WISE - - Saturday's football game between UVA Wise and Wingate features one team looking to end its season with a bang and another looking to extend its season.
Wingate (8-2) seemingly must win this game if it's to play postseason football. The Bulldogs could have all but locked up a postseason berth with a win over Newberry last week but fell short 24-15.
UVA Wise (2-7) will be looking to end its season with a win and avoid its second two-win season since 2019. The Cavaliers enter the game having lost back-to-back games and eight of their last nine.
Veteran coach Joe Reich's Wingate squad has one of the best defensive units in the nation. Opponents are rushing for just 71.9 yards per game against the Bulldogs while throwing for only 137.3 yards per game. Both numbers rank inside the top 10 nationally and Wingate's 209.2 yards per game allowed is the second best in NCAA Division II.
The 24 points scored by Newberry last week are the most by any Wingate foe this season and it required a 60-yard blocked field goal return touchdown and a 63-yard touchdown run to eclipse 20 points.
D.J. Horne and Marquise Fleming have been the driving force behind the Bulldogs' defense. Horne has recorded a league best eight sacks while Fleming is second in the SAC with seven sacks this fall. As a unit, Wingate ranks second nationally at 3.8 sacks per game.
The strength of UVA Wise's team has been its secondary. Robert Carter has intercepted five passes, returned a fumble for a touchdown and leads the league in combined kick return yardage at 670 while fellow defensive secondary mate Markel Dailey has posted a team-best 61 tackles an interception and two forced fumbles.
Senior Markel Harrison has enjoyed a fine season in his final collegiate campaign. The Vienna, Va. product has caught a team-high 42 passes and a touchdown. The 42 receptions are the third most of any SAC receiver.
Wingate's offense is driven by quarterback Shaw Crocker. Crocker has passed for 1,811 yards and 17 scores while adding 254 rushing yards a trio of scores on the ground. His favorite receiving target has been Myles Dillon who has caught 31 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns.
This will be the third all-time meeting between the two programs. The Bulldogs have won each of the first two meetings, including a 48-21 triumph in Wise last October. Crocker passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns that afternoon.
