WINGATE, N.C. - It's rivaLRy week. The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears and Wingate Bulldogs are set to face off tomorrow at Wingate.

These two teams have played every year since 1986, with Lenoir-Rhyne holding a 24-16 advantage in the series. 

Opponent: Wingate Bulldogs
Game Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Wingate, N.C. | Irwin Belk Stadium

Notes:

Matchup History: As stated earlier, this is an annual matchup between these two SAC powerhouses. Despite the overall dominance in the series by the Bears, Wingate has gotten the best of their counterparts from Hickory as of late, winning each of the last three matchups. Last year's game was a defensive battle, as Wingate came into Hickory and held Lenoir-Rhyne to just 10 points in 14-10 victory. The three Wingate victories have been by four points or less, winning 14-10 in 2024, 34-30 in 2023, and 24-21 in 2022. The last Lenoir-Rhyne win took place on the road in 2021, a dominant 31-6 victory. 

Opponent Profile: The Bulldogs are 6-2 (4-2 SAC) and are coming off a convincing 30-3 victory on the road at Anderson last week. After starting the season 3-0, they dropped games to Carson-Newman (21-14) and Newberry (43-42 OT). Since that short slide they have rattled off three consecutive victories, including an impressive 27-20 win over then-No. 22 Emory & Henry. The Bulldog offense runs through running back Xavier Pugh. The redshirt sophomore has been dominant, ranking second in the country with 15 touchdowns and 13th with 811 rushing yards. He has scored in all but one game this season and had 164 yards and three touchdowns against Catawba three weeks ago. The signal caller, Elijah Holmes, has thrown for 15 touchdowns, compared to just one interception. His 227.5 yards per game ranks fourth in the SAC. Freshman Jaylen Hims has over double the catches of their next most effective wide receiver, totaling 45 receptions for 673 yards and six scores. Ryan Green is the team leader at 62 total tackles while Mandjou Berte has 10.5 TFL. As a team they allow just 86.8 rushing yards per game, which is tops in the SAC and 13th in the country. 

Lenoir-Rhyne Profile: The Bears are 5-4 (4-3 SAC) and won 45-0 at Mars Hill last week. This was their second consecutive victory as they took down UVA Wise 23-10 at home the week prior. Khamoni Robinson has broken out in his first year as starting quarterback, throwing for 1,846 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also rushing for 267 yards and five scores. Songa Yates, who just moved into the Lenoir-Rhyne record books with his 16th career touchdown, is the team leader with 551 receiving yards and five scores. In addition to his receiving prowess, he returned a punt for a touchdown last week. Zion Agnew (523 yards, 4 TD) and Destun Thomas (435 yards, 3 TD) join Yates as some of Robinson's top targets. The running back room has been a revolving door due to injuries, but veteran Alex Boyd (227 yards, 3 TD) and redshirt freshman Trey Brenton (206 yards, 2 TD) have proven they can shoulder the rushing load. Tre'von Cooper and Ben Watson have combined for 113 tackles, while Maddox Aprile's 9.0 TFL lead the team. Stewart Simmons is having an history season punting the football, ranking sixth in Division II with 44.12 yards per punt. Tye Roberson has been key in the return game, taking two kickoffs back for touchdowns. 

NCAA Regional Rankings: The first edition of the NCAA Regional rankings came out on Monday, with Wingate and Newberry appearing from the SAC. The first rankings are in alphabetical order, with the next two being numerical. Those come out every Monday with the NCAA selection show set to take place on Sunday, November 16th, at 6:00 p.m. 

SAC Standings: The Newberry Wolves have taken a solo lead in the SAC standings, sitting at 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the SAC. They just took down Emory & Henry 36-34 last week and haven't lost since a 21-10 defeat vs. Catawba on September 20th. Catawba, Carson-Newman, and Wingate all sit just one game behind them at 4-2, while Emory & Henry (5-3) and Lenoir-Rhyne (4-3) have no room for error.