HICKORY, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne football team defeated Tusculum 21-7 on senior day Saturday.
Shermon Davis was the offensive spark for the Bears, tallying both a rushing and receiving touchdown to go along with his 121 yards of total offense.
"Love the WIN for our seniors," stated head coach
Doug Socha. "Thought the defense was outstanding defending all the option. Quarterback play bounced back and was elite. Love the preparation and execution from our guys today."
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 21, Tusculum 7
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (5-5, 4-4 SAC), Tusculum (4-6, 3-5 SAC)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Moretz Stadium
STORY OF THE GAME:
- Both teams struggled to close out drives in the first quarter and the opening 15 minutes ended with a 0-0 score.
- The Bears got on the board early in the second when Shermon Davis scored on an eight yard rush.
- Keaton Stigall and Daylon Johnson combined for a big third down sack on Tusculum's next drive, setting up the Bears with good field position.
- Lenoir-Rhyne marched up the field and doubled the score when Wells Bettenhausen hit Mikel McClellan for a 14-yard touchdown reception, making the score 14-0 at the break.
- The Bear defense forced a punt on the first drive of the second half and the offense took advantage, with Bettenhausen hitting Davis for a 53-yard receiving touchdown just two plays later.
- Tusculum then scored on an 11-play, 75-yard drive, cutting the lead back to 14.
- The Bear defense continued to do their thing in the fourth, with Brodie Bradburn recovering a fumble that was forced by Daylon Johnson, and Xavier Gunn essentially ending the game with an interception on the Pioneers' last drive.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- Wells Bettenhausen was 16-for-21 with 237 yards and two touchdowns.
- Shermon Davis led the rushing attack with 69 yards on 11 carries, while Shamil Saadiq Jr. set a new career high with 79 receiving yards.
- Latavius Moore joined in the career high fun, tallying a new best of 13 tackles with 2.0 TFL. Brodie Bradburn had another stellar game with 11 tackles, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup, and one QB hurry.
- The Bears out-gained the Pioneers 348-211 on offense and led 17-15 on first downs.
- Tusculum held possession for 34:56, compared to 25:04 for Lenoir-Rhyne.
BEYOND THE STATS:
- Lenoir-Rhyne is now 19-11 all-time against Tusculum and have won the last six meetings.
- The Lenoir-Rhyne defense has now held its opponent to under 220 yards of offense for two straight games.
- Shermon Davis leads the team with 669 rushing yards on 11.0 yards per carry.
- With his 237 yards through the air, Wells Bettenhausen passed Brian Bryson for 10th all-time with 2,107 passing yards in a single season.
Up Next: The Bears will conclude the season next week on the road at Catawba. The Catawba Indians are 4-5 (3-4 SAC) and on the verge of picking up a 41-31 win over UVA Wise. Kick-off for next week's contest is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
