NEWBERRY – Newberry enters the South Atlantic Conference opener looking for its first win of the young season after falling in the first two contests by a total of 12 points.

The opponent in Week 3 is the eighth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne Bears, the preseason SAC favorites that own a 2-0 record and one of the best defenses in Division II football. Saturday night's winner gets possession of the Bishops' Trophy until next year's meeting.

WHO: Newberry College at Lenoir-Rhyne University
WHERE: Moretz Stadium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne
WHEN: 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21
RECORDS: Newberry is 0-2 while Lenoir-Rhyne is 2-0. Neither has played a South Atlantic Conference game in 2019.
LIVE VIDEO: lrbears.com
LIVE STATS: lrbears.com
LIVE AUDIO: www.newberrywolves.tv, WKDK-AM 1240 in Newberry County, www.wkdk.com, WKDK app, "WKDK" on TuneIn Radio app
WEATHER FORECAST: Sunny with a high of 85 and a low near 55. Winds will be light and variable and the chance of rain is 10 percent.
SERIES HISTORY: Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series 45-33-7, including a 20-16-4 mark in Hickory. This is the 74th consecutive season the two teams have met.
TICKETS: Available at the gate.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORYLINES

1. Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne have played for the Bishops' Trophy annually since its creation in 1987 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to present to the winner of the football game between the Carolinas' two Lutheran colleges. Lenoir-Rhyne has a 17-15 series edge since the first Battle for the Bishops' Trophy.
    
2. 2019 is the 74th consecutive season that Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne have met, a streak that began in 1946 and represents Newberry's longest active uninterrupted series. Saturday is the 86th total meeting with the Bears, second only to Newberry's 91 games against Presbyterian.
    
3. Shea Rodgers moved into the top 10 in Newberry history in career scoring with four PAT's against Florida Tech, giving him sole possession of ninth place with 163 points. He moved from fourth to second in PAT's made with 100.
    
4. Keito Jordon jumped from 11th to ninth in school history in tackles for loss with a career-high four against the Panthers. He now has 26 career stops behind the line of scrimmage. His only non-TFL last Saturday was a stop for no gain on 3rd and 1.
    
5. Newberry is 12-24 against ranked opponents since the AFCA began its Division II poll in 2000, including a 2-11 mark against top-10 competition. Newberry's last win over a top-10 team came in 2013 as the Wolves defeated No. 8 UNC Pembroke 24-21 at Setzler Field.
    
6. Florida Tech quarterback Trent Chmelik passed for 210 yards last week, the first 200-yard passer against the Newberry defense since Chmelik threw for 211 yards in the teams' 2018 meeting. After halftime, Chmelik was just 1-for-3 for 28 yards.
    
7. Newberry had never had a final score of 30-28 in its 106-year football history spanning 1,039 games before the loss to Florida Tech. The 40-10 win over Catawba four games ago on Nov. 3, 2018, was also a unique final score.
    
8. Lenoir-Rhyne has allowed 36 rushing yards on 65 carries in 2019, including -3 yards on 35 attempts in the opener against St. Augustine's.  The Bears' 184 yards per game given up is the second-best total in Division II this season.

MORE INFORMATION

For complete coverage, view game notes from the Newberry Athletic Communications staff, Lenoir-Rhyne's game notes, or the South Atlantic Conference's Weekly Report.

IMPORTANT LINKS
Rosters: Newberry | Lenoir-Rhyne
Stats: Newberry | Lenoir-Rhyne
Schedule: Newberry | Lenoir-Rhyne
Standings: SAC