Anderson’s late game explosion secures Newberry’s win in top-25 showdown

HICKORY, N.C. (NEWBERRY) – In what was tabbed as the game of the year within the South Atlantic Conference before the season even began, the No. 16 Newberry College (7-1, 5-1 SAC) football team knocked off the No. 12 Lenoir Rhyne University (6-2, 5-1 SAC) Bears by a score of 38-24 to spoil the Bears Homecoming weekend in Hickory on October 22, 2022.

Redshirt-sophomore running back Mario Anderson (Summerville, S.C.) followed up his third-highest single game rushing yard mark with the fourth highest this week as he scampered for 243 yards on the day including three-long runs late in the contest while tallying a pair of scores in the contest as well. He also exceeded the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season as he sits with 1,061 on the year.

Graduate Dre Harris (Greenville, S.C.)  rushed for a pair of TDs on the afternoon as well, adding an additional score through the air as he would complete 11 passes for 163 yards.  His favorite target on the day, graduate Deshun Kitchings (Aiken, S.C.), hauled in five receptions for 113 yards while fellow graduate Bryson Woodruff (Roebuck, S.C.) hauled in four catches and a score.

Junior Luke Taylor (Summerville, S.C.) led the defense on the day with tackles, including one for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries. Redshirt senior AJ Valentine (Johnston, S.C.) notched seven tackles in the contest, a pass break-up and a pivotal 42-yard interception return to stymie a solid Lenoir-Rhyne drive. A trio of Wolves were able to record sacks on the afternoon accounting for a total loss of six yards in the contest. The Wolves held the defending conference offensive player of the year to just 45 yards on the ground.

The Wolves would win the toss and elect to receive the ball to start the contest and they wouldn’t waste the early opportunity.  A costly pass-interference call against the Bears on a third and goal play would give the Wolves new life on the drive and just two plays later would find pay dirt as Harris connected with Woodruff in the front corner of the end zone to give the Wolves the early 7-0 lead. The Newberry defense would hold strong on the first Bears possession of the day as they would go for it on fourth and short but would turn the ball over on downs.

Newberry took the next drive down the field and a pair of 20-yard receptions would set them up with goal to go on the two-yard line. Harris would take the second snap of the goal line situation around the outside corner and put another score on the board for the Scarlet and Gray, bringing the advantage up to 14-0.  Neither team was able to add to the scoreboard in the second quarter until the Wolves took a full 8:41 off the clock to close out the half with a field goal from 26 yards away to take the 17-0 lead into the halftime break.

The two teams would trade three-and-outs to start the second stanza of action but some costly special team errors on the part of the Wolves in the late goings of the third quarter would lead to the first points of the contest for the Bears as they took a forced fumble on a punt and turned it into seven points. A blocked punt on their Wolves next drive led to three more points for the Bears as the climbed back to within a touchdown just a minute into the fourth quarter.

However, the fourth quarter is when Anderson would find his stride as he opened the Wolves first drive of the period with a 58-yard scamper that set them up in the redzone. He would punch it in from just nine yards out a few plays later to bring the score to 24-10. But Lenoir-Rhyne would not go quietly as they drove down the field for a score on their next drive to bring it back to a seven-point game. But again, it would be Anderson who this time would break away for a 75-yard touchdown to extend the lead back out to 14 points.

The Wolves would force another turnover on downs with just over five minutes left in the contest, looking to work some time off the clock. Anderson would again break through the defense for a 49-yard dash to again set Newberry up with first and goal.  Harris took it into the end zone just two plays later and gave the Wolves the 38-17 advantage. Lenoir-Rhyne would work their way down the field again, notching a touchdown on their next drive, but ended up taking too much time off the clock and the Wolves were able to line up in victory formation with the 38-24 victory.

Newberry returns to Setzler Field next week as they look to pick up a second-straight Homecoming Day win, this time during their own celebration, as they welcome in the Saints of Limestone University for a 4:00 p.m. kick-off.