Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate  University football team hits the road for the first time in 2017 league play Saturday, venturing to Lenoir-Rhyne University for a 7 p.m. South Atlantic Conference contest (Wingate Sports Network broadcast). The Bulldogs are playing their fourth of five consecutive night games to start the 2017 season.
 
2017 Wingate University Football
Wingate University at Lenoir-Rhyne University
Moretz Stadium, Hickory, N.C.
Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 (7 p.m.)
GAME DAY CENTRAL: www.wingatebulldogs.com
 
THE TWO TEAMS
Wingate: 3-0 overall, 1-0 SAC (2016: 8-3 overall, 5-2 SAC)
Lenoir-Rhyne: 1-2 overall, 0-1 SAC (2016: 3-8 overall, 3-4 SAC)
 
The coaches: Wingate's Joe Reich is 104-73 overall in 17 years with the Bulldogs. Reich has more victories than any other WU football coach. A two-time South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year award winner, Reich helped the 'Dogs win the SAC title and advance to the NCAA play-offs in 2010. Mike Kellar is in his second season as the Bears' head coach. He was 31-12 overall in four seasons (2012-15) at California (Pa.).
 
Joe Reich on Lenoir-Rhyne: "Our coaching staff believes Lenoir-Rhyne is vastly improved. They have nice schemes and move the ball well. They are plugging in players to the system…they are very young…but getting more and more comfortable with Coach Kellar's system in year number two. They are a good football team as evidenced by the North Greenville victory."
 
…on the afterglow of playing the first on-campus home game under lights: "We believe this was a good experience for us. A night game brings a different energy. In our business, you only have approximately 24 hours to enjoy something like this…then you have to move on to the next opponent. Overall, we believe the experience was phenomenal."

…on practice this week: "This week…we are working on operational things. We've had too many delay of game penalties. On defense, when you work on the option…you are engulfed in the option. We tried (during the C-N week) to work in repetitions on a regular offense, so we would be ready for Lenoir-Rhyne. We try to take periods in the preseason to work on the option and work on more traditional offenses, so neither is completely foreign to us."
 
"On Monday, we went uppers only…since we are pretty banged up at this point. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we went all out…and there was no holding back."
 
…on having success versus Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday: "For us to be successful, we must execute what we do…and be fundamentally sound. We have a positive turnover margin at this point…we must continue to win the turnover battle. Also, we must continue to be effective in the passing game…LRU runs much man coverage…so we are looking to complete a high percentage of our passes Saturday…this will be big for us."
 
Last week: The Wingate football team won the first night game in Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field history, taking a 31-27 triumph over Carson-Newman  Saturday. The 'Dogs scored 14 points off turnovers, while WU redshirt sophomore WR/RS BJ Muckelvene opened the scoring with a 63-yard punt return for a TD.
 
Mars Hill scored 20 points in the third quarter, breaking open a close game on the way to a 43-28 SAC victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. Three of the MHU Lions' touchdown strikes came on drives of two plays or less. LRU sophomore quarterback Jarrod Kellar finished with 289 yards passing and four TDs. The Bears posted 485 yards of total offense.
 
Last year: Wingate compiled 593 yards total offense and held Lenoir-Rhyne without a touchdown on the way to a 49-6 South Atlantic Conference home victory. Two Bulldog running backs eclipsed the 100-yard plateau: Blake Hayes (18 carries, 126 yards, four TDs) and Domineke McNeill (eight carries, 125 yards, one TD). The LRU Bears did not score a touchdown in a SAC game for the first time since Nov. 10, 2007, when Catawba blanked Lenoir-Rhyne 45-0. On the Wingate defensive side, defensive back Joe Kelly led the Bulldogs with seven total tackles.
 
The Wingate vs. Lenoir-Rhyne series: Lenoir-Rhyne leads the series between the two schools 19-12; however, Wingate has won 10 of the last 15 meetings. LRU is one of two teams (Mars Hill is the other) Wingate has played every year since the institution revitalized football in 1986.
 
Wingate's first win over Lenoir-Rhyne was a 22-21 victory at Moretz Stadium in Hickory on Oct. 18, 1997. The previous year, the Bears blanked the Bulldogs 28-0 on Oct. 19, 1996 at Walter Bickett Stadium in Monroe. In addition to spoiling Wingate's homecoming, Lenoir-Rhyne "pitched" the first shutout in Wingate's senior college history. Prior to the contest, Wingate had scored in 106 straight games.
 
Mack and Muckelvene earn SAC POTW laurels: Two Wingate University football student-athletes have been named AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week award winners for the week ending Sept. 16, 2017, league officials announce Monday. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Auntrell Mack is the SAC Defensive Player of the Week, while redshirt sophomore return specialist BJ Muckelvene is the SAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
Mack had career-high totals of 13 tackles (five solo, eight assists) and two forced fumbles in Saturday's contest. Wingate's defense held the C-N offense to three second-half points as the Bulldogs rallied for the victory. Mack leads the SAC in forced fumbles thanks to his Saturday performance. In 2013, Mack led the NCAA and SAC with four fumble recoveries.
 
Muckelvene leads the NCAA in punt returns for touchdowns (two) as a result of his 63-yard jaunt to pay dirt Saturday against Carson-Newman. The Cuthbertson High School product returned three punts for 96 yards with another TD return called back due to a WU penalty. Muckelvene broke the 100-yard barrier for all-purpose yards for the third time in three games with 126 markers.
 
Game notes: The Bulldogs lead the SAC in interceptions (five), punt returns (36.57) and turnover margin (1.67, shared with Tusculum). Individually, Muckelvene leads the SAC in all-purpose yards, while Mack tops the league charts in forced fumbles.
 
Redshirt senior placekicker Freddy McCollum leads the SAC in field goals per game, while redshirt junior defensive back Cameron Mattison and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Louis Rogers are first on the league lists in interceptions per game and tackles for loss, respectively.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,600 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 11 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 96 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 96 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 105 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.