HOW TO WATCH: The South Atlantic Conference has partnered with FloSports to bring all the SAC digital content to you. As a change from year's past, this is a subscription-based production which means you will need to first sign up for FloSports here. You can download the app once you signup and use your login credentials to get started. Once you are logged in, click the red Flosports logo in the top left hand corner of the app and choose football. From there, you can click schedule and scroll down to the Lenoir-Rhyne game. You can also download the app on your smart TVs and enjoy the live stream on the big screen. To view on a laptop, you can go to flofootball.com and (once logged in) you can click on schedule and navigate to the Lenoir-Rhyne contest. A direct link to the game can be found above.
As was anticipated in the preseason, Lenoir-Rhyne and Newberry will meet on Saturday in Moretz Stadium as the top two teams in the SAC. This is the 89th all-time meeting between the two SAC rivals, and they will play for the Bishops Trophy for the 36th time. Newberry is the reigning league champ and was picked first in the SAC Preseason Poll, and Lenoir-Rhyne is the SAC's only undefeated team in conference play. Newberry nipped LR 28-21 at Newberry last year in an upset, and that game in mid-September ended up deciding the SAC Championship.
The Bears were picked second in the preseason poll, and have rolled through conference play so far, winning each league game by at least 21 points. Lenoir-Rhyne is the only team in the SAC that is ranked in the Top-25 in both scoring offense (19th, 35.1 ppg), and scoring defense (25th, 17.1 ppg).
Saturday's game marks the 2022 Homecoming game for Lenoir-Rhyne. It's also hall-of-fame weekend, and two former LR football players - Jameil Surratt and Chandler Rearden - will be inducted into the LR Athletics hall-of-fame. The Bears have won three straight Homecoming games dating back to 2017, but that 2017 Homecoming game was a 34-7 Newberry win at Moretz Stadium.
The two schools have been playing for the Bishops Trophy since 1987. The Bears hold a 19-16 edge in the trophy series, and have won three out of the last four. Overall, Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series 47-34-7. However, since 2015, Newberry holds a 4-3 edge in the series. The Wolves are the only team the Bears have a losing record to in that time frame. LR's 10-game winning streak in conference games is the third-longest in the nation right now. New Haven has a 17-game winning streak, and Shepherd has a 14-game winning streak.
Both of these teams were NCAA Playoff teams a year ago, with Newberry upsetting West Florida in overtime in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Bowie State a week later. Bowie State also knocked Lenoir-Rhyne out of last year's playoffs. Newberry is the second ranked team Lenoir-Rhyne has played this year. The Wolves are ranked No. 16 in this week's AFCA Poll, and LR is No. 12. The Bears fell to No. 1 Ferris State back in September for their only loss of the season. Newberry has one conference loss on the season, 24-14 in an upset by Carson-Newman. Since that game, the Wolves have beaten Barton and Catawba to get back on track.
This is the first meeting between the two longtime rivals where both teams have been ranked. LR is 7-5 when they are ranked and their opponent is also ranked. The Bears hold a 13-33 overall record when playing against ranked opponents. LR is 47-10 as a ranked team dating back to the start of the AFCA Poll in 2000.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Between the Bricks on Saturday. Use the links above to watch and listen to the game, and keep up with the most up-to-date news and information on Twitter @LRbears or @LRBearsFootball.
