UVA Wise wraps up the 2023 season with a pair of home games, starting Saturday when Carson-Newman visits Carl Smith Stadium in a 12 p.m. kickoff.

UVA Wise (2-7, 1-6 SAC) has won just once since defeating Union on opening night but, the Cavaliers' offense has been performing better of late. Dane Damron's team scored 34 points two weeks ago in a win over Erskine while tallying 24 points in last week's loss at Mars Hill. Both exceed the team's average points per game number of 20.1.

If UVA Wise is to continue its improved offensive play, it will have to do so against one of the better sack teams in the country. Carson-Newman (4-5, 3-4 SAC) leads the South Atlantic Conference and ranks fifth in NCAA Division II in sacks per game at 3.56.

Mekhi Brown and Jacorey Long have led the defensive unit. Brown, a 6-foot-3 linebacker has 8.5 sacks this season while the 6-foot-2 defensive lineman Long has posted  5.5 sacks.
Overall, the defense has posted 32 sacks through the season's first nine games while having posted at least four sacks five times. A week ago, Mike Clowney's club registered four sacks while holding Emory & Henry to 181 yards en route to a 37-7 victory.

Slowing down the pass rush may come from the Cavs' ability to run the football. Sophomore Zavier Lomax has had back-to-back solid weeks on the ground. Against Erskine, Lomax gained 74 yards on 15 carries while scoring a touchdown before erupting for a career-high 131 yards and a touchdown against Mars Hill. On the season, UVA Wise is averaging 148 yards per game on the ground. The number represents the most rushing yards per game for the program since joining NCAA Division II.

An area to watch Saturday should be the red zone. UVA Wise enters as the top-ranked red zone offense in the league scoring on 20-of-22 trips this fall while Carson-Newman has the SAC's top ranked red zone defense. The Eagles are holding opponents to points on 64.3 percent of trips ranking 16th in NCAA Division II.

Carson-Newman leads the all-time series between the two schools 3-to-1. A year ago, the Eagles claimed a 38-22 win in Jefferson City, Tenn. by scoring the game's first 31 points. UVA Wise's lone win in the series came in 2021 when Jaevon Gillespie rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-7 Cav triumph.

Next week, UVA Wise will wrap up the regular season against either Wingate or Newberry at home, depending on the league's conference championship game. Carson-Newman entertains Catawba in its final game.