Weekly SAC Football Notes Oct. 22
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, October 21:
CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carson-Newman Eagles rolled up 284 yards of offense and defeated the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears, 21-3 in front of 3,187 fans at Burke-Tarr Stadium ... The Eagles (6-2, 2-2 SAC) held L-R to just 51 yards rushing on the day and Brandon Walden snuffed the first Bear drive of the game with an interception of a Justin Sanders pass. Two possessions later, Alex Rouse capped a five-play, 67 yard drive with a three yard TD run to put C-N up 7-0 in the first quarter ... Late in the second quarter, Alex Good completed a 12-yard pass to Reggie Hubbard and a 36-yard strike to Stephen Childs to put the Eagles at the LR six yard line. On fourth and goal, Dwayne Mims busted through the line for a one-yard score to put the Eagles up by two touchdowns, 14-0 ... In the third quarter, Carson-Newman started its fourth drive of the second half at the Lenoir-Rhyne 29-yard line. Good rushed twice for 15 yards and Ricky Harris rushed for six yards to the six yard line to set up Good's 10-yard TD pass to Otis Miller, capping a five-play, 29 yard drive to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead ... Linebacker Eric Rice led the Eagles with six tackles on the afternoon while Brian Brown and Brandon Walden had five tackles apiece for the Eagles. Brown had two tackles for loss and Eric Solomon sacked L-R's Sanders for an eight-yard loss ... The Eagles travel to Clinton, South Carolina on October 28 for a showdown with defending SAC champion Presbyterian. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
CATAWBA - Catawba surrendered a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and fell 21-20 to Tusculum on Saturday … The Indians drove the Pioneer 28 in the final minute, but a pair of incomplete passes was followed with an interception on third down to end the final threat … Catawba had rallied from an early 7-0 deficit on a pair of touchdown passes by Brad Roach (15 yards to Joe Mitchell and 22 yards to Lance Johnson) and two field goals by D.J. Gill to lead 20-14 … Roach threw for 317 yards against the Pioneers, whose fifth-ranked rush defense held Catawba to just 18 yards on the ground … With the performance, Roach became just the seventh Tribe quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a career … Junior Brent Johnson was a favorite target of Roach's, tying a school mark with a dozen catches … His 196 yards receiving was the second highest total by an Indian receiver, behind the 215-yard day by Ike Hill in 1968 … Joe Brown had a solid day for the Catawba defense, recording nine tackles with one for a loss … Ron Ellington had three stops for losses, including a sack … Charles Morman had an interception and broke-up five passes … Catawba will travel to Wingate on Saturday … It marks the second straight year the Indians have made the trip to Wingate and claimed 30-24 win in overtime in 2005.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne College football team (2-6, 0-4) remained winless in the South Atlantic Conference after falling to No. 23 Carson-Newman College (6-2, 2-2), 21-3, Saturday afternoon in front of 3,187 fans at Burke-Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City, Tenn. … The Eagles increased their winning streak against the Bears to 28 games … L-R last defeated Carson-Newman in 1978 by a 35-28 score … Lenoir-Rhyne was held to just 51 yards rushing, 223 yards of total offense and was picked off twice … Lenoir-Rhyne was also held out of the end zone for the first time this season … Carson-Newman scored a touchdown in each of the first three quarters while L-R's lone score came in the fourth stanza, a 31-yard field goal by junior placekicker Andrew Coln (Simpsonville, S.C.) … Although the Eagles were held under 300 yards of total offense as well (284), Carson-Newman did not turn the ball over and had balance with three different players scoring … Lenoir-Rhyne redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Sanders (Monroe, N.C.) passed for 172 yards but was picked off twice while freshman wideout Brian Terwilliger (Wilmington, N.C.) tallied a game-high six catches for 57 yards … On defense, Lenoir-Rhyne senior lineman Aaron Cotteral (Simpsonville, S.C.) led all tacklers with eight … The loss to the Eagles also spoiled the Bears chances of their first winning season since 1994 … Lenoir-Rhyne just finished up its fourth road game in five contests … The Bears host the Lions of Mars Hill College Saturday at 7 p.m., at Moretz Stadium …. Mars Hill leads the all-time series with Lenoir-Rhyne, 17-14-1, and has won six of the last seven and 9 of the last 11 contests between the two schools … Mars Hill defeated Lenoir-Rhyne last year by a 33-21 score on October 8, 2005 … The Bears will be hosting the Lions for the second straight year.
MARS HILL - Grayson Mullins (Columbia, SC) hit Justin Durant (Florence, SC) on a 13-yard touchdown pass in overtime to lift Presbyterian College over Mars Hill College 21-14 Saturday afternoon in Meares Stadium ... PC improves to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the SAC. MHC fell to 4-4 on the season and 1-3 in the conference ... After a scoreless first half, Trandon Dendy (Laurens, SC) gave the Lions a 7-0 lead with 12:30 on the clock in the third quarter when he ran in from five yards out. The score was set up by a 58-yard rush on a fake punt on fourth and five from the Lions 37-yard line by Chris Cromer (Asheville, NC), the Lions' punter ... PC then drove 65 yards on nine plays on their next possession to tie the contest with 8:10 left in the third frame after Chetyuane Reeder (Clinton, SC) ran in from four yards out ... PC took a 14-7 advantage with just 1:07 left in regulation on a three-yard run by Reeder ... After MHC fair caught the ensuing kickoff at their own 30-yard line, Brandon Sims (Spartanburg, SC) and Tyrea Allen (Murphy, NC) marched the Lions 70 yards on five plays to send the game into overtime. Allen caught two passes in the drive, his first for 26 yards and his second was a 37-yard gain he carried into the endzone with 32 ticks left in regulation ... PC ran out the clock on their next possession to send the game into overtime ... PC took the first possession of overtime and after four plays, Mullins found Durant in the endzone in what would later prove to be the game winner ... Mars Hill had a chance to tie the Blue Hose once again but Sims pass on second and ten from the PC 25 was picked off by Kevin Molony (Edgefield, SC) at the PC three yard line to seal the win ... MHC had 255 yards of total offense, 146 on the ground. Sims went 7-for-25 for 109 yards, one score and two interceptions. Allen finished the day with four catches for 80 yards and one touchdown reception ... Nathaniel Smith (Georgetown, SC) led all tacklers with 16 stops (10 solo), two tackles-for-loss and two quarterback hurries. Kenyari Addison (Jonesboro, GA) followed with 12 tackles (9 solo). Deshun Nesbitt (Asheville, NC) had two interceptions on the afternoon ... PC recorded 321 yards of total offense, 183 yards rushing. Mullins was 14-of 28 for 138 yards and one touchdown pass. He was picked off four times ... S. J. Worrell (Madison, GA) led all rushers with 72 yards on 19 carries. Reeder added two rushing scores ... Derrell Doe (Allendale, SC) led PC with nine tackles and a pass break-up. Antwan Thomas (Hawkinsville, GA) followed with nine tackles, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry ... MHC will play at SAC rival Lenoir-Rhyne College next Saturday at 7 p.m.
NEWBERRY - Newberry College solidified its place as the top team in the South Atlantic Conference on Saturday, as the No. 17 Indians defeated 22nd-ranked Wingate 36-24… It was a match-up of the two top teams not only in the SAC, but also in the NCAA Southeast Region, where Newberry is atop the polls, followed by Wingate… It was the Tymere Zimmerman show on Saturday, as the senior caught 10 passes for 123 yards and hauled in two touchdown grabs from quarterback Josh Stepp… Zimmerman showed off his athletic abilities when he took a backwards lateral from Stepp and uncorked a 22-yard touchdown pass to Alex Haynes, just before the end of the third quarter… After the Indians went up 6-0 on their first drive, Wingate countered with a touchdown pass from quarterback Antony Metzelaars to go up 7-6… After the Bulldogs connected on a field goal to go up 10-6, Stepp went right back to work, finding Corey Seawell open for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give Newberry a 13-10 advantage going into the intermission… After Wingate blocked a punt in the end zone for a safety, the Bulldogs would put together a scoring drive to go up 18-13… The Indians took the lead for at 19-18 when Zimmerman threw his touchdown pass, just before the end of the third quarter… Tony Ransom capped off the scoring for Newberry when he picked up a high shotgun snap over the head of Metzelaars and raced in for a 14-yard touchdown… The Indians ran nine more offensive plays than the Bulldogs and controlled the clock with a time of possession advantage of 38:06 to 21:54… The Newberry defense allowed only one-yard rushing in the contest… Stewart Good paced the defensive unit with eight tackles, all solos… Ransom had seven total tackles, a tackle-for-loss, and a sack to go along with his fumble recovery. The Indians have tied the school record for most wins in a season with eight and are only one victory away from tying the most South Atlantic Conference wins in a season with five… The last team to achieve this at Newberry was the 1984 squad, who finished with a 5-2 mark in the league and an overall record of 7-4… The Indians will look to move to 9-0 next Saturday when they hit the road for a 1:30 pm start at Tusculum.
PRESBYTERIAN - Presbyterian's Kevin Molony picked off Mars Hill quarterback Brandon Sims in overtime to secure a 21-14 victory for the Blue Hose before 2,109 at Meares Stadium on Saturday afternoon ... The score 14-14 entering the extra session, Presbyterian obtained the first possession of overtime and took full advantage as Justin Durant caught a 13-yard pass from Mullins to net the game-winner and go on top for good at 21-14 after Carl Stevenson's successful extra point ... The Blue Hose improve to 5-3 and 3-1 in South Atlantic Conference with the victory, while Mars Hill falls to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in league play with the loss ... Grayson Mullins completed 50 percent of his passes in the victory, finishing the day 14-for-28 for 138 yards and one touchdown. Chetyuane Reeder concluded the contest with two rushing touchdowns and 57 yards, while S.J. Worrell once again led the Blue Hose on the ground with a career-high 72 yards rushing ... Derrell Doe finished the contest with nine total stops to lead the Blue Hose defense, while Molony had four stops, two pass breakups and one pivotal interception. Mars Hill's Nathaniel Smith had one of the better days of his career in the loss, ending the afternoon with 16 total tackles, including 10 of the solo variety ... The Blue Hose looked as if they would claim the victory in regulation ... The game 7-7 entering the final minutes of the second half, Presbyterian foiled a Mars Hill fake punt to acquire great field position at the Mars Hill 38-yard line. Seven plays later Chetyuane Reeder scored his second touchdown of the game with just over a minute left on the game clock to give PC a 14-7 lead ... Mars Hill would not relent and tied the game by marching 70 yards in 30 seconds when Sims found Tyrea Allen for a 37-yard touchdown to make the game 14-14. Presbyterian on the very next possession opted conservatively and Mullins kneeled down to send the game to overtime ... The Lions on top 7-0 in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Presbyterian quickly answered Mars Hill to tie the game at 7-7 when Clinton native Chetyuane Reeder scored his team-leading third touchdown of the year on a five-yard run ... The score came one play after Brett Wilhoit, who finished the day with a team-high 41 receiving yards, placed the Blue Hose inside the red zone when he caught a 25-yard pass from Grayson Mullins at the five-yard line ... Mars Hill scored the first points of the game on its first series of the second half and it took some trickery to obtain the six points ... Presbyterian forced the Lions into a fourth-and-five situation from their own 37-yard line, but preseason All-SAC punter Chris Cromer caught PC sleeping on a fake punt and rumbled to the Presbyterian five-yard line for a 58-yard gain ... Upstate native Trandon Dendy (Laurens, S.C.) scored one play later on a five-yard run to the right side to place the Lions ahead 7-0 after Chase Harris' converted extra point. The touchdown was Dendy's third of the year ... The two teams went into halftime with neither team being able to procure the first points of the contest, marking the second time in the 2006 campaign that PC had gone into half scoreless with an opponent ... Presbyterian commenced the season by entering halftime with West Georgia in the season opener at 0-0 . Despite the scarcity of points, both teams moved the ball in the first two quarters, with the teams combining for 240 yards of offense. PC led the way in the department, as the Blue Hose concluded the first half with 137 yards of total offense. Nevertheless, there was only one real scoring chance for either team in the first half as Mars Hill threatened to score the first points in the inaugural minutes of the second quarter when they drove to the Presbyterian 6-yard line ... The Blue Hose negated their aspirations of scoring six when they sacked quarterback Brandon Sims to move the Lions back to the PC 13-yard line on the first play from the six-yard line. Presbyterian held strong and forced the Lions into a field goal attempt ... Harris' 30-yard kick fell just short of the uprights and the game remained 0-0 ... Presbyterian returns to Bailey Memorial Stadium next Saturday for the first time in three weeks to take on Carson-Newman in week five of the South Atlantic Conference season. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers rallied with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to defeat host Catawba 21-20… For Tusculum (5-3, 2-2 SAC), it marked its first win in Salisbury since 1998 and first-ever road win over Catawba as a South Atlantic Conference member… Trailing 17-7, Corey Russell completed a 22-yard strike to Travis Oliver with 14:11 remaining in the game… After Catawba kicked a field goal to move ahead 20-14, Russell orchestrated a five-play, 86-yard drive capped off by a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jamichael Caldwell, his second scoring catch of the afternoon… Glen Black's extra point gave Tusculum a one-point lead with 2:23 remaining… Catawba mustered one more drive, moving the ball to the TC 28… But on third down and 10 with under a minute to play, Octavius Love recorded an interception to halt the drive and preserve the win for the Pioneers… Russell passed for three touchdowns for a second straight week as he went 19-for-33 for 155 yards… Patrick King was the workhorse in the backfield for Tusculum as he rushed for a career-best 119 yards on 21 carries… Caldwell finished with seven catches for 95 yards… Caldwell becomes the seventh player in school history to record over 100 receptions in his career (106 - 4th most in TC history)… Caldwell has 1,575 career receiving yards to his credit (3rd most in Tusculum history)… He also has a dozen TD catches, which is tied for second and needs one to match the all-time mark of 13, currently held by former All-SAC receiver Matt Riggs (2001-04)… Caldwell's six TD grabs this year are tied for the second most ever in a TC season… Senior PK Glen Black is tied for the all-time lead in career extra points (64) with former TC great Jack Whittenburg (1993-94)… Russell recorded his 17th career touchdown pass, tying him for fourth all-time with Andy Smith (1998-99)…Tusculum's 10-point rally is the fourth biggest comeback during the Coach Frankie DeBusk era… It also marks the 20th time since 1998 that the Pioneers have trailed and rallied to win… Punter John Gregory averaged 47.8 yards on his six punts, the third best average in a single-game at Tusculum… Gregory unleashed a career-best 75-yarder against Catawba, the third longest punt in school history… Gregory is averaging 40.3 yards per punt this season, which is currently the fourth-best average in school history… Tusculum hosts nationally-ranked Newberry this week… It will be the ninth meeting between the two schools as the Pioneers lead the series 6-2… Newberry's two wins have both come at Pioneer Field, including last year's 20-15 victory… The Pioneers need one more victory to clinch its sixth winning season in seven years.
WINGATE - In a battle of SAC titans, number 17 Newberry defeated number 22 Wingate 36-24 Saturday night. Tymere Zimmerman caught two touchdown passes and threw for another to lead the Indians to a 36-24 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 3,914 at Setzler Field ... Zimmerman finished the game with 10 receptions for 123 yards. Newberry quarterback Josh Stepp completed 18-of-29 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns ... The Indians (8-0, 4-0 SAC) jumped out to a 6-0 lead, scoring on their first drive of the game. Stepp found Zimmerman for his first touchdown grab of the game on an 18-yard touchdown pass ... Wingate (6-2, 3-1 SAC) countered on its first drive, going up 7-6 when senior quarterback Anthony Metzelaars (Charlotte, N.C.) found senior receiver/corner back David Jones (Greenville, S.C.) for a 78-yard touchdown pass. Jones has two catches this season; both receptions resulted in six points for the Bulldogs ... Jones blocked a punt for a safety to pull Wingate within one at 13-12 early in the third quarter. In addition, he returned seven kick-offs for 77 yards and one punt for 12 yards. On the afternoon, Jones had 167 all-purpose yards and five total tackles ... The visitors extended their lead to 10-6 when redshirt junior Jonathan Beford (Charlotte, N.C.) connected on a 42-yard field goal late in the first quarter. The Indians countered when Stepp found Corey Seawell open for a 37-yard touchdown to give Newberry a 13-10 advantage going into halftime ... Wingate scored a safety on a block punt in the end zone by Jones to cut the lead to 13-12 in the third quarter. On their next possession, the Bulldogs took an 18-13 lead when sophomore running back Marcus Davis (Albemarle, N.C.) rushed for a four-yard touchdown ... As the third quarter was winding down, the Indians installed some trickery when Stepp threw a lateral to Zimmerman, who proceeded to toss a pass to Alex Haynes for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Indians a 19-18 lead ... After a 33-yard field goal from Lukshis made the score 22-18, Stepp and Zimmerman would hook up again on a four-yard fade route on third down to go up 29-18 ... The Indians added another touchdown on defense to go up 36-18. A snap to Metzelaars went over his head and was recovered by Tony Ransom, who raced 14 yards into the end zone for a touchdown ... The Indians ran nine more offensive plays than the Bulldogs. Newberry controlled the clock with a time of possession advantage of 38:06 to 21:54 ... The Newberry defense allowed only one-yard rushing in the contest. Stewart Good paced the defensive unit with eight tackles, all solos. Ransom had seven total tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack to go along with his fumble recovery ... Metzelaars completed 22-of-42 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Bulldog senior wide receiver Dan Brooks (Monroe, N.C.) led the Wingate receiving corps with eight catches for 90 yards ... Bulldog junior linebacker Tyler Johnson (Hickory, N.C.) had 11 tackles. Wingate senior safety Jeremy Kent (Danbury, N.C.) recorded 10 tackles. Both players had six solo stops ... Wingate will return home to face Catawba College Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Bulldogs will celebrate Homecoming this week. Last year, the Catawba College football team rallied from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit and forced overtime on the last play of regulation en route to a thrilling 30-24 South Atlantic Conference overtime victory over Wingate University Saturday, October 8, 2005 at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field ... Metzelaars led Wingate to a 24-10 lead after three quarters of play in last year's Catawba contest. The Charlotte Christian graduate completed 11-of-24 passes for 215 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on the day. After the two teams battled to a 10-10 tie at halftime, Metzelaars connected on two TD strikes in the third quarter ... For the Wingate defense, Kent had 12 tackles in last year's Catawba game. Fellow safety Cody Moore (Gastonia, N.C.) and linebacker Stuart Sheppard (Fletcher, N.C.) had 10 tackles each for the Bulldogs.