WILSON, NC - The Bears defense couldn't have played much better today, as they held Barton to just 121 yards of total offense in a 20-0 shutout victory. Lenoir-Rhyne has now shut out Barton two times in their last three games. 

"I like our ability to run the football, but we need to finish more drives with touchdowns." stated head coach Doug Socha. "Great job by our defense getting the shutout on the road. No matter where you play, a shutout is never an easy task."

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: #17 Lenoir-Rhyne 20, Barton 0
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (6-1, 4-1 SAC), Barton (2-5, 1-4 SAC)
Location: Truist Stadium | Wilson, NC

STORY OF THE GAME:

• After a stalled LR drive and a missed Barton field goal to open the game, the Bears got on the board with an Alex Boyd rushing touchdown. 
• Nic Cheeley intercepted Barton's Trevor Nored just three plays into their next drive.
• Lenoir-Rhyne's third drive of the game resulted in a 24-yard field goal from Jake Brown, putting the Bears up 10-0. 
• A 15-play, 72-yard drive before the half resulted in another Brown field goal and the Bears went into the break up 13-0.
• Boyd capped off LR's first drive of the second half with his second touchdown of the day, making it 20-0 in favor of the Bears.
• Barton's first drive of the fourth quarter was halted by an 64-yard Anthony Hightower Jr. interception.
• Deshaun Whitmire intercepted Barton on their next drive to put the game away. 

STATS OF THE GAME:

• Jalen Ferguson went 16-for-21 for 156 yards and an interception. 
• Alex Boyd finished with 95 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
• Tye Roberson set a career high with 79 rushing yards.
• Adonis McDaniel finished with five receptions for 71 yards.
• DeAree Rogers led the team with seven catches.
• Defensively Jaelin Willis was tops for the Bears with five tackles, including 1.5 TFL.
• Nic Cheeley, Anthony Hightower Jr., and Deshaun Whitmire all notched an interception. 
• The Bears outgained the Bulldogs 415-121 in total offense.
• LR had 26 first downs in the game, compared to just nine for Barton.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• The Bears are now 14-0 against Barton all-time, including a 5-0 mark in the modern era. 
• This will most likely be the last time in a while these teams meet as Barton football will be departing the SAC after this season.
• Lenoir-Rhyne did not punt once in the game, their first contest without a punt since Catawba on November 5, 2022.
• Alex Boyd is second in the SAC with eight touchdowns on the season.
• The Bears rushed for 251 yards in the game, their most all season.

UP NEXT: It's homecoming week for the Bears, as they will welcome Limestone between the bricks. The Saints will enter the game with a 5-2 (4-1 SAC) record after falling 38-12 to Wingate earlier today. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.