RICHMOND, VA. – The No. 8 Lenoir-Rhyne Football Team scored 28 consecutive points to run their regular season winning streak to 12 straight in a 28-11 victory over Virginia Union on Saturday afternoon.
Dareke Young scored a career-high three touchdowns – two rushing and one receiving – to lead LR to victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 28, Virginia Union 11
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (2-0), Virginia Union (1-1)
Location: Richmond, Va. |
Hovey Field
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STATS OF THE GAME:
• Virginia Union became just the third team in the
Drew Cronic era to score on their opening possession. The Panthers drove 65 yards but were kept out of the end zone and settled for a 27-yard field goal from Jefferson Souza.
• After scoring 37 points in the first quarter in week one, the Bears were shut out in the opening frame today. However, LR rattled off 21 second quarter points to take control of the game.
Ameen Stevens punched in a 1-yarder and
Dareke Young had a pair of TD rushes in the quarter.
•
Landon Scott had a pair of interceptions to give him five INTs for his career. It is Scott's second multi-interception game of his career with the first coming against Limestone in 2017.
• Virginia Union RB Tabyus Taylor was the Box to Row National Player of the Week after rushing 25 times for 165 yards against Hampton in the season-opener but the Bears held him to 43 yards on 23 carries in this one.
• As a team, Lenoir-Rhyne rushed 54 times for 223 yards. The Bears were led by
Ameen Stevens who has 12 carries for 62 yards while
Raja Bradley added 40 yards on 13 carries.
•
Young's final stat line was six carries for 27 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and two catches for 52 yards and a TD in the passing game.
• Charles Hall was a standout for the Panthers, finishing the afternoon with seven catches for 132 yards
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
• This is the 506
th win in Lenoir-Rhyne Football history but the first time LR has defeated Virginia Union. The Panthers won the only other meeting in the series, a 28-13 decision in Hickory on August 30, 2007.
•
The stout LR defense has allowed opponents to rush for just 36 yards in their first two contests and an average of 0.6 yards per carry under first year Defensive Coordinator Joel Taylor.
•
Drew Cronic is now 14-2 in his LR tenure and owns a .875 winning percentage.
•
Grayson Willingham's TD strike to Young gives him 31 for his career which ties him with Jack Huss for third in program history. Willingham needs just nine more touchdowns to break the all-time record which has stood since Brian Bryson set the mark in 1987.
• Virginia Union defeated FCS Hampton last week, their first win over a Division I opponent since the Panthers defeated Grambling State 46-37 in 1991
UP NEXT:
LR returns home to open South Atlantic Conference play against Newberry on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the final home night game of the regular season.
