Wolves look to bounce back on the road at Barton
NEWBERRY – The Newberry College football team will look to bounce back this Saturday as they will travel to Wilson, N.C., to take on the Bulldogs of Barton College at 4:00 p.m.
The Wolves are 3-2, 2-1 SAC after falling last Saturday at home to the Eagles of Carson-Newman.
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 4-1, 2-1 record after defeating the Pioneers of Tusculum last weekend.
The Coaches
Todd Knight enters his 15th year at the helm of the Newberry program in 2023 season, 21st season coaching at Newberry, having made his mark as one of the most successful coaches in program history. Knight signed a contract extension at the end of the 2022 season to continue leading the Wolves through the 2027 season.
His 92-62 overall record makes him the winningest coach in school history, a feat which he accomplished with his 73rd win in a 24-19 contest over Tusculum in front of the home crowd on September 25, 2021, remaining the only 40-game winner with a winning record in the 105 years of Newberry football. The 2016, 2021, and 2022 South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year has a .589 winning percentage, good for second in school history among coaches with 10 or more games at the helm.
The Wolves’ 31 wins from 2013-16, all under Knight, are the second-most wins in a four-year period in school history. Newberry’s 32 victories from 2006-09, the final six of which came during Knight’s first season as Head Coach following six seasons as Defensive Coordinator, are the current standard-bearer.
Chip Hester began duties as Barton’s first head football coach since 1950 in July of 2018, charged with building a program from scratch to begin play in the fall of 2020.
Hester brought to the job more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and NCAA Division II levels, including 11 as a head coach.
The Raleigh native joined the Barton staff after coaching the previous four seasons at North Carolina A&T State University, including the last three as offensive coordinator. The Aggies averaged better than 30 points per game in all three of his seasons guiding the offense and racked up more than 400 yards per contest in each of the last two years.
The 2017 team ranked 10th nationally among FCS schools in points (35.1 per game) and 24th in total offense (426.8 per game) on its way to a perfect 12-0 record and Celebration Bowl victory over Grambling State University.
During Hester’s tenure as offensive coordinator, the Aggies posted a 31-5 record, won two Celebration Bowls and made one FCS Playoff appearance. North Carolina A&T finished both the 2016 and 2017 seasons nationally ranked.
The Series
This will be the fourth matchup between the Wolves and the Bulldogs. Newberry defeated Barton last season in the first game played between the two teams at Setzler Field 42-21.
Scouting the Wolves
- The Wolves defense comes in only allowing an average of 283.8 yards per game which ranks third in the SAC. The Taylor brothers of Colby and Luke Taylor led the Wolves with six tackles each against the Eagles last weekend. Colby had three TFLs and two sacks. The Wolves are led by graduate linebacker A.J. Valentine. Valentine leads the team with 25 tackles on the season.
- The Wolves Offensive end has been moving the ball well especially on the ground. Sophomore running backs Trakell Murray and Dwayne Wright have been the work horses. Wright has the team best 341 yards on the season along with a touchdown. Murray has 327 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Scouting the Bulldogs.
- Barton’s offense relies on the ground attack which is the third best in the SAC. Led by junior tailback Jordan Terrell, and quarterback Jaquan Lynch, the Bulldogs average 206.6 rushing yards per game which ranks them 19th In the nation. Terrell finished with 147 yards rushing on 32 carries and a 53-yard touchdown run to start the game.
- Barton’s defense has limited opposing air attacks holding teams to 152.8 passing yards per game. In last week’s win at Tusculum, junior linebacker Matt Smith tallied a team-high 10 tackles and a pass break-up while junior linebacker Shane Perry added five takedowns and picked off a pass in the win.
