BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- Following a dominating performance against Southern Virginia, the Bridgewater College football team comes back home to the Jopson Athletic Complex to take on the North Carolina Wesleyan Battling Bishops, as part of Family Weekend, on Saturday afternoon.

Bridgewater vs. N.C. Wesleyan
When: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Where: Bridgewater, Va.
Stadium: Jopson Athletic Complex
Kickoff: 2:00 pm
Gameday Forecast: Mostly Sunny
    High: 83; Low: 53; Rain: 0%
Series Record: BC Leads 2-0 (Last Meeting: 2022)

WATCH LIVE: https://team1sports.com/Bridgewater/
LIVE STATS: https://bridgewatereagles.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

SCOUTING THE BATTLING BISHOPS: N.C. Wesleyan has had a tough start to the 2023 season facing off with a pair of ODAC teams, dropping its season opener to Randolph-Macon, 51-9, and falling 34-0 to Ferrum last week. The Battling Bishops offense has featured five quarterbacks under center through their opening two games with Zachary Marquis leading the way with 155 yards on 14-of-23 passing. On the ground, Anthony Byrd has 31 yards on 12 carries with Carmello Bess the only other back with at least 15 yards rushing. Deondre Hill is the only offensive player with a touchdown on the young season as he has hauled in eight catches for 84 yards and the lone score. The defensive unit sees Eric Cooper leading the team with 14 tackles (11 solo) through two games, but the side has yet to force a turnover in week three. 

N.C. WESLEYAN HEAD COACH: Jeff Filkovski took over the reigns of the Battling Bishops' football program prior to the 2014 season. He came to Rocky Mount, North Carolina after five years with Marietta in Pennsylvania. Filkovski became the third head coach in the program's history and has garnered 48 wins during his tenure. The graduate of Allegheny College, also in Pennsylvania, led his program to a 13-0-1 record in 1990 as he helped guide the team to a national championship as the starting quarterback. He registered AP Little All-America and Football Gazette Division III Offensive Player of the Year laurels that same year. He moved on to coaching at Holy Cross and Thomas More before heading to the Division I level as the quarterbacks coach at Cincinnati. From there, he was the offensive coordinator for the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe and spent time at Heidelberg. He has coached numerous All-Americans.

LAST MEETING: The two sides returned to play last season as part of the ODAC/USA South Week 3 match up where all teams from the ODAC face teams from the USA South Athletic Conference. The Eagles helped N.C. Wesleyan open the Vernon T. Bradley, Jr. Complex with a 48-7 victory. BC racked up 431 yards of total offense and held the ball for nearly 35 minutes. The defense forced five fumbles, recovering four of them, and also picked off a pass to lead to the lopsided victory.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Bridgewater has faced N.C. Wesleyan twice in its 124 year history with the first meeting coming in 2018. The Eagles hold a 2-0 record in the all-time series with a 21-14 victory in the initial meeting. In the first ever meeting, Bridgewater opened up an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but a strong middle two quarters from the Battling Bishops tied the game heading into the fourth. Jay Scroggins capped off a 10-play drive with a touchdown run to secure a victory that also saw the Eagles move to 6-4 to close out the 2018 season. 

BEST OF THE BEST: Bridgewater junior running back Kennedy Fauntleroy posted a career day in last week's 35-9 win against Southern Virginia. The Baltimore native tallied 163 yards on the ground and rushed for four touchdowns on his way to ODAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The running back notched big touchdown runs of 54 yards and 68 yards, in addition to a pair of short-yardage scores. He also grabbed a pair of passes in the win. Fauntleroy more than doubled his career rushing yardage in the win. 

THE NEW GUY: Last week's victory saw the debut of a new signal caller as Jaicere Bateman stepped in at quarterback for his first collegiate start. The true freshman from Lynchburg, Virginia, completed 70% of his passes going 27-for-39 for 249 yards. He also carried the ball several times, including a seven-yard long. After just one game, he ranks fifth in the ODAC and leads the team in passing yardage.

STANDING OUT NATIONALLY: Bridgewater is seen throughout the national statistical rankings as Brendan Robinson sits fourth in the nation in total kickoff return yards and second in kickoffs returned for touchdowns. In addition, Kennedy Fauntleroy is second in the ODAC and tied sixth in the nation with four rushing touchdowns. He is also second in the ODAC in points scored. Aaron Nice sees his name among national leaders with 6.5 solo tackles per game and eighth in the country in fumble recoveries. The Bridgewater kick return unit continues to stand inside the top 20 in all of NCAA Division III in kick return average after leading the nation a year ago.

CHASING MILESTONES: Fifth-year wide receiver Viante Tucker grabbed five passes in the team's Week Two victory and now stands at 91 career receptions. The total puts him with limited company in program history as he ranks 10th in the record books for career catches. As he approaches the 100 catch plateau, he would become just the seventh player in team history to reach the mark and the first since Jeffrey Moore (2013-15) finished his days in Crimson & Gold with 105 receptions. The Third Team All-ODAC selection from a season ago is currently tied for second on the team in catches.

OTHER N.C. WESLEYAN TEAMS IN ACTION: The weekend action starts for the Battling Bishops on Friday as both cross country teams head to the Queen City Invitational, while the volleyball team travels to Greensboro on Saturday afternoon. The women's soccer team and men's soccer team are both on the road on Saturday as the women's side heads to Guilford and the men's squad takes a trip to nationally-ranked Christopher Newport. On Sunday, the men's team finishes out the weekend at Virginia Wesleyan. 

OTHER BRIDGEWATER TEAMS IN ACTION: Bridgewater's men's and women's cross country teams hit the course at the CNU Invitational on Friday evening as the only action for the Eagles to start off the weekend. The Eagles' volleyball team ends its nine-match road trip to start the season as it plays host to Shenandoah and Christopher Newport in a tri-match beginning at 11 am in Nininger Hall. The field hockey team heads to Maryland for a 12 pm contest with Stevenson for its first road game in two weeks, while the men's soccer team also heads to Maryland to face off with St. Mary's (Md.). The women's tennis kicks off the 2023-24 fall schedule as it competes in the annual WildCat Invitational at Randolph to close out Saturday's additional action. The women's soccer team has a tough one on Sunday as it hosts Salisbury on Sunday afternoon and the women's golf team returns to action at its home event, the Bridgewater Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. 

ABOUT BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE: The student experience at Bridgewater College has been shaped and defined by connections since 1880.Bridgewater's commitment to building connections for life gives you more opportunities to flourish. More opportunities to participate in sports, theatre, music, clubs and organizations. To exercise leadership. And to develop and achieve your potential through the support of faculty mentors.