Barbourville, Ky.----After being tested time and time again on a muggy afternoon, Wingate College’s Bulldogs passed their first big exam of the semester Saturday (Sept. 20, 1986).

Kevin Rushing came up with the answer for Wingate in the nick of time, stepping in front of Union’s Tommy Greer with 1:04 to play for a game-saving interception, preserving a 16-14 victory for the Bulldogs.

The game was the first in 25 years for Wingate, which last fielded a team when it was a junior college in 1961. “Today it was very important for us to get a win,” Wingate head coach Steve Wilt said. “It helps us reinforce the things we’ve been doing in practice.”

Wingate led 16-6 entering the final quarter, but host Union climbed back into contention after punter Mike Quick fired a 20-yard pass to C.J. Westerman that gave Union a first down at the Bulldog 25 with about 10 minutes to play.

Aided by a holding call, Union needed only two plays to cut into the margin, getting on the scoreboard when Greg Duncum lofted a 13-yard touchdown pass to Pete Greene. Duncum then faked into the line before tossing a two-point conversion pass to Albert Pellegrino on the right side of the end zone, making it a 16-14 game with 8:44 to play.

Failing to move the ball on its next possession, Wingate gave the ball back to Union at its own 48. Bulldog noseguard Clint Stephens helped quell the rally with a sack. Wingate also forced a pair of incomplete passes to stop the threat at the 35.

Wingate responded with a clutch offensive series, giving its defense a much-needed rest. Marching the ball down to the Union 24 before seeing their drive stall, the Bulldogs effectively cut four minutes off the clock before punting into Union’s end zone with 1:54 to play.

Knowing Union would probably pass the ball, the Bulldogs forced three incompletions before Duncum connected two straight times, moving the ball to his own 48. Duncum then nearly found a third consecutive receiver, but Rushing dove in front of Greer to pick off the errant pass at the Wingate 18, allowing the Bulldogs to run out the clock and claim the win. “That last one was a real big interception because they couldn’t line up and have any more opportunities,” Wilt said.

Wingate’s defense helped break a halftime tie early in the third quarter when it swarmed over Union punter Quick at his own 27 when he fumbled a snap for a 12-yard loss. Passes to Scott Foley and Mark Rhyne pushed the ball to the 10, where Kip Jones faked perfectly into the line before wheeling and drilling a shot to a wide-open Dammeon Chisholm at the three-yard line. Chisholm dodged a pair of would-be tacklers at the goal line before sneaking in the right corner of the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 13-6 advantage.

Strong defensive play up the middle forced Union to punt moments later, giving the ball to Wingate at its own 24. A 36-yard pass to Foley moved the ball to the Union 31, but the drive stalled three plays later and forced the Bulldogs to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Michael May and a 16-6 lead.

Union sniffed out a weakness in the Bulldog defense early in the first period and immediately went to its passing game; however, the host club could do little more than accumulate yardage until normal QB starter Jeff Baldwin, who did not start because of a hyperextended knee, came into the game in the second quarter.

In his second series at the helm, Baldwin flipped a strike through the heart of the Bulldog zone to Pete Greene, who outran the rest of the Wingate defense to the end zone to complete a 66-yard play. The Baldwin-to-Greene connection evened the game at 6-6 with 4:02 at the half.

Wingate found itself nearly helpless against the Union defense in the first 30 minutes, picking up only three first downs before intermission. Even so, the Bulldogs took a 6-0 lead when Mark Rhyne, the smallest player on the field at 137 pounds, took a pitch along the right sideline at the seven-yard line as quarterback Kip Jones was being knocked on the ground.

Rhyne followed his blockers up the sideline before darting to his left at the Bulldog 40. Breaking open as he went against the grain, Rhyne eluded a potential tackler at the Union 35 and reversed his field once more to outrace a pair of defenders to the goal line. May’s extra point kick was wide left, leaving the Bulldogs with a 6-0 edge with 5:21 left in the opening period.

(The Wingate University Sports Information Department shares this article in honor of the 25th anniversary of the first Bulldog senior college football team. Special thanks to The Enquirer-Journal for sharing this article. Former E-J sports writer Dean Lowman wrote the article. It is published and distributed with permission.)