WISE - - No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne visits UVA Wise Friday in a 3 p.m. kickoff looking to avenge last season's 35-28 setback to the Cavaliers. The game was moved to Friday after originally being scheduled for Saturday due to the impending impact of Hurricane Ian.

Fresh off back-to-back wins, LR (3-1, 2-0 SAC) enters the game playing well, having won each of the last two contests by three touchdowns.
Across the field, UVA Wise (1-3, 0-2 SAC) is looking to snap a three-game losing skid that has seen Dane Damron's team lose a lead in each affair.

Picked second in the Preseason South Atlantic Conference Coaches' Poll, a quartet of Bears earned Preseason First-Team All-SAC on the offensive side of the ball. Sophomore running back Dwayne McGee, junior wide receiver Deondre Lester along with junior offensive lineman Blake Jefferson and senior offensive lineman Bryce Heidinger made the team.

McGee and Lester have made their impact felt through four games. McGee recently surpassed 2,500 rushing yards for his career while Lester hauled in the 100th reception of his career in a win over Carson-Newman last week. For the season, McGee has gained 333 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns while Lester has caught 16 passes for 211 yards.

Head Coach Mike Jacobs saw two players earn Preseason First-Team All-SAC on defense as well. Linebacker Jon Ross Maye and defensive lineman Andre Jefferson made the team and the two sophomores have shown why to this point in the season. Maye  has tallied 21 tackles and an interception with Jefferson having posted 18 tackles, and 3.5 sacks in four games.

While LR is off to a 3-1 start, turnovers have been a concern for the Bears. The team turned it over a combined nine times in its first three games before playing turnover-free ball last week.

UVA Wise will be looking to close the deal. Dane Damron's team ranks third in the SAC in total offense at 399.5 yards per game but ranks eighth in scoring offense at 22.8 points per game. The Cavs rank 87th in NCAA Division II in red zone offense scoring eight touchdowns in 13 trips. Turnovers have also plagued the unit, ranking 152nd nationally with 12 turnovers thus far.

Jaevon Gillespie ranks seventh in the nation at 7.9 yards per carry to lead the UVA Wise offense while Markel Harrison (6.2) leads the league and Dorien Goddard (5.0) ranks third in receptions per game.

Robert Carter has been a thorn in opposing quarterback's side the last two weeks. The sophomore has picked off four passes and returned one for a touchdown. The four interceptions are the second most among NCAA Division II players.

The game is the final SAC crossover game for each school. Next week, divisional play opens up in the league as UVA Wise visits Emory & Henry and LR takes on Limestone.