BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Bridgewater College football teams is set for a clash with No. 24 Randolph-Macon on Saturday afternoon in Ashland.

When: Saturday, October 26, 2024
Where: Ashland, Va.
Stadium: Day Field
Kickoff: 1:00 pm 
Gameday Forecast: Sunny, 73F        
Series Record: RMC Leads 64-17-3

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS: Randolph-Macon enter's their annual clash with Bridgewater unranked in the D3Football.com Top 25, but still possessing a similar make up and identity. The Yellow Jackets defense has been the best in the ODAC and among the national leaders in all facets, while also sitting 19th in the nation in a well spread out rushing attack. 

RANDOLPH-MACON HEAD COACH:  Pedro Arruza is in his 21st season in Ashland and has built one of the most consistent program's in all of Division III. RMC has finished with double-digit wins in each of the last two seasons including a program record 13 last season. Arruza's squad has not finished with multiple losses since the 2019 season when BC handed the Yellow Jackets their second loss of the year in what ultimately served as the ODAC Championship game. 

SPECIAL TEAMS STILL MATTER: Although Shenandoah elected to keep the ball out of the hands of Cedric Drumgoole and Brendan Robinson during returns on Saturday, the Eagles' special teams unit still played an important role as Andrew Brown came up with the blocked field goal as time expired to secure the 22-21 win. Brown was named the ODAC Special teams Player of the Week for his efforts, marking the fifth time  six games the Eagles have claimed the honor. Despite the short kicks byt Shenandoah, the BC return unit still ranks 10th nationally in return yards and ninth in punt returns as well. Tate Leach also ranks second nationally in punt return average at 22.6 yards per return while Robinson ranks fifth in kick return yardage and 20th in all-purpose yards.

I AM BATE-MAN: The reigning ODAC Offensive Player of the Week, Jaciere Bateman, has had a breakout season so far in his first full campaign as the Eagles starting QB. Bateman's name is littered all over ODAC and national leaderboards as the Lynchburg native leads the conference in passing efficiency and ranks second in passing yards, points responsible for, total offense and rushing touchdowns. 

STRENGTH ON STRENGTH: The Randolph-Macon defense has been a menace to opposing quarterbacks as per usual in 2024. The Yellow Jackets rank ninth nationally in opponent passing efficiency and lead the conference in scoring defense along with ranking fifth in the country in interceptions. Meanwhile, the Eagles offense has been their calling card for much of 2024 including ranking 32nd nationally in scoring offense and possessing the ODAC's top passing offense. The BC offense has also made its bed with explosive plays with the likes of Robinson, Drumgoole and Bateman, but as advertised the RMC defense has limited the big plays and ranks 28th nationally in total defense.

POLE POSITION: This weekend's matchup features the two schools that have accounted for five of the last six ODAC Championships and are currently two of the three undefeated teams left in conference play. The two schools are currently the top two ODAC schools in the NPI Ratings used by the NCAA to evaluate teams in terms of NCAA Tournament qualification with RMC sitting 20th and BC coming in at 29th in the latest rankings. Although this game will not determine a conference champion like it did in 2019, the winner of Saturday's contest will control their own destiny on the way to a possible ODAC Championship.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles and Yellow Jackets are tangling for the 85th time this weekend in a series where RMC has held the edge in historically. The Yellow Jackets have a 64-17-3 advantage dating back to 1926. Randolph-Macon has won 14 of the last 20 and eight of the last 10 meetings with BC winning three of the last 14 meetings. Bridgewater also looks to end a 10-year drought as the Eagles have not defeated the Yellow Jackets in Ashland since 2014, while Randolph-Macon looks to win their fifth in a row in the series. Five in a row would be the longest streak for either squad since Bridgewater defeated RMC eight times in a row from 1999-2006.