BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- After a big homecoming victory last week, the Bridgewater College football team is faced with a pivotal matchup with Washington and Lee in a battle of 6-2 teams at Wilson Field in Lexington on Saturday at 2 pm. 

Bridgewater at Washington and Lee
When: Saturday, November 4, 2023
Where: Lexington, Va.
Stadium: Wilson Field
Kickoff: 2:00 pm
Gameday Forecast: Temps in the 60s
Series Record: WLU leads 30-22 (Last Meeting: BC won 13-6)

SCOUTING THE GENERALS: The Generals saw their six-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of nationally-ranked Randolph-Macon by a score of 35-12 last week. Washington and Lee is tied with Bridgewater for second place in the ODAC standings entering this week's contest. Stephen Murrin was an efficient 14-of-22 through the air for 150 yards and a touchdown, while Jacob Romero paced the running game with 91 yards on 26 rushes. Murrin added 51 yards rushing and Anthony Crawford also registered double-digit carries as he took 11 touches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Burke Cigelske caught one pass for 41 yards, which went for a touchdown, as the Generals scored first and led 6-0 for a majority of the first quarter. Hunter Hawk led WLU with eight tackles, while Charlie Fleming grabbed an interception for the defense. Both teams had nearly identical times of possession with each side almost having 30 minutes each. 

WASHINGTON AND LEE HEAD COACH:  Garrett LeRose took over as head coach of the Generals after the 2018 season as the 34th head coach in team history. Since then, he has led the team to a 30-18 record, including the 2021 ODAC Championship. He was named ODAC and VaSID Coach of the Year following the season. Since taking over at the helm of the program, he has guided six D3football.com All-Region players, including one ODAC and VaSID Player of the Year. Two of his players garnered ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete honors and a total of 43 All-ODAC selections have come from his team in his first four seasons. A WLU graduate, LeRose has spent his entire coaching career on the Generals' sidelines starting as an assistant in 2008 before rising to head coach in 2018. 

LAST MEETING: The Eagles picked up a 13-6 win against Washington and Lee in last season's contest as the game was deadlocked at 6-6 following the first half with a 42-yard pass-and-catch from Jaylen Wood to Dylan Maclachlan the only score from BC. The Eagles saw a 15-play, 77-yard drive come to a close with a nine-yard Freddie Watkins catch from Wood for the eventual game-winning score late in the third quarter. Samuel Adkins saw his name go into the BC record books after a 4.0 TFL performance with 10 total tackles, while Aaron Nice had nine stops of his own to lead the defense. The contest saw a run-heavy attack from both sides with 83 combined rushes going for 317 total yards despite two of the three scores in the game coming through the air. It was BC's first win against Washington and Lee in Bridgewater since the 2016 season.

ALL-TIME SERIES: In a rivalry that dates back to the 1960s, Washington and Lee holds a 30-22 edge in the all-time series with the games deadlocked at 7-7 since the 2008 season. The two programs have been near the top of the ODAC standings for much of the recent years with today's contest meaning just as much for postseason competition. Bridgewater prevailed last year and in 2019 with the two teams alternating wins from 2016 back to 2009. The two sides own two of the last four ODAC titles.

ITS A SWEEP: Bridgewater swept the ODAC Football Players of the Week following a pair of stellar performances against Ferrum on Homecoming. Kennedy Fauntleroy garnered his third ODAC Offensive Player of the Week honor as he ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns, including runs of 44 and 55 yards for scores. On the other side of the ball, Aaron Nice totaled 12 tackles with 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, a forced fumble and a 25-yard pick six for his first collegiate touchdown as BC went on to a 48-16 victory. 

IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Junior running back Kennedy Fauntleroy continues his tremendous 2023 campaign as he surpassed the 1,000 rushing yard mark in last week's win. He now stands at 1,048 yards and leads the ODAC in the category, as well as ranking among national leaders in Division III. He is the first Eagle since Jacob Wright to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, which he did in 2014. He is just 100 yards shy of breaking into the program's top 10 single-season rushing marks and is already nearing the top five in single-season rushing touchdowns with 14 on the year. 

TAKE IT AWAY: The Bridgewater defensive unit, which led all divisions of NCAA football for a majority of last season in turnover margin, has forced 11 turnovers in the last two games, including  five last week against Ferrum. Included in those 11 takeaways are a pair of interceptions taken back for touchdowns and two fumbles returned for scores, as well. Aaron Nice has had a hand in on four of the 11 turnovers in the last two weeks, while members of the defense have taken ODAC Defensive Player of the Week each of the last two times (Nice, Aaron Moore). 

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The first NCAA Regional Rankings were released this week in alphabetical order before the first true numerical rankings come out next week. In Region III, Bridgewater and Washington and Lee are two of the seven schools in the initial survey with Randolph-Macon, Belhaven, Berry, Trinity (Texas), and Hardin-Simmons also included.

POSTSEASON ASPIRATIONS: With Randolph-Macon all but securing the ODAC Championship and the automatic qualifier, Bridgewater still has postseason life by way of a possible at-large bid, or an appearance in the new Chesapeake Challenge sponsored by the ODAC and the Landmark Conference. The second place team in each conference will host the third place team in the opposing conference in the Cape Charles and the Cape Henry Bowls taking place on Nov. 18. With the Eagles and Generals tied for second in the league, this week's match up proves pivotal in the eventual final standings as the winner will control its own destiny in the final week of the season in securing hosting rights for the postseason bowl.

ITS THIRD DOWN: This weekend's game features one of the best 3rd down teams in the ODAC against the best 3rd down defense in the league. The Generals sit at a 48.3 pct conversion clip on the offensive side of the ball, while the Eagles' defense bests the ODAC holding teams to just a 30.3 pct conversion rate. Bridgewater converts on 32.7 pct of third downs, while WLU is third in the ODAC on defense at 34.4 pct conversion.