HICKORY, N.C. - The battle for the Bishop's Cup is set to take place this weekend as Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Newberry Between the Bricks on Saturday night. 

This weekend also doubles as Lenoir-Rhyne's Family Weekend. For more information on all the events happening, click HERE. 

Opponent: Newberry Wolves
Game Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Moretz Stadium
Game Promotion: Family Weekend

Notes:

Matchup History: These teams have met 91 times in their history, with the Bears holding a 49-35-7 lead. The last two games have gone in Lenoir-Rhyne's favor, with the Bears winning 24-3 last year in Hickory and 24-10 two years ago in Newberry. In last year's game Jalen Ferguson went off for 328 yards and two touchdowns, completing 25 of his 36 passes. Alex Boyd set a new career high (at the time) of 92 yards on the ground, while Adonis McDaniel caught three passes for 98 yards. DeAree Rogers was the recipient of both of Ferguson's passing touchdowns. The Bears outgained Newberry 442-259 on offense and held them to just 1-for-13 on third downs. Defensively, Nic Cheeley and Jaelin Willis each picked up interceptions for a combined 51 yards.

Opponent Profile: Newberry currently sits at 2-1 (1-1 SAC). They opened their season with a 31-24 win over UVA Wise before posting a 49-0 shutout victory over NAIA Point University. Their lone blemish on the schedule came last week when the Catawba Indians came into Newberry and took down the Wolves 21-10. Newberry is led on offense by quarterback Reed Charpia, who is fourth in the SAC at 214.7 passing yards per game. He has thrown five touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception this season. Keith Desaussure is tied for the SAC lead with three receiving touchdowns. He is averaging 69.33 receiving yards per game on 17 total catches. Kenmane Brunson is the ground game general for the Wolves, totaling 100 yards and two touchdowns in their opening three games. Jamar Blandlin has been all over the field on defense, averaging 11.3 tackles per game. Head coach Todd Knight is in his 17th year at the helm of the Wolves, holding a 98-77 all-time record. He is the winningest coach in program history and has led them to four NCAA tournament appearances (2013, 2015, 2016, 2021).

Lenoir-Rhyne Profile: The Bears are 2-2 (2-1 SAC) and dropped a 24-7 contest at Carson-Newman last Saturday. Khamani Robinson, who was out last game with an injury, leads the team with seven passing touchdown and 770 yards in the air. Zayvion Turner-Knox has 174 yards on the ground to go along with a touchdown, while Songa Yates (302) and Zion Agnew (267) each have over 200 yards receiving. Ben Watson is the team's lead with 37 tackles while Maddox Aprile has 4.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks. On special teams, punter Stewart Simmons is second in the SAC and 18th in Division II at 42.6 yards per punt. Head coach Doug Socha is in his second year with the program and holds a 12-5 record with the Bears. He has an all-time record of 67-20 when his six years at Keiser are included.

Rankings: For the first time in 33 weeks the Bears are not in the AFCA Top 25, appearing in the receiving votes section of the poll. Wingate jumped to No. 19 after their 28-7 win over UVA Wise while Carson-Newman became the first team out following their win over the Bears. The top five consists of Ferris State, Harding, West Florida, Slippery Rock, and Kutztown, making it no change from last week.

Student Tailgate Information: All Lenoir-Rhyne students can pick up their tailgate passes tomorrow in Shuford 228 from 2-5 p.m. If you can't make it during that time email kirsten.kirschbaum@lr.edu. 

Family Weekend Information: Check In/Registration for family weekend is scheduled for 3-7 p.m. in the Cromer lobby. Events this weekend include the Bears Care service project in the Shaw Plaza on Friday, Bears Brunch on Saturday at the President's Residence, a family tailgate, family cornhole tournament, open chapel on Sunday, and many more. For more information on family weekend, click HERE.