Newberry toppled by No. 8 Lenoir-Rhyne

HICKORY, N.C. – Newberry kept the game close early, but Lenoir-Rhyne’s persistent rushing attack and well-timed passes from quarterback Grayson Willingham led the eighth-ranked Bears to a 34-17 win in Newberry’s first road game against a top-10 opponent in 12 years.

The Wolves (0-3, 0-1 SAC) used a Darryl Foster fumble recovery and two consecutive big passing plays from Dre Harris to trim the Lenoir-Rhyne (3-0, 1-0 SAC) lead to 17-10 with 1:16 to play in the third quarter. But Lenoir-Rhyne answered with a methodical touchdown drive and a suffocating defense in the third quarter to take control of the game for good and retain the Bishops’ Trophy.

The Bears finished with 539 yards of total offense, the most Newberry has allowed since 2016, and racked up a season-high 363 yards on the ground in winning their ninth consecutive game at Moretz Stadium and 13th straight regular season contest. The loss dropped Newberry to 0-1 in South Atlantic Conference play for just the second time in head coach Todd Knight’s 11-year tenure.

Newberry drove 58 yards in eight plays on its second possession of the game, countering a Lenoir-Rhyne field goal with a 40-yard Shea Rodgers kick to tie the score at 3-3. The Bears scored touchdowns on each of their next two possessions to take a 14-point lead.

The Wolves’ defense, however, created turnovers on two straight Lenoir-Rhyne drives. Krishaon Jackson’s first career interception and an 11-yard return gave Newberry the ball in Bears’ territory, but the drive came up empty when Shea Rodgers’ 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Undeterred, Darryl Foster pounced on a loose ball at the Newberry 42 five plays later. Dre Harris engineered a three-play drive to score before the half, finding Tylik Johnson on a wheel route for a 32-yard gain one play before firing a laser to Bobby Irby in double coverage for a 20-yard touchdown. The Wolves entered the break trailing just 17-10.

A pair of second half Lenoir-Rhyne scoring drives stretched the lead to 21 points before Deshun Kitchings made an incredible over-the-shoulder catch through blanketing coverage at the pylon for a 42-yard score in the final moments of the third quarter. The teams played to a near stalemate over the final 15 minutes, with Chase Allbaugh’s 20-yard field goal providing the only scoring in the final stanza.

Keito Jordon forced a fumble for the second time in his career and finished with two tackles for loss, giving him 28.5 in his career. His six stops behind the line of scrimmage in the past two weeks have vaulted him from 11th to sixth in the Newberry record books in that span.

Anthony Blue had 14 tackles on the day, shattering his previous career high of eight, and broke up a pass. Darryl Foster had nine stops and assisted on a tackle for loss in addition to his fumble recovery.

Newberry was led offensively by Dre Harris, who went 15-for-23 for 184 yards and two touchdowns and added 13 yards on the ground. Kitchings caught three passes for 88 yards and Johnson added 57 yards on four receptions to pace the Wovles’ receivers. Catriez Cook led the rushing attck with 42 yards on eight carries.

Grayson Willingham was 15-for-20 for 176 yards and a touchdown through the air, while Jace Jordan’s 96 yards on just five carries were most among the nine Lenoir-Rhyne ballcarriers. Three different Bears scored touchdowns on the ground.

Newberry opens a three-game homestand against SAC foe Tusculum next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.