Lenoir-Rhyne football won its first-ever Division II playoff road game Saturday, defeating previously undefeated Benedict 35-25.
The Bears will try to capture another D2 playoff road victory this weekend, with a berth in the national semifinals on the line. The road trip this Saturday will take Lenoir-Rhyne (12-1) to a Division II football hotbed — Valdosta, Georgia — for a 1 p.m. showdown against 14th-ranked Valdosta State, also 12-1.
Here are 10 things to know about the match-up and Lenoir-Rhyne’s latest playoff foe.
1. 2023 Results
LENOIR-RHYNE BEARS 12-1 Sept. 2 ST. AUGUSTINE’S W, 45-7 Sept. 9 at Fayetteville State W, 24-10 Sept. 16 ERSKINE* W, 62-0 Sept. 23 at Carson-Newman* W, 24-7 Sept. 30 UVA WISE* W, 56-3 Oct. 7 at Limestone* W, 31-28 OT Oct. 14 BARTON* W, 47-3 Oct. 21 at Newberry* W, 24-10 Oct. 28 at Wingate* L, 30-34 Nov. 4 CATAWBA* W, 28-7 Nov. 11 SAC Champ: at Tusculum* W, 48-7 Nov. 18 NCAA Rd1: Shepherd W, 63-17 Nov. 25 NCAA Rd2: at Benedict W, 35-25
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VALDOSTA STATE 12-1 Sept. 2 POINT W, 63-10 Sept. 9 at Albany State W, 21-16 Sept. 16 KEISER W, 49-25 Sept. 23 NORTH GREENVILLE* W, 28-3 Sept. 30 at Chowan* W, 51-36 Oct. 7 DELTA STATE* L, 25-49 Oct. 14 at Mississippi College* W, 21-10 Oct. 21 SHORTER* W, 42-14 Oct. 28 at West Florida* W, 31-28 Nov. 4 at West Alabama* W, 20-14 Nov. 11 WEST GEORGIA* W, 58-28 Nov. 18 NCAA Rd1: LIMESTONE W, 62-41 Nov. 25 NCAA Rd2: at Delta State W, 38-31
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2. Tale-of-the-Tape
LENOIR-RHYNE VALDOSTA STATE Points Per Game 39.77 39.15 Points Allowed Per Game 12.15 23.46 Rushing Yards 211.1 ypg 130.5 ypg Rushing Touchdowns 27 31 Passing Yards 241.54 ypg 325.23 Passing TD-INT 36-7 35-9 Total Yards 452.6 ypg 455.8 ypg Total Touchdowns 70 69 Total Touchdowns Allowed 20 42 Total Defense 248.9 ypg 370.2 ypg Rushing Defense 78.8 ypg 166.2 ypg Passing Defense 170.08 ypg 203.92 ypg Penalty Yards/Game 61.23 ypg 60.85 ypg Time of Possession 31:17 30:37 Turnover Margin +14 +8 Field Goals Made-Attempts 10-15 9-13 PAT Made-Attempts 65-69 66-67
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3. Valdosta State avenged an earlier loss to Gulf South Conference rival Delta State to advance to the quarterfinals. The Blazers scored the go-ahead touchdown with nine seconds left in the 38-31 triumph. Quarterback Sammy Edwards hit B.K. Smith on a 24-yard pass play, with Smith shaking off a tackler to find the end zone and the victory.
Delta State had beaten Valdosta State 49-25 on Oct. 7, the Blazers’ only defeat in 2023.
4. Lenoir-Rhyne is going to have to contend with one of the top quarterbacks in D2. Edwards, a junior from St. Augustine, Fla., has been tabbed as a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, which recognizes the top Division II football player in the nation.
Edwards has completed 313-of-459 passes for 4,080 yards, 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’s averaging nearly 314 passing yards per game and has also rushed for 299 yards and six more scores. Only Zach Zebrowski from Central Missouri has thrown for more yards this season in D2 than Edwards. Valdosta ranks No. 5 in D2 in passing offense.
Sean White and Jalen Ferguson have split time under center for Lenoir-Rhyne. Combined, the two quarterbacks have thrown for 3,102 yards and 34 touchdowns. White has had the hot hand of late, tossing five TDs in the playoff opener against Shepherd and leading the Bears to a comeback win over Benedict this past Saturday.
5. One of the big match-ups to watch will be Lenoir-Rhyne’s passing defense against Edwards and the Blazers air attack. The Bears give up 170.8 yards passing per game but have allowed some explosive plays against top teams in their conference. Valdosta State averages better than 325 yards through the air each outing and could put a strain on the LR stopping unit. Edwards has eight touchdown passes in two playoff games.
6. The Blazers spread the ball around when they run. Valdosta State has scored 31 touchdowns on the ground, led by Bud Chaney’s 12 and Isaiah Flowers’ seven. In terms of yardage, Flowers leads the way with 411 on the season, followed by Eric Watts (407, 4 TDs), Edwards (299), Chaney (284) and G’Mone Wilson (207, 2 TDs).
Lenoir-Rhyne’s rushing attack meanwhile, averages 80 yards-per-game more than Valdosta State’s. All-conference back Dwayne McGee leads the way with 1,429 yards — sixth best in Division II. McGee averages 7.1 yards per carry and has scored 10 touchdowns.
Zayvion Turner-Knox provides a nice one-two punch in the backfield. He has gained 548 yards this season, with eight sores. He collects 6.2 yards per attempt. Zyheir Dillard is yet another weapon, with 475 rushing yards and three scores.
7. Lenoir-Rhyne and Valdosta State have one common opponent this season, Limestone. The Bears beat the Saints 31-28 in overtime on Oct. 7 during South Atlantic Conference action. Valdosta dispatched of Limestone in a high-scoring, first-round playoff match-up two weeks ago, 62-41.
Limestone’s Dustin Noller threw five touchdown passes against Valdosta’s defense and finished with 305 yards through the air. So, the Blazers defense could be vulnerable if White starts to get the hot hand.
The Blazers beat another North Carolina team, Chowan, during Gulf South play on Sept. 30. Chowan made it interesting for awhile and moved the ball against the Blazers before Valdosta pulled away 51-36.
8. Lenoir-Rhyne has done a great job taking care of the football this season. The Bears have only thrown seven interceptions and have put the ball on the ground six times, losing just two of those fumbles. Lenoir-Rhyne is plus-14 in turnover margin. Valdosta State is plus-eight.
9. Valdosta State is a blue blood among NCAA Division II programs over the past couple of decades. The Blazers have played in six NCAA championship games at the D2 level, most recently in 2021, where they lost to Ferris State. The Blazers won titles in 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2018. Their 2012 crown came against Winston-Salem State.
Only Northwest Missouri State has more D2 titles than Valdosta State, with six. Grand Valley State also has four championships to tie Valdosta. Three other schools have two crowns.
Lenoir-Rhyne has played in the D2 championship once, in 2013 under coach Mike Houston, who is now at East Carolina. The Bears lost to Northwest Missouri State 43-28.
10. Lenoir-Rhyne is 0-2 all-time against Valdosta State in D2 games. Both meetings came in the playoffs, with Valdosta rolling 61-21 in 2018 and nipping the Bears 23-21 in Hickory during the 2014 post-season.
