BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Bridgewater College football team hits the road to take on Millsaps on Saturday.

When: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Where: Jackson, Miss.
Stadium: Harper Davis Field
Kickoff: 1:00 PM ET
Gameday Forecast: 
    Mostly Sunny
    Temperature: 93F; Rain: 5%
Series Record: First Meeting

SCOUTING THE MAJORS: Millsaps enters Saturday's matchup with a 2-0 record after opening 2024 with wins at home against Belhaven and John Melvin. The 2-0 start is the best opening to a campaign for the Majors since 2019 where they went 5-5 and opened the season with three-straight wins. MC brings in the SAA's third best scoring defense after a shutout a week ago. Millsaps also saw action from four different quarterbacks last week with projected starter Cole Canatella going just 4-of-5  for 60 yards in the win.

MILLSAPS HEAD COACH:  Brandon Lechtenberg has just two games under his belt at the head of the Majors' football program. Lechtenberg is no stranger to the Millsaps program as he served as the defensive coordinator for the Majors from 2011-16. A native of Butte, Neb., Lechtenberg was a part of the 2012 and 2013 SAA conference championship teams at Millsaps along with coaching the conference's top unit in scoring defense, total defense and passing defense in 2012. Lechtenberg has experience on the defensive side of the ball with coaching stints at five different schools highlighted by his time at TCU as a graduate assistant with the Horned Frogs.

SPECIAL TEAMS MATCHUP: Bridgewater's special teams unit has been a strength and a point of emphasis under head coach Scott Lemn. The Eagles special teams unit has underwent new direction this fall with Kevin Barr taking over the third side of the game and hasn't skipped a beat. Despite not seeing a kickoff on Saturday, Brendan Robinson ranks 17th nationally in kick return yardage and is one of just 11 players in the country with a kick return for a touchdown in the opening two weeks of the season. Sunday, kicker Jack Hendren was named the ODAC Special Teams Player of the Week after making nine extra points on Saturday and joined Robinson as the only two players to win the award in its two-week history. The BC special teams unit also ranks 13th nationally in punt return yardage with Tate Leach and Xavier Edlen handling those duties so far in 2024. Millsaps has also found success with the special teams unit as punter Ethan Kiapatch ranks second in the country in punting averaging 45.7 yards per attempt. 

ABOUT LAST SATURDAY: In case you missed it, the Bridgewater football program set a program record with its 80-0 win over Southern Virginia on Saturday. The victory was just the third time any team has score 80 or more points in ODAC history and marked the third time the Eagles have scored 70 or more in the last 20 years. Jack Hendren tied for fourth in ODAC history with his nine extra points made and he and Augustin Miguel totaled 11 PATs to tie the ODAC record. 

WELCOME TO THE DARKSIDE: Peyton Allen took over as the Bridgewater Defensive Coordinator prior to the start of the 2024 season and it has not dissapointed. The season-opening 41-7 loss to Susquehanna saw BC give up 617 yards of total offense, but last week the BC defense limited SVU to just 119 yards of total offense in the first home shutout since 2017. The Darkside forced five turnovers including a trio of pick-sixes that leads Division III in defensive touchdowns. 

STAYING HOT: Bridgewater became just the third team in ODAC history to score 80 or more points in a game with Ferrum putting up 81 in 2018 and Hampden-Sydney setting the conference record with 82 in 2003. Both teams hit the road in their first game following scoring 80 and each followed with victories. Ferrum traveled to Winchester and defeated Shenandoah 38-21 while Hampden-Sydney defeated Randolph-Macon 53-21 in Ashland to conclude the regular season in 2003.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles and Majors are meeting for the first time on Saturday. Bridgewater is 18-5 in first meetings since the turn of the century and is 10-3 in the last 20 years in such contests. The last time the Eagles played an opponent for the first time was in 2018 where they defeated N.C. Wesleyan 21-14 in the final week of the regular season.

Stay tuned for full game notes to be released tonight.