HICKORY, NC - Lenoir-Rhyne returns home after their 37-34 playoff victory last weekend at West Alabama. The Bears will face off against the Panthers from Virginia Union as they look to return back to the NCAA Division ll Football Quarterfinals for the second straight season. Lenoir-Rhyne enters the matchup with a 10-2 (7-2 SAC) record while Virginia Union sits at 9-3 (6-1 CIAA) and are coming off an upset victory on the road at Wingate last week. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. from Moretz Stadium.Â
Notes:
Opponent Profile: Saturday's game will be the third all-time meeting between the Bears and Panthers. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the 2019 season where Lenoir-Rhyne scored 28 unanswered points on the road to even up the all-time series. Head Coach Alvin Parker is in his seventh season with the Panthers has a career record of 49-16. This is Virginia Union's third straight trip to the postseason, and last week's win was their first ever playoff victory in the 125-year history of the program. After opening the season a 1-2, the Panthers went on a six game winning streak in the conference, outscoring their opponents 318-60 during that span. Virginia Union ended the regular season with a tight loss 35-28 to Virginia State before getting their revenge following week with a 17-13 win in the CIAA Conference Championship. Last week, the Panthers traveled to Wingate and pulled off an impressive 34-31 win to advance to the second round of the NCAA Division ll Playoffs. Virginia Union's offense has been one of the best in the CIAA, generating 44.18 PPG, 68 touchdowns, and over 5,000 yards of total offense. Mark Wright leads the air attack for the Panthers with 2,167 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns. Star running back Jada Byers will be tough to miss, as he is second in the country with 146.8 rushing yards/game and 23 touchdowns. Receiver Reginald Vick Jr. has also been racking up the stats this year as he is third in DII with 1,236 total receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. On defense, Shamar Graham lead the team with 90 total tackles, while Isaac Anderson has notched 15.0 TFL for 58 yards.
West Alabama Recap: Lenoir-Rhyne had an historic day last Saturday, generating 460 yards of total offense in a 37-34 win over West Alabama. The Bears entered the matchup unseeded, while West Alabama earned the #3 seed after another 10-win regular season.
Jalen Ferguson became the first Bears signal-caller to throw for over 400 yards, finishing with a statline of 411 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown.Â
Adonis McDaniel finished with 202 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His receiving yardage set a new school record for postseason receiving yardage. Defensively,
Jaelin Willis led the team with 10 tackles while
Damien Savage had a huge late-game interception to halt all of UWA's momentum. Lenoir-Rhyne held the Tigers to just seven points in the 2nd half.
Jake Brown was perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, including the go-ahead 25 yard field goal in the fourth quarter.Â
Postseason History: Lenoir-Rhyne's road victory against West Alabama was just the third road playoff victory in school history, following last year's wins over Benedict and Valdosta State. Since 2012 the Bears have appeared in the NCAA DII Playoffs 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. 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 fell 43-28 to Northwest Missouri State.Â
Timeline:
- 8:00 AM - Tailgate Lots Open
- 10:30 AM - Bears Walk
- 10:45 AM - Bears Club Pavilion Opens
- 11:00 AM - Gate Opens
- 1:00 PM - Kickoff
Game Coverage: Bears fans can find all the links to the game below:
