Lenoir-Rhyne became the first North Carolina college football team to get to six wins in 2023.
The Bears escaped Division II conference rival Limestone with a 31-28 victory on Saturday afternoon, boosting their overall record to 6-0 — the best mark in our Statewide Standings after week six.
Coach Mike Jacobs’ team, which had won its first five games comfortably, had to sweat this one out until the end.
Limestone lined up for a short-range field goal with less than five minutes to play, looking to go up by 10 points. Instead, C’Darius Kelley blocked the kick, and teammate TJ Blanding returned it 84 yards the other way for a touchdown. Tie ball-game.
Lenoir-Rhyne’s defense then stuffed Limestone in overtime, and the Bears got a field goal from Jake Brown during their possession to walk off victorious. Whew! Survive and advance, former NC State hoops coach Jim Valvano liked to say.
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There is only one other unbeaten team in the state at this juncture. The North Carolina Tar Heels, coming off a bye week, improved to 5-0 with a 40-7 domination of Syracuse. The Heels piled up more than 600 yards of offense, and All-ACC quarterback Drake Maye finished north of 400 yards passing, his best showing of 2023.
Lenoir-Rhyne has now won eight games in a row, dating back to the end of the 2022 campaign. That’s the longest streak in the state. North Carolina and Western Carolina, which won with a game-winning field goal of its own at Chattanooga on Saturday, have captured five straight.
On the other side of the spectrum, North Carolina Wesleyan enjoyed the thrill of victory for the first time in 2023, cruising past LaGrange 35-14. That leaves only four teams in the state who are still searching for their first win — Chowan, St. Augustine’s, St. Andrews and Greensboro. St. Aug’s pushed reigning CIAA champion Fayetteville State to the limit but dropped a 7-0 decision.
Some other news, notes and observations from Week 6:
Best Team In The CAA?
North Carolina Central competes in the MEAC. But the Eagles have a 3-0 record against opponents from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) this season after beating Elon 34-23 on Saturday.
Elon, ranked 25th nationally, sits on top of the CAA standings with a 3-0 league mark. One of those wins came against what had been the No. 4/5 William & Mary. The Phoenix had won eight straight at home before Central ended their streak.
Coach Trei Oliver’s team in Durham is the real deal. And their quarterback Davius Richard, has ice in his veins. One week after piloting the Eagles to a 21-point comeback at Campbell, Richard accounted for four touchdowns against what is usually a stingy Elon defense.
Make no mistake, this is an eyebrow-raising victory. Don’t be surprised to see NCCU in the top 10 on national Top-25 ballots this week. They have earned that distinction so far.
Bear Market
The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears, the Shaw Bears and the Livingstone Blue Bears each won Saturday — the first time that has happened on the same weekend in ’23.
In a game where a stock market reference would have applied either way, Shaw handed the Johnson C. Smith Bulls their first loss in CIAA play.
Bulldog Three-Step
Teams nicknamed Bulldogs also had great weekends. The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak by beating Robert Morris. The Wingate Bulldogs topped Catawba. The Barton Bulldogs clipped defending South Atlantic Conference champion Newberry.
Keep your eye on all three Bulldog units. Each has enough bark and bite to contend in their respective conferences. Wingate and Barton will meet head-to-head on Oct. 21.
Storm Warning
The Louisburg College Hurricanes lost a tough one, 37-0, to Georgia Military. But the Brevard Tornados went F5 on Southern Virginia, winning 49-28. The ‘Nados have won three win in a row and sit on top of the USA South Conference.
Crowded In The South Atlantic
Lenoir-Rhyne has a 4-0 record in the SAC Piedmont Division, but the Bears in no way have the six-team bracket in firm command. Limestone, Barton and Wingate each have 3-1 league records. Newberry is 2-2.
Mars Hill and Tusculum sit atop the SAC Mountain Division with 3-1 conference records.
On Deck
Week seven will get off to an early start. Appalachian State will host Coastal Carolina in a Tuesday Sun Belt showdown. The Mountaineers are 1-0 in the league. The Chanticleers are 0-2 in Sun Belt play.
SMU visits a struggling East Carolina on Thursday.
Duke and NC State, which have only played a handful of times over the past 15 years, will renew acquaintances on Saturday at 8 p.m. Miami will visit North Carolina, kicking off at 7:30 p.m.
Barton at Lenoir-Rhyne, Limestone at Wingate, and Catawba at Newberry headline the SAC schedule.
Can Livingstone make it three in a row in the CIAA at Fayetteville State? Can Brevard make it four-straight in the USA South against Methodist?
Other intrastate match-ups include Greensboro at NC Wesleyan, Winston-Salem State at Shaw and St. Augustine’s at Johnson C. Smith.
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