Lenoir-Rhyne exploded for 28 points in the second quarter and used suffocating defense throughout to beat Valdosta State 35-7 in Saturday’s NCAA Division II quarterfinals.
The Bears (13-1) won their second straight road playoff game and advance to the D2 semifinals for the second time in program history.
Colorado Mines, Harding and Kutztown also won their quarterfinal duels Saturday. The final four will be reseeded, with semifinal pairings to be announced soon. None of the four remaining teams have won a national championship in football at the NCAA level.
𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐚🐻 pic.twitter.com/WGn8Wc76bP
— #GOBEARS (@LRbears) December 2, 2023
Lenoir-Rhyne, which made the D2 title game in 2013 and captured an NAIA championship in 1960, moved a step closer to its first-ever NCAA gridiron championship with an all-around effort. Zayvion Taylor-Knox rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns, including a scoring run that covered 87 yards. Dwayne McGee added 108 yards and two more scores. His longest rush of the day covered 43 yards.
But it was the Bears’ defense that stole the show most of the day, setting the stage for one of the biggest victories in program history against an opponent that has won four national championships over the past two decades.
Valdosta State (12-2) came into the contest averaging 455.8 yards per game. Quarterback Sammy Edwards learned earlier in the week that he had been voted the Super Region 2 Offensive Player of the Year.
But the Bears completely stifled Edwards and the Blazers. Valdosta State managed just 145 yards on the day. The only explosive play came on the Blazers’ final series, a 43-yard completion from Edwards to Justin Jeffery. But Chris Brown picked off Edwards on the next play, and the Bears ran out the clock. Valdosta State managed a mere two rushing yards on 18 attempts.
Edwards finished 14-of-35 for 143 yards and two interceptions.
Lenoir-Rhyne got an assist from heavy rains produced by a weather system moving through Georgia on Saturday afternoon. Both teams had problems at times holding on to the ball. Valdosta State fumbled three times, losing two. Lenoir-Rhyne to its credit never turned the ball over.
After a first quarter marked by getting used to the rain and trading punts, Lenoir-Rhyne unleashed a salvo over the next 15 minutes to take command. Here are highlights from one of the most decisive quarters the Bears have played in big games this season:
* The quarter actually started with a special teams misfire. Lenoir-Rhyne’s Rashad Yelding had recovered a fumble at the Valdosta 23 late in the first period, and the Bears moved to the Blazers 1. But things went backwards from there, and the series ended with a missed 23-yard field goal on the third play of the quarter. The wet conditions likely played a role in the miss.
* Valdosta State punted on its next series, and McGee took a handoff 43 yards to put the Bears back into the red zone. Two plays later, Sean White broke the ice with a 6-yard touchdown pass to DeAree Rogers. Lenoir-Rhyne 7-0.
* Malakei Sumner blocked a Valdosta State punt, setting the Bears up at the Blazers 17. McGee rushed three times to put the ball at the 2, then Knox cashed in with a short TD plunge. Lenoir-Rhyne 14-0.
* Yelding came up big again, picking off an Edwards pass at the Valdosta State 20 and returning it to the 4. White took the keeper for the TD on the next play. Lenoir-Rhyne 21-0.
* VSU went three-and-out, and Noah Botsford boomed a punt 66 yards to the Lenoir-Rhyne 2. Knox picked up 11 yards on first down, then raced 87 yards for a touchdown on the next snap. Jake Brown booted his fourth PAT. Bears 28-0.
* Lenoir-Rhyne had a chance to tack on even more points before half. Valdosta State botched the kickoff return, giving the Bears the ball at the VSU 27 with two minutes to go (George Futch covered the fumble). Lenoir-Rhyne got as close as the 14 but a 12-yard sack and a penalty pushed them out of field goal range. The Bears opted to play conservative, and a third-and-long pass from White fell incomplete as the clock reached zero.
Valdosta State went 78 yards on 12 plays on its first possession of the second half, with Edwards tossing a six-yard TD pass to Tyler Ajiero. The Blazers then forced a punt, giving some life to the home team. But the LR defense refused to let the tide turn.
Yelding sacked Edwards for a 10-yard loss on first down, then Jefferson wrangled Edwards to the turf for a four-yard loss two plays later. Valdosta State was forced to punt and never really threatened again. Botsford was likely Valdosta State’s top player on the day, averaging 50.2 yards on nine punts.
Stewart Simmons, Lenoir-Rhyne’s punter, did his part to help the visiting team’s defensive effort. Simmons punted eight times, averaging 46.1 yards with a long of 62. He put four kicks inside Valdosta’s 20.
Lenoir-Rhyne had nine tackles for loss and four sacks in all. Jefferson had four stops for minus yardage. Yelding had two.
White, who threw five touchdown passes in the playoff opener against Shepherd, finished 9-of-15 for 51 yards on Saturday. But the Bears didn’t really need the passing game in Saturday’s rainy conditions, getting yeoman’s work from its backs, who finished with 328 yards on the ground.
