Box Score

Livingston, Ala. – The Football Team opened on the road against No. 12 West Alabama in a rematch from a year ago. The Bears were defeated on Thursday night in the final seconds after giving the Tigers all they could handle, and then some in Drew Cronic's first appearance as the Bears's Head Coach.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: No. 12 West Alabama 36, Lenoir-Rhyne 32
Records: No. 12 West Alabama (1-0), Lenoir-Rhyne (0-1)
Location: Tigers Stadium | Livingston, Ala.
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STATS OF THE GAME:
•   First Quarter: Sophomore Field Goal Kicker Chase Allbaugh put the Bears on the board for the first time in 2018 with a 35-yard field goal, giving the Bears the early 3-0 lead over West Alabama. The Tigers would respond shortly after with a touchdown drive that was an efficient 9 plays for 34 yards in 2:28. Running the ball seemed to be a game plan that Cronic and his staff wanted to implement in the first quarter.
•    Second Quarter: Both teams had a strong start to the quarter. The Tigers marched down the field in 11 plays, gaining 88 yards, and putting them on top 14-3. The time was now if the Bears wanted to stay in this game, so they responded with a drive of their own. LR scored on a 6-play, 77 yard drive, thanks in large part to a 55-yard pass from Grayson Willingham (Matthews, N.C.) to Demarius Hampton (Carthage, N.C.), and the drive was finished with an eight yard rushing touchdown to the corner of the end zone to cut the deficit to 14-10 by junior running back Jaquay Mitchell (Bailey, N.C.).  Allbaugh connected on his second field goal of the night, capping off 10 unanswered points by the Bears, going into halftime trailing 14-13 to the number 12 team in the country.
•  Third Quarter: Both teams punted coming out of the locker room, but freshman running back Warren Bell (Fayetteville, N.C.) put an end to that streak, giving the Bears back the lead for the first time since it was 3-0 with a rushing touchdown, and LR held the 19-14 lead after an interception on the two-point conversion opportunity.
•    Fourth Quarter: The final quarter is when things went back-and-forth on both sides. On the first play from scrimmage, a run that took 10-seconds off the clock put the Tigers back on top, 22-19. An LR punt and WA TD did not have the Bears fans feeling optimistic as the home team held the 29-19 lead with 12:53 on the clock. The next four drives for both teams ended in a punt or turnover, before Willingham and Hampton connected for a second time on the night to bring the Bears a touchdown closer to the lead. The next time LR had the ball, sophomore wide receiver Dareke Young (Raleigh, N.C.) got in on the scoring action, and when the Bears were looking up, they only trailed West Alabama 29-26 with 2:06 on the clock. So what do underdogs do in this situation? On-sides kick! And it worked! Willingham connected on the next drive with the leading Bears receiver from 2017, senior T.J. Smith (Charleston, S.C.) to put the visiting Bears on top with under two minutes to play. The home team solidified the game with a drive that put the Tigers on top, 36-32 with 12 seconds left on the clock.
 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
•    This game was a rematch between the Bears and Tigers, when West Alabama came to Moretz Stadium in 2017 and defeated Lenoir-Rhyne by a score of 46-7.
•    This was the first road-opener for the Bears since 2015, when LR defeated West Chester, 41-28.
•    Willingham threw for 300 yards, the Bears averaged 133.1 yards per game through the air last season.

UP NEXT:
LR will travel to Tigerville, S.C. to take on North Greenville on Saturday, September 8, at 7:00 p.m. West Alabama will host Miles College on Thursday, September 6, at 6:00 p.m.