Weekly SAC Football Notes, September 16, 2007
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, September 15:
BREVARD - The Brevard Tornados had the week off and return to action on September 22 when they host Chowan.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carson-Newman defense held St. Augustine's to -71 yards rushing and just 35 yards of total offense in a 45-6 rout of CIAA rival St. Augustine's in front of 4,352 fans at Burke-Tarr Stadium … After falling behind in their two previous games, C-N got off to a fast start. On their first offensive possession, quarterback Alex Good raced around left end for a 63-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 7-0 with 12:50 left in the first half … On St. Aug's next possession, Darius Wrentz forced a fumble by Falcon QB Kevin Williams that was recovered by Brandon Harmon at the St. Aug 13-yard line. Three plays later, Good found tight end Mo Whitten for a seven-yard TD pass and a 14-0 Eagle advantage … After a 38-yard Aubrey Ingham field goal, Alex Rouse found Reggie Hubbard, who caught the ball at the five-yard line and dragged a defender into the end zone for a 41-yard TD reception to put Carson-Newman ahead 24-0. Otis Miller rounded out the first half scoring on a two-yard reverse for a 31-0 Eagle lead at halftime … In the second half, Carson-Newman picked up where they left off. Tony Richardson took the handoff on C-N's first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and scampered 53 yards for the Eagle touchdown. Ricky Harris added a 12-yard touchdown with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter to put C-N up 45-0. St. Aug's finally dented the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard TD pass from Brown to Richard Abney for the 45-6 final score … Wrentz led the Eagles with four tackles for loss, including three sacks for 29 yards and a forced fumble. Revel Coffey had his third interception of the season while Allen Jackson and Will Moreland had four tackles apiece. The Eagle defense held St. Augustine's to -71 yards rushing on the afternoon and just 35 yards of total offense for the game … Good led the Eagles in rushing with 65 yards and one TD while Rouse completed five-of-six passes for 95 yards and one score. Hubbard led the Eagle receiving corps with two catches for 74 yards and one touchdown. Chris Jones had three punts for 138 yards to average 46 yards per kick with a season best 60-yard kick in the fourth quarter … The Eagles will now travel to St. George's, Utah to take on Dixie State for their final non-conference game of the 2007 season on Thursday, September 20 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
CATAWBA - The Catawba Indians overcame six turnovers to remain undefeated with a 46-7 win over Fayetteville State on Saturday night at Shuford Stadium and Kirkland Field … The 18th-ranked Indians rolled up a season-high 556 yards of total offense in the win, while the defense was shutting down the Broncos as the guests managed just 135 … Brad Roach tossed a 30-yard TD pass to Joe Mitchell on the Indians' first drive for an early lead then suffered turnovers on its next three tries … Fayetteville picked up its lone score following the third miscue, returning a fumble 51 yards for a TD … Catawba responded with scoring runs from Jamelle Cuthbertson, George Bell and Kory Fisher … Bell and Fisher each had two scores and the trio accounted for 270 of Catawba's 288 yard on the ground … Fisher was the high man as he surpassed the 100-yard plateau with 131 yards on 19 carries … The senior moved to within nine yards of reaching 2,000 for his career … Cuthbertson had 78 yards and Bell added 61 … Roach was 12-of-19 through the air for 212 yards, while Antwan Strong turned in another fine outing with five catches for 126 yards … The Catawba defense record four sacks and cashed in four turnovers of their own … Chris Noel had an interception and forced a fumble, while Joe Brown recovered a fumble and caused one … Brown and Charlie Walker each had seven stops, including a sack … Ron Ellington had three tackles for losses, with a sack, and also caused a fumble … The 556 yards was the most by Catawba since also gaining 556 against Wingate in 1995 … The Indians will be idle this week before opening league play with Mars Hill on Thursday, September 27 … That game will be televised nationally by CSTV and Fox South.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The 2007 Lenoir-Rhyne College football team (0-3) lost a thriller to Davidson College (2-1), 21-20, Saturday afternoon on the Wildcats' Homecoming at Richardson Stadium in Davidson, N.C. … Kenny Mantuo caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Matt McGreevy with 2:00 remaining in the contest to lift Davidson to the win … The Bears drove into a Wildcat territory on the ensuing possession and had a chance to win it on a field goal but fumbled a completed pass at the Davidson 30-yard line with 32 seconds left and the Wildcats held on for the win … Lenoir-Rhyne had rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit to take a 20-14 lead on senior kicker Andrew Coln's (Simpsonville, S.C.) 39-yard field goal with 7:18 remaining … The Bears held a 249-47 advantage in rushing yards and received a 21-carry, 163-yard, one-touchdown performance from freshman tailback Andrew Courman (Beaufort, N.C.) despite the loss … Courman's 26-yard scamper in the second quarter and sophomore wideout Lamont Savage's (Salisbury, N.C.) five-yard run after picking up a fumble early in the fourth stanza were the Bears' two touchdowns in the contest … Courman's rushing total was the most since Andrew Tudor's 163 yards at Newberry on September 24, 2005 (a 27-24 overtime L-R win) … L-R freshman Daniel Anderson (Douglas, Ga.) completed 10-of-16 passes for 106 yards in the losing effort … Lenoir-Rhyne's loss to the Wildcats was the first at Davidson since 1973 … Lenoir-Rhyne looks to avoid its first 0-4 start since 1997 when it hosts Benedict on Saturday at 7 p.m. … The Bears are also looking to snap a five-game losing streak dating back to last season … Lenoir-Rhyne's four of their next five games are at Moretz Stadium … Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series, 1-0, and won last year in Columbia, S.C., by a 17-0 score in the first game at Benedict's new Charles W. Johnson Stadium … The Tigers are 1-3 on the year after falling to Tuskegee on Saturday, 44-8 … Lenoir-Rhyne has also played in front of an average crowd of 12,582 fans in its first three games of the year.
MARS HILL - After a slow start, the Lions used a strong second half to defeat the University of the Cumberlands Saturday afternoon … The Patriots stayed strong in the first half of play, but fell hard after coming out of the locker room. The Lions overtook the Patriots with a score of 35-17 … Ricky Spradling (Roan Mountain, TN) threw for 128 yards and two scores to lead MHC to victory. George Washington (Warner Robbins, GA) played his first game of the year coming off a preseason injury, to rush for 96 yards and one score … Nathaniel Smith (Georgetown, SC) and Xavier Jordan (Tiffton, GA) led the Lions' defense with 11 and 10 tackles in the game, respectively … The Patriots opted to receive first, trusting in their defense to stop the Lions on their own opening drive. Letting half of the first quarter go by without any attempts to score, the Patriots finally sent Moses Cochran (Thomasville, GA) into the end zone from six yards out, with Hunter Meade (Bristol, VA) following with a PAT to put the Patriots up 7-0. The Patriots drive went for 82 yards in 10 plays, for the longest drive of the game … The Patriots' defense played a huge part to end the first quarter, keeping the Lions with no score … The second quarter began with a 26 yard field goal from Meade, who continues to be flawless on the season. The Patriots widened their lead, 10-0 and high hopes to continue their strong offense for the remainder of the game … Mars Hill had 10 plays of their own which turned into a touchdown, as they ran from 16 yards out. With a PAT, the score came within three points for the Lions, 10-7 … The Patriots drove hard down the field and only had 16 seconds on the clock before the end of the half. Being 14 yards out, back-up quarterback, Rod Mason (College Park, GA) had to be a playmaker. The Patriots' coaches signaled in a passing play for the mainly rushing quarterback, and Mason threw the first passing touchdown of the season to Bob Evans (Groveland, FL). The Patriots led into the half with a 17-7 score … The third quarter was dominated by Mars Hill's passing game. The tight end for the Lions was able to catch a quick one yard pass for another Lion touchdown, followed by a PAT to bring them back within a field goal, 17-14 … After the Patriots went three and out, the Lions had the opportunity for the first time, since their opening drive, to take the lead. The Lions completed a 32 yard pass for another touchdown. Another perfect PAT added to the scoreboard, which then read 21-17 in favor of the Lions … The Lions continued to press onwards in the fourth. Another pass from 6 yards out, put the Lions up 28-17, then to stick the nail in the coffin, the Lions ran for 15 yards for yet another touchdown … The Patriots never scored again in the second half, and the defense had a very difficult time stopping both the running game and the passing game … Mars Hill will host West Liberty next Saturday at the Ammons Familty Sports Complex and Meares Stadium. Kickoff is set for a 1:30 p.m. start.
NEWBERRY -The No. 12 Newberry Indians defeated North Greenville University, 39-20, on Thursday night in Tigerville, S.C…. Senior running back Alex Haynes totaled 239 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the winning effort… Senior starting quarterback Eric McCollom was 7-of-9 passing for 130 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury… Sophomore backup quarterback Brandon Gantt was 13-of-19 passing for 134 yards and two touchdowns… Neither quarterback threw an interception… Wide receiver David Smith caught two touchdown passes from Gantt, while Charles Brandon caught one from McCollom… Ryan Lukshis broke the school's career record for PATs in the second quarter when he kicked the 100th extra point of his career… Lukshis' career total now stands at 102 PATs… The defensive effort was led by Mike Grase, who had nine tackles (8 solo, 1 assist), with two tackles for loss… Chris Reed and Devon Smalls each tallied sacks, while Corky Howell forced a fumble, which Levi Bennett recovered… Will Newell racked up 8 tackles, while Jeremy Grogan had 7… The win gave Newberry its second consecutive 3-0 start to a season… The Indians wrap up non-conference play on Saturday, September 22, when they welcome the West Georgia Wolves to Setzler Field… Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (1-3) recorded its first win of the 2007 season with a 69-0 rout of visiting Saint Paul's College… Ten different players scored touchdowns as the Pioneers posted the fourth highest offensive output in school history… The 69-point margin of victory was the third largest by a TC football team… Tusculum improves to 9-1 in its home openers during the Coach Frankie DeBusk era, who was coaching in his 100th career game on Saturday… DeBusk's 54 career wins are the most in school history and seventh most in South Atlantic Conference history… Tusculum quarterbacks completed passes to 11 different receivers including five touchdown tosses, which ties a school single-game record… Tusculum churned out 559 yards of offense with a balanced attack (283 rushing, 276 passing)… The Tusculum defense forced four turnovers and limited the Tigers (1-2) to 120 yards on the day… The Pioneers also recorded six sacks on the afternoon… Junior QB Corey Russell passed for 213 yards and three touchdowns in his two-plus quarters of action… Russell also rushed for 58 yards on eight carries, including a 15-yard TD scamper… Tusculum scored on its first four possessions… Senior Jamichael Caldwell extended his consecutive games with a reception streak to 33 in a row… Caldwell's lone catch was a 21-yard touchdown grab… Tusculum special teams blocked three kicks on the day (2 punts, 1 field goal)… The last blocked punt, coming on the first play of the fourth quarter, was picked up by Jeremy Thompson and returned 19 yards for a touchdown… Preseason All-American punter John Gregory averaged 48.8 yards on his four punts, including three inside the 10-yard line… The Pioneers improve its record to 5-0 all-time against CIAA opponents… Tusculum is 48-3 all-time when scoring 30 or more points and 34-2 when posting 40 or more… Tusculum will be idle this week as the Pioneers prepare for its Sep. 29 South Atlantic Conference opener against nationally-ranked Wingate University.
WINGATE - Wingate University redshirt junior quarterback JD Moore completed 21-of-30 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns as the No. 24 Bulldogs defeated UNC Pembroke 57-14 Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Field. The Bulldogs led 42-7 at intermission before a crowd of 4,077 on parents' weekend at UNCP. With the victory, Wingate improves to 4-0 overall … The Wingate offense was working on all cylinders. On the afternoon, Wingate compiled 542 yards total offense (311 passing, 231 rushing). The Bulldogs were seven-for-seven in red zone scoring opportunities. Bulldog junior tailback Marcus Davis rushed nine times for 78 yards … Wingate redshirt senior tailback Jamie Lilly carried the ball a team-high 14 times for 72 yards. Bulldog freshman tailback Patrick Pinchinat made the most of his chances, as he scored a career-high three touchdowns on only seven carries … Moore found both redshirt junior wide receiver Jordan Softcheck and junior wide receiver Gary Tatum six times each. Tatum caught six passes for 94 yards and one score. Softcheck snagged six passes for 72 yards and a career-best two touchdowns … UNC Pembroke lost five fumbles on the afternoon. The Wingate defense continued to do the job against the run, holding the Braves to 59 yards on 34 carries. Field position was also huge Saturday, as Wingate's average starting point was the Bulldog 46-yard line. UNC Pembroke's average field position was the Braves' 25-yard line … For the Bulldog defense, redshirt freshman defensive back Michael Thornton compiled a career-high seven tackles. Thornton's ledger included six solo stops, one forced fumble and one pass break-up. Wingate junior defensive end Jon McKinney scored his first career touchdown on a 65-yard fumble return in the first quarter … Senior defensive end Kenwin Cummings had six tackles (five solo) and one tackle for loss. Senior linebacker Tyler Johnson was one of three Bulldogs with five tackles each. The Hickory High School product recorded two fumble recoveries against the Braves. Johnson is one of four team captains for the 2007 Bulldogs. The other captains are Cummings, senior tight end Chris Conklin and senior offensive lineman Greg Keziah … The Wingate University football team was ranked number 24 in last week's American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches' Poll, released Tuesday (Sept. 11) from the AFCA headquarters. In addition to the AFCA listing, Wingate is ranked number 31 in the Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA Division II Top 40 poll … Wingate's 4-0 start is one win shy of the best start in the school's senior college football history. The 2004 team and the 2005 team both started the season 5-0 overall. The 2004 Bulldogs are one of three Wingate senior college football teams to win eight games. The 1997 team and the 2006 team also accomplished the feat … Wingate will have an open date on September 22. The Bulldogs open SAC play at Tusculum in two weeks. Wingate leads the series between the two schools 7-4. The Bulldogs won the first four meetings and the last three meetings between the two schools, while the Pioneers won four WU-TC series games in a row from 2000-03 … Last year, Wingate wide receiver Dan Brooks caught three passes for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs opened South Atlantic Conference play with a 21-3 victory over Tusculum College Saturday afternoon, Sept. 30 at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus … On Wingate's second play from scrimmage, Bulldog quarterback Anthony Metzelaars found Brooks over the middle and the All-SAC standout rambled 84 yards for a touchdown to give the hosts an early lead. On the afternoon, the Bulldogs compiled 282 yards total offense against the Tusculum defense. The Bulldog defense held the Pioneers to 120 yards on 55 plays.