Game Notes
SALISBURY, NC – The Livingstone College Blue Bears and the West Virginia Wesleyan Tigers will meet for the first time in the schools' histories Saturday at Alumni Memorial Stadium.
OFFENSE
The Livingstone offense is still struggling to find its form as the Blue Bears are hitting the halfway point of the season. Freshman Levon Stanley has played the majority of the minutes in the last two games. Last week Stanley completed three passes for 23 yards against Shaw while sophomore Curtis Edens completed two passes for 16 yards.
Kristopher Moton was the leading rusher for the Blue Bears last week with eight rushing yards. Jamel Moore has been the leading rusher through the first six games for Livingstone as he has gained 76 yards on the ground so far this season. Miles Harris has netted 41 yards while Terrill Gourdine has gained 24 yards on the ground.
Anthony Holland has been the leading receiver for the Blue Bears through six games this season. Holland has averaged 33.7 yards receiving per game while sophomore Omar McFadden follows with 20.4 yards receiving per contest.
DEFENSE
The defense has been a strong point for Livingstone this season. The Blue Bears are the top passing defense in the CIAA as they have allowed only 142.8 yards passing per game through six contests. They have also intercepted six passes this season, ranking them fifth in the conference.
Junior linebackers Bryan Aycoth and Shawntez Jones have been the most productive defenders for the Blue Bears. Aycoth leads the team and is 12th in the conference with 6.7 tackles per game. Jones has averaged 5.7 tackles per game which ranks him second on the team and 23rd in the CIAA. Jones and Aycoth are also ranked in the top five in the CIAA in tackles for loss with Jones having 9.5 total tackles for loss and Aycoth has nine.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The special teams for the Blue Bears got a boost on Saturday from freshman punter and kicker Logan Haynes who punted 11 times for an average of 38.9 yards per punt that forced Shaw into some long field situations.
Dewayne Smith and Jamel Moore continue to be the top kick returners for the Blue Bears. Moore has returned 13 kicks this season for an average of 25.9 yards per return while Smith has returned 17 kicks for an average of 18.9 yards per return.
WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN
West Virginia Wesleyan comes into Saturday's contest with a 5-0 record, coming off a home victory over Seton Hill, 37-16. The Tigers also defeated a top-25 team in West Liberty two weeks ago, 43-41.
The Tigers have a very strong offense both passing and rushing. The Tigers are 33rd in Division II in passing offense as they average 249.6 yards passing per contest. They also average 137.6 yards per game on the ground. Overall the Tigers have averaged 30.4 points per game.
On the defensive side of the ball the Tigers are the top-ranked team in Division II in sacks per game. WV Wesleyan has averaged just over four sacks per game through five games this season. Jesse Robertson has led the Tigers in tackles this season with 30 including four tackles for loss.
THE SERIES
Saturday will be the first meeting between Livingstone and West Virginia Wesleyan.
THE LAST MEETING
None
GAME UPDATES
Fans can follow live statistics via the web at www.sidearmstats.com/livingstone/football and live updates at www.twitter.com/lcbluebears.
WEATHER FORECAST
Temperatures look to be in the low- to mid-80s on Saturday around kickoff at 1 p.m. under clear and sunny skies.
GAME RECAPS
A full game recap with statistics will be available online at www.bluebearathletics.com following the contest.
