BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Bridgewater College football team takes on No. 23 Susquehanna in its home opener at a special noon start time on Family Weekend.

When: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Where: Bridgewater, Va.
Stadium: The Stadium at the Jopson Athletic Complex
Kickoff: 12:00 pm 
Gameday Forecast: Mostly Cloudy, Threat of Thunderstorms Late, 78F
        5% Chance of rain
Series Record: Susquehanna leads, 4-1

THE DARKSIDE: The Bridgewater defense had a strong showing in Friday night's season opener at Stevenson. BC tallied a trio of interceptions to tie for fourth in Div. III and pace the ODAC. All three of the Eagles' starting linebackers recorded a pick in the season opener, while seven different Eagles tallied a PBU, led by Ty Johnson's two, which have him tied for the ODAC lead in the department. Oscar Whitely led BC with nine tackles on Friday night and made six of those stops on his own to rank second in the ODAC and 73rd nationally. Peyton Allen's crew allowed 17 points, placing them in the top half of the conference in the category, while their team pass effiency defense ranks 47th in Div. III. Stopping the run proved to be a challenge as BC gave up 161 yards on the ground last week. 

OFFENSIVE MAKEOVER:  The Bridgewater offense embarks on a new chapter in 2026 as Kevin Saxton II takes over the signal calling in his first season as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. Saxton comes back to the ODAC after most recently serving as an assistant under Andy Reid in Kansas City. The Eagles offense faced many setbacks Friday night at Stevenson on its way to its first shutout since 2009. Starting QB Parker Bruke finds himself leading the ODAC in completion percentage at 70.8% after week one, while he ranks fifth in the league in passing yards. The BC running game was hampered by five sacks last time out, and registered just 24 net yards on the ground, ranking outside the top 200 nationally. 

SPECIAL TEAMS MATTER:  Bridgewater's special teams unit was one of the best in all of Division III in 2025, and 2026 started much of the same. Aiden Grefe was named the ODAC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 44.8 yards per attempt on Friday night. He paces the ODAC in the category and ranks 13th in all of Div. III. A first-team All-ODAC and VaSID All-State pick last season, Grefe also tallied a pair of punts over 50 yards, led by a 59-yarder. 

NEW FACES, SAME MISSION: The Eagles open the 2026 season with plenty of new faces all over the staff and starting lineup. BC adds four new assistants, Kevin Saxton II (Offensive Coordinator, Assistant Head Coach and Quarterbacks), Miles Ahles (Linebackers), Darian Bryant (Offensive Line) and Kyle Gillenwater (Defense) for the new campaign. The Eagles' projected starting lineup also features 17 new position players who did not start a game last season, and of those, 10 players were not featured in the season's final two-deep in the nine-game 2025 season.

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: Susquehanna comes to the Shenandoah Valley off of a 23-17 victory over Union last Saturday. The River Hawks continue a three-game road swing to start the year with their trip to the Commonwealth on Saturday, but under a new regime. Susquehanna still had the same intensity to open 2026, as their nine TFL last week rank 26th in all of Div. III. Brayden Nolan led the defensive front for SU with four of those stops behind the line as he ranks third in the nation in the category. Offensively, Susquehanna controlled the pace as it ranks eighth in Div. III in time of possession. The River Hawks also aired it out last week as Tommy Wright ranks 21st nationally after 305 yards through the air last week. Reese Gaughan was his favorite target, tallying 87 yards through the air and a pair of scores to pace the Landmark through the opening week of play.

SUSQUEHANNA HEAD COACH:  Chris Pincince is in his first season at the helm of the River Hawks program after serving in the same capacity at for 10 seasons at Div. II New Haven. Pincince became the program's winningest head coach with 76 victories and five NCAA Tournament appearances before stepping away from the program in 2024. His coaching journey has included stops at Post, Elon, Rhode Island, Holy Corss, Brown, and three different stops at New Haven. Pincince graduated from Boston University in 1994, where he played quarterback and was a part of the 1993 team that made the FCS Playoffs. 

BOUNCING BACK: Bridgewater dropped its season opener on Friday night to Stevenson 17-0. The Eagles are looking to avoid an 0-2 start for the second consecutive season and just the third time since 1999. Susquehanna and Bridgewater tangled in week two last season, with the River Hawks claiming a victory on their home turf in the Keystone State. BC is a balanced 11-11 following a loss under Scott Lemn.

NATIONAL COMPETITION: The River Hawks enter Saturday's meeting ranked No. 23 in the latest D3Football.com Top 25 Poll. The last time the Eagles clashed with a nationally-ranked foe in either poll came in the 2025 season finale against No. 25 Hampden-Sydney, and it was an instant classic. BC trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter before scoring 17-unanswered points, capped off by a 26-yard field goal as time expired to knock off the Tigers on the road. Under Scott Lemn, the Eagles are 1-6 all-time against ranked foes, including 0-3 against Susquehanna during that span. 

THE JOP: BC opens the home slate on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles are 15-9 at the Jopson Athletic Complex during Scott Lemn's tenure, but have won just one of their six home contests. Prior to the last run, BC had won five games on the turf of the Jopson Athletic Complex in a row. 

To purchase tickets for Saturday's game, head to BridgewaterEagles.com/tix. Can't make it? Catch the Eagles on FloCollege all season long!