Weekly SAC Football Notes, October 21, 2007
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, October 20:
BREVARD -The Brevard College football team picked up their second win of the season on Saturday afternoon, as they defeated the LaGrange Panthers, 38-21 … The win moves the Tornados to 2-6 on the season. The two wins match the overall win total of BC last season … The Tornados picked up the win by running both through and around the LaGrange defense for most of the afternoon. The BC offense picked up 365 yards on the ground, as six different players averaged over 5.0 yards per carry, while four players rushed for over 50 yards … The Tornados got on the board first early in the first quarter, as sophomore Desmond Wilson picked up his first touchdown of the season, a 10 yard touchdown run right through the middle of the Panthers' defense to put the home team out in front 6-0. Chase Henry's point after attempt was good, to push the lead to 7-0 and cap off a seven play, 68-yard scoring drive … Running back John Taylor bulldozed his way through the LaGrange defense for a 26-yard touchdown run on the Tornados next drive to push the Tornados lead to 13-0. Again Henry would add the extra point, to push the lead to 14-0 … LaGrange bounced back to score a touchdown of their on its next possession, as Brandon Crawford scurried in from three-yards out to put the Panthers on the board … Yet BC would score again in the early stages of the second quarter, as running back Tyrone Arrington pushed the ball across the goal line from one-yard out at the 11:25 mark. The Henry extra point was good, to again push the BC lead to two touchdowns at 21-7 … With time winding down in the first half, BC's Henry connected on a 23-yard field goal making the score 24-7 going into the halftime period … The Tornado offense would again come out clicking on all cylinders, as freshman quarterback Trey Wilborn found the inside on a five yard quarterback scramble with 9:46 left in the third quarter to give BC its help give BC its largest lead of the game, 31-7 … However, LaGrange would show no let down as two possessions later they would find themselves deep in their own territory on their two-yard line to start the drive. The drive would end only one play later, as Crawford would break through the BC defense on the right side and go 98-yards for the score. After the Josh Stripling extra point, LaGrange had cut the lead down to 31-14 … Yet BC's Wilborn would pick up his second rushing touchdown of the day midway through the fourth quarter, as he scored on an 8-yard run to help seal the win for the Tornados … LaGrange quarterback Drew Carter scored late in the fourth quarter on a quarterback sneak from two-yards out to make what would prove to be the final score 38-21 … BC was led by Taylor who rushed 16 times for 122 yards and one touchdown. Wilborn rushed 12 times for 86 yards and two scores, while Wilson had 65-yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts. Fellow sophomore Arrington had 52-yards and a score on only 10 attempts … Wilborn was solid through the air as well, as he connected on 7 of 8 pass attempts for 55 yards … The Tornado defense was solid for all four quarters on Saturday, as they forced four LaGrange turnovers, two fumbles and two interceptions. The defense also had two sacks on the day and picked up 12 tackles for loss … The Tornados will now set their sites for next weeks road match up with the Eagles of Carson-Newman. The game is slated to start at 1 p.m. in Jefferson City, T.N.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The No. 15 Carson-Newman College Football Team (7-1, 3-1) ran for 415 yards in defeating Lenoir-Rhyne College (2-6, 0-3), 56-13, Saturday evening in a South Atlantic Conference game in Hickory, N.C. … The Eagles, who beat the Bears for the 29th straight year, led 26-0 after the first quarter and 39-0 at halftime en route to the win … Carson-Newman's Matt Ward (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) ran for 193 yards on just 19 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Eagles ran up 530 yards of total offense in the victory … Clarence Goines (Chattanooga, Tenn.) scored on a 42-yard run just 47 seconds into the contest on the game's first possession before Ricky Harris (Perry, Ga.) made it 12-0 just over three minutes later on a 35-yard scamper … The Eagles kept the pressure on and pushed their lead to twenty when Elliott Tarplin (Stone Mountain, Ga.) recovered a fumble on a blocked punt and ran it in from 15 yards out midway through the first quarter … Carson-Newman all but put the game away when quarterback Alex Rouse (Maryville, Tenn.) found wide receiver Otis Miller (Miami, Fla.) for a 26-yard scoring reception to make it 26-0 with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter … Rouse and Doug Belk (Valdosta, Ga.) scored rushing touchdowns in the second quarter (two and seven yards out, respectively) to give the Eagles a 39-point advantage at break … The score was 49-0 before Lenoir-Rhyne finally scored on senior kicker Andrew Coln's 41-yard field early in the fourth quarter and freshman running back Andrew Courman scored the Bears' lone touchdown on a 27-yard run with 7:32 remaining … Belk added 80 yards rushing on five carries (16.0 yards per carry) while Derrick Parker (Delray Beach, Fla.) tallied a team-high seven tackles for an Eagle defense that limited the Bears to just 251 yards of total offense … Carson-Newman returns home to face Brevard Saturday at 1 p.m.
CATAWBA - Catawba made a valiant comeback attempt at Tusculum on Saturday, but fell short in the 31-28 loss … The seventh-ranked Catawba Indians trailed 24-0 midway through the third quarter, but stormed back to cut the deficit to 24-22 with 9:18 left … Brad Roach threw touchdown passes and George Bell ran for the first of his two scores to bring the Indians within two points, but that was as close as Catawba would get … The Indians answered a final Pioneer score with 5:11 remaining, but Roach was intercepted on a final attempt to pull out the win … Roach totaled 308 yards on 23-of-43 passes with two scores, but was intercepted three times … Brent Johnson hauled in six passes for 91 yards, while Antwan Strong added five catches for 68 yards … Johnson needs six receptions to reach 100 for his career … Kory Fisher ran for 65 yards … The Indians defense recorded six sacks, but were unable to force any Pioneer turnovers … Melquan Fair was in on three sacks, while Charles McAfee had a pair of sacks and 11 total tackles … Catawba struggled in the kicking game, having one field goal blocked and missed another short try in the opening half … The last two Pioneer scoring drives started at the Catawba 25 yard line … The loss kept Catawba from winning its first eight games for the first time since 2000 when it completed a perfect regular season … Catawba was also 7-0 in 2001 before a loss at Carson-Newman … Catawba will entertain Wingate this weekend in an afternoon SAC contest.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The 2007 Lenoir-Rhyne College football team (2-6, 0-3) fell to No. 15 Carson-Newman College (7-1, 3-1), 56-13, Saturday evening in a South Atlantic Conference game at Moretz Stadium Saturday night … The Eagles, who ran for 415 yards and finished with 530 yards of total offense, defeated the Bears for the 29th straight year … The Eagles' Matt Ward finished with 193 yards rushing on just 19 carries and two scores while Carson-Newman's defense limited L-R to just 251 yards of total offense … Carson-Newman took control early, leading 26-0 after the first quarter and 39-0 at halftime … The Eagles' first quarter was highlighted by rushing touchdowns on their first two possessions by Clarence Goines (42 yards) and Ricky Harris (35 yards) and Elliott Tarplin's 15-yard fumble return on a blocked punt … Carson-Newman led 49-0 before Lenoir-Rhyne finally scored on a 41-yard field goal by senior kicker Andrew Coln (Simpsonville, S.C.) … Bear freshman running back Andrew Courman (Beaufort, N.C.) scored Lenoir-Rhyne's lone touchdown on a 27-yard scamper midway through the final stanza while freshman defensive back Marcus Shuford (Newton, N.C.) led all tacklers with 10 … The Bears passed for 176 yards while sophomore wide receiver Martel Shaw (Greensboro, N.C.) finished with 65 yards on four catches … With two field goals, Coln now has 166 career points (third on Lenoir-Rhyne's all-time scoring list for kickers) … Lenoir-Rhyne looks to snap a three-game losing streak when it travels to Mars Hill, N.C., to face Mars Hill College (4-3, 0-3) next Saturday at 2:30 p.m., on the Lions' Homecoming … Mars Hill leads the all-time series with Lenoir-Rhyne, 17-15-1, while the Bears prevailed last year by a 31-7 score on October 28, 2006, in Hickory, N.C. … Lenoir-Rhyne, which is playing at Mars Hill for the first time since the 2004 season, hasn't won on the Lions' home turf since 1989 (a 28-21 Lenoir-Rhyne victory).
MARS HILL - Mars Hill was idle this week. The Lions will host SAC rival Lenoir-Rhyne College next Saturday, October 27 in their annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College Indians leveled their SAC record at 2-2 with a 31-23 road win over No. 18 Wingate on Saturday... It was the Indians' first conference win away from Setzler Field since a 27-23 win over Tusculum on October 28, 2006... Sophomore running back Tharry Salley rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries... Salley's 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was his 10th touchdown rush of the season, making him only the 10th Indian in history to record 10 or more TDs on the ground in a season... Senior Alex Haynes returned to action, but was limited to nine yards on nine carries... Quarterbacks Michael Johnson and Brandon Gantt split time, with Johnson going 16-of-20 for 236 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions through the air... Gantt was 3-of-4 for 91 yards and a 1-yard rushing touchdown... Fullback Corey Smalls also recorded a six-yard touchdown run... Newberry's receiving corps had a strong day, led by Charles Brandon's six catches for 85 yards... David Smith caught five balls for 96 yards... Corey Seawell had five receptions for 51 yards and a 16-yard touchdown... The defense allowed only 14 points... Will Newell led the team with a season-high 11 tackles... The team sacked JD Moore four times and recorded 10 quarterback hurries... Derrell Mills intercepted one pass, while Devon Smalls forced a fumble... Kicker Ryan Lukshis nailed a 24-yard field goal and was 4-of-4 on extra point attempts... Punter Bryant Blanton averaged 40.0 yards on his three punts, with a long of 50 yards, with two landing inside the 20 and no touchbacks... Antonio Patton averaged 17 yards per punt return and returned three kickoffs for 52 yards... The Indians will once again be involved in one of the SAC's most crucial match-ups next week, as they host conference leaders Tusculum at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Setzler Field.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers won its fifth straight game as TC upset seventh-ranked Catawba 31-28 at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field … With the win, Tusculum takes over sole possession of first place in the league … After dropping its first three games to open the 2007 season, TC has rattled off five victories, the fourth-longest winning streak in school history … Tusculum's 3-0 league start is its best since the Pioneers opened the SAC slate 3-0 in 2003 … TC won its first four conference outings that season, en route to claiming the program's first-ever SAC title … Junior QB Corey Russell passed for 282 yards and three touchdowns … Russell also rushed for 69 yards on 23 carries, including a three-yard TD run … Russell established two more school records in Saturday's win … He has thrown for 19 touchdowns this year, which are a new TC single-season record … He also has been credited with 40 TD completions, also a new school mark … Russell has completed a TD pass in his last eight games and 15 of his last 16 outings … Sophomore Ryan Tallent, the SAC's top receiver, led Tusculum with eight catches for 73 yards and a touchdown, his sixth of the year … Junior Brandon Dixon also posted his sixth TD catch of the season … The receiving duo of Tallent and Dixon are both two TD catches shy of Matt Riggs' eight TDs in 2002 … Senior WR Jamichael Caldwell extended his streak to 37 consecutive games with a reception as he posted five grabs for 89 yards and a TD … His 17 career touchdown catches are already a new school record … Caldwell has recorded 1,935 receiving yards in his career, which are the second most in TC history and are 442 yards away from matching All-American Kevin Wolcott's record 2,377 yards from 2000-03 … Sophomore punter John Gregory is closing in on a school record in only his second TC season … He has 4,509 punting yards and is just 60 yards away from breaking the all-time mark held by former All-American Paul Czerniak (4568 - 2000-01 )… Against Catawba, Gregory averaged 41 yards on his six punts, including four inside the Indians' 20-yard line and one that stopped inside the one-yard line ... The Tusculum defense recorded three interceptions on the day, including two by Tagon Richard … Two of TC's three picks came in the fourth quarter … Jarvis Littlejohn led all tacklers with 12 stops, including two for loss … The Pioneers are 2-1 this season against ranked opponents … Tusculum's 0-3 start came against opponents who have a combined record of 18-5… Tusculum didn't commit a turnover against Catawba, marking the first time since Nov. 4, 2006 against Mars Hill that TC made a miscue … The last time Tusculum didn't commit a turnover at home was also vs. Mars Hill, in 2005 … Tusculum is undefeated at home this season winning four in a row … The last time TC rattled off four straight home wins was in 2003 when the Pioneers had a 6-0 record in Greeneville … Tusculum travels to Newberry for a Saturday night tilt at Setzler Field ... It will be the 10th meeting between the Pioneers and Indians… TC leads the series 6-3 against the defending conference champions, including 4-0 in games played at Newberry.
WINGATE - The Wingate University football team led 23-17 entering the fourth quarter Saturday, but Newberry countered with 14 unanswered points in the final frame to take a 31-23 victory over the number 18 Bulldogs at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus … Wingate is 6-2 overall and 1-2 in the SAC. The two teams combined for 844 yards total offense (Newberry 495, Wingate 349). Bulldog redshirt junior quarterback JD Moore completed 21-of-42 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns Saturday … "JD did a nice job rolling out and making plays in the first half," Wingate head coach Joe Reich said. The Newberry defense put pressure on Moore, forcing him out of the pocket most of the game … Wingate redshirt freshman running back Nelson Woods eclipsed the century mark for the fifth time this season with 111 yards on 19 carries. Bulldog junior wide receiver Pernell Thompson caught six passes for 55 yards. Wingate redshirt juniors Shawn Barrett and Jordan Softcheck caught four passes each for 81 and 75 yards, respectively … Softcheck caught a first-quarter touchdown from Moore to give the Bulldogs an early 7-3 edge. Wingate senior tight end Chris Conklin also caught four passes (for 47 yards) against Newberry. A pre-season All-American, Conklin leads the 2007 Bulldogs with six touchdown catches … Bulldog junior linebacker Aaron Plyler led the Wingate defense with 15 tackles, one sack and two tackles for losses. Four Bulldog defenders had 10 or more tackles Saturday … Senior defensive back Geremy Rodamer recorded 14 tackles and a forced fumble … Junior defensive back Dietrich Wright had 11 tackles, while senior defensive end Kenwin Cummings contributed 10 stops. A pre-season All-American, Cummings had a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss … Wingate freshman wide receiver Marquise Allen caught his first career touchdown pass (a 17-yarder) in the second quarter. Bulldog redshirt senior place kicker Jonathan Beford nailed the second of his three first-half extra points to make the score 16-10 at the 6:33 mark of the second quarter … Newberry started its next drive on the NC 27 yard-line and moved the ball down the field, putting pressure on the Wingate defense. "Their (the Bulldog defense) backs were against the wall," Reich noted. "I thought they really responded most of the day." … On this occasion, Wingate redshirt freshman defensive back Michael Thornton responded with an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a double-digit lead. Thornton's first career score and Beford's PAT made it 23-10 Wingate with 4:04 remaining in the second quarter … Newberry scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 23-17 1:33 later. Wingate threatened with first and goal on the Newberry seven yard-line in the waning moments of the second quarter, but could not come away with any points. Beford missed a 24-yard field goal try wide left with 24 seconds remaining before intermission … The Bulldog defense forced another turnover on Newberry's first drive of the second half. Newberry was in the Bulldog red-zone in position to cut down the Wingate lead when they fumbled a hand-off and Wingate senior defensive end Jermaine Wallace recovered for the hosts … Wingate moved the ball against Newberry, but could not capitalize on the turnover. Later in the second half, the Wingate defense dodged another bullet when Bulldog senior cornerback Johnny Edwards picked off a Newberry pass in the end zone. Wingate could not convert the Edwards' interception into points. The Indians responded with two fourth quarter scores to take the victory … The Newberry defense kept the pressure on Wingate with two sacks and an interception during Wingate's final two possessions. On the afternoon, the two teams combined for four fumbles (three lost), three interceptions and 18 penalties … The Bulldogs hit the road next Saturday, visiting number seven Catawba College for a 1:30 p.m. contest. Newberry hosts Tusculum College at 7 p.m. the same day. Tusculum edged Catawba 31-28 Saturday afternoon in Greeneville, Tenn … Catawba leads the all-time senior college series with Wingate 14-5. The Bulldogs have won two of the last three contests in the series. Last year, Wingate cornerback David Jones and linebacker Bobby Floyd had two interceptions each as the Bulldogs picked up a 24-8 home victory on Oct. 28, 2006. Jones is currently a member of the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals … In 1988, the Bulldogs won the first senior college game between the two teams 21-17 at Walter Bickett Stadium in Monroe. Wingate won a barnburner at Catawba 61-55 in 1993. The last time the two teams met in Salisbury, quarterback Anthony Metzelaars threw for 309 yards and the Bulldog defense forced five turnovers as Wingate topped number five Catawba 35-21 at Shuford Stadium and Kirkland Field on Oct. 9, 2004.