Livingston, AL - Lenoir-Rhyne opens up postseason on Saturday with a matchup against West Alabama on Saturday. The Bears are coming off a thrilling 27-24 victory at home against Anderson to conclude their regular season. Lenoir-Rhyne comes into the matchup with a 9-2 (7-2 SAC) record, while West Alabama have won their last four games and enter with a 9-1 (5-1 GSC) record. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Livinsgton, Alabama. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
Notes:
Opponent Profile: Saturday's game will be the third all-time meeting between the Bears and Tigers. The Tigers lead the all-time series 2-0 and last defeated the Bears 36-32 in Livingston during the 2018 season. The winningest coach in school history, Brett Gilliland, enters his 11th season at the helm of the West Alabama football program. UWA opened the 2024 season with three straight non-conference victories at home, including against two SAC rivals (Tusculum and Limestone). In week four, the Tigers traveled to Pensacola, FL and escaped with a 35-33 win against a strong West Florida team. After collecting their fifth straight win against Mississippi College to begin October, Tigers suffered their only loss of the season against Delta State 21-6 on the road. However, West Alabama has compiled four straight wins to close out the regular season, outscoring opponents 149-20 during that span. UWA enters this matchup as the #3 seed in Super Region ll and the #12 team in the country. Spencer Arceneaux leads the air attack for the Tigers, throwing for over 1,600 yards and tossing 17 touchdown passes while Bry Webb and Devontae Causey have combined for 856 yards on the ground and six scores. Defensively, the Tigers defensive line has been nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, producing 32 sacks for 205 yards and only allowing 2.4 yards per attempt this season. The Tigers have notched 14 interceptions and six forced fumbles.
Anderson Recap: Lenoir-Rhyne collected a big win on senior day last week, escaping with a 27-24 win against Anderson. Bears drove down the field on an 8-play, 63-yard drive to set up
Jake Brown's game-winning 19-yard field goal.
Jalen Ferguson threw for 295 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the victory.
Songa Yates had 120 receiving yards while
Jamir Fox scored his third rushing touchdown in the last two games. Defensively,
Christian Santana led the Bears with seven tackles and one sack. This was the first meeting between the Bears and Trojans as Anderson is a brand new program.
Lenoir-Rhyne Award Winners: Lenoir-Rhyne had nine players named to all-conference awards, as announced by the SAC yesterday.
Songa Yates and
Carson Keaton were named to the All-SAC Offensive Team, and
Andre Jefferson and
Nic Cheeley were named to the All-SAC Defense team. Named to the All-Piedmont Offense team was wide receiver
Adonis McDaniel and offensive lineman
Christopher Wehnert. On the All-Piedmont Defense Team was the trio of
Maddox Aprile,
JT Black, and
Jaelin Willis.
Postseason History: Since 2012 the Bears have appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times. This is the second year in a row the Bears were selected for a postseason birth. Last year Lenoir-Rhyne was the #4 seed in the region and advanced to the national semi-finals. The Bears advanced to the Regional Final in 2019 after defeating Miles and #25 Carson-Newman in the first two rounds before falling #20 West Florida on the road. The year prior, Lenoir-Rhyne advanced to the Regional Finals after hosting the first and second round of the NCAA playoffs. Lenoir-Rhyne is seeking their first trip back to the NCAA Division ll National Championship since the 2013 season where the Bears lost to #2 Northwest Missouri State.
Tickets / Fan Experience: General admission tickets for the game will be $15, and can be purchased both online and at the gate. Student tickets, which can only be purchased at the gate, are $5 for anyone who shows their college ID. All gate ticket purchases can be made via card or cash. Parking is $5 near the stadium and free just a little further up the road. Parking ticket purchases are cash only.
To purchase tickets, click
HERE. To follow along with the live stats, click
HERE.
For fans who can't watch the game, the official Lenoir-Rhyne watch party will be held at Kickback Jacks.
