BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Bridgewater College football team looks to bounce back as it hosts Gallaudet on Saturday.

When: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Where: Bridgewater, Va.
Stadium: The Stadium at the Jopson Athletic Complex
Kickoff: 2:00 pm 
Gameday Forecast: Sunny and warm, 75F
        0% Chance of rain
Series Record: BC leads 25-5-1 (Last meeting 1987)

I'LL TAKE THAT: The Bridgewater defense leads the ODAC in fumble recoveries with six on the year, and ranks 17th in Div. III. Six different Eagles have recovered fumbles for BC this season, while Aaron Nice is tied for the ODAC lead as he averages a forced fumble every two games this season. The former All-American selection also ranks ninth in Div. III with that tally as well.

THE HOV PROFILE:  Jaicere Bateman is in his third season leading the Eagles' offense and sits among the ODAC leaders. Bateman leads the ODAC and ranks 27th nationally in passing yards as he was over 240 passing yards for the third time this season on Saturday. The junior also ranks third in the league in completion percentage (58.3%), but had been on a hot streak prior to last week's contest against Roanoke, as he was completing 77.4% of his passes in the two matchups prior, before going 24-of-46 on Saturday. Bateman also has six rushing scores to his credit to rank ninth nationally among quarterbacks.

THE REDZONE: The Bridgewater offense entered the matchup with Shenandoah two weeks ago as the only ODAC school to score on every trip to the redzone (11/11). Following the meeting with SU and last week's home loss to Roanoke BC, the team combined for a 4-of-8 performance in the red zone, dropping to fourth in the conference and outside the top 100 nationally. 

STOPS BEHIND THE LINE:  Aaron Nice and Shalin Green rank among the ODAC leaders in sacks per game. Nice ranks 19th in Div. III in sacks per game (1.1) and 29th in tackles for loss per contest (1.8), but the Eagles rank in the bottom half of the ODAC in sacks as a team. BC opened the season with 11 tackles for loss against Stevenson, but has not tallied more than half of that total in a gme since. The Eagles have registered five in each of their last two contests led by three sacks last week against Roanoke.

SPECIAL TEAMS MATTER:  Bridgewater claimed its third-straight ODAC Special Teams Player of the Week as Xavier Edelen claimed the honor after taking his first punt return of the season 89 yards to the house. Edelen entered Saturday as the backup, but with Tate Leach sidelined, he stepped up when called upon. The return is the longest in Div. III this season and the longest in the ODAC since 2019. The BC special teams unit continues to be a highlight as Aiden Grefe ranks fourth nationally in punting (44.0 yds) and each return unit ranks in the top 15 in Div. III. Brendan Robinson ranks inside the top 50 in kickoff returns, and Leach ranks in the top 40 in punt returns. 

SCOUTING THE BISON: Gallaudet is in its first season as an associate member of the ODAC and enters Saturday looking for its first points since September. The Bisons have been outscored 100-0 over the last two weeks, combined with losses to Guilford and Washington & Lee, and look for their second victory of the season on Saturday. GU has been efficient in the redzone on defense this season and can be explosive on offense when given the opportunity, as Marcus Gabriel ranks 21st in the country in yards per carry(6.8). 

GALLAUDET HEAD COACH:  Stefan LeFors is in his first season leading the Bison as the program's 35th head coach in its long history. LeFors comes to the Nation's Capital after serving a the head coach at a pair of high-level high schools. He most recently coached at Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge, La. and before that was at the helm of the Christian Academy of Louisville program, where he claimed a pair of Kentucky State Championships. LeFors brings a wealth of experience to the birthplace of the huddle, as he was the starting quarterback at Louisville before going on to be a fourth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers before signing with multiple Canadian Football League teams. LeFors has ties to the deaf community as well with family members, including his wife, attending the University.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Gallaudet's special teams unit has been a talking point in 2025. The Bison lead the ODAC with three blocked kicks and allow just 12.6 yards per kick return to also sit at the top of the league. GU also ranks 54th nationally in punt returns and Zack Parsons ranks among the ODAC leaders as he averages 28.3 yards per kick return to anchor one of the nation's top kick return units. 

NOT A FIRST TIME OPP: Gallaudet visits the Jopson Athletic Complex for the first time since 1987 on Saturday. The Eagles and Bison have quite a history dating back to their days as foes in the Mason-Dixon conference before the inception of the ODAC. The two sides first met as league foes in 1950 in a contest where the Bison prevailed 19-6, but that would not set the tone for the series. BC would go on to hold an 18-3-1 record against GU in their time as Mason-Dixon foes from 1950-1971, including three-straight shutouts to round out the series as league opponents.

DIVISION I EXPERIENCE: Saturday's matchup features a pair of head coaches with Division I experience. BC's Scott Lemn played collegiate football at James Madison, where he was an All-American selection as a center for the Dukes. On the opposite sideline will be first-year head coach Stefan LeFors for Gallaudet. LeFors played for Louisville and was the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2004 and was the MVP of the Liberty Bowl in his senior season. This is the second-straight matchup for BC with a first-year head coach with Div. I experience.  BC is 0-1 in said contests. 

HOME SWEET HOME?: BC has a 14-9 record at home under Scott Lemn, but has dropped its last five games at The Stadium. BC is in search of its first victory at the Jopson Athletic Complex in 364 days. Bridgewater's last win in the daytime at home came 371 days ago against Averett, with the last home victory coming a week later in a night game against SU.

DID YOU KNOW: Gallaudet is most famous for being the "Home of the Huddle" as the football huddle is believed to have originated at GU in 1894. The Washington, D.C. institution is featured in the College Football Hall of Fame for its impact on the sport.