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Wingate, N.C.----For the second consecutive home game, the Wingate University defense turned in an outstanding performance, collecting five interceptions, two safeties and one fumble recovery in a 30-19 South Atlantic Conference football victory over Catawba College Saturday at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus (NCAA statistics book).

Wingate improves to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the SAC. The Bulldogs visit league foe Brevard College next Saturday at 4:15 p.m. Catawba slips to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the SAC. The Indians hit the road again next Saturday, traveling to UNC Pembroke for a 1 p.m. contest.

Wingate's average field position Saturday was the Wingate 46-yard line. Conversely, Catawba's average field position was the Catawba 26-yard line. The Indians entered Saturday's contest converting 51.4 percent of their third-down conversions. The Bulldogs held the visitors to a five-of-16 afternoon on third downs (31.3 percent). Wingate won the time of possession battle as well (33:04 to 26:56).

"Our defense came up big time after time," Wingate head coach Joe Reich says. "We rode the defense and an outstanding punt team effort out. This was a huge win…a good team field position win."

Offensively, Wingate senior running back Nestor Lantigua (Wellington, Fla.) rushed 22 times for 115 yards and one touchdown. Bulldog sophomore wide receiver Jordan Berry (Irmo, S.C.) caught eight passes for 81 yards and two scores. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Johnson (Hickory, N.C.) completed 17-of-38 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns.

"The coaching staff believes our offensive line did a good job today," Reich says. "The O-Line and Nestor helped get the run game going, even when it was obvious we were going to run the ball."

Catawba's defense had 15 quarterback hurries, 11 tackles for losses and three interceptions. Indian sophomore quarterback Mike Sheehan (Wilmington, N.C.) had one touchdown pass and one rushing TD. He completed 11-of-30 passes for 167 yards. Sheehan threw five interceptions after tossing only three in his previous five starts this season. Catawba junior place kicker Chad Hollandsworth (Kernersville, N.C.) had two field goals in three tries Saturday.

Wingate never trailed Saturday. Johnson and Berry made the first of two scoring connections midway through the first quarter, as the duo completed a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a seven-yard TD effort. The Bulldogs led 6-0 with 7:49 to play in the first frame.

Hollandsworth hit a 31-yard field goal to put the visitors on the board with 40 seconds remaining on the first quarter clock. The three-pointer concluded an eight-play, 60-yard drive. The three-minute scoring march was the day's longest scoring drive (time-wise).

Wingate went three and out on the next series. Bulldog redshirt freshman punter Chandler Phillips (Lutz, Fla.) hit the first of five Saturday punts inside the Catawba 10-yard line, pinning the Indians at the nine-yard marker.

Three plays later, Sheehan threw his first interception to Wingate senior defensive end Steven Jacobs (Pembroke, N.C.) at the Bulldog 15-yard line. Johnson found Berry for a TD one play later, stretching Wingate's lead to 13-3 after redshirt senior place kicker Patrick Smith (Hickory, N.C.) converted the PAT.

An interception facilitated Catawba's first touchdown, as freshman linebacker Michael Peppers (Clemson, S.C.) returned an errant Johnson throw 10 yards to the Catawba 36-yard line. Four plays later, Sheehan found junior wide receiver Gary Williams (Southport, N.C.) on a 57-yard catch-and-run scoring play. The two-point conversion pass failed, leaving the score 13-9 Wingate.

Wingate concluded the first half scoring on its next possession, as Johnson completed a six-play, 46-yard push on a 40-yard TD connection with redshirt junior wide receiver Cameron Leviner (Monroe, N.C.). Catawba moved the ball to midfield on the next series, but a fumble ended the drive.

Catawba scored twice in the third quarter to tie the contest 19-19. Sheehan scored on a 14-yard touchdown run (7:17), while Hollandsworth nailed a 27-yard field goal (3:57). The touchdown was a result of Wingate turning the ball over on downs, while the field goal followed an interception.

Lantigua scored Wingate's final touchdown with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter. The four-yard scoring jaunt was the sixth play after an interception by Wingate redshirt senior safety Jon Jimenez (Scottsdale, Ariz.) gave the Bulldogs the ball on the Catawba 33-yard line.

Wingate added two safeties, thanks in large part to Phillips' pinpoint punting accuracy. Back-to-back Phillips punts put Catawba on the Bulldog nine-yard line and six-yard line, respectively. A team rush gave Wingate the first safety, while a sack by Bulldog redshirt junior linebacker Charlie Hosea (Newhall, Calif.) on an intentional grounding play put two more points on the board.

Hosea led the 'Dogs with 13 tackles. He added two tackles for loss, one QB sack, one forced fumble and one QB hurry to his statistics ledger. Wingate redshirt senior defensive end Nick Napolitano (Shallotte, N.C.) had 10 tackles, four QB hurries, 3.5 tackles for loss, one QB sack, one forced fumble and one pass break-up. Junior safety Brandon Hathaway (Smyrna, Tenn.) had two interceptions for the hosts.