RIVALRY RENEWED
- For the 66th time in the history of this rivalry, Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman will square off.
- Carson-Newman holds a 44-21 edge in the all-time series but it has swung LR's way recently. The Bears have won five straight over the Eagles and have gone 10-1 in the past 11 contests.
- The five-game winning streak against Carson-Newman is tied for the longest for LR in the series history.
- The first meeting in series history came back in 1927 as the two squads met five times between 1927 and 1936. However, the rivalry would go dormant until 1965. The two have met each year since 1965 with the exception coming in the 2020-21 COVID season.
- This will be the fifth time since 2018 that LR will enter a game with Carson-Newman as a nationally ranked team.
UNCHARTED TERRITORY
- Lenoir-Rhyne is 3-0 for just the seventh time since 1970.
- The Bears also started 3-0 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season under Jacobs.
- The other 3-0 starts since 1970 came in 1987, 1993, 1999, 2014 and 2019.
- In the 104-year history of Lenoir-Rhyne football, the program has only started 3-0 18 times.
- If the Bears win on Saturday, it would mark just the fourth 4-0 start since 1970. (others: 2019, 2014, 1999)
- Only 12 teams have started 4-0 in LR history.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Lenoir-Rhyne comes into Saturday ranked No. 15 in the D2football.com national poll and no. 17 in the AFCA poll. This marks the 70th week since 2012 that LR has been nationally ranked.
- The Bears are owners of a 50-12 record when they play as a nationally ranked team.
- On the road as a nationally ranked squad, the Bears boast a record of 22-6.
- Lenoir-Rhyne owns an all-time record of 8-0 since 2012 when they play against Carson-Newman as a ranked team.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
- Carson-Newman got off to a strong start with a dominating 35-3 win in the season opener on august 31 against Virginia Lynchburg. However, it has been a struggle for the eagles since then.
- In the next two games, the Eagles went seven straight quarters without scoring a point. C-N was shut out by East Tennessee St. 42-0 in week two and then dropped a 45-14 decision at Limestone. Carson-Newman managed to score twice in the final quarter but had been outscored 80-0 in the seven quarters.
- Running the ball hasn't been an issue for the eagles who average 196 rushing yards per game which ranks 32nd in Division II.
- The Eagles have struggled through the air with a completion percentage of 43.8 (149th in the nation), 136.0 yards per game (144th) and a passing efficiency of 90.65 (146th). With those struggles, the C-N offense produces 16.3 points per game which ranks 134th.
- Carson-Newman has been much stronger at home of the past year plus. in 2022, C-N averaged 32.6 points per game at home and put up 35 in the home opener this year. They also allowed just 16.4 points per game at home in 2022 and three so far in their lone home contest.
