HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY — Quarterback Greg Ruff and receiver Markell Castle connected for three touchdowns, leading visiting Newberry (S.C.) to a 34-7 win over Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday in South Atlantic Conference (SAC) football.
Newberry (4-2, 2-0) extended its win streak over LRU (2-4, 1-3) to three games, posted its 12th straight SAC win and retained the Bishops’ Trophy that marks the annual battle between the two Lutheran schools of the Carolinas.
RUFF
Newberry has won all of its conference games since Oct. 17, 2015, when it lost to Carson-Newman.
LRU must finish 3-1 in its final four games to avoid its second straight losing season and its first back-to-back losing seasons since 2008-09 under then-head coach Fred Goldsmith.
Bears head coach Mike Kellar was direct about his take on Saturday’s home loss on Homecoming Day at LRU.
“It wasn’t an offensive line, quarterback game or anything like that – their team beat our team,” Kellar said. “We got beat and it is what it is. We have to play better, learn from this game and get ready for Limestone.”
Ruff threw three TD passes, the most by a Wolves quarterback since 2016, and Castle became the first Newberry receiver with three scoring catches since 2013.
CASTLE
Castle finished with 135 yards on six receptions and moved into 10th in career receiving yards at Newberry with 1,441 yards. He has seven 100-yard games after posting his second-best receiving yardage total game on Saturday.
Ruff and Castle connected on scoring plays of 12, 26 and 60 yards.
Ruff went 13 of 18 for 196 yards also had 55 yards rushing and a TD on 10 carries and accounted for 251 of the Wolves 381 yards total offense.
After a scoreless first quarter, Newberry seized control in the second quarter by scoring 21 points to lead 21-0 at the half.
The Wolves scored on three of their final four first-half possessions.
Leading by seven points, the Wolves scored the decisive points with 10 minutes, 47 seconds left in the first half when Ruff connected with Castle for a 26-yard pass. A successful PAT gave the Wolves a 14-0 lead.
Fourteen of Newberry’s 67 plays went for 10-plus yards, and the Wolves were plus four in the turnover margin.
LRU lost two fumbles and had two interceptions with one of those picks returned for a TD.
“For the most part, I thought it was matter of big plays and turnovers,” said Kellar.
Defensively, the Wolves held the Bears to 248 yards and running back Nelson Brown to 88 yards and no scores on 24 carries.
Newberry held LRU to 89 yards rushing, holding an opponent to fewer than 100 yards for the third time in four games.
The Bears scored with 8:56 left in the third quarter on a 6-yard pass from Jarrod Kellar to T.J. Smith.
Jarrod Kellar was 14 of 26 with two interceptions and one TD.
LRU’s next game is Saturday in Gaffney, S.C., a league game that begins at 6 p.m.