Tornados Continue SAC Road Trip with Saturday Afternoon’s Game at Wingate
Brevard, N.C. – The Brevard College football team will again be on the road this week, when they will travel to Wingate, N.C. to square off with Wingate University Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
The Tornados are coming off a gut-wrenching loss to Lenoir-Rhyne last Saturday night, as they battled in what was very physical and sloppy game to the very end against the Bears, before ultimately falling late in the fourth quarter, 23-12.
The Tornados offense will look to take better care of the ball this week, as they had seven fumbles against the Bears a week ago, losing five of them.
The BC offense still faired well versus the Bears, as the Tornados gained 228 total yards offensively, with 191 of those coming by way of the rushing attack. Once again, the rushing attack saw a number of different individuals run the ball, as a total of six different BC players had at least three rushing attempts for the game.
Look for Coach Hamilton and the BC offense to rely on the rushing game against a stingy Wingate defense that has only allowed 266 rushing yards this season, an average of 53.2 per game.
Freshman quarterback Trey Wilborn will be asked again to help direct the triple-option running attack for the Tornados, as he scored the only BC touchdown and led the team with 55 rushing yards on 13 attempts in last week’s loss at Lenoir-Rhyne. However, running backs John Taylor and Tyrone Arrington will both be asked to pick up the load this week, with both being vital parts to the success of the Tornados offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Tornados defense played well versus a tough Lenoir-Rhyne rushing attack, as BC allowed only 239 total yards of offense for the game, with most of that coming in the second half. The defense also forced three fumbles, recovering one of them and picking up a key interception in the third quarter.
However, for the first time this season the defense will be seeing a more pass-first type offensive style than running, as Wingate has passed for over 1233-yards on the season. The Wingate Bulldogs are a well-balanced team, yet have attempted 166 passes on the season, by far the most of any team that the Tornados have faced this season.
Wingate is led by quarterback JD Moore, who has passed for 1213-yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. Moore is averaging 242.6 yards per game through the air.
Running back Nelson Woods leads the ground attack for the Bulldogs, having rushed for 448-yards on 92 attempts and five touchdowns.
Both teams are coming off close heartbreaking losses, as Wingate lost their first game of the year to Tusculum 31-28 last week.
The 1-4 Tornados have a tough challenge ahead in facing the 4-1 Wingate Bulldogs, however, Coach Hamilton and his staff are optimistic that the team as a whole is starting to turn the corner and are quickly learning what it takes not to only compete but to win at the NCAA Division II level.
“We have improved everyday but we still have miles to go,” commented Coach Hamilton. “We know it and are ready to accept the challenge.”
The kickoff time is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Irwin Belk Stadium in Wingate, N.C. This is the first ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. BC is still looking for its first win over a South Atlantic Conference opponent.
You can catch the game via live broadcast brought to you by the “Voice of the Tornados” Matt Mabe and Bill Wilson over the radio at WSQL 1240 AM or over the Internet at www.redzonemedia.com or by visiting the Brevard College Athletics website at www.brevard.edu/athletic/, where you can go to the football schedule page and click on the links to the live broadcast.
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