Football Game Notes, October 23, 2010
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games through Saturday, October 23:
BREVARD - Neville Bryce and Kelvin Jeter set Brevard College single season and single game rushing records on Saturday against Wingate University, but it was not enough as Cody Haffly threw for 379 yards and five touchdowns and Perry Floyd had 221 all-purpose yards as Brevard fell in a high-scoring affair to the visiting Bulldogs, 44-37 ... Bryce, in his first healthy action on the season after dealing with turf toe and a sprained ankle early in the year, carried the ball 35 times for 224 yards and four touchdowns in the game breaking the single game carries and yards record previously held by John Taylor ... Kelvin Jeter also broke the 100 yard rushing mark in the game for Brevard (3-5, 0-4 SAC), finishing the game with 138 yards on 11 carries ... Jeter's 35 yard carry in the first quarter broke the BC single season rushing record of 766 yards held by Taylor, and the freshman slot finished up the game with 825 rushing yards on the season ... Michael Crumbaker was two of seven for 26 yards through the air for Brevard in the game, finding Derek Church for a 15 yard gain and Jeter for an 11 yard catch, while carrying the ball 17 times for 65 yards and a touchdown ... Defensively, C.J. Wilson, Prince Simunyu and Trey Jenkins led the Tornados with eight tackles apiece ... Christian Lumbu added seven tackles, 1.5 coming behind the line of scrimmage, while Rufus Jenkins picked up a sack in the contest. Demarcus Allen forced and recovered a fumble for Brevard in the contest, while Salonik Amos picked off his second pass of the season for Brevard ... Bryce had five carries of at least 10 yards and three carries of 20-plus yards in the contest, while scoring from 1 yard, nine yards, 38 yards and four yards in the game ... Bryce had three touchdowns in the first half as Brevard built a 20-2 lead and had another touchdown with two minutes left in the game as the senior fullback attempted to lead the comeback for the Tornados ... Cody Haffly was 23-32 for 379 yards in the game with three receivers having more than 100 yards in the contest to lead Wingate to the victory ... Brevard faces off against Tusculum next weekend in Greeneville, Tenn. as both teams search for their first SAC win in the 2010 season ... Kickoff between the Tornados and the Pioneers is set for 1:30 p.m.
CARSON-NEWMAN - Sophomore running back Brandon Baker rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns, and junior running back Nate Inman added 156 yards and a score to lead the Carson-Newman football team to a 34-27 victory over Mars Hill on Thursday night in a key South Atlantic Conference matchup at Burke-Tarr Stadium ... The victory moves the Eagles (5-3) into a tie atop the SAC standings with Mars Hill (5-3), Catawba and Wingate at 3-1 ... Baker, who had touchdown runs of 12 and 22 yards, averaged 12.5 yards per carry ... Inman added a score from 17 yards out and rushed for 8.2 yards per touch ... Freshman running back Tyron Douglas, who rushed for 41 yards on four carries, converted a third and four at the C-N 15 with less than a minute left to seal the win ... The contest was an offensive showdown with Mars Hill outgaining Carson-Newman 484-466 in total offense ... The Lions had 218 yards on the ground and added 266 yards passing, while the Eagles piled up 391 yards on the ground and 75 yards through the air ... C-N senior quarterback Doug Belk completed 6-of-6 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns and added 33 yards on the ground ... Junior tight end Keith Hardy and junior receiver Marcus Huie caught touchdown receptions of 37 and 15 yards, respectively, for C-N ... Despite giving up more than 400 yards, the Eagle defense made big plays when it mattered most ... Three of C-N's four interceptions stopped Mars Hill drives in Eagle territory, including an interception by sophomore Issac Kinley at the C-N 3 that ended Mars Hill's chances with 2:33 left in the contest ... Sophomore defensive back Tarvin Jones led the way for the Eagles with four tackles and two interceptions returned for 42 yards...Jones has collected four picks in the last two games ... Senior Dontaye Hall recorded eight tackles and an interception, while freshman Jaycob Coleman also had eight stops ... The Eagles wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard as they took the opening kickoff and went 80 yards in six plays, capped off by a 37 yard touchdown pass from Belk to Hardy to give C-N a 7-0 ... With the score, the Eagles surpassed the 12,000-point plateau during the Sparks era, giving them 12,004 points ... With C-N leading 27-20, Jones' second interception of the night early in the fourth quarter set up C-N's final scoring drive that was capped by a 17-yard touchdown run by Inman ... Matthew Gossett tacked on the extra point to give the Eagles a 34-20 cushion ... After a Mars Hill score trimmed C-N's lead to 34-27, Kinley picked off a pass on Mars Hill's next possession at the C-N 3 that allowed the Eagles to run out the clock ... C-N returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 30 in a SAC matchup at Newberry. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. .. Newberry will be coming off a 28-25 loss to Catawba...The Eagles won last year's meeting, 23-20, in heavy rain, as kicker Carlos Lopez drilled a game-winning 35-yard field goal with 37 seconds left.
CATAWBA - Catawba notched a league road win on Saturday 28-25 at Newberry ... The Indians rallied from a 17-7 first-quarter deficit behind a career-high 384 yards pass from Patrick Dennis ... Catawba trailed 17-14 at the half, but Dennis threw a pair of long touchdown strikes in the third quarter to give the Indians the lead ... His first went for 43 yards to Eric Morman and his second covered 49 yards to Gerron Bryant ... Bryant finished with 195 yards receiving on six catches ... Brian Terwilliger had 98 yards rushing, including a 59-yard scoring run late in the second quarter ... Jumal Rolle helped stop a pair of Newberry drives in the red zone with an interception and a forced fumble ... it marked the first win for Catawba at Newberry since 2004.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University football team (5-3, 2-2) made it two in a row with a 34-31 win over Tusculum College (4-4, 0-4) Saturday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference game at Moretz Stadium … L-R junior quarterback Major Herron (Kingsland, Ga.) rushed for a career-high 145 yards on 32 carries while senior running back Andrew Courman (Beaufort, Ga.) scored twice as the Bears won their first league home game since a 31-7 victory over the Lions of Mars Hill College on October 28, 2006 … Lenoir-Rhyne was also able to overcome a 14-point deficit in the first quarter and a 421-yard, three-touchdown passing effort from Tusculum's Bo Cordell, a Moretz Stadium record for passing yards … Courman scored on a 49-yard touchdown reception and added a 79-yard scoring run in the first half as the Bears took an 18-17 lead into intermission … L-R kept the momentum going after break and scored on its first three possessions in the second half to increase its margin to 31-17 … Tusculum, though, tried to rally with a pair of touchdown passes from Cordell to Deonte Gist in the final stanza sandwiched around a fourth and final field goal on the day by L-R junior placekicker Colin Corpe (Ocala, Fla.) but the Bears were able to hold on for the win … Lenoir-Rhyne's defense, led by sophomore linebacker Demetrius Green's (Cedartown, Ga.) team-high 10 tackles, held Tusculum to minus 13 yards rushing and produced five quarterback sacks in the first half … Corpe tied his own mark with four field goals in the game and moved into a third-place tie on L-R's all-time scoring list for kickers with Andrew Coln with 167 points … Lenoir-Rhyne needs one more victory on the year to clinch its first winning season since 1994 (an 8-2 mark and a share of the league title) … Lenoir-Rhyne now has a conference-leading 27 sacks on the season … Lenoir-Rhyne hits the road for the next two weeks starting with a trip to Wingate on Saturday … Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. … Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series with Wingate, 15-9, but the Bulldogs have won the past five meetings between the two schools … L-R won the first 11 contests in the series ... Lenoir-Rhyne has not won at Wingate since a 36-32 triumph in the 2000 season.
MARS HILL - Mars Hill racked up 484 yards of total offense but could not overcome four turnovers and suffered its first conference loss of the season at Carson-Newman by a final of 34-27 at Burke-Tarr Stadium … The Lions drop to 5-3 overall, 3-1 in the league … Carson-Newman grabbed an early 7-0 lead when Doug Belk found Keith Hardy from 37 yards with 11:50 left in the first quarter. Jonas Randolph broke the Mars Hill career rushing record with a 27 yard gallop late in the first quarter. Randolph finished the game with 30 carries for 191 yards, with 140 of those yards coming in the first half … The Daleville, Ala., native now has 3,007 yards, surpassing Travis McFadden's (1999-2003) 2,859 career rushing yards … The Lions threatened early in the second quarter, driving the ball to the Eagle 38 yard line, but Jon Richt was picked off by Tarvin Jones who returned the ball 31 yards to the Mars Hill 46. The interception was Richt's second of the game … After a defensive stand, the Lions drove into Eagle territory and found the scoreboard when Randolph crossed the goal line from one yard out. Michael Pinkerton's point after attempt sailed wide left, leaving Carson-Newman with a 7-6 advantage. The scoring drive went 95 yards, lasting 15 plays and eating 8:01 off the clock … Carson-Newman answered on the next drive when Brandon Baker rumbled 58 yards to the Lion 12 yard line … Baker scored on the next play to give the Eagles a 14-6 lead with 2:29 remaining in the first half … Mars Hill opened the second half with a nine play, 69 yard drive. Richt foundP.J. Gore for a 33 yard pickup down to the Carson-Newman 12 … After an 11 yard run by Randolph, Richt plunged into the endzone from one yard out to cut the deficit to 14-13 … On the next possession, Nate Inman gained 65 yards on 3rd and 8 for the Eagles, moving the ball to the Mars Hill eight yard line. Belk found Marcus Huie for a touchdown strike to increase the Eagle lead to 21-13 … Carson-Newman increased its advantage to two touchdowns with 2:36 left in the third quarter. Baker found the endzone from 22 yards out, but Matt Gossett missed the extra point attempt to make the score 27-13 in favor of the Eagles … Mars Hill answered when Richt hit Frankie Waters for paydirt from 74 yards out to cut the margin to 27-20 in favor of Carson-Newman at the 2:07 mark in the third quarter. The scoring toss was Richt's 17th of 2010 which set a new school record for most touchdown passes in a single season, breaking the previous record of 16 held by Ashley Abernathy since 1993 … The Lions drove into Eagle territory early in the fourth quarter, but on 4th and 2, a Richt play action pass attempt was intercepted by Jones to halt the threat. Carson-Newman pushed its lead back to two touchdowns at 34-20 when Inman rushed into the endzone from 17 yards out. The score came with 9:02 left in the game … Mars Hill came back with a touchdown on the next possession. Richt's 12th completion of the game went 12 yards to Gore who scored at the 7:13 mark … The Eagles went three and out on the next drive, and Mars Hill took the ball at its own 32 yard line with 4:53 left in the game … On the second play of the series, Richt hit Travis Prince for a 35 yard gain deep into Carson-Newman territory. However, with 1st and goal at the Eagle nine yard line, Richt threw his fourth pick of the game to Issac Kinley … The Eagles ran out the clock to end the game. Baker ended with 162 yards on 13 carries. Inman racked up 156 yards on 19 carries. Belk was 6-6 through the air on the night for 75 yards and two touchdowns … Richt finished 15-28 for 266 yards with two touchdown passes but had four interceptions … Waters had three catches for 99 yards and one touchdown. Gore recorded four catches for 58 yards and one touchdown … Marzarius Samon posted a game-high 16 tackles for Mars Hill, including two tackles for loss and one sack. Rudy Cabral and Josh Baker each had nine stops for the Lions … Carson-Newman gained 466 yards with 391 coming on the ground … Mars Hill will host Catawba on October 30. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Catawba leads the series against the Lions 27-17. MHC won the last meeting 14-12 in 2009. Catawba's last win was in 2008, 24-7.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College Wolves lost their second consecutive South Atlantic Conference game, 28-25, to Catawba College at home Saturday... Newberry now stands at 3-4 overall and 2-2 in SAC play... The Wolves led by a 17-7 margin, but untimely turnovers and the loss of starting quarterback Bryan Ehrlich to injury just before the half changed the tone of the game... A 37-yard Britt Blackmon field goal on the opening drive of the game gave Newberry a 3-0 lead... The Wolves forced the Catawba Indians to punt on the next drive, but the punt was judged to have hit a Newberry player, leading to a short Catawba touchdown drive to give the guests a 7-3 lead... Newberry reclaimed the lead on a 15-yard touchdown carry by Lyndon Ingram to cap a 7-play, 69-yard drive... Newberry pushed the lead to 17-7 on a 72-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Ron Parker... The defending SAC Defensive Player of the Year has been on the receiving end of at least one turnover in five of Newberry's seven games and all four conference games... The fumble recovery TD was the first one for Newberry since the 2008 season.. Both teams missed out on scoring opportunities in the second quarter, with Catawba's Thomas Trexler missing a 44-yard field goal and Newberry fumbling the ball away twice inside the Catawba 25-yardline... Catawba narrowed the deficit to 17-14 on a 59-yard touchdown carry out of the Wildcat formation by Brian Terwilliger... Ehrlich was knocked out of the game on the second play of the next drive... Catawba scored on the first drive after halftime on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Dennis to Eric Morman... After a Newberry punt, Catawba used another big completion to get into the Wolves' redzone, but a bad snap on a field goal attempt kept the points off of the board... However a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dennis to Gerron Bryant on the Catawba Indians' next drive made it a 28-17 game... Newberry drove to the Catawba 24 on its next drive, but Jumal Rolle intercepted a Parker Hite pass in the endzone to thwart a scoring chance... A bad Catawba punt on the next drive gave Newberry great field position, but Blackmon narrowly missed on a 45-yard field goal attempt... Another Catawba punt gave Newberry a longer field, but Hite engineered a good drive and made it a 28-23 game on a 40-yard touchdown pass to David Pressley on fourth down... Terrence Wilson made it a 28-25 margin on the two-point conversion... Catawba got the back with just over four minutes to play and converted two third downs to run out the clock and hold on for the win...Ingram carried the ball 13 times for 133 yards and a touchdown, marking the first 100-yard rushing performance for the Wolves this season... Hite completed 13-of-24 passes for 180 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Ehrlich completed 10-of-16 passes for 112 yards... Pressley was the top receiver for the Wolves, catching 12 passes for 155 yards and a score... The senior now has 57 receptions for 829 yards and nine touchdowns this season, as well as 119 catches for 1,592 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career... His 829 yards this season ranks second in school history behind Tymere Zimmerman, who had 977 yards in 2004... Pressley has over 100 receiving yards in six of Newberry's seven games this season... Arterio Arnold led the Wolves with nine tackles, including three tackles for loss, while Apollo Stretch had eight tackles and a forced fumble... Letavious Williams notched two sacks, while Parker had five tackles to go with his fumble recovery touchdown... Newberry will be back in action next Saturday, Oct. 30, as the Wolves host SAC opponent Carson-Newman (5-3, 3-1 SAC)... Carson-Newman won last year's game in a downpour, as the two teams combined for a SAC-record 17 fumbles... Newberry has won the last two games at home, including a 27-21 overtime victory in 2008 on a touchdown reception by Pressley.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (4-4, 0-4 SAC) dropped its fourth straight game as TC fell 34-31 at Lenoir-Rhyne… During its last four games, Tusculum has lost by 22 points, combined (5.5 ppg)… TC's last five games have been decided by seven points or less… Tusculum jumped out to a 14-0 lead scoring a pair of touchdowns in the first six minutes of the game… Lenoir-Rhyne responded with 18 unanswered points and led by 14 themselves (31-17) with 9:40 left in the game… TC responded with a pair of touchdowns down the stretch, including a 20-yard TD pass from Bo Cordell to Deonte' Gist with 28 seconds remaining to pull within three (34-31)… But that's as close as the Pioneers would get as the ensuing on-side kick was unsuccessful… TC jumped out to the two-touchdown lead, scoring on its opening possession when Rashaad Carter found the end zone on a 25-yard TD pass from Cordell… Carter recovered the on-side kick on the following kickoff… TC parlayed that gamble into a score as Cordell rushed for his fifth TD of the year, this one from 13 yards out… Cordell went 42-for-62 for 421 yards and three touchdowns on the day… The 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy candidate has passed for over 400 yards in his last seven games (431.71 ypg during that span)… Cordell leads the NCAA (all divisions) averaging 417.50 passing yards per contest… He also leads all divisions in completions per game (36.12 cpg)… Cordell's 421 yard effort was also a new Moretz Stadium record at Lenoir-Rhyne… In SAC games, Cordell is averaging 441.5 passing yards per game... For the 11th time in school history, two Tusculum players recorded 100 receiving yards in game… Gist finished with 11 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the fourth quarter… Carter added 116 yards on his 10 receptions and a score… Cordell has passed for 3,340 yards this season, which is already the third-most in school history and fifth most by a SAC quarterback... Cordell has recorded 289 completions on 458 attempts for 25 touchdowns (all second in TC history)… Four Pioneers have already recorded 500 receiving yards this year, including Gist (810), Carter (754), Calvin Britt (684) and Michael Rodriguez (568)… Gist's 810 receiving yards are the fourth most by a Pioneer, while his 72 receptions are third in school history… Britt continues to close in on the school's all-time receiving yards record… Britt has accounted for 2,181 receiving yards in his 38-game career, which are third in school history and 196 yards shy of matching the TC record by former All-American Kevin Wolcott (2,377 from 2000-03)… Britt will need to average 65.3 yards per game for the remainder of the season to surpass to Wolcott… Carter is also climbing up the Tusculum record book himself… Carter has accounted for 1,622 receiving yards (7th in TC history) on 109 receptions (6th in TC history)… Gist became the 12th player in TC history to record 100 receptions in his career (102 catches - T10th in TC history)… Gist is also one of three players on the team with over 1,000 receiving yards in his career (1,267 - 13th in TC history)… Senior linebacker Zachary Norman recorded a season-best 15 tackles against the Bears, including 13 solo hits… Norman takes over the team-lead with 50 tackles this year… Senior defensive end David Little made four tackles for loss against L-R, giving him 13 TFL's this season, which leads the squad… In its last four games, TC is being outscored by a 63-30 margin in the opening quarter during its last four games… But TC has been solid in the fourth quarter, outscoring SAC opposition by a 63-41 margin in the final frame… The Pioneers return home to host Brevard… Tusculum leads the all-time series 4-2 in a series that began in 1940… Brevard won last year's meeting 27-24 in overtime in the Tornados first victory over TC since 1946.
WINGATE - Wingate University redshirt junior quarterback Cody Haffly completed 23-of-32 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns as the Bulldogs overcame a 20-2 first half deficit and defeated the Tornados of Brevard College 44-37 in South Atlantic Conference football action Saturday afternoon. Wingate improves to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the SAC, while the Tornados fall to 3-5 overall and 0-4 in the SAC … The Bulldogs exploded for 35 second-half points, taking their first lead of the game at 23-20 midway through the second quarter on Haffly's nine-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Perry Floyd. Wingate took a 44-30 lead on Haffly's 43-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Chris Bowden … Three receivers had over 100 receiving yards on the afternoon, while redshirt senior running back Nelson Woods ran for 153 yards and a touchdown. Floyd, who entered the game ranking second nationally in all-purpose yards, had seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. The preseason All-American return specialist also had two punt returns for 81 yards and a 28-yard kickoff return. Redshirt senior Delric Ellington had six catches for 116 yards, while Bowden caught four balls for 105 yards and two scores … Redshirt sophomore safety Robert Fletcher led all players on the defensive end with nine tackles in the game. Senior linebackers Ben Hinson and Greg Harmon had eight tackles each. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Brandon Mays and redshirt junior defensive lineman Josh Yon each recorded tackles for loss in the game, while Mays also forced and recovered a fumble. Redshirt senior cornerback Justin Squirewell had a big game in the Wingate secondary, recording six tackles and breaking up two Brevard pass attempts in the game … Brevard took the opening kickoff and started the opening drive on the home 32-yard line. After BC quarterback Michael Crumbaker picked up nine yards on third down to give the hosts a fresh set of downs on their 48-yard line, running back Kelvin Jeter found a seam and raced down the left sideline for 51 yards before being dragged down at the Wingate 1 yard line by Squirewell. Running back Neville Bryce bulled his way into the end zone on the following play to put the Tornados up 6-0. Chase Henry's extra point was blocked and returned to the end zone by Wingate redshirt senior defensive back Terrence Stephens to put the score at 6-2 two-plus minutes into the game … The teams swapped punts before Wingate put together a nine-play, 33-yard drive, moving the ball to the Brevard 10-yard line as Haffly connected on a pair of passes to Ellington and Woods had three carries for 28 yards. On Woods' fourth carry of the drive, he was stripped by BC's Allen and Allen fell on the ball to end the Bulldogs drive, giving the Tornados the possession … On their first play from scrimmage after the fumble, Jeter found another seam. This time the seam was on the right side and Jeter weaved his way for 35 yards to move the ball to the Brevard 45-yard line. The Tornados moved the ball the rest of the way on nine rushing plays, capped off by a nine-yard carry by Bryce to put the Tornados up 13-2 with 33 seconds remaining in the first quarter … Wingate turned the ball over on downs on its next possession and the Tornados took over on their own 23-yard line. Using a steady diet of Bryce carries, Brevard moved the ball 65 yards on 17 plays, with the senior fullback carrying the ball eight times on the drive as the Tornados advanced to the WU eight-yard line. Crumbaker rushed off the right tackle, but was hit by Mays and the ball came loose, bouncing back into Mays' hands to end the drive and give possession to the visitors … Haffy connected with Floyd on back-to-back passes to start the next drive, moving the ball 40 yards before Woods had a 19-yard carry up the middle to place the ball on the BC 29-yard line. Haffly's next pass attempt was tipped and picked off by Salonik Amos; the junior cornerback returned the ball 23 yards to the BC 38 … A late hit on the play gave Brevard possession at the Wingate 47-yard line. After a pair of running plays and an incomplete pass, Bryce took the handoff on fourth-and-one and broke a tackle up the middle. He outran the defenders to the end zone from 38 yards out to put the Tornados up 20-2 with 1:07 remaining in the first half … A 31-yard kickoff return by freshman defensive back Timmy Rogers gave the Bulldogs possession on their own 47-yard line for one final drive in the half. Haffly moved the Bulldogs down the field, targeting five different receivers before finding redshirt senior wide out Philip Thomas in the back of the end zone for a four-yard score with five seconds left in the half. Bulldog redshirt senior place kicker RP Lopez hit the extra point as the teams headed into the locker rooms with the score at 20-9 in favor of the Tornados … Brevard attempted an onside kick to start the second half, but Wingate was able to recover the ball, allowing the visitors to start their opening possession of the half on the BC 39-yard line. After a three-yard rush by Woods, Haffly found Bowden on a post pattern in the middle of the field for a 36-yard scoring strike to cut the deficit to 20-16 … After a Brevard punt, the Bulldogs marched down the field again, moving the ball 65 yard on nine plays before Haffly found Floyd in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown, giving Wingate their first lead of the afternoon at 23-20 … The Tornados came back on their next possession as Bryce opened up the drive with a 38-yard carry, moving the ball from the BC 37 yard line to the Wingate 25. Wingate's defense stood strong in the red zone, forcing a fourth down to bring out the field goal unit. Henry's 27-yard attempt split the uprights, tying the score at 23-23 with 3:42 left in the third quarter … On the first play of the fourth quarter, Haffly found Floyd for a 29-yard touchdown, capping a 10-play, 57-yard drive to go ahead 30-23. Aided by a Wingate personal foul on their next drive and a 22-yard carry by Bryce, the Tornados tied the game up as Crumbaker found a gap in the line from one yard out to put the score at 30-30 with 11:21 remaining … Wingate would score touchdowns on their next two drives as Woods ran the ball in from five yards out one play after a 73 yard pitch-and-catch from Haffly to Ellington. Haffly found Bowden in the right corner of the end zone from 43 yards out on the second drive, giving the Bulldogs a 44-30 lead with 6:01 left in the game … The Tornados fought back, moving the ball down the field through the air as Crumbaker found Jeter for 11 yards and Derek Church for a 15-yard gain. A roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive before Bryce carried the ball in from four yards out for his fourth rushing touchdown on the afternoon to cut the lead to 44-37 with 2:31 remaining. Wingate recovered the ensuing onside kick and was able to milk the clock the rest of the way to end the game in taking the win … The Bulldogs return home to face Lenoir-Rhyne University next Saturday at the same time. Wingate will celebrate Homecoming against the LRU Bears. Lenoir Rhyne leads the series between the two schools 15 9; however, Wingate has won seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools. LRU is one of two teams (Mars Hill is the other) Wingate has played every year since the institution revitalized football in 1986 … In 2009, Woods scored from one-yard out to cap off a thrilling, 17-point fourth quarter comeback as the Bulldogs escaped Hickory with a 50-49 victory over the LRU Bears at Moretz Stadium. Floyd piled up 287 all-purpose yards with two receiving touchdowns to compliment an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Haffly's stat line included 29 completions, 311 yards and three touchdowns … The 1986 Wingate football team celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The University is planning reunion activities for the team during homecoming Oct. 29-31. The Bulldogs played their first senior college football game on Saturday, Sept. 20, 1986, defeating Union (Ky.) College 16-14 … The Wingate University football team has played the second-toughest schedule in the NCAA Division II, officials announced last week. Wingate's opponents are 32-19 overall (.627 winning percentage through Oct. 16). Only Washburn (Kan.) University outranks Wingate. The Ichabods' opponents are 45-24 overall (.652 winning percentage) … Two South Atlantic Conference members are also listed in the top 10. Carson-Newman College is tied for sixth, while Mars Hill College is eighth. Four other Wingate opponents are mentioned in the top 25: the University of West Georgia and SAC foes Lenoir-Rhyne (tied for number 17) and Catawba College (19) and Valdosta State University (number 22).