JEFFERSON CITY, TENN.--The Lenoir-Rhyne Football dropped their first South Atlantic Conference (SAC) game of the season on Saturday as the Bears fell to Carson-Newman 24-7 on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles led 17-7 in the 4th quarter when the game was halted for a two-plus hour weather delay. After the delay, the Eagles added to their lead and held on for their first league victory of the season.

The Eagles held the Bears to just 266 total yards. Max Blanc threw his first touchdown pass as a Bear, coming on in relief to throw for 89 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown to Dominique Marshall.

The Bears look to rebound next week at home for Family Weekend,  as LR hosts Newberry Sept. 27 at Moretz Stadium. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (RV) Carson-Newman 24, #19 Lenoir-Rhyne 7 
Records: Carson-Newman (2-1, 1-1 SAC) , Lenoir-Rhyne (2-2, 2-1 SAC), Carson
Location: Jefferson City, Tenn. I Burke-Tarr Stadium

STORY OF THE GAME:

• Both defenses shined in the opening quarter, as both teams combined for just 62 total yards in the first fifteen minutes.  The Bears defense forced three Eagle punts in the first quarter. 
• The Bears first drive of the second quarter ended with a costly turnover inside the Eagles 30-yard line, stopping a promising drive and the Bears only scoring threat of the first half. 
• Carson-Newman made the turnover even more costly as the Eagles hit a big play for the first score of the game as the Eagles's quarterback Zane Whitson hit Cade Meeks for a 45 yard touchdown to give C-N a 7-0 lead, a lead they took into the halftime break. 
• On third and one with five minutes left in the third quarter, Whitson used his legs for a 37-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead. 
• After a roughing the passer call on Eagles on the next drive, Max Blanc came in to the game at quarterback and on the first snap of his LR career, Blanc hit Dominique Marshall for a 40 yard touchdown to get the Bears on the board. 
• After a lengthy weather delay, the Bears had a chance to cut the Eagles lead to one possession but the Bears miss a 54-yard field goal
• The very next play, Whitson went the distance, again with his legs, scoring a 63-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 24-7 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. 

STATS OF THE GAME:

• Will Bettenhausen made his first career start at quarterback for the Bears and went 9-for-20 for 102 yards before leaving the game after the roughing the passer call in the third quarter. 
• Blanc finished 6-15 for 89 yards and a touchdown. 
• Bears were held to just 75 yards rushing on 25 attempts lead by 39 yards from Zayvion Turner-Knox.
• Zion Agnew lead the Bears with six receptions and 69 yards receiving while Marshall had 52 yards and a touchdown. . 
• Ben Watson had 13 tackles to lead the Bears on the defensive side. 
• Whitson lead the Eagles with 177 rushing yards and 123 yards threw the air and three total touchdowns. 

BEYOND THE STATS:

• The game feature two weather delays, the first lasted 35 minutes, however the teams only got on the field for two more plays before another weather delay, The second weather delay was over two hours.
• The 24-7 score was the same score the Bears defeated Carson-Newman by in their last game against each other on September 23, 2023.
• The Eagles snapped a six game losing streak versus the Bears. 
• This is the Bears first lost in Jefferson City since the 2012 playoff game where the Eagles came away with a 38-35 win to advance to the NCAA Semi-finals.
• The Bears loss leaves only three teams without a loss in the SAC standings, Newberry, Mars Hill and Wingate. All are teams LR will face later this season.

UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne returns home to face Newberry next Saturday at 6 p.m. on Family Weekend between the bricks of Moretz Stadium.