Wise, Va.----The 23rd-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs put up 452 yards of offense and forced three turnovers Saturday evening, prevailing 28-7 at UVA Wise in South Atlantic Conference football action. The Bulldogs move to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SAC, while the Cavaliers fall to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate threw for 229 yards and ran for 223 yards for 452 yards of offense
- The Cavs had 244 passing yards and 64 rush yards for 308 total yards
- The 'Dogs piled up 24 first downs, converting six-of-11 third downs
- UVA Wise had 19 first downs, going four-for-12 on third down and one-for-three on fourth down
- The Bulldogs scored on four of five red zone trips; Wise was zero-for-one in the red zone
- The 'Dogs held the ball for nearly 37 minutes on the night
- The Cavs turned it over three times; Wingate had a pair of turnovers

KEY BULLDOGS

- Elijah Holmes was 18-for-21 for 203 yards and two touchdowns, adding 30 rushing yards
- Jaylen Himes had nine receptions for 113 yards and a TD
- Xavier Pugh ran for 90 yards and a pair of scores on 17 carries
- Jayshawn Appling added 92 rushing yards on 17 attempts
- Laron Warner had three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown
- Xavier Jackson contributed 33 receiving yards and 11 rushing yards
- Jake Snapp had 73 return yards and 25 receiving yards
- Ryan Green had 10 tackles to lead the defense
- Gemoi Brown added seven stops and a pair of pass break-ups
- Ephraim Wright had seven tackles with a  tackle for loss and a break-up
- Tory Kelly had six tackles and an interception
- Jonathen Cross had five stops with a TFL
- Mandjou Berte had two tackles for loss with a sack
- Brandon Perry had an interception, pass break-up and five tackles
- Jaden James added a forced fumble and fumble recovery
- Rivers Teeter put three of his four punts inside the five, averaging 44.2 yards per punt
- Caleb Bonesteel made all four PATs

FIRST QUARTER

- The 'Dogs forced a three-and-out on the opening drive and took over at their own 29
- Wingate went 71 yards on 11 plays to open the scoring
- The drive started with Holmes hitting Himes for 17 yards
- Appling runs of eight and three yards set up a first down inside the UVA Wise 30
- Jackson's 11-yard run got it down to the three
- Pugh punched it in on the next play to make it 7-0
- After another three-and-out, Snapp's 16-yard punt return set WU up at the Wise 39
- A 19-yard strike from Holmes to Himes got it into the red zone
- Holmes hit Himes for a six-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 at the 3:07 mark
- The Cavs drove it into the red zone, with a first and goal from the 10
- Kelly picked off UVA Wise quarterback Jake Corkren to halt the drive
- An 11-yard completion to Kayden Bash, along with a 15-yard late-hit penalty got WU near midfield

SECOND QUARTER

- Wingate started the second quarter by completing the 92-yard scoring drive
- A 10-yard Appling run and 21-yard completion to Jackson got the 'Dogs in the red zone
- Holmes found Warner for a 17-yard touchdown to give Wingate a 21-point lead with 10:10 to go
- The Cavs answered with a 75-yard scoring drive to cut the lead to 14
- A Daniel Thomas 23-yard run capped the drive, making it 21-7 at the 5:43 mark
- Wingate was forced to punt, with a 39-yard Teeter punt getting downed at the three
- Perry's interception ended the drive in WU territory
- The Bulldogs took the 21-7 lead into halftime

THIRD QUARTER

- Snapp started the second half with a 52-yard kickoff return, setting Wingate up at the Wise 28
- Holmes hit Himes for 20 more yards, getting the Bulldogs back into the red zone
- Pugh followed with a 12-yard run, getting it to the one
- He punched it in one play later to make it 28-7 with 13:34 remaining
- The 'Dogs forced a turnover on downs at the WU 44 on the ensuing drive
- The Wingate drive was halted, but a 51-yard Teeter punt was downed at the two
- The Bulldogs forced a punt and took over in UVA Wise territory
- Appling broke free from the 33, but was stripped at the one, with the ball going through the end zone for a touchback
- The teams traded punts, with Teeter's third punt of the night going for 49 yards, downed at the one
- Wingate forced another three-and-out, taking over in UVA Wise territory once again

FOURTH QUARTER

- The next UVA Wise drive was halted when James forced and recovered a fumble at the Wise 34
- Wingate gave it up on a fumble at the Wise 12 on the next play
- The Bulldogs stopped the Cavs on fourth down at the WU 31, with Omar Ba breaking up a pass on fourth and four
- Wingate started the ensuing drive with 6:35 to go
- Holmes hit Himes for 21 yards to get the drive going
- Pugh's 13-yard run got it inside the Wise 30
- An eight-yard run from Appling picked up a first down at the 16
- A holding penalty on UVA Wise on third down gave WU a first down with under two minutes left
- The Bulldogs ran out the clock to preserve the win

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back home next Saturday, hosting Carson-Newman at 6 p.m.
- The contest will be a rematch of the 2024 SAC title game, which the 'Dogs won 28-13