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.
GAME PROMOTION: This game will be Lenoir-Rhyne's Salute to Service game. This game is dedicated to those who serve our country. LR aims to honor all of those that serve and have served with complimentary admission to the game. There will also be postgame fireworks. If you, someone you know, or a group you represent would like to come to the game, you can visit
here (or lrbears.com/tickets) and use code "Salute" for a free ticket.
GAME PREVIEW: A rivalry is renewed on Saturday as Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman will meet for the 65th time in series history. This game has played every year since 1965 (minus the covid season) and while the overall record is in Carson-Newman's favor, the Bears have turned it around recently. Since ending C-N's Division II record 31-game winning streak over LR, the Bears have won 9 of the past 11 and look for their fifth consecutive win over their rivals from Jefferson City.
The first instance of this game took place in 1927 and had a similar result to the most recent contest, an LR win via a shutout. Unlike the 1927 game that ended 12-0, the 2021 contest featured plenty of offensive fireworks in LR's 59-0 drubbing of the Eagles.
Dwayne McGee tied a program record with his five touchdowns (four of which came in the first half) and
Grayson Willingham became the program's all-time leader in passing yardage. The Bears shutout a C-N team that hadn't posted a goose egg in the scoring column since 1992 which was the third-longest streak in Division II. Also, the 59 points scored by the Bears were the second-most by an opposing team in Burke-Tarr Stadium.
Looking forward to this years matchup, the two squads come in heading in opposite directions. The Bears breezed past Erskine 42-20 and were able to rest some regulars in the fourth quarter. On the other side, Carson-Newman is coming off a tough 40-37 overtime loss to Limestone which lasted four-and-a-half hours and a pair of overtime possessions.
The Bears were able to get the run game on track for the first time this season as
Dwayne McGee toted the rock 20 times for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Lenoir-Rhyne outrushed Erskine and has outrushed opponents 112 times in their last 136 contests.
Kelin Parsons took three of his five touches to the house, including a 45-yard run and a 66-yard reception. Defensively,
Zeke Nance extended the LR sack streak to 57 games in a row, one of two sacks on the day for the Bears.
Sean White threw for a career-high 291 yards and two touchdowns and
Deondre Lester had seven grabs for 95 yards.
The Eagles feature the most potent rushing attack in the league and are coming off a game where they ran the ball 53 times for 304 yards including a team-high 111 yards by QB Ivan Corbin. Corbin leads the Eagles in rushing yards on the season and is dangerous in the passing game as well. Corbin will look for his top target Braxton Westfield who had six grabs for 84 yards and a TD against Limestone and is one of the top threats in the league.
This will be the fourth straight game between these two teams that LR will be a ranked squad, coming in at No. 18 for the second straight week in the AFCA poll. The Bears are 43-10 in the AFCA poll history as a ranked team (dating back to 2000) and own a 24-3 mark at home as a ranked team.
This is the 325th all-time South Atlantic Conference game for Lenoir-Rhyne who owns eight SAC Championships. The Eagles have won the league 21 times but have gone since 2009 without a league title.
