WISE - - Two teams picked in the middle of the Preseason South Atlantic Conference Football Poll will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday when Barton College visits Smith Stadium for UVA Wise's annual homecoming game.
Barton was picked sixth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll while UVA Wise was selected seventh. Both teams enter 1-1 after dropping games to FCS schools last week. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 17-3 triumph over Chowan before falling 37-17 at Davidson last week while the home-standing Cavaliers won 41-9 on opening night over Ferrum before suffering a 49-17 setback at North Alabama last Saturday.
While the teams have identical records the two have contrasting styles. Barton's offense is powered by running back Jordan Terrell who averages 138.5 yards per game. Overall, the Bulldogs are averaging 209.5 yards per game on the ground to rank second in the league. On defense, Barton has been strong defending the pass as opponents are passing for just 78 yards per game.
On the other side of the field, UVA Wise brings the league's top-ranked passing offense to the game at 277 yards a contest. Quarterback
Lendon Redwine has already found 11 different receivers this season with three (
Tyler Kirkess,
Markel Harrison and
Dorien Goddard) having already surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark. The Cavs' defense has been stout in the passing game as well; last week, North Alabama was held to 96 passing yards on 7-of-22 attempts.
This will be the second all-time meeting between the two squads. Last year, the two met for the first time with the Bulldogs coming out on top 36-24 in the regular season finale. That day, Terrell rushed 44 times for 296 yards and a pair of scores to thwart a 292-yard passing day by Redwine.
Saturday's contest is a SAC crossover game with UVA Wise playing in the Mountain Division and Barton playing in the Piedmont Division. Crossover contests will not impact the race for the conference championship as only divisional games will be used to decide the two schools that meet for the league crown.
A road-weary bunch, the Bulldogs will finally play their first home game of the season next week against Mars Hill after three consecutive away games to begin the year. Meanwhile, UVA Wise will head to South Carolina to face Limestone in a 7 p.m. kick.
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