Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Johnson (Hickory, N.C.) had a career day, finishing 20-of-29 passing for 416 yards and five touchdowns in his final home contest as the Bulldogs earned a 42-39 Homecoming victory over the Mars Hill University Lions at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field Saturday. Wingate compiled 631 yards of total offense on the day.
 
The Bulldogs improve to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the SAC as Johnson set career-highs in passing yards (416) and passing touchdowns (five). MHU falls to 4-6 overall and 2-4 in league play. The 'Dogs are back in action next Saturday, concluding the regular season with a high-stakes matchup against the Newberry College Wolves at Setzler Field in Newberry, S.C. The winner of this game will be awarded the 2016 SAC regular season championship crown. Kick-off on the American Sports Network (ASN) is slated for 3:30 p.m.
 
"Our game plan was awesome today," Kyle Johnson says. "The coaches did a great job preparing us this week. I credit my performance to the offensive line and wide receivers today. They are all tremendous athletes and great playmakers. It was awesome to see those guys have fun."
 
Wingate struck first offensively on a 15-yard touchdown reception by senior wide receiver Jordan Berry (Irmo, S.C.) to take an early 7-0 advantage at the 10:00 mark in the first quarter. The grab was Berry's first touchdown catch of the 2016 season.
 
"The whole offense was in sync today," Berry says. "The offensive line was blocking and Kyle was placing his passes in perfect spots for the receivers to make big plays. I give all the credit to my teammates."
 
Mars Hill answered quickly on the next possession with a nine-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Austin Brown (Asheville, N.C.) to freshman wide receiver Craig Rucker (Leesburg, Fla.) to knot the contest up at 7-7 with 7:12 left in the first quarter. A 26-yard field goal by MHU junior place kicker Austin Stewart (Thomaston, Ga.) gave the Lions their first lead of the contest at 10-7 with 2:30 remaining in the first.
 
The Bulldogs posted the first points of the second quarter thanks to a 67-yard touchdown play from Johnson to Berry to regain the 14-10 advantage at the 12:16 mark. MHU junior wide receiver Keshaun Taylor (Homestead, Fla.) returned the ensuing kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown to give the Lions a 17-14 lead with 11:59 to go in the second stanza.
 
Both teams traded touchdowns as the Lions maintained the narrow 24-21 lead with 4:02 remaining in the first half of play. Mars Hill held the three-point advantage going into the halftime intermission.
 
"We knew we were going to have to score many points today with the explosive offense Mars Hill has," Johnson says. "We were hoping the defense can get some key stops, but no matter what it is all about us. The offense executed very well."
 
The Wingate offense exploded in the second half with the three unanswered scores to break the game open and jump out to a commanding 42-24 advantage. The Bulldogs began the third quarter with a nine-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back Blake Hayes (Greenville, S.C.). Hayes' 12th touchdown run of the season gave the home team a 28-24 lead at the 11:06 mark.
 
Senior wide receiver Joe Wallace (Hope Mills, N.C.) hauled in his second touchdown reception of the contest on a 70-yard catch-and-run to extend the WU advantage to 35-24 with 3:48 left in the third quarter. Berry then made an acrobatic grab for his third touchdown catch of the day on a 45-yard strike from Johnson to make it a 42-24 ballgame with 3:38 remaining in the third.
 
Mars Hill fought back in the fourth quarter with back-to-back touchdown scores to trim the deficit down to 42-39 with 3:47 remaining in the contest. However, the Bulldogs would hold on for the huge victory.
 
"The balance of our offense was great today," Wingate head coach Joe Reich says. "The biggest trait of our team this year…is we have played with tremendous effort. I believe this was the story of the game today. We showed the ability to run and pass at a high level. Defensively, we still need to make a few corrections in the secondary, but overall our effort was outstanding."
 
Hayes finished with a career-high 198 rushing yards on 33 carries to lead the Bulldog offensive attack. Berry had a monster day in the receiving game with nine receptions for a career-best 206 yards and three touchdowns. The Dutch Fork High School graduate previously had a nine-catch performance for 168 yards and two scores in his freshman season versus the Carson-Newman University Eagles. Wallace placed second on the WU receiving charts with 103 receiving yards on four catches. He had two touchdowns.
 
"Kyle Johnson was absolutely phenomenal today," Reich says. "He has been a terrific leader for us since he arrived on campus. He was on fire in this game and we needed him to have one of his best performances in order to win."
 
Rucker led the Lion offense with six receptions for 101 yards and two scores. Taylor also put together a big-time performance with 110 total receiving yards on five catches with one touchdown. The MHU running back duo of senior and freshman running backs Jamel Harbison (Charlotte, N.C.) and Malik Prescott (Screven, Ga.) combined for 100 yards on 22 carries and one rushing touchdown from Harbison.
 
On the Wingate defense, redshirt junior linebacker Zack Singleton (Germantown, N.C.) led the unit with 12 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and one quarterback hurry. Sophomore defensive back Cameron Mattison (Charlotte, N.C.) and sophomore linebacker Sha'mond Squires (New Bern, N.C.) each had six total stops to finish second on the WU defensive charts.
 
MHU junior linebacker Jerjuan Edwards (Charlotte, N.C.) finished first on the Lions' team total list with 14 defensive tackles. Sophomore linebacker Tray Smith (Merritt Island, Fla.) finished second with 11 total tackles for the Lions.
 
For the 19 Wingate football seniors, it was important to finish their final regular season home slate on a high note against a tough SAC opponent. The Class of 2016 was recognized today before kick-off for the annual Senior Day celebration. Wingate University also honored five band members, four senior cheerleaders, two senior student athletic trainers and two student managers.
 
"This program and University have been amazing," Johnson says. "They have both changed my life and molded me into the man I hope to be the rest of my life. I could not be more thankful for Wingate University, the fans, families, coaches and my teammates. It has literally been the best experience I have ever had. I am sad to go, so hopefully we can keep this season alive as long as possible."
 
The Wingate University Bulldog football team has a chance next Saturday to earn its first conference crown and NCAA play-off berth since the 2010 season with a road victory over the Newberry Wolves. The stakes are high for Reich's squad as they prepare this week for one of the biggest games in the program's recent history.
 
"We need to have a good, calm week of practice," Reich says. "We need to get off our feet, relax and remember what brought us to this point. Our execution and effort has put us in this position for a great opportunity."
 
The Bulldogs and Wolves will get things started at 3:30 p.m. from Newberry, S.C. with the live audio broadcast on WingateBulldogs.com and play-by-play updates provided via Twitter.
 
(Wingate University athletic media relations/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A sophomore from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate. He is the son of Harrison and Dona Kaplan.)