HICKORY, NC – Lenoir-Rhyne University will kick off the 2024 season at home against the Bulldogs from Bowie State. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.

This is only the second meeting all-time between the Bears and Bulldogs, as they faced off in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Playoffs. 

Notes:
 
New Coaching Staff: Head Coach Doug Socha will be coaching in his first season with the Bears after serving as the Head Coach for six seasons at Keiser University in Florida. He accumulated an impressive 55-15 record and finished his tenure at Keiser with a NAIA National Championship in 2023. Before Keiser, Socha served as an NFL offensive quality control coach for the Buffalo Bills during the 2016 season. Socha's coaching staff will consist of five assistant coaches that were previously at Keiser and a total of nine first year assistant coaches. 
 
Home Openers: Lenoir-Rhyne University has won each of their last six home openers. taking down opponents by an average of 37 points. In last season's opener, the Bears took down St. Augustine's by a final score of 45-7.
 
Opponent Profile: Bowie State finished with a 6-4 (5-3 CIAA) record last season. The Bulldogs played extremely well at home last season, winning three of their four games in Maryland. However, Bowie State finished with a 3-3 record away from home. Last season, Amir Jackson led the air attack for the Bulldogs with over 1,000 yards passing, and Carleton Stewart led the Bulldogs in rushing with 356 yards. When leading after the 1^st Quarter Bowie State went 4-0, but struggled to come from behind, failing to make up any halftime deficit.

2023 Recap: The Bears opened the season on an eight-game win streak in 2023, finishing with a record of 13-2 (8-1 SAC) en-route to a national semi-final appearance. The Bears had multiple weeks with excellent performances on the ground, tallying 13 games of at least 100 yards rushing. The Bears punched in at least one rushing touchdown in every game throughout the course of the season. Dwayne McGee led the Bears in rushing with over 1,500 rushing yards, while Sean White tallied 1,900 yards in the air and 18 passing touchdowns. Defensively, the Bears opened the season with four straight games with 10 or more tackles for loss and recorded six interceptions in their first five games as a team. The Bears had Andre Jefferson, Jon Ross Maye, Shane Wells, Dwayne McGee, DeAree Rogers, Blake Jefferson, and Rashad Yelding named All-Americans in 2023, to bring their all-time list to 52 players since 1975.

2023 SAC Championship: The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears scored the first 48 points in a dominating win at Tusculum in the SAC Championship game. Sean White was named the game's Most Valuable Player as he went 19-of-30 for 305 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers. White became the first LR passer to toss five TD's in a game since Joel Roope did so against West Virginia State on October 20, 1990. As a team, LR threw six touchdown passes which is the most in the 104-year history of LR Football.

Returning Firepower:  The Bears will have multiple players from last season return as they begin their quest for a second straight SAC conference championship. Jalen Ferguson will lead the air attack for the Bears after throwing for 1,537 yards last season and 17 touchdowns. DeAree Rogers, the all-electric wide receiver/returner, returns after an impressive redshirt freshman season that saw him finish with 53 receptions for 690 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned three punt returns for a touchdown, tying the SAC single-season record for most punt return touchdowns in a season. Andre Jefferson, who was just recently named to the Senior Bowl Watch List, finished last year with 13 sacks, 40 solo tackles, and two forced fumbles. Jefferson is currently second in the conference in career sacks with 29.5 sacks and 13th in tackles for loss with 48.5.