Wingate, N.C.----The Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears jumped out to a 31-7 lead in the third quarter, then withstood a furious rally from Wingate University to hang on for a 31-24 victory in South Atlantic Conference football action in front of 3,045 fans at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field. The Bears improve to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in league play.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH REICH

"We've got a lot of fight, we've got good players, we just have to execute more consistently. There were plays throughout the game, in the first half in particular, that we just set ourselves back. You could feel the momentum change on the sideline in the third quarter and we just started executing better. The defense was playing great, they're the most consistent unit on the team right now. Offensively, we've got to get it going early on and not wait to until the second half to get things started. But I love the fight, I love the energy, I love this group of guys. They're high character guys and in the locker I just want to tell them, I love that fight, keep that up, let's just execute consistently and we'll be all right."

REICH ON JT STOKES

"With JT it's about the execution, but it's also the leadership on the field as well. It's the things you don't see, the rallying the troops, it's his presence out there. He's a great leader. He's not a very vocal guy, but he'll just do the little things that good leaders do to keep the team focused, keep the energy up. Shaw Crocker hit him with some great throws, he made some great catches. JT was a big time player coming up with big time play in tough situations. It was great to see, because JT deserves it with the hard work he's put in."

REICH ON CARDELL RAWLINGS

"There's nobody more passionate. We talk about having a fierce desire, and that encapsulates Cardell Rawlings, just a fierce desire to win, a fierce desire to be the best and a fierce desire to prepare. It's all emotion and intensity and passion, that's who he is as a person, so it was good to see him have another big game. I thought the defense did a great job with their backs against the wall a number of times.

NOTES

- Wingate's first-ever loss under the lights at Irwin Belk Stadium
- Snaps a nine-game regular season home winning streak for Wingate
- Snaps Wingate's three-game winning streak against Lenoir-Rhyne
- The Bears lead the all-time series 20-13
- Wingate falls to 7-4 against LR at Irwin Belk Stadium

KEY TEAM STATS

- Wingate outgained LR 378-353 on the night
- The Bears entered the contest ranked in the top 20 nationally in scoring and total yards
- The Bulldogs had three turnovers; LR turned it over twice
- Wingate won the time of possession battle by over seven minutes
- LR entered the game ranked 13th nationally in third-down conversions, but went two-for-13 at Wingate
- The 'Dogs were six-for-19 on third down and zero-for-two on fourth down
- The Bears went four-for-four in the red zone with three TDs, making them 19-for-19 on the year
- Wingate scored on two of four red zone trips, failing to score from the one yard-line for the second straight week

KEY PLAYERS - WINGATE

- Stokes had seven catches for a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns
- Shaw Crocker completed 14-of-27 passes for a career-high 288 yards and two touchdowns
- Crocker also had 31 rushing yards and a TD, giving him 10 total TDs this year
- Domineke McNeill was held to 29 yards on 25 carries, entering the game averaging over 100 yards per game
- McNeill did have three catches for 31 yards
- Bryan Mitchell had two catches for 49 yards including a 41-yard reception
- Rawlings piled up 14 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two QB hurries
- Rawlings has 11.5 TFLs and 8.0 sacks on the year
- Robbie Wallace registered eight tackles
- Nick Vagnone had seven tackles including a sack
- Auntrell Mack recovered a fumble and had seven tackles
- Matthew Ellis-White had five tackles and three pass break-ups
- Chris Birozes punted seven times, averaging 46 yards per punt with a long of 55
- McLean Robertson hit all three PATs and a 23-yard field goal
- Ra'Quan Simmons registered 59 yards on three kick returns

KEY PLAYERS – LENOIR-RHYNE

- Grayson Willingham completed 12-of-22 passes for 239 yards and two TDs
- TJ Smith had three catches for 87 yards, with a long of 41
- Jaquay Mitchell had three catches for 87 yards, including a 57-yard score
- Mitchell led the Bears with 58 rushing yards on eight attempts
- Ameen Stevens had 17 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries
- Duane Bland led the Bears with 14 tackles, including one TFL
- Clayton Horn added 13 tackles and 2.5 TFLs
- Eric Jackson had a pair of interceptions, adding nine tackles and a TFL
- Amari Houston had six tackles with two sacks
- Michael Owen punted 10 times, averaging 39.9 per punt with a long of 51
- Chase Allbaugh was four-for-four on PATS, adding a 24-yard field goal

FIRST QUARTER

- The first four possessions ended in punts
- Kyle Dugger's 18-yard punt return set LR up on the WU 32 late in the frame
- Mitchell's 31-yard run got the Bears inside the two, with Stevens punching it in

SECOND QUARTER

- A blocked punt set the Bears up in the red zone at the 8:49 mark
- Willingham hit Dareke Young for a 16-yard TD to make it 14-0
- LR took advantage of a Wingate fumble on a punt inside the 10
- Allbaugh's 24-yarder made it 17-0
- WU went 75 yards on seven plays to get on the board late in the first half
- Crocker hit Mitchell for 41 yards to get the 'Dogs in LR territory
- Crocker hit Adam Riley to get the 'Dogs to the 20
- Crocker capped the drive with a 20-yard TD run to make it 17-7
- Lenoir-Rhyne responded by going 86 yards in four plays
- Willingham's hookup with Mitchell went for a 57-yard score to make it 24-7with 22 seconds left

THIRD QUARTER

- The Bears went 73 yards on eight plays in the opening drive of the second half
- Jackson's 31-yard run got the Bears inside the WU five yard line
- Stevens punched it in from the one to make it 31-7
- Robertson capped an 11-play, 69-yard Wingate drive with a 23-yard field goal
- A 23-yard McNeill catch and 18-yard Stokes reception highlighted the drive
- Riley's punt return set the 'Dogs up inside the LR 40 later in the frame
- Crocker hit Stokes for a 39-yard TD on the first play of the drive to make it 31-17
- Wingate's second one-play TD drive came with two minutes left in the frame
- Crocker found Stokes all alone behind the defense around midfield
- Stokes outraced the defense, taking it the house for an 87-yard TD to make it 31-24

FOURTH QUARTER

- A Crocker 14-yard run and Stokes 24-yard catch got the 'Dogs to the LR 14 yard line
- Crocker's four-yard scamper on third down got Wingate inside the one
- Crocker tried to sneak it on fourth down, but the Lenoir-Rhyne defense held with 6:44 left
- LR's drive came to a halt when Rawlings forced a fumble on his third sack, with Mack recovering
- Crocker was picked off in LR territory on the ensuing drive
- Wingate got one final chance with 2:20 left from its own21
- The drive stalled at the 46 with the Bulldogs unable to convert a fourth-and-four

UP NEXT

- Wingate is home again next week, hosting Florida Tech at 3 p.m.
- The Bulldogs hit the road Oct. 6, traveling to UNC Pembroke
- That is followed by two more home games against Catawba and Mars Hill Oct. 13 and 20