WISE - - UVA Wise will look to bounce back Saturday when Dane Damron's team makes its first-ever trip to Wilson, N.C. to face Barton College in the South Atlantic Conference opener for both schools.
A week ago, UVA Wise fell 37-0 to Thomas More in a non-conference tilt in what was the program's first shutout loss since falling 7-0 at Concord on Sept. 14, 2017. Meanwhile, Barton is off to a hot start. Last week, the Bulldogs upended FCS Davidson 33-31 behind Jordan Terrell's 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
For the Cavaliers to get back in the win column, slowing down Terrell will be imperative. The back is the active leader in rushing yards among all NCAA Division II players with 4,244yards. A year ago, UVA Wise limited Terrell to just 44 yards on 24 carries but, quarterback Jaquan Lynch gained 146 yards on the ground and scored twice in a 40-20 Barton triumph.
Turnovers have played a big part of UVA Wise's early season. In week one, the Cavs forced five turnovers en route to a 48-0 win over Union College before committing three turnovers in the loss at Thomas More. To this point, Barton has held on to the football. The Bulldogs are one of just nine teams in NCAA Division II that has yet to turn the ball over.
The success for Barton is not surprising, Head Coach Chip Hester is a veteran coach who had previous success in the SAC before coming to Barton. The third-year coach of the Bulldogs spent 18 years at Catawba where he was the head coach for 11 seasons, posting a 70-49 overall record. During his tenure, the Indians went to the playoffs three times while his 2007 team went 11-2 and set a school record averaging 44.5 points per game.
The powerful offense has continued at Barton as the Bulldogs have the second highest scoring team in the league thus far in 2023 at 37 points per game.
The Cavs will be looking to break a couple of streaks Saturday. UVA Wise is 0-2 all-time against Barton while also having lost 17-of-20 games away from Carl Smith Stadium.
Next week, UVA Wise will return home to face Limestone for its home league opener while Barton visits Mars Hill for its first road league game of the year.
