Lenoir-Rhyne football made a big run through the D2 playoffs last season. Wingate won two playoff games and earned a trip to the quarterfinals in 2022.
This season, both the Bears and Bulldogs will be part of the field as the 28-team NCAA Division II postseason party kicks off this Saturday.
Wingate will be at home for first-round action, hosting CIAA champion Virginia Union at 1 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne will travel to Gulf South runner-up West Alabama, with that game kicking off at 2 p.m. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+. The winners of the two games will meet Saturday, Nov. 30 at the higher seed.
Here are six things to know about each match-up:
Virginia Union (8-3, 6-1 CIAA) at Wingate (9-1, 6-1 SAC)
- This will be a huge match-up of strength on strength: Wingate’s stellar defense vs. Virginia Union’s conference MVP running back Jada Byers. The Bulldogs’ rank second in D2 football in total defense (202.8 yards per game allowed) and 10th in rushing defense (79.2 ypg). Byers has rushed for 1,497 yards this season with 23 touchdowns. Something has to give.
- Byers repeated as CIAA Offensive Player of the Year and has etched his name in the VUU record books for career rushing yards (5,311) and career touchdowns (70). He broke the school’s single-game record earlier this season with a 324-yard effort (and six touchdowns) against Bowie State.
- Wingate counters with the South Atlantic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, end Marquise Fleming, also a repeat conference MVP winner. Fleming leads D2 football with 19.5 tackles-for-loss. He also has earned eight sacks, 14 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Wingate has now landed the SAC’s top defensive award five times over the last eight seasons.
- Wingate has only allowed three opponents to earn at least 100 rushing yards as a team this season. Newberry recorded the most, 187, on Nov. 9, but the Wolves were shutout 38-0. Catawba managed 157, while UNC Pembroke picked up 104 in week one. The only player to hit 100 rushing yards against the Bulldogs was Catawba all-conference back LJ Turner (156 yards, 1 TD). Wingate won that game 24-15.
- This will be Wingate’s fifth playoff appearance over the past seven years and the sixth in the program’s NCAA history. Wingate beat Virginia Union 32-7 in the opening round of the 2022 playoffs. Byers rushed for 119 yards in that contest but did not score.
- Wingate has won its last seven games, including a 28-13 win over Carson-Newman in last Saturday’s SAC championship game. The Bulldogs have outscored foes 225-50 during that span, including shutouts against UVA Wise, Barton and Newberry.
Lenoir-Rhyne (9-2, 7-2 SAC) at West Alabama (9-1, 5-1 Gulf South)
- Lenoir-Rhyne is the defending Super Region 2 champion. The Bears, under coach Mike Jacobs (now at Mercer), came into the 2023 playoffs as a No. 4 seed but won three games to advance to the D2 semifinals. This season’s playoff berth is the eighth for Lenoir-Rhyne since the 2012 season.
- West Alabama returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Tigers are the No. 3 seed behind No. 2 Wingate and No. 1 Valdosta State, which has a bye. West Alabama’s only loss this season came against 6-4 Delta State by a 21-6 tally. Wingate beat Delta State early in the season.
- West Alabama won at Lenoir-Rhyne 46-7 to open the 2017 season and beat the Bears 36-32 in the return game the following August. Those are the only two meetings between the schools.
- Lenoir-Rhyne put nine players on the South Atlantic’s various all-conference teams. Four made first-team all-SAC: wide receiver/kick returner Songa Yates, long snapper Carson Keaton, defensive lineman Andre Jefferson and defensive back Nic Cheeley. Jefferson earned 10.5 tackles-for-loss despite missing five games. Cheeley picked off five passes.
- Lenoir-Rhyne quarterback Jalen Ferguson was not one of the Bears’ all-conference picks but had a resume worthy of all-conference consideration. He completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,613 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season. He averaged 237.6 passing yards per game, second in the conference behind SAC Offensive MVP Dustin Noller from Limestone.
- West Alabama has its own version of an Andre Jefferson on the line. All-conference performer Trevon Lambert has recorded 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 11.0 sacks on the season, as well as eight QB pressures and two forced fumbles. The Tigers only allow 11 points per game, outsourcing foes 310-112 through 10 contests.
—> READ MORE: Wingate leads the way in this week’s Fabulous 15 statewide rankings
—> READ MORE: Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne players dominate SAC post-season awards
