Wolves will look to exploit Barton’s run defense in hopes of bouncing back following tough home loss

NEWBERRY — Newberry College (3-2, 2-1 SAC) will hit the road to face Barton (4-1, 2-1 SAC) in Wilson, N.C. for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff. The Wolves will look to bounce back after suffering their second home defeat of the season against Carson-Newman on last Saturday.

Todd Knight and the Wolves offensive coaching staff had to go back to the drawing board after the poor performance from starting sophomore quarterback Brayden Phillips. He threw a pick-six and had under 150 yards passing. Knight was not happy with the performance and is still searching for one of his four quarterbacks to step up to take over the starting quarterback position for the Wolves.

Maybe, they turn to the junior transfer Jy Tolen.

As for the conference game against the Barton Bulldogs, the Wolves are 3-0 in the all-time series and won the last meeting 42-21 in 2022 at Setzler Field.

The Bulldogs entering the contest with the third best rushing attack (206.6 yards per game) in the South Atlantic Conference and led by Jordan Terrell and Jacquan Lynch.

Terrell has 776 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns this season. Lynch has 125 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Kameron Johnson leads the Bulldogs in receiving with 27 receptions, 407 yards and three touchdown receptions.

The Bulldogs defense only gives up 17 points per game but their are not stout when it comes to defending the run. They give up 212.4 rushing yards per game. So, look for the Wolves’ rushing attack, led by Trakell Murray and Dwayne Wright, to exploit the Bulldogs lackluster run defense.

The Wolves should be able to extend their win streak to 4-0 over the Bulldogs if they can keep their rushing attack in check, run the ball well on offense and get some production from the quarterback position.