SAC Football Notes, October 26, 2008
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, October 25:
BREVARD - The Brevard College Tornados took on their second nationally-ranked opponent in a month on Homecoming Weekend on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 17 Carson-Newman Eagles defeated the Tornados 34-3 in SAC football action … The first quarter saw only three drives between the two teams with each team scoring on their opening drives … Carson-Newman opened up the game with a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive that took 6:59 off the clock and put the Eagles up early 7-0 … Running back Dewayne Mims finished off the long opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, which was capped off by a Joey Scribner-Howard extra point … The Tornados answered back on their opening drive, as BC drove 42-yards on 10 plays over the next 4:46, scoring on a 35-yard field goal off the foot of sophomore kicker Chase Henry to put cut the Eagles lead to four at 7-3 … The two teams then traded turnovers, as senior safety Joshua Durm forced Eagles' quarterback Alex Good to fumble the ball where fellow senior Justin Jefferson recovered the ball for the Tornados on the Carson-Newman 21 yard line. However, the Tornados could not capitalize on the Carson-Newman mistake, as quarterback Trey Wilborn had a pass battled in the air at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by defensive lineman Phillip Simpson to give the ball back to the Eagles and spoil BC's chances of scoring … Carson-Newman went on to capitalize on the BC turnover, as junior Buck Wakefield capped off a 13-play, 62-yard scoring drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Eagles up 13-3. The point after attempt by Scribner-Howard proved to be good, putting the Eagles up 14-3 with 4:57 remaining in the half … The Tornados had a great chance to score on their next possession as Coach Hamilton's squad moved the ball down the field to the Carson-Newman 2-yard line, highlighted by a 44-yard run by senior running back John Taylor. However, BC failed to get the ball in the end zone on two separate occasions, giving the ball over on downs to the Eagles at the Carson-Newman 1-yard line with only 26 seconds to play in the half keeping the score at 14-3 heading into intermission … The second half proved to go in favor of the Eagles, as Carson-Newman outscored Brevard 20-0 … The Eagles scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter, as Good rushed in for an 11-yard score with 11:01 to go in the third to put Carson-Newman up 20-3. However, the extra point was no good, as it was pushed to the left of the uprights … After a BC three-and-out, Carson-Newman capped off a 10-play, 61-yard drive with an eight-yard screen pass to wide receiver Justin Long who ran the ball into the end zone diving just inside the front right pylon. This time Scribner-Howard's extra point was good, giving the Eagles a big lead at 27-3 with a little over 15 minutes remaining in the game … The Eagles tacked on a late score as running back Nate Inman busted through the BC defense for a 27-yard bumming run with less than two minutes to go in the game to help put the Eagles up 34-3, where the score would stand as the final horn sounded … The Tornados offense had 192 yards on 53 plays, with 166 yards coming by way of the rushing attack … Taylor led the way, as the senior had 93 rushing yards on 11 carries, with the long play of the day being his 44-yard run down the BC sideline … Down back Desmond Wilson had 45 yards on 12 attempts, while Wilborn had nine carries for 29 yards. Wilborn was 2-of-7 through the air with two interceptions on the day … Brevard junior linebacker Stanley Jones led the way for the defense, as he posted a game high 18 total tackles … Fellow linebacker senior Zak McAlister had 11 total tackles, while cornerback Shorick Johnson and linebacker Brandon Rawls each had seven total stops for the game … The Tornados will hit the road next week, as BC will travel to Salisbury, N.C. to square off with the Catawba College Indians in their final road contest of the 2008 season next Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The 16th-ranked Carson-Newman Eagles moved to 6-2 (4-1 SAC) on the season with a 34-3 win at Brevard on Saturday afternoon … C-N piled up 289 yards on the ground on 50 carries to pull away … Brevard also rushed 43 times, leading to a quick 2 hour and 22 minute affair … The first half took only 54 minutes of "real time" … The two teams traded scores on their opening possessions … C-N marched 80 yards on 13 plays, scoring on a 1-yard TD run by Dwayne Mims to jump out 7-0...BC would answer with a 35-yard field goal from Chase Henry to cut the lead to 7-3, but would get no closer … On their fourth drive of the first half, following a fumble by junior quarterback Alex Good and a punt, C-N moved out 14-3 lead on a 13-play, 62-yard drive, with Buck Wakefield dashing in from 10 yards out to score … The Eagles held BC to -4 yards on their two opening possessions of the second half, answering each stop with a TD to put the game out of reach … Good would score on an 11-yard for the first TD of the second half … He now has eight rushing TDs on the season … He finished the game with a season-high 10 completions … He was 10-of-12 for 90 yards, tossing an 8-yard strike to senior Justin Long for a score..Good rushed for 43 yards on 10 carries … Mims led the Eagles with 10 carries for 65 yards … Sophomore Nate Inman added four carries for 58 yards, scoring from 27 yards out on a dive for the Eagles' final TD … The Eagles defense forced three turnovers, all interceptions … Senior Phillip Simpson, as well as juniors P.J. Woods and Jermel Demps each intercepted passes in the game … C-N held Brevard to just 26 yards passing, 15 coming on the final drive … As a team, C-N amassed 9 tackles for loss in the win, led by junior Brian Brown with 1.5 TFLs … Brown, sophomore Anthony McAlister, and freshman Elmore Maiden each had six stops in the win … The Eagles' secondary will be tested the next two weeks, when C-N faces the top two passing offenses in the SAC in Wingate (2) and Tusculum (1) … C-N's rushing offense, which led the nation heading into the Brevard game, will likewise test both Wingate and TC's rushing defense, which are currently 6th and 8th in the SAC respectively … C-N will host Wingate for senior day next Saturday at 1 p.m. in Burke-Tarr Stadium … The Eagles wrap up their regular season at Tusculum on Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m … The C-N / Wingate showdown this week will clinch a share of the SAC title and possibly a postseason berth.
CATAWBA - The Catawba Indians dropped a 34-24 decision on Saturday at Wingate, dropping its record to 4-4 on the year … The Indians held a 14-7 lead after one quarter, on two short scoring runs by Jamelle Cuthbertson, but Wingate got two touchdowns in an eight second span late in the first half to grab control of the game which it would not surrender … After a touchdown pulled the Bulldogs within a point, Catawba fumble the ensuing kickoff and Wingate returned it for a touchdown and a 21-14 edge … Terrence Jones blocked a Wingate field goal try early in the third quarter, but after getting to the Wingate 30, a sack on third down ended the scoring threat … After a fourth Bulldog score, Brandon Sutton blocked the point-after and Chris Noel returned it for two points to leave the Indians down 27-16 … The final blow for Catawba came at the end of the third quarter as the Bulldogs intercepted a pass and returned inside the Catawba 10 to set up Wingate's final score … Catawba was held to just 255 total yards and Cuthbertson had 44 of his 57 yards on the ground in the opening drive for the Indians … Patrick Dennis was 8-of-15 passing for 99 yards, while Daniel Griffith went 7-of-11 for 82 yards and a late touchdown strike … Brandon Bunn caught five passes for 63 yards and one score … Sutton had an outstanding game for Catawba on defense … He recorded eight tackles, four for losses with two sacks and blocked a kick … Freshman Lakeem Perry totaled 13 tackles … For the second time in three weeks Catawba failed to convert a third down opportunity, going 0-for-11 against Wingate … Catawba will play host to Brevard on Saturday afternoon in its final home game of the season … The Indians will bid farewell to just nine seniors.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University Football Team (3-6, 1-4) suffered its four straight defeat Saturday night, falling to the Lions of Mars Hill College (6-3, 3-2), 37-24, in a South Atlantic Conference game at Moretz Stadium … Mars Hill, which trailed 14-0 in the second quarter and 17-7 at intermission, scored 30 points after halftime and was able to take advantage of five lost fumbles by the L-R en route to its third consecutive victory … L-R junior quarterback Justin Sanders (Monroe, N.C.) ran one in from eight yards out in the first quarter and connected with redshirt freshman tight end Nick Stutts (Statesville, N.C.) for a 33-yard scoring pass in the second quarter as the Bears took a 10-point lead going into the break … However, things began to unravel for L-R in the third quarter as three consecutive fumbles helped Mars Hill take a 20-17 lead culminated by quarterback Ricky Spradling's two-yard touchdown pass to Chad Fekany with 2:21 remaining in the third stanza … Lenoir-Rhyne quickly responded with a five-play, 74-yard touchdown drive finished off by junior tailback Joey Robinson's (Tampa, Fla.) 10-yard touchdown run for a 24-20 advantage on the last play of third quarter … However, Mars Hill took the lead for a good when John Brown return the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for the score on the first play of the fourth quarter and put the contest away with a 60-yard touchdown reception on the Lions' next drive … Spradling finished with 278 yards passing and three scores while Tyrea Allen added a game-high 149 yards receiving on six catches and one touchdown … For L-R, Sanders ran for a team-high 95 yards as the Bears rolled up 264 yards on the ground despite the loss … Lenoir-Rhyne averages 265.0 yards on the ground in 2008 and 10 different players have scored rushing touchdowns this year for the Bears … Lenoir-Rhyne also has tallied 239 points so far this year (the Bears scored 156 all of last year) … Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Newberry, South Carolina, to face Newberry College (4-4, 3-2) next Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. … The two teams play for the Bishops' Trophy, founded in 1987 by the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America (ELCA) and contested by the two Lutheran Schools in North and South Carolina … Lenoir-Rhyne leads the trophy series, 12-9, and the all-time series, 40-27-7 … Newberry won last year by a 24-0 score on November 3, 2007, in Hickory, N.C.
MARS HILL - Mars Hill College's Football Team (6-3, 3-2) took advantage of five lost fumbles in defeating Lenoir-Rhyne University (3-6, 1-4), 37-24, in a South Atlantic Conference game Saturday night at Moretz Stadium … Mars Hill, which trailed by scores of 14-0 in the second quarter and 17-7 at halftime, scored 30 points after intermission in picking up its third straight win. Lion quarterback Ricky Spradling (Roan Mountain, Tenn.) passed for 278 yards and three touchdowns while receiver John Brown (Homestead, Fla.) scored two key touchdowns in the second half en route to the win … Three consecutive fumbles by the Bears to start the third quarter helped the Lions take a 20-17 advantage culminated by Spradling's two-yard touchdown pass to Chad Fekany (Orlando, Fla.) … John Brown (Homestead, Fla.) would finish with 127 yards receiving on six catches while Tyrea Allen (Murphy, N.C.) added a game-high 149 receiving yards on six catches and a touchdown as well (a 75-yarder in the second quarter) for Mars Hill … Mars Hill's defense was spearheaded by Keadran Pinckney (North S,C.) with 14 tackles while Stan Galbraith (Birmingham, Ala.) recovered three fumbles to go along with eight tackles … The Lions host Tusculum College next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WKYK 940-AM in Burnsville and on the Internet at RedZoneMedia.com. The pregame show starts at 6:05 p.m.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College football team dropped a 45-33 decision to Tusculum on the road on Saturday… The loss drops Newberry to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in SAC play… Despite the loss, Newberry quarterback Eric McCollom set a school record for single game passing yards, completing 29-of-40 passes for 478 yards with four touchdowns… Unfortunately for the scarlet and gray, there were also three interceptions inside the Tusculum 25, and a backward pass fumble that TC returned for a touchdown… McCollom had little time to throw the ball all afternoon, as he was sacked 6 times and TC recorded 8 quarterback hurries… The Pioneers took advantage of a roughing the kicker penalty on its first drive to score, and a shanked punt gave TC perfect field position to score again and take a 14-0 lead just six minutes into the game… TC scored on each of its first three drives to take a 21-0 lead… Newberry answered with a 60-yard touchdown pass from McCollom to Kelton Tindal on the first play of the second quarter… Tusculum out together a 13-play drive to extend the lead back to three touchdowns, before Gerald Legree's 3-yard touchdown rush made it 28-13 after a missed PAT… Newberry drove inside the TC 5, but McCollom's first-and-goal pass was intercepted in the endzone by TJ Jones to end the scoring threat… Newberry started the second half with good field position on its own 45 before disaster struck… A backwards pass was ruled a fumble, and TC's Randy Williams picked it up and ran 39 yards for the score… However, McCollom redeemed himself quickly, as he found David Pressley for a 73 yard touchdown pass on the second play of the next drive… Russell answered with another rushing TD on the next drive, as the two teams combined for three touchdowns in the first 3:29 of the second half… McCollom would find David Brown and Pressley on touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough, and Newberry was tagged with the loss… Newberry is now 0-3 on the road this season… McCollom's 478-yard day was the longest passing day in Newberry history, and only the third 400-plus yard game in school history… It also tied for the sixth longest passing game in SAC history… Newberry only managed three rushing yards on 27 carries… Pressley led all receivers with eight catches for 171 yards and two TDs, which tied for sixth most single game yards in school history… Tindal caught five passes for 117 yards and a score… Legree was the leading rusher with 7 carries for 17 yards and a touchdown… Ron Parker led the Newberry defensive effort with eight tackles, while Elvin Bussey recorded six tackles and two sacks... Eight players recorded five or more tackles on the day… The loss broke Newberry's three-game winning streak over Tusculum… Newberry returns home next week for its final home game of the season, as the scarlet and gray will battle Lenoir-Rhyne University for the Bishops Trophy… Kickoff at Setzler Field is set for 7 p.m.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (6-3, 3-2 SAC) jumped to an early 21-0 lead en route to a 45-33 home win over Newberry… Tusculum extends its record home winning streak to 10 in a row, while ending a three-year drought against Newberry… The victory clinches Tusculum its third straight winning season and eighth in the last nine years… Tusculum scored on its first three possessions as the Pioneers racked up 449 yards, while the TC defense forced four turnovers, including a 39-yard fumble return by senior LB Randy Williams… It was the third-longest fumble return in school history… Senior QB Corey Russell was responsible for four touchdowns (2 rushing, 2 passing) in the win… Russell rushed for 123 yards and passed for 267 more… In the process, he established some more offensive records, most of which he already owned... He posted new TC single-season marks for passing yards (2912), TD passes (25) and total offensive yards (3381)… Also establishing a new school season record was sophomore PK Gareth Rowlands… Rowlands has connected on 37 extra points this season, matching the mark set by former All-American Paul Czerniak in 2001… Rowlands' 43 PAT attempts are a new TC-best, surpassing the previous mark of 39 by Jack Whittenburg in 1994… Senior LB Justin Scott had quite a game this week on both sides of the ball… On defense, Scott recorded a game-high 10 tackles, including three for loss and a pair of sacks… He also got the Pioneers on the scoreboard first on their first possession, scoring from two yards out on fourth-down and goal… Scott has made 16 tackles for loss this season, which are tied for the second most in a season at Tusculum (two shy of 18 set by Tracy Branner in 2000)… Scott's 45 career TFL are the second most by a Pioneer, three shy of the all-time record set by Daris Robinson (48 - 2001-04)… Junior TE Jarrell NeSmith recorded a career-best nine receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown… Junior WR Ryan Tallent finished with eight catches for 72 yards… Tallent has made 59 receptions this year, matching the 59 he posted last season in leading the SAC… TJ Jones recorded a pair of interceptions against Newberry, tying a school record, which has been done on 14 previous occasions… Russell is TC's all-time leader in passing yards (8702), total offensive yards (9789), passing touchdowns (70), completions (683), pass attempts (1221) and total offensive attempts (1629)… Russell needs 211 total offensive yards to become only the fifth player in SAC history to eclipse the 10,000-yard plateau… With his 123-yards rushing against Newberry, Russell became the first TC quarterback to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in his career (1,087)… Russell's 123-yard performance is a personal best and the second most ever by a TC signal caller… Sophomore WR Calvin Britt became the ninth player in school history with 1,000 receiving yards to his credit… This marks only the second time in school history that Tusculum has had two 1,000-yard receivers on the same team… The only previous time came in 2003 when Kevin Wolcott (2,377) and Antwain Glenn (1,830) had over 1,000 yards at the same time… Tusculum is on the road this week when they take on cross-mountain rival Mars Hill… TC and MHC are tied for third place in the SAC and are one-game out of the lead… It will be the 25th meeting between the Pioneers and Lions in a series that began in 1922… Tusculum leads the all-time series 14-8-2 and has won the last five encounters... It will be TC's only game this regular season, playing on artificial turf.
WINGATE - The Wingate University football team converted eight-of-17 third down opportunities while holding Catawba College to zero-of-11 in the same category en route to a 34-24 South Atlantic Conference victory over the visiting Catawba Indians Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus ... The number 20 team in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II poll, Wingate is 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 10 contests, dating to last season. Catawba is 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the SAC ... Bulldog redshirt senior quarterback JD Moore threw three touchdown passes for the third consecutive home game. The East Gaston product completed 13-of-30 passes for 189 yards and the three scores. His favorite target was junior tight end Ryan Webber, who caught four passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns ... Both Webber touchdowns came in the first half. Webber's second scoring catch pulled the Bulldogs within 14-13 with 3:55 remaining in the second frame. Wingate took the lead for good on the ensuing kick-off ... Wingate redshirt sophomore wide receiver Philip Thomas returned a Catawba fumble 10 yards for a touchdown eight seconds later. For good measure, Thomas caught the two-point conversion pass from Moore to give Wingate a 21-14 advantage at intermission ... Catawba would get no closer the rest of the way. Both teams were efficient on offense. Wingate ran 72 plays for 339 yards (4.7 yards per play), while Catawba ran 59 plays for 25 yards (4.3 yards per play). Turnovers were crucial, as Catawba gave away a fumble and an interception. Wingate scored after each miscue. The Bulldogs did not commit a turnover Saturday ... Three Catawba quarterbacks completed 15-of-26 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown. Indian sophomore wide receiver Brandon Bunn caught five passes for 63 yards and one score. Catawba senior running back Jamelle Cuthbertson had two first-half rushing touchdowns for the visitors ... Balance was a key for the Bulldog defense, as seven players had either five, six or seven tackles. Wingate senior safety Dietrich Wright had three solo stops and four assists on the afternoon. His 34-yard interception return set up a big fourth quarter touchdown by redshirt sophomore running back Nelson Woods. The two-yard scamper by Woods put the Bulldogs up 34-16 with 14:50 to play in the contest ... Wingate was ranked number three in the third NCAA Division II regional poll of the 2008 season. The Bulldogs will play their second consecutive regionally-ranked opponent on Saturday, Nov. 1, as Wingate travels to face number 17 Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. The Eagles were the number nine team in last week's regional poll ... The Bulldogs hope to repeat the magic of quarterback Brandon Gandy (class of 1996) and company. Gandy led Wingate to a 25-24 win over the C-N Eagles at Walter Bickett Stadium in Monroe on October 7, 1995. Carson-Newman leads the all-time series between the two schools 19-1 ... In 2007, Carson-Newman compiled 586 yards total offense as the number 12 Eagles defeated Wingate 58-27 in South Atlantic Conference action at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus ... Carson-Newman posted 325 yards rushing and 261 yards passing in last year's victory. The Eagles entered Saturday's contest as the top scoring team in NCAA Division II, averaging 46.2 points per game. Carson-Newman running back Buck Wakefield rushed for 92 yards on two carries. Wakefield had a 90-yard touchdown run in fourth quarter ... Wingate put up 322 yards of total offense, including 274 yards through the air. Wingate quarterback JD Moore completed 24-of-43 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Woods accumulated 73 yards on 23 carries. A Lawndale Burns High School product, Woods passed the 1000-yard plateau against Carson-Newman last year.