COLUMBIA, SC – In a thrilling second-round NCAA Division II playoff game, Lenoir-Rhyne emerged victorious over Benedict, whose #1 seed in the region allowed them to host the second-round game. Homefield advantage was not enough for the Tigers as the visiting Bears were able leave Columbia with a 35-25 victory.

How it Happened

The first quarter saw Lenoir-Rhyne's Dwayne McGee run 29 yards for a touchdown, followed by an extra point from Jake Brown. However, Benedict quickly retaliated with two touchdowns from Reginald Harden, who ran 58 yards and 87 yards respectively.

In the second quarter, Zayvion Turner-Knox from Lenoir-Rhyne ran 4 yards for a touchdown, with an extra point added by Jake Brown. Benedict's Aeneas Dennis completed a pass to Caden High, who ran 29 yards for a touchdown, with Tom Piccirillo securing the extra point.

The third quarter saw Lenoir-Rhyne take the lead with two touchdowns. Sean White completed passes to Songa Yates and John Godwin, who ran 21 yards and 26 yards respectively for touchdowns, with Jake Brown adding the extra points.

In the final quarter, Zayvion Turner-Knox ran 2 yards for a touchdown, with Jake Brown adding the extra point. Benedict's Aeneas Dennis completed a pass to Reginald Harden, who ran 36 yards for a touchdown.

Playmakers

Lenoir-Rhyne's Dwayne McGee had an impressive game, rushing 216 yards from 21 attempts and scoring one touchdown. Zayvion Turner-Knox also contributed significantly, rushing 45 yards from 8 attempts and scoring two touchdowns. In the passing game, Sean White completed 27 out of 35 attempts, throwing for 310 yards and two touchdowns.

On the receiving end, Kelin Parsons caught 6 passes for 103 yards, while Songa Yates caught 4 passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Deondre Lester and Tate O'bryan also contributed to the receiving game.

On the defensive side, Jon Ross Maye led the team with 11 total tackles, while C'darius Kelley made 2 solo tackles.

What’s Next

This victory propels fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne into the national quarterfinals, with a matchup against region #3 Valdosta State, who upset the number two seed Delta State, 38-31, on Saturday afternoon.

FAYETTEVILLE – For the ninth straight season, the Wingate University Bulldogs have started the season 2-0. Wingate held Fayetteville State off the scoreboard for the first 59 minutes, rolling to a 21-3 victory in NCAA Division II football action. Wingate moves to 2-0 overall, while the Broncos fall to 1-1 on the season.

Photo Credit: Kenzie Hoffman (Wingate Communications)

Key Stats

Wingate had 253 yards of offense, with 69 passing yards and 184 rushing yards; Fayetteville State had just 57 yards on 56 plays, with 36 rush yards and 21 passing yards.

Wingate converted six-of-15 third downs; the Broncos were two-for-15.

Wingate fumbled four times, losing three of the fumbles. Fayetteville State threw the lone interception

Wingate had 18 first downs, compared to Fayetteville State's eight

Key Players

Alex Wilson had 18 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. Shaw Crocker threw for 69 yards and a pair of TDs. Myles Dillon had three catches for 24 yards and a touchdown. Ryder Martin also hauled in a TD catch. Ra'Quan Simmons had two receptions for 31 yards. Kalen Clark added 58 rushing yards on 17 carries. O'Brien Barnett added 17 yards on four rushing attempts.

Kiki Alcime had four tackles including a pair of tackles for loss. Davon Gilmore also had four stops with a TFL. Jaheim Mullen contributed four tackles. DJ Horne, Carlos Estronza, and Antoine Shaw each had a sack. Tre Morrison had an interception and two pass breakups. Ethan Evans averaged 47.3 yards on six punts, with three going over 50 yards. He also made all three PATs and had a pair of touchbacks.

Avery McCall led all Fayetteville State rushers with 38 yards in the contest. Nique Martin hauled in two catches for 11 yards. Anthon Binyard led the Fayetteville State defensive effort, totaling three tackles and one recovered fumble. Cedric Thomas added one recovered fumble and Khalid Martin had 10 tackles and one recovered fumble in the loss.

Next Week

Both teams open their conference slate next week as Wingate (2-0) plays on the road for the third straight week to open the season, taking on Tusculum in SAC play, while Fayetteville State (1-1) will travel to Lincoln PA in a CIAA tilt.