Sean White threw for 305 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday afternoon, and Lenoir-Rhyne football left no doubt about who deserves the South Atlantic Conference championship trophy.
Songa Yates caught three of White’s TD throws, and the Bears rolled past Tusculum 48-7 in the league title game in Greeneville, Tenn.
Lenoir-Rhyne outgained Tusculum, the champions of the SAC Mountain Division, 497-156. The Pioneers (6-5) managed just 42 rushing yards and five total first downs in what many expected to be a more competitive match-up. The home team’s lone touchdown came with 2:52 left in the game.
The Bears improved to 10-1 on the season. Ranked fourth in the latest Division II regional rankings, the team should be in line for a home first-round playoff game when the field is announced on Sunday evening, though nothing is guaranteed.
Crown us‼️@SAC_Athletics champs!! pic.twitter.com/DQMKDl9PN7
— #GOBEARS (@LRbears) November 12, 2023
“The kids have worked so hard. To put an exclamation point on it like they did today just means the world to me,” coach Mike Jacobs, who improved to 29-8 at the Hickory school, said in a post-game interview posted on Twitter/X after the game. “I think we’ve done enough to be at home between the bricks, but wherever we go it doesn’t matter. We’ve got one more and that’s a big thing. We’re ready to roll.”
Lenoir-Rhyne and Tusculum did not play in the regular season. The Pioneers beat Wingate 23-21 early in the season, and Wingate was the lone team to notch a win over the Bears a few weeks ago.
Lenoir-Rhyne took control of Saturday’s game early. Yates caught his first touchdown pass, on a play covering 44 yards, midway through the first quarter. Zayvion Turner-Knox added a one-yard touchdown run later in the period for a 14-0 lead. Yates caught a 33-yard scoring strike from White in the final minute of the half for a 20-0 advantage.
White notched his third TD throw on Lenoir-Rhyne’s first possession after the break, connecting with Tate O’Brien on a 31-yard scoring play. John Godwin hauled in a seven-yard TD pass later in the quarter, as the lead ballooned to 34-0.
Yates caught his third touchdown from 20-yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Austin Cagle then got into the act, hitting O’Brien on a three-yard scoring play with 9:46 left for the final points. O’Brien, a native of Tennessee, had not caught a touchdown pass until Saturday.
Yates finished with an even 100 yards in receiving. Kelin Parsons, back after missing several weeks due to injury, made five catches for 99 yards. Nine different Bears caught at least one pass.
Tusculum only completed four passes. Na’Shawn Biggs had an interception for the Bears. Chris Brown forced a fumble, while James Ussery pounced on a loose ball.
The South Atlantic has only held three championship games in football. Tusculum beat Lenoir-Rhyne in the first title tilt, 28-23, in April 2021 in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
Lenoir-Rhyne has now won 26 conference championships in football. The past eight have come since 2011. The Bears have won 11 of their last 12 games against Tusculum and are 7-6 all-time playing in Greeneville.
In an interesting note, Lenoir-Rhyne has had the ball first in every game this season — until Saturday. The Bears won the toss six times during the regular season and opted to take the ball each time. But on Saturday, Lenoir-Rhyne deferred after winning the toss, kicking off to Tusculum to start the game.
Lenoir-Rhyne has scored first in every game this season, except in the loss to Wingate.
