BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Bridgewater College football team continues a two-game road swing as it heads to Shenandoah for a rare Saturday matchup in Winchester.

When: Saturday, October 4, 2025
Where: Winchester, Va.
Stadium: Glo FIber FIeld at Shentel Stadium
Kickoff: 1:00 pm 
Gameday Forecast: Rain, 74F
        70% Chance of rain
Series Record: BC leads 21-6

BIG TIME STOPS: The Bridgewater defense has had to face tall orders to start the season as they have battled some of the nation's best ground attacks over the first two weeks of the season. The "Dark Side" rebounded nicely last week as a unit as it limited Averett to 34 net rushing yards and 2.3 yards per carry. Averett also possessed the ODAC's top passing attack and the Eagles limited the Cougars to 212 yards through the air and tallied an interception. While BC was held without a sack for the first time all season, BC still had four stops behind the line highlighted by a pair from Jamari Lewis.  Aaron Nice has anchored the defense as he sits second in the ODAC in forced fumbles and ranks 23rd nationally. He also sits 18th nationally in TFL and 44th in solo tackles while leading the ODAC with 1.25 sacks per game. 

BALANCING THE ATTACK:  The Bridgewater offense rushed for over 100 yards for the first time in 2025 in Saturday's win over Averett as it tallied 233 yards rushing led by 117 yards from Wyatt Jervis and three touchdowns on the ground by Jaicere Bateman. The Eagles' run game ranks sixth in the ODAC, heavily due to eighth sacks against Randolph-Macon two weeks ago, but the air attack sits in the top half of the league after a relatively quiet day in Danville last weekend. Ian Browne ranks second in the ODAC and in the top 50 nationally in receiving yards.

TAKING ADVANTAGE: The Bridgewater offense is the only unit in the ODAC to hold a 1.000 percentage in the redzone so far in 2025. BC has scored on all 11 countable trips to the redzone with seven touchdowns and four field goals to the tally. 

SPECIAL TEAMS MATTER:  The Bridgewater special teams unit has continued to be a highlight. Aiden Grefe leads the ODAC and ranks third in Division III in punting as he averages 45.7 yards per attempt after just one punt last weekend. The Eagles' punt return unit has also been solid in 2025 as Tate Leach ranks third in the ODAC and 52nd nationally averaging 7.8 yards per return. Brendan Robinson had been limited in the kick return game for the Eagles in some capacity this season, but the explosive back found his rhythm with a 55-yard return on Saturday that was limited due to a face masking penalty. Robinson ranks 28th nationally and second in the ODAC in combined returns with 249 yards. Ben Bermudez added his name to the special teams list this past week as he was named the ODAC's Player of the Week on the Eagles' "Edge" with an ODAC best 36-yard field goal in his first collegiate game.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS: Shenandoah returns to play after the bye week. The Hornets fell 42-7 to Hampden-Sydney in their ODAC opener last time out and look to bounce back at home. SU enters a new era with a new starting quarterback for the first time in four years. Jack Pearson and Mason Anderson have split time for the Hornets so far in 2025 as they each come into Saturday averaging over 100 passing yards per game. The Shenandoah offense might have a new QB, but Jalen Redfearn is back and in a big way he ranks 59th nationally, averaging 86.0 yards per contest on the ground. Defensively, Shenandoah is among the ODAC leaders in getting stops behind the line, but the Hornets are giving up 400.7 yards per game.

SHENANDOAH HEAD COACH:  Scott Yoder is in season 13 with the Hornets and has been .500 or better in eight of the last nine seasons. During his tenure, Shenandoah has finished with at least four wins in every traditional season, with the lone exception being the 2021 spring season where they finished 1-4 with a pair of losses to Bridgewater. The Hobart alum served as an assistant coach as this alma mater for 12 years, including leading the Statesmen defense to a pair of conference titles as the defensive coordinator. 

SMART PLAYS: Shenandoah enters Saturday as one of Division III's best at taking care of the football and not allowing stops behind the line. The Hornets lead the ODAC with just three turnovers lost so far in 2025 and are yet to loe a fumble this season. SU's three interceptions thrown is the second fewest in the ODAC while the Hornets have also limited opposing defenses as they allow just over three TFL per game (15th in Div. III). Shenandoah also ranks inside the top 50 nationally on third down as the Hornets' offense converts 46.7% of the time on third down. 

BOUNCING BACK: The Bridgewater College football team picked up its first win of the 2025 season in commanding fashion on Saturday. BC ran for a season-high 233 yards against Averett on Saturday and had its first 100+ yard runner of the season in Wyatt Jervis who tallied 117 yards and a score. 

INSTANT CLASSIC: Last Year Bridgewater and Shenandoah's clash in Rockingham County produced an instant classic with the Eagles blocking the potential game-winning field goal as time expired last October. Shenandoah led by as much as 21-8 after an early score in the fourth quarter, but a pair of BC touchdowns in the final 10 minutes and a two-point conversion gave BC the late lead. The Eagles were led by three total scores from Jaicere Bateman and 278 total yards from the QB. The game also extended the streak of one possession games in the series to six of the last seven.

ON THE ROAD: The Eagles look hit the road for the third time this season and head north for the second time this year. BC is 1-3 dating back to 2023 when traveling north compared to a 7-2 mark when traveling south. The lone Bridgewater victory north of campus during tht span was against Shenandoah in October of 2023 by a 24-10 score line under the lights in Winchester.

DID YOU KNOW?: Saturday will be the first afternoon matchup between the two sides in Winchester since Shenandoah joined the ODAC in 2012. Bridgewater is 4-3 under the lights at Glo Fiber Field in those matchups.