PENSACOLA, FL - The #17 Lenoir-Rhyne Bears open their season on Friday with a prime-time showdown in Pensacola at #8 West Florida. This will be the first meeting between these two national powers since West Florida's 43-38 win in the 2019 national quarterfinals.
The game is scheduled for 6:00 CT/7:00 ET at PenAir Field in Pensacola, Florida, and is the only Division II game on Friday. To purchase tickets for the contest, click
HERE. It can be watched for free
HERE on FloCollege's youtube channel.
Notes:
Matchup History: These teams have played just once before, in a 2019 national quarterfinal game that saw West Florida come into Hickory and take down the Bears 43-38. UWF would continue their history run through the playoffs and eventually take down Minnesota State 48-40 to win their first and only national title. There was no shortage of offense in that game as the Argos narrowly outgained the Bears 454-438 in total yards. Grayson Willingham finished 14-for-23 with 161 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Jace Jordan had 114 yards on the ground with a touchdown. Current Seattle Seahawk Dareke Young caught the Bears only touchdown.
Opponent Profile: The Argonauts have plenty of experience coming back, returning eight offensive and seven defensive starters. Last year's squad finished with a record of 7-3 (5-2 GSC) and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Despite last season's results, West Florida was picked to win the Gulf South title over the likes of Valdosta State and West Alabama. Returning for the Argos is redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcus Stokes. The former Florida Gators commit started eight games last season and passed for 1,540 yards and eight touchdowns. Leading rushers TJ Lane and Jay Sharp return, as does leading receiver Corey Scott.
Lenoir-Rhyne Profile: After going 10-3 with a playoff victory in his first season at the helm, second-year head coach
Doug Socha isn't planning on taking a step back in 2025. The running back duo of
LJ Turner and
Zayvion Turner-Knox is set to be one of the most dynamic backfields in the country. Turner was an All-American for Catawba last season while Turner-Knox was LR's second-leading rusher, despite playing just three games. Dynamic return man
Songa Yates comes back after being named to the All-SAC Team as both a wide receiver and return specialist. Defensively,
Ben Watson and
Christian Santana return after having breakout season last year, combining for 100 tackles and 12.5 TFL. After serving as a backup the previous two seasons, redshirt sophomore
Khamoni Robinson will take the lead as the team's quarterback for this season.
Rankings: With their preseason rank of #17, the Bears have now appeared in the AFCA Coaches' Poll for 30 consecutive weeks. They are the only team in the SAC who is ranked, with Carson-Newman and Wingate each receiving votes. To no surprise, the preseason No. 1 team is Ferris State, who have won three of the last four national championships. Right behind them are Harding, Grand Valley State, Slippery Rock, and Central Oklahoma. The Bears and Argos are the second highest ranked matchup of Week 0, with the highest going to #9 Pittsburg State on the road at #1 Ferris State.
