-to-back SAC Championships.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne 49, Catawba 3
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (11-0, 8-0 SAC), Catawba (1-10, 0-8 SAC)
Location: Salisbury, N.C. | Shuford Stadium
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STATS OF THE GAME:
• Seven different players found the end zone for the Bears with five of those scores coming on the ground. On the day, LR ran for 300 yards and grinded out 57 rushing attempts.
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Grayson Willingham continued his efficient play, going 8-for-11 for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Over the past two games, Willingham has thrown 5 TDs and zero interceptions while going 20-for-27.
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Ameen Stevens led the Bears in rushing, finishing with 71 yards on 15 carries and his 12th rushing score of the year.
Ryan Carter,
Tre Luttrell,
Joshua Stewart and Willingham all found the end zone on the ground.
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Drake Starks hauled in a 43-yard touchdown pass and
Demarius Hampton had three catches for 46 yards.
Deondre Lester caught an 18-yard touchdown pass, his first career touchdown reception.
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Jaquan Artis had two tackles for loss and a sack on the day and
Clayton Horn had a sack and a forced fumble.
Javoris Smith and
Yannis N'Guetta had interceptions for LR with N'Guetta recording a 35-yard return on his pick.
• The Bears allowed just eight first downs on the day and held Catawba to 44 yards rushing on 21 attempts. In the passing game, the Indians went just 15-for-26 for 130 yards. LR outgained Catawba 451-174.
• The Bears dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for 36 minutes.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
• This was the 99th all-time meeting between the two programs which is the fifth most-played rivalry in all of Division II. The first game took place in 1907.
• The only other team to post back-to-back undefeated seasons in SAC play was Lenoir-Rhyne in 2013 and 2014. No other team in the league has been able to accomplish that feat since Carson-Newman did so in 1998 and 1999.
• Catawba finished winless in league play and ended the season on a nine-game losing streak.
UP NEXT:
LR will learn its postseason draw tomorrow night at 5 p.m. when the NCAA Selection Show announces the 2019 Playoff field.
