HICKORY, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne Football team has jumped to the No. 19 spot in this week's AFCA Rankings, making it 33 straight weeks in the national poll for the Bears.

This weekend the Bears opened the home portion of their schedule with a thrilling 31-28 victory over Emory & Henry. After leading 28-3 at the half, the Wasps stormed back to tie it at 28-28 before Daniel Deneen Jr. hit a game-winning 32-yard field goal to send the Bears to victory. Khamoni Robinson accounted for three touchdowns, including an 83-yard rushing touchdown to open the game. Songa Yates had 98 receiving yards while Zion Agnew caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Zayvion Turner-Knox finished with a hard earned 39 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Five Bears finished with five tackles and Maddox Aprile had 2.5 TFL for 16 yards. 

The Bears have another tough test this week as they travel to Jefferson City, Tenn., to take on the Carson-Newman Eagles. Carson-Newman suffered a 31-24 overtime setback at Mars Hill on Saturday, dropping them to 2-1 on the young season. Always a tough opponent, the Eagles finished last year with a 9-3 (7-1 SAC) record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament opening round. The last matchup between these two teams took place in 2023, with the Bears walking away from Jefferson City with a 24-7 victory. Despite Carson-Newman leading the overall series 44-22, the Bears have won the last six games, and 11 of the last 12. Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 1:00 p.m.

The top-five teams in the poll are Ferris State, Harding, West Florida, Slippery Rock, and Kutztown. Wingate is the only other SAC school to appear in the poll, coming in at No. 23 after a 72-7 over Bluefield State last weekend. October opponent Valdosta State sits one spot behind the Bears at No. 20.