HICKORY, NC - The Doug Socha era at Lenoir-Rhyne has officially begun. Behind the legs of Zayvion Turner-Knox and the arm of Jalen Ferguson, the Bears took down Bowie State 32-19 on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Hickory.

Turner Knox had himself a day, finishing with a career high 204 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Joining him on the career high list was quarterback Jalen Ferguson, who went 17-for-27 for 270 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

"This was a great TEAM WIN," said Head Coach Doug Socha. "There are a lot of things we have to clean up, but I love watching our guys compete."

After a stalemate of a first quarter, the Bears got going quickly in the second. Staring at a 3rd and 8 on their own 39, Ferguson hit Dominique Marshall on the run for a 36-yard completion, completely changing the momentum of the game. The next play was all Turner-Knox, as he took the handoff 25-yards to the house for Lenoir-Rhyne's first touchdown of the season. On Bowie State's very next drive, the long snapper whipped the ball over the punter's head and into the end zone, giving the Bears a safety and a 9-0 lead. On their next drive, the Bears kept things humming. Just two plays after a touchdown had been called back due to a holding penalty, Turner-Knox broke multiple tackles en-route to a 30-yard touchdown run. A late pick-six by the Bulldogs kept them in it, but Andre Jefferson blocked the extra point to keep the momentum going in the Bear's favor at the break. 

Lenoir-Rhyne wasted no time getting into the land of milk and honey in the third quarter, as Ferguson hit Zion Agnew with a 51-yard touchdown pass just 49 seconds into the second half, putting the home side up 23-6. Following a three-and-out from the Bulldogs, Turner-Knox scored his third touchdown of the game on an eight yard scamper, making it a 29-6 game with 11:16 remaining in the third quarter. A 39-yard field goal from Jake Brown a few minutes later extended the LR advantage to 32-6. 

Bowie State attempted to mount a comeback, scoring a few late touchdowns, but an interception by Damien Savage and a big sack from Andre Jefferson sealed the game late. 

For the Bears, this was their sixth consecutive home opening victory. They led this game in nearly every category, including first downs (18-14), rushing yards (199-159), passing yards (270-100), total yards (469-259), and time of possession (31:02-28:38). 

For the game, Jalen Ferguson was 17-for-27 for 270 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Zayvion Turner-Knox's 204 rushing yards are the 12th most all-time in Lenoir-Rhyne history. Preseason All-Conference pick Songa Yates showed why he deserved to be on the team, leading the way with five receptions for 109 yards. 

On the defensive side of the ball, senior Andre Jefferson wreaked havoc, finishing with seven tackles, four quarterback hurries, two tackles-for-loss, one sack, and one blocked PAT. Damien Savage came through with four total tackles, 1.5 TFL, and one interception, while Chris Brown finished with three tackles, one interception, one pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. 

The Bears are back at home next week as they play host to the Tiffin Dragons out of Tiffin, Ohio. The Dragons, a 2023 NCAA Tournament participant, opened up their 2024 season on Thursday with a 31-17 victory over Wayne State (MI). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.