The D2 football playoffs heat up this weekend as the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (10-2) host the Virginia Union Panthers (9-3) in a high-stakes second-round matchup at Moretz Stadium in Hickory.
Kickoff is set for Saturday at 1 p.m., with a trip to the Super Region 2 title game on the line. The winner will advance to face either top-seeded Valdosta State or fourth-seeded Miles.
Heading into the final weeks of the regular season, Johnson C. Smith from the CIAA and Wingate from the South Atlantic seemed like the teams from the Old North State most likely to get on a run in the playoffs. But the Golden Bulls stumbled over the final two weeks and missed out on the postseason altogether. The team that ascended in their place in the CIAA, Virginia Union (9-3), is still dancing, having snapped Wingate’s seven-game win streak and ending the Bulldogs’ season in round one.
Saturday’s match-up could feature scoring fireworks. VUU averages more than 44 points per game. The Panthers put the biggest dent in Wingate’s nationally-ranked defensive unit of the 2024 season, rolling up 34 points and more than 400 yards of total offense against a squad that had been giving up less than 10 points over the previous two months.
Running back Jada Byers has garnered the biggest headlines for VUU, earning CIAA offensive player of the year after piling up more than 1,500 yards on the ground. But Virginia Union is far from one-dimensional, as Wingate learned last week. The Panthers average nearly 250 yards through the air, to go with 237 per game on the ground.
Lenoir-Rhyne doesn’t quite score at the same clip as Virginia Union (27+ points per contest), but the Bears can rip off explosive plays. Quarterback Jalen Ferguson has four games with more than 300 passing yards and another with 295. Adonis McDaniel had more than 200 yards in receptions this past weekend. Songa Yates is another all-conference receiver.
The Bears have been more pass-heavy this season, though some of that may have to do with losing top rusher Zayvion Turner-Knox after only a handful of games. He rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener against Shaw.
Lenoir-Rhyne features one of the top defensive ends in D2 football in Andre Jefferson. Jefferson, Christian Santana and Jaelin Willis have combined for 32.5 tackles-for-loss.
—> READ MORE about the 2024 South Atlantic All-Conference players
How They Got Here: Lenoir-Rhyne (10-2)
The Bears, the defending South Atlantic Conference champions, finished as the runner-up in the Piedmont Division to Wingate this season and needed an at-large invitation to make the playoffs.
Jalen Ferguson threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns last weekend in Lenoir-Rhyne’s playoff opener, and the Bears rallied past West Alabama 37-34. Adonis McDaniel caught seven of Ferguson’s throws for 202 yards and made two trips to the end zone.
Jake Brown kicked what would be the winning field goal with 4:46 left. West Alabama’s 44-yard field goal as time expired missed, and the Bears advanced.
How They Got Here: Virginia Union (9-3)
The Panthers needed a 17-13 win over Virginia State in the CIAA championship game just to make the playoffs and even then did not receive one of the four seeds for Super Region 2.
Despite being the underdog against Wingate this past Saturday, VUU jumped out to an early lead, weathered a Bulldogs comeback and prevailed in overtime 34-31. Quarterback RJ Rojales kept the Panthers in the hunt with several key fourth-down scrambles, including an 18-yarder in OT that set up the game-winning TD.
Wingate had been the No. 2 seed in the region and had knocked the Panthers out of the playoffs in 2022.
“This means everything,” said VUU Head Football Coach Dr. Alvin Parker said after the big win. “We’ve been close in years past, but we’ve never been able to kick in that door. I knew this team was special and that they had the capability to do it. I said that at the beginning of the season and some people laughed at it. But I knew we had what it took to get to this point and I’m just really proud of this group. Words can’t really explain it, to make history like this.”
Tale of the Tape: VUU vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
Points Per Game: VUU 44.18, Lenoir-Rhyne 27.33
Points Per Game Allowed: VUU 17.00, Lenoir-Rhyne 18.25
Total Yards Per Game: VUU 482.8, Lenoir-Rhyne 369.2
Rushing Yards Per Game: VUU 237.4, Lenoir-Rhyne 116.5
Passing Yards Per Game: VUU 246.45, Lenoir-Rhyne 252.67
Total Yards Allowed: VUU 307.7, Lenoir-Rhyne 295.4
Rushing Yards Allowed: VUU 137.2, Lenoir-Rhyne 116.5
Passing Yards Allowed: VUU 170.55, Lenoir-Rhyne 178.92
Penalty Yards Per Game: VUU 73.09, Lenoir-Rhyne 61.75
Time of Possession: VUU 30:46, Lenoir-Rhyne 31:33
Turnover Margin: VUU +9, Lenoir-Rhyne +7
Redzone All Scores-Attempts: VUU 39-45, Lenoir-Rhyne 36-47
Red Zone Touchdowns-Attempts: VUU 36-45, Lenoir-Rhyne 21-47
Individual Stat Leaders: Lenoir-Rhyne
Rushing – Alex Boyd: 95 attempts, 383 yards, 8 touchdowns, 4.0 yards per carry, 47.88 yards per game; Zayvion Turner-Knox (hasn’t played since September): 72 attempts, 356 yards, 4 TDs, 4.9 yards per carry, 118.67 yards per game; Jamir Fox: 88 attempts, 281 yards, 3 TDs, 3.2 yards per carry, 35.13 yards per game.
Passing – Jalen Ferguson: 246 of 395 for 3,024 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 252.0 yards per game, 62.28 percent completion percentage.
Receiving – Adonis McDaniel: 48 catches, 865 yards, 4 touchdowns, 72.08 yards per game; Songa Yates: 50 catches, 709 yards, 3 touchdowns, 59.08 yards per game.
Defense – Jaelin Willis: 30 solos, 47 assists, 77 total tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss, 2 sacks; Nick Cheeley: 36 solos, 20 assists, 56 total tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 5 interceptions; Christian Santana: 20 solos, 21 assists, 41 total tackles, 11.5 tackles-for-loss
Kicker – Jake Brown: 19 of 29 field goals, long field goal of 45 yards, 35 of 37 PATs
Individual Stat Leaders: Virginia Union
Rushing – Jada Bayers: 237 attempts, 1,589 yards, 23 touchdowns, 6.7 yards per carry, 144.45 yards per game; Curtis Allen: 77 attempts, 436 yards, 4 touchdowns, 5.7 yards per carry, 43.60 yards per game.
Passing – Mark Wright: 123 of 186 for 2,167 yards, 20 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 197 yards per game, 66.13 percent completion percentage; RJ Rosales: 25 of 42 for 544 yards, 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 90.67 yards per game, 59.52 percent completion percentage,
Receiving – Reginald Vick Jr.: 39 catches, 947 yards, 9 touchdowns, 105.22 yards per game; Ricky Key Jr.: 20 catches, 416 yards, 3 touchdowns, 52.0 yards per game
Defense – Shamar Graham: 57 solos, 33 assists, 90 total tackles, 9.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks; Isaac Anderson: 31 solos, 19 assists, 50 total tackles, 15.0 tackles-for-loss, 4.0 sacks, 7 quarterback pressures; William Davis: 34 solos, 15 assists, 49 total tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, 2 interceptions.
Kicker – Brady Myers: 4-7 field goals, long field goal of 45 yards, 57 of 60 PATs
Series History: Tied 1-1
Lenoir-Rhyne won the most recent meeting in September 2019 by a 28-11 count. Virginia Union prevailed 28-13 in the 2007 season opener. Both were regular season games.
News & Notes
- Lenoir-Rhyne won 13 games a year ago en route to the D2 semifinals. The Bears are the only North Carolina college team (from any division) to have 10 wins this season.
- LR has been to the NCAA playoffs eight times since the 2012 season.The 2013 Bears team advanced to the D2 championship game.
- The 2024 Bears put nine players on the All-South Atlantic Conference team, with Andre Jefferson, Songa Yates, Carson Keaton and Nic Cheeley making the first-team unit. (READ MORE HERE).
- Virginia Union has won the past two CIAA championships. The Panthers are enjoying their third straight season of making the playoffs, matching a streak from 1981-83.
- VUU beat Bowie State 91-0 in early November, tying a school record originally set in 1916. The Panthers racked up 687 yards of offense and had 166 yards in interception returns. Byers rushed for three touchdowns, while Wright threw for four.
- Wright suffered an injury in the second half against Wingate. It is unclear if he will play on Saturday. Rosales began the season as the starter, but Wright took over when Rosales suffered an injury. Both have been effective. Rosales presents more of a rushing threat, as Wingate discovered in the first round.
- ESPN+ will stream Saturday’s playoff game. Check back for more coverage over the weekend at NC Football News.
