Newberry announces 2018 football schedule

NEWBERRY – Head coach Todd Knight has announced Newberry’s 11-game schedule for the 2018 season that features five home games and a September meeting with a Division I institution for the fourth time in five seasons.

The Wolves will kick off the 2018 campaign at Western Carolina, their second straight lid-lifter on the road at a Southern Conference school. Newbery and Western Carolina have not squared off since a 1993 meeting in Cullowhee. The Wolves are 4-10 all time against Western Carolina, with the two schools meeting nine times in the 1960s as members of the Carolinas Conference, a forerunner of both the South Atlantic Conference and the current Conference Carolinas.

Newberry travels to face Florida Tech in the second week of the season, returning to the site of the Wolves’ electrifying 31-28 win on Sept. 5, 2015 that sparked a 7-4 season and a playoff berth. Newberry leads the all-time series with the Panthers 2-1.

The first home game will take place against Virginia University of Lynchburg on Sept. 15 at 1:00 p.m. Newberry defeated the Dragons 55-7 last season, holding VUL without an offensive touchdown and limiting the Dragons to just 82 yards of total offense, the fewest by a Newberry opponent in seven years.

Carson-Newman travels to Setzler Field on Sept. 22 for Newberry’s South Atlantic Conference opener. Newberry downed the Eagles 25-21 last season on a 30-yard Nick Jones-to-Markell Castle connection with 39.3 seconds to play, giving Newberry three wins in four games against the Eagles for the first time since the late 1980s.

Newberry’s final nonconference tilt will take place under the lights at Grace P. Johnson Stadium as the Wolves travel to take on UNC Pembroke Sept. 29 at 7:00 p.m. Newberry is on a three-game winning streak against the Braves dating back to a 24-21 triumph over then-No. 8 UNC Pembroke in 2013.

The Wolves host Lenoir-Rhyne with the Bishops’ Trophy on the line on Oct. 6. The game coincides with the City of Newberry’s Oktoberfest celebration. The Bears lead the series 16-15 since the creation of the Bishops’ Trophy in 1987. The 2018 season will be the 73rd consecutive campaign in which Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne have met on the gridiron, Newberry’s longest active uninterrupted series. The game will mark the 85th overall meeting dating back to 1923, the Wolves’ second-most games against a single opponent behind only the 91 meetings with Presbyterian.

Newberry travels to Tusculum as the Pioneers’ Homecoming opponent on Oct. 13. Tusculum’s double-overtime win at Setzler Field gave the Pioneers just their fourth win over Newberry since the 2005 season. Newberry took a 37-10 decision in the Wolves’ last trip to Pioneer Field behind a school-record five tackles for loss from Jaquille Oden.

Limestone welcomes Newberry to The Reservation in Gaffney for the first time as South Atlantic Conference members on Oct. 20. The Saints earned their first-ever win over Newberry a season ago to halt a three-game Wolves’ winning streak that saw Newberry outscore Limestone 166-34.

Newberry returns to Setzler Field against Wingate on Oct. 27. Homecoming festivities will be celebrated throughout the weekend and the day includes a full slate of athletic events, with volleyball welcoming perennial power Wingate to Eleazer Arena and both soccer programs holding Senior Day games against Lincoln Memorial. Wingate’s last trip to Setzler Field was one of the most memorable wins in program history for Newberry, with the Wolves securing the 2016 SAC championship with a come-from-behind 27-22 win before a national television audience.

The final home game of the year comes on Nov. 3, with Catawba visiting Setzler Field on Newberry’s Senior Day. The Catawba Indians fell 35-14 in their most recent trip to Newberry with a national audience watching on ESPN3 as part of the Division II Football Showcase in 2016.

The regular season concludes with a trip to Mars Hill on Nov. 10. The Wolves have won the last two meetings with the Lions, including during the 2016 trip to Meares Stadium that was the Wolves’ first win at Mars Hill since the SAC championship season of 2006.

Times are subject to change.

2018 NEWBERRY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Newberry Athletics contributed to the writing of this article.