SAC Football Notes, October 18, 2009
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, October 17:
BREVARD - The Tornados saw their three-game home winning streak snapped Saturday night in Brevard Memorial Stadium to Mars Hill, 28-13... Brevard's defense came into the game with the purpose of stopping the NCAA's leading rusher in the Lions' Jonas Randolph and the Tornados defenders limited the sophomore to only 59 yards on 18 carries... Brevard battled through muddy field conditions throughout the game as at times Brevard Memorial Stadium recorded more tackles than the players as the Tornados were held under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season... Derek Church found the end zone twice for Brevard, once from 10 yards out in the first quarter and another from one-yard in the fourth... The Tornados kept their two defensive streaks alive in the game as Salonik Amos picked off a pass from Luis Cruz late in the second quarter and Justin Jefferson and Brandon Rawls combined for a sack in the third quarter to extend the Brevard ten-game streaks... Stanley Jones increased his SAC-leading tackles total to 84, with 15 in the game... Amos had eight tackles and a tackle for loss to go with his interception, while Simunyu had eight tackles and a tackle for loss... Eric Watts had another stellar game from his punting position, averaging 39.1 yards per attempt, including a 55-yarder on his first punt of the day and pinned the Lions inside their 20 three times... Matthew Gaines kept the Tornados in the game late, goin four for 11 in the air for 65 yards, connecting with Shaton Pratt on a 36-yarder on fourth-and-seven on the Mars Hill 37 to set up the Tornados second touchdown... Brevard continues conference play on the road next weekend as the Tornados travel to Jefferson City, Tenn. to take on Carson-Newman with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carsoin-Newman Eagles rallied for two fourth-quarter touchdowns to down Lenoir-Rhyne, 17-13, on Saturday night in Hickory, N.C… With the win, the Eagles improve to 6-2 on the year, and 4-0 in South Atlantic Conference play… Quarterback Alex Good connected with on a 22-yard touchdown pass at the 5:09 mark to give the Eagles the lead for good… Hubbard won a mid-air battle with two L-R defenders in the corner of the end zone to put C-N on top… Good connected with running back Buck Wakefield on a 7-yard TD pass earlier in the quarter to cut the lead to 13-10… The Eagles survived two empty trips inside the Bears 10-yard line, turning the ball over on downs just before the half, and fumbling on 1st and goal from the 10 after cutting the lead to 13-10 early in the fourth… Wakefield led the Eagles with 47 yards rushing on 16 carries… Sophomore Nate Inman carried seven times for 43 yards… L-R moved the football into C-N territory on their final possession, but C-N knocked the ball away from Bears' quarterback Justin Sanders on fourth down at the 22 to stall the threat… L-R led for all but nine minutes of the football game after scoring on a 5-yard Andrew Courman TD run at the 11:59 mark of the first quarter… A 65-yard Jamont Jones kickoff return set up the Bears' only touchdown of the night… Senior Brian Brown led the Eagles with 6.5 tackles… Cornerback P.J. Woods intercepted Bears' quarterback Justin Sanders for the Eagles only takeaway of the night… The Eagles forced five fumbles, but recovered none in the game… Carson-Newman clinches its 29th winning season in 30 years under Sparks… The Eagles also extend their win streak to 31 games over L-R… C-N returns home next Saturday to play host to Brevard… Kickoff is at 1 p.m.at Burke-Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City…. The Eagles lead the all-time series with the Tornados, 2-0, including a 34-3 win last season.
CATAWBA - Catawba snapped a three-game losing streak with a 41-27 win at Tusculum on Saturday ... Patrick Dennis threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter to help rally the Indians from a 20-13 deficit at the break ... The Catawba defense posted 10 sacks on the day and delivered three second-half turnovers ... Dennis finished 18-of-29 passing for 247 yards and the three scores ... He threw for 170 yards in the second half ... Gerron Bryant and Brandon Bunn each had four catches and a touchdown ... For Bunn, it marked his ninth of the season ... A 15-yard pass from Dennis to Grayson Downs with 3:22 left in the third quarter gave Catawba the lead for good at 34-27 ... The Pioneers held its lead at the break by stopping Catawba inside its three on two separate drives in the late stages of the opening half ... Catawba capitalized on a fumble early in the second half to tie the contest ... Brandon Sutton recorded three of the Tribe's 10 sacks, which was one shy of the school record of 11 set against Mars Hill in 2005 ... Melquan Fair posted 2.5 sacks ... freshman Cory Johnson made a dozen tackles with fellow linebacker Lakeem Perry making 11 ... Cortez Best and Jaspen Gray had interceptions ... Bunn's nine touchdowns this season stand as the second most behind Ike Hill's 14 ... His 18 in a career stands fourth all-time ... Bunn also moves into the top 20 on the receiving chart with 65 catches ... Dennis does not have enough games played to qualify for league or national stats, but the junior has a 150.7 passer rating and is throwing for 228.5 yards per contest ... The Indians avoided its first four-game losing streak since 1994 with the win at Tusculum and also averted an 0-4 league start for the first time sine 1984 ... Catawba will entertain Wingate this weekend ... the teams have traded wins since 2003 with the Bulldogs taking last year's contest 34-24 ... Catawba leads the all-time series 18-7 which dates back to 1926.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University football team (4-4, 1-3) lost another close contest Saturday, this time to No. 25 Carson-Newman College (6-2, 4-0) by a 17-13 score at Moretz Stadium in a South Atlantic Conference game … The Eagles' Alex Good threw a pair of touchdown passes - seven yards to Buck Wakefield and 22 yards to Reggie Hubbard - in the fourth quarter as Carson-Newman rallied from a 13-3 deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory … The Eagles have now beaten the Bears 31 straight years and are the lone undefeated team in the South Atlantic Conference … Lenoir-Rhyne has now lost consecutive games after holding a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter … Junior half back Andrew Courman (Beaufort, N.C.) scored L-R's lone touchdown on the opening possession from five yards out set up by sophomore Jamont Jones' 65-yard kickoff return to start the game … Sophomore Colin Corpe (Ocala, Fla.) kicked a pair of field goals (21 and 27 yards) while Lenoir-Rhyne rushed for 230 yards despite the setback … Senior quarterback Justin Sanders (Monroe, N.C.) led the Bears in both rushing (88 yards) and passing yards (65) while junior linebacker Victor Nito (Douglas, Ga.) led all tacklers with nine takedowns … Lenoir-Rhyne's defense limited Carson-Newman to just 265 yards of total offense including 112 on the ground … The Eagles came into the contest ranked third in the nation in rushing (over 302 yards per game) … Lenoir-Rhyne continues to average over 315 yards rushing per contest and are 2-1 on the road this year … Lenoir-Rhyne next travels to Mars Hill, N.C., to face Mars Hill College (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m. … Mars Hill leads the all-time series with L-R, 19-15-1, and won last year by a 37-24 score on October 25, 2008, in Hickory, N.C. … The Bears have not beaten the Lions on the road since 1989, a 28-21 victory.
MARS HILL - Mars Hill moved into second place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a 28-13 win at Brevard on Saturday night … The Lions improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the league with the win. MHC leads the series against BC, 4-0 … Mars Hill's quarterbacking duo of Luis Cruz (Anaheim, Calif.) and Jon Richt (Watkinsville, Ga.) combined for 258 yards and three touchdowns as the Lions broke the Tornados' three-game home winning streak … Brevard had to battle both the muddy field conditions and the Mars Hill defense as the Tornados were held under the 100 yard rushing mark for the first time this season … The damage the Lions did throughout the game came in the air, as Richt was 8-12 for 146 yards and a touchdown, while Cruz finished the game 8-16 for 112 yards and a pair of scoring tosses to go with the interception … Josh Johnson (Newland, N.C.) was the team's leading target, with six catches for 52 yards and a score, while Travis Prince (Jacksonville, Fla.) turned both of his receptions for 146 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown reception on the Lions' opening possession of the game … Mars Hill will host Lenoir-Rhyne University next Saturday in the Lions' annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College football team hit the road this week and took a 35-27 win from the Wingate University Bulldogs on Saturday… It was Newberry's fifth consecutive win in the series and evens the all-time series between the two schools at 10 wins apiece… Newberry's record moves to 4-3 overall (3-2 in Division II), and 2-2 in South Atlantic Conference play… Newberry outgained the Wingate offense, 448-312, including 336 yards through the air… Newberry senior quarterback Brandon Gantt completed 20-of-39 passes for a career-high 336 yards, a touchdown and an interception… The 336-yard performance is the ninth best in Newberry College history, and the third time this season Gantt has eclipsed the 300-yard mark in a game… Each of his new career highs this year has come into the record books at number nine… He has now passed for 1,776 yards this season, which is up to eighth in the Newberry annals… He has 3,168 career passing yards, which is seventh in the Newberry books… Gantt has accumulated 1,960 yards of total offense, which currently stands as the eighth best season in Newberry history, and his 3,833 career total yards still stands as seventh in the Newberry books… Two Newberry receivers had career days on the end of Gantt passes, with sophomore Brandon Bostick catching nine passes for 158 yards and senior David Smith catching seven balls for 142 yards and a touchdown… It was the first time Newberry had two receivers go over the 100-yard mark in the same game since Tymere Zimmerman and Charles Brandon accomplished the feat against Carson-Newman in 2005 - a span of 46 games… Bostick's 158 yards is the eighth most receiving yards in a single game by a Newberry player… S.J. Worrell was Newberry's leading rusher with 18 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, including a 44-yard carry on the opening play of the game… Gerald Legree also recorded a touchdown carry… Kicker Britt Blackmon was perfect on the day, connected on field goals from 30 and 42 yards out in the first quarter and making all three of his PAT attempts… Antonio Patton came back from injury in the second half for a huge 73-yard punt return in the fourth quarter that set up the go-ahead touchdown, a 26-yard touchdown pass from Gantt to Smith… Patton has returned 15 punts for 236 yards - a 15.7 yard per return average - this season... The 236 punt return yards are the fourth-most in a season in Newberry history... Patton also moved into first all-time in punt return yardage at Newberry with 638 yards, besting a mark that has stood since Mike Motley's career ended in 1983... On defense, safety Ron Parker was Newberry's game changer… He made three tackles and intercepted two passes, returning one for a 54-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that turned out to be the game-winning score… The last time a Newberry player returned an interception for a touchdown was Derrell Kinard's 15-yard pick six against Wingate last season… There has been a turnover returned for a touchdown in each of the last six Newberry/Wingate games dating back to 2004… Linebacker Apollo Stretch led Newberry with seven tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a quarterback hurry… Newberry made a total on nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks, and broke up eight passes… Cornerback Kamaal McIlwain blocked a PAT attempt for the second consecutive week… In the fourth quarter, Wingate had one last drive to try and come back, but Jonathan Stone and Bruce Bagley sacked Wingate QB Cody Haffly on back-to-back plays to force the Bulldogs to punt… Newberry made three first downs in the final possession down the stretch to kill the clock and win the game… The defense limited Wingate to 80 yards rushing, marking the fourth time this season a Newberry opponent failed to make 100 yards on the ground… Newberry returns home to host the Tusculum Pioneers (1-6 overall, 0-4 SAC) this Saturday… Kickoff at Newberry's Setzler Field is set for 7 p.m…. Tusculum leads the all-time series, 7-4… The Pioneers won last year's matchup in Greeneville, 45-33… Newberry was victorious in the last meeting at Setzler Field, 17-14, on a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown by Andre Moyd and a last-second field goal by Ryan Lukshis… TC's last win in Newberry was a 28-24 win in 2004.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (1-6, 0-4 SAC) suffered its fourth straight loss in a 41-27 decision to Catawba College… The Pioneers out-gained Catawba in total offensive yardage by a 459-373 margin, but the Tribe defense sacked TC quarterback Bo Cordell 10 times, while forcing three second half turnovers… Cordell still had a solid outing as he went 32-for-50 in the air for 392 yards and a season-best four touchdowns, including three in the first half as the Pioneers led at the intermission, 20-13… The Tusculum defense recorded a pair of goal-line stands in the second quarter, stopping Catawba at the one and two-yard lines on back-to-back drives… All-American tight end Jarrell NeSmith recorded a career-high 12 receptions for 112 yards… Deonte' Gist also had a career day with his six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 63-yard TD reception to give Tusculum its first lead of the afternoon at 13-10… NeSmith and Gist are only the sixth TC duo on school history to finish with 100-receiving yards each in a single-game… Cordell's 32 completions are the sixth most in Tusculum history… The loss to Catawba ended a 10-game winning streak for Tusculum in home, day games… TC is off to its first 1-6 start in 10 years and first 0-4 SAC mark since 2005… Senior All-American Ryan Tallent moved into second place in all-time receiving yards at Tusculum with 2,086, passing Jamichael Caldwell (2,083, 2004-07)… Tallent is closing in on former All-American receiver Kevin Wolcott… Tallent is 291 yards shy of the all-time mark and is closing in on the career receptions mark… Tallent is second all-time with 193 catches, seven shy of the school record 200 by Wolcott (2000-03)… Junior Calvin Britt hauled in his 17th career TD reception on Saturday and is now two off the record pace originally posted by Caldwell (19)… Tusculum has four players with over 1,000 receiving yards in their respective TC careers, including Tallent (2nd, 2086), NeSmith (5th, 1474), Britt (6th, 1459) and senior Nate Binder (7th, 1349)… Tusculum kicker Gareth Rowlands missed his first extra point of the season, ending a string of 13 in a row… Tusculum will be at Newberry College this weekend… It will be Tusculum fifth night game of the season.
WINGATE - The Newberry College football team posted 448 yards total offense en route to a 35-27 South Atlantic Conference victory over Wingate University Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field. The loss is Wingate's first conference setback this season … With the victory, Newberry improves to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SAC. Newberry has won five consecutive contests in the series between the two schools. Wingate falls to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the SAC. The Bulldogs visit Catawba Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. contest … Wingate redshirt sophomore quarterback Cody Haffly helped the Bulldogs compile 312 yards total offense. He completed 15-of-38 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. The Newberry defense made Haffly earn every yard, as the scarlet-and-gray defenders had 10 quarterback hurries, three QB sacks and two interceptions … Newberry struck first, as the visitors took the opening kick-off and moved the ball 54 yards on five plays. The drive stalled and the scarlet-and-gray settled for a 30-yard field goal by junior place kicker Britt Blackmon to take a 3-0 lead … The Bulldogs did not waste time responding, as the hosts covered 48 yards on seven plays. Wingate sophomore running back Vince Jordan sealed the deal with a three-yard TD run. Redshirt junior place kicker RP Lopez nailed the PAT to make the score 7-3 Wingate at the 10:09 mark of the first frame … Blackmon capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive with his second field goal of the day. The Andrew Jackson High School product converted a 42-yard attempt with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter to pull the visitors within one point … Wingate redshirt junior wide receiver Perry Floyd snagged two TD passes from Haffly in the second quarter, helping the Bulldogs take a 21-14 lead to the halftime locker room … Bulldog redshirt freshman safety Robert Fletcher recovered a Newberry fumble to set up Floyd's first touchdown. The reigning SAC Defensive Player of the Week, Fletcher leads the Bulldogs with four fumble recoveries this season. His latest pick-up gave Wingate the ball at the Newberry 44-yard line … Three plays later, Haffly and Floyd made a 33-yard connection for the score. Lopez made the PAT to give Wingate a 14-6 edge with 13:35 to play in the second stanza … Newberry bounced back, as senior running back S.J. Worrell capped a quick four-play drive with a five-yard touchdown run. Worrell rushed 18 times for 89 yards and one TD Saturday. The first play of the drive was a 35-yard completion from Brandon Gantt to Brandon Bostick. Newberry converted the two-point conversion to tie the score at 14-14 with exactly 12 minutes remaining on the second quarter clock … Wingate answered on its next possession, as the Bulldogs capitalized on another Haffly-to-Floyd scoring strike to take the halftime lead. On third down from the Newberry 11-yard line, Haffly found Floyd for the TD. As a result, Wingate led 21-14 with 8:27 left in the second quarter … Newberry scored three touchdowns in a 15-minute span to turn the 21-14 deficit into a 35-21 advantage. Ron Parker's 54-yard interception return for a touchdown capped the 21-0 flurry and gave Newberry the two-touchdown lead with precisely seven minutes to play in the contest … Forty-one seconds later, Haffly found redshirt junior wide receiver Delric Ellington with a 31-yard TD pass to pull the hosts within eight points. The PAT kick was blocked, accounting for the final margin … Wingate would get the ball back once more in the waning moments, but the Newberry defense forced a three-and-out. The visitors picked up three crucial first downs to run out the clock … Jordan barely missed his second 100-yard performance Saturday, as the West Montgomery High School product rushed 16 times for 93 yards. Ellington topped Wingate's receiving charts, catching six passes for 104 yards and one score. Floyd grabbed five passes for 81 yards and two TDs. In addition, Floyd returned four kick-offs for 110 yards and one punt for 25 yards. He led all performers with 216 all-purpose yards Saturday … Newberry made nine-of-17 third-down conversions. The scarlet-and-gray compiled 22 first downs, compared to 15 for Wingate. The Bulldogs committed 16 penalties for 126 yards. Newberry also eclipsed the century mark in penalty yards, as the scarlet-and-gray had 12 infractions for 110 yards … Wingate will most likely maintain its lead in the SAC turnover margin category, as Wingate recovered two fumbles and recorded two interceptions. Newberry had two interceptions Saturday. Bulldog senior safety Tylan Merkerson notched 10 tackles to top the Wingate charts. Redshirt junior cornerback Terrence Stephens had nine tackles and a team-best three pass break-ups Saturday for the Bulldogs … Wingate will journey to Catawba Saturday for its next contest. Catawba leads the all-time senior college series with Wingate 15-6. The Bulldogs have won three of the last five games in the series … Last year, Wingate converted eight-of-17 third down opportunities while holding Catawba to zero-of-11 in the same category en route to a 34-24 SAC victory over the visiting Catawba Indians at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008 … Bulldog 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 tight end Ryan Webber, who caught four passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns … Each week, Wingate football fans can watch the Joe Reich Show on YouTube, thanks to the Wingate Sports Network. The host is Wingate Director of Broadcasting and Voice of the Bulldogs Ryan Brown (Wingate class of 2006). The Wingate Sports Network YouTube channel (WingateBulldogs) has received over 6000 hits since mid-August.