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South Atlantic Conference

Weekly SAC Football Notes, November 4, 2007

Weekly SAC Football Notes, November 4, 2007
November 4, 2007

Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, November 3:

BREVARD - For the second straight week the Brevard College football team went up against a top-15 nationally ranked opponent, as on Saturday afternoon the Tornados fell in a very offensive controlled game to the No. 13 Catawba Indians, 56-21 … The loss drops BC to 2-8 on the season, while the Indians improved to 9-1 overall with the win … The Catawba Indians jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on the Tornados, as they would score twice in the opening quarter of play. The Indians got on the board at the 5:20 mark of the first quarter when quarterback Brad Roach connected with receiver Travis Landrum on a 16-yard touchdown pass that went over the top of the Tornado defense. Kicker Cory Darnell capped of the nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive with the extra point to put the Indians out on top 7-0 … On the next drive, Roach would again find an open receiver, connecting this time with Brent Johnson for a 16-yard score. After a Darnell point after attempt, the Indians had a two touchdown lead over the home team, 14-0 … BC did not give in though as early in the second quarter, freshman quarterback Trey Wilborn finished of a 14-play, 66-yard drive, finding an open Seth Corliss in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass. After the Chase Henry extra point, the Tornados had cut the lead to seven at 14-7 … However, the Indians would add three scores of their own in the second quarter to push the lead to 35-7 at the half … The second half would be similar to the first, as the two teams combined for five touchdowns … BC running back John Taylor led off the scoring with 10:34 remaining in the third quarter, as he leaped over a Indian defender and into the end zone to score from 3-yards out, capping off a 10-play, 78-yard opening drive. After the Henry extra point, BC had cut into the lead making it 35-14 … Yet only just over a minute later, Catawba answered with a score of their own as Roach threw his third touchdown pass of the game, hitting Johnson for a 37-yard score in the back of the end zone pushing the lead to 42-14 … With time winding down in the third quarter, Wilborn would throw his second touchdown pass of the day, connecting with fullback Derek Church out of the backfield for a 9-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead in half, 42-21 … Ctawba would go on to add two more scores in the fourth quarter, as SAC touchdown leader George Bell scored his 16th touchdown of the season on a 4-yard run. Running back Antonio Hall would score with 2:38 remaining in the game to push the lead to what would be the final score, 56-21 … The two teams combined for 77 points, 47 first downs, and a total of 892-yards offensively and three fourth-down conversions, as neither team punted throughout the game … While the Tornado offense looked good picking up 355 total yards, a season-high 25 first downs, completing 6 out of 12 passes on the day, and going 3 for 3 on their red zone scoring chances, it still managed to turn the ball over six times, fumbling five times and throwing one interception … The 65 rushing attempts by the Tornados offense was a season-high, as was the two touchdown passes, as BC had only one touchdown reception on the season coming into today's game … Wilborn led the Tornado rushing attack, rushing for 112-yards on 19 attempts. Running back John Taylor rushed 16 times for 73-yards and a touchdown, while fullback Church rushed for a career high 17 times and 53-yards for the game … Wilborn's two touchdown passes on Saturday afternoon were the first two of his career, as sophomore Colby McCoy had the only other touchdown completion on the season for the Tornados … Catawba was led by Roach, who connected on 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 237-yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions … Running back George Bell had nine carries for 87-yards and a score, while receiver Brent Johnson had seven catches for a total of 119-yards and two touchdowns on the day … The Tornados will wrap up their 2007 season next Saturday night, November 10, on the road at Newberry, S.C., where they will face off with the Newberry Indians.

CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carson-Newman College football team compiled 586 yards total offense as the number 12 Eagles defeated Wingate University 58-27 in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus … With the win, Carson-Newman improves to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the SAC. Wingate is 6-4 overall and 1-4 in the SAC. The Eagles host Tusculum College Saturday (Nov. 10) at 1 p.m., while the Bulldogs visit Mars Hill College Saturday at 1:30 p.m. … Carson-Newman compiled 325 yards rushing and 261 yards passing Saturday. The Eagles entered Saturday's contest as the top scoring team in NCAA Division II, averaging 46.2 points per game. Carson-Newman sophomore running back Buck Wakefield (Drummonds, Tenn.) 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 redshirt junior quarterback JD Moore (Mount Holly, N.C.) completed 24-of-43 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Bulldog redshirt freshman running back Nelson Woods (Charlotte, N.C.) accumulated 73 yards on 23 carries. Woods passed the 1000-yard plateau Saturday. The Lawndale Burns High School graduate has 1,044 yards on 203 carries this season … The Eagles led 38-6 at halftime. On the afternoon, Carson-Newman sophomore quarterback Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.) completed 12-of-20 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns (both in the first half). The Southern Guilford High School graduate also rushed for one score. Five different Eagles rushed for touchdowns Saturday … The Bulldogs did not give up, outscoring the Eagles 21-20 after intermission. Moore connected with senior tight end Chris Conklin (Snow Camp, N.C.) for a 15-yard TD in the third quarter. Conklin caught two touchdown passes Saturday, padding his team-leading total to nine scoring receptions … Moore hit redshirt junior wide receiver Jordan Softcheck (Farmingdale, N.J.) with a touchdown strike in the fourth quarter. In between Moore's two TD passes, Wingate redshirt senior linebacker Bobby Floyd (Fairmont, N.C.) returned a Carson-Newman fumble 35 yards for touchdown in the third frame … Carson-Newman also returned a fumble for a score, as freshman defensive back Mario Russell (Columbus, Ohio) scampered 64 yards with a Wingate loose ball in the first quarter. The Eagle defense totaled 10 tackles for loss, five pass break-ups, four sacks and three quarterback hurries Saturday … Wingate junior wide receiver/return specialist Kameron Kranz (Scottsdale, Ariz.) compiled 228 all-purpose yards for the hosts. He returned four kick-offs for 127 yards and brought back three punts for 93 yards. His best kick-off return Saturday spanned 60 yards, while his longest punt return covered 67 yards … Kranz also completed one pass for 33 yards on a trick play. One of 10 Bulldogs to catch a JD Moore pass Saturday, Kranz posted two pass receptions against the Eagles.

CATAWBA - Catawba reached several team and individual records in its 56-21 win over Brevard on Saturday ... The 13th-ranked Indians rolled up 528 yards of total offense, including a season-high 291 on the ground to take the win … George Bell broke one of the oldest records on the books as he rushed for his 16th touchdown early in the fourth quarter to break a record set in 1930 and also equaled in 1935 … He also broke the total TD mark with #17 on the year ... his 104 points has tied the 1948 record of Lee Spears ... Brad Roach equaled a pair of marks with four TD passes, which gives him 21 on the season … As a team, Catawba eclipsed the 2004 record for most points (438) and total yards (4738) … After an interception in the Brevard red zone on its first drive, Catawba scored on its last five possessions of the first half to take a 35-7 edge at the break … Roach had three scoring passes in the first half, going to Travis Landrum (16 yds), Brent Johnson (16 yds) and Kory Fisher (19 yds) … The last came with just 1.4 seconds left in the half after guiding the Indians 62 yards in 45 seconds ... Fisher had a 7-yard and Jamelle Cuthbertson a 34-yard burst to account for the other two scores … Roach added a 37-yard strike to Johnson in the third quarter, while Bell broke his records on a four-yard run with 6:31 left … Antonio Hall capped the days scoring with a one-yard run … Roach was 15-of-24 on the afternoon with 237 yards … He had four TDs and three interceptions … Johnson had a big day with six catches for 116 yards and two scores … Charles McAfee had 14 tackles on defense for the Indians with Cortez Best adding nine tackles and two for losses … Catawba helped cause six turnovers, including five fumbles … Wilbur Pender had two recoveries … Neither team punted in the contest … Catawba will return home for its final regular season game of the season, hosting rival Lenoir-Rhyne … Catawba has won 11 of the last 12 meetings, but the Bears won the last time in Salisbury, 17-13 in 2005 … A win would give the Indians just their seventh 10-win season in school history.

LENOIR-RHYNE - The 2007 Lenoir-Rhyne College football team (2-8, 0-5) fell in its home finale Saturday afternoon to No. 23 Newberry College (8-2, 4-2), 24-0, in front of 3,867 fans at Moretz Stadium … The Indians picked up their fourth straight win with the victory and kept their slim playoff hopes alive while the Bears dropped their fifth consecutive contest … Newberry also retained the Bishops' Trophy, named for the annual game between the two Lutheran schools of North and South Carolina … The trophy was founded by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 1987 with the Bears still holding the edge, 12-9 … Newberry quarterback Brandon Gantt passed for 157 yards and a score to go along with 110 yards rushing and one touchdown as the Indians shut out its second opponent of the season … Lenoir-Rhyne, which was held to just 131 yards of total offense, was shut out for the first time since October 15, 2005 (a 20-0 defeat to Presbyterian) … Newberry also limited Lenoir-Rhyne to just 32 yards passing and an 0-for-13 conversion rate on third down … Newberry took control with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-0 advantage into break … Gantt's 29-yard pass to David Brown on the first play of the second stanza opened the scoring and ended a 13-play, 97-yard drive while Gantt's 48-yard touchdown run gave the Indians a two-touchdown advantage at halftime … Bears stayed within striking distance thanks to three consecutive interceptions, including two in the end zone, Newberry put the game away with 10 points in the fourth quarter … The Indians' Michael Johnson found Kelton Tindal for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 3:30 remaining to end the scoring … Newberry also finished with 462 yards of total offense … On defense for the Bears, freshman defensive back Marcus Shuford (Newton, N.C.) led the way with a game-high 14 tackles while junior defensive back Barry Tate (Burlington, N.C.) added two interceptions … Lenoir-Rhyne senior placekicker Andrew Coln (Simpsonville, S.C.) remains third on L-R's all-time scoring list for kickers with 167 and needs one field goal to set the school single-season mark (14) … Lenoir-Rhyne ends the season on the road Saturday in Salisbury, N.C., when it faces long-time rival Catawba (9-1, 4-1) at 1:30 p.m., at Shuford Stadium … Catawba will be the fourth ranked team Lenoir-Rhyne has faced in the past five weeks … Catawba leads the all-time series with L-R, 44-8-4, and has won 11 of the past 12 meetings between the two schools … Lenoir-Rhyne, however, did win the last time it played at Catawba (17-13 on November 5, 2005).

MARS HILL - Freshman Calvin Britt hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass from Corey Russell with 7:46 remaining, as Tusculum rallied to defeat visiting Mars Hill, 15-12 Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field … With the win, Tusculum climbs back into a first-place tie in the South Atlantic Conference, setting up next week's in-state showdown at nationally-ranked Carson-Newman .. The contest was a defensive struggle as four Tusculum players recorded double-digit tackles, including Jarvis Littlejohn who finished with a career-high 17 stops, while tying a school single-game record with five tackles for loss. Adrian Samples added a career-best 13 stops, including four for loss and a sack, while Brandon Kelley and Jeremy Jones added 10 stops each … Stan Galbraith (Birmingham, AL) led Mars Hill on defense with 10 tackles and returned a blocked extra point for a defensive score. Xavier Jordan Tifton, GA) had a stellar performance as he accounted for nine tackles, two for loss, forced a fumble, recorded an interception and blocked the extra point that Galbraith scored the defensive PAT … Tusculum out-gained the Lions in total offense by a 354-303 margin, but Mars Hill dominated the time of possession, controlling the ball for 38:35 (TC had 21:25 time of possession) … Russell went 13-for-40 for 227 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times on the day … Mars Hill's Kenyari Addison tossed for 73 yards on 8-for-21 passing, was intercepted once and was sacked four times … George Washington (Warner Robbins, GA) led the Mars Hill ground attack 73 yards on 23 carries, while senior Patrick King was Tusculum's top runner with 55 yards on 11 attempts. Freshman Gareth Rowlands got the Pioneers on the scoreboard first when he kicked a 24-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The field goal capped a 14-play, 86-yard drive. Mars Hill tied the game just before halftime as the Lions drove to the TC 19 … Following a holding penalty that moved the Lions back to the TC 29, kicker Chase Harris (Chiefland, FL) connected on a 46-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining to even the score 3-3 at intermission … MHC took advantage of a Tusculum turnover as DeShun Nesbitt (Asheville, NC) intercepted Russell at the Lions' 12-yard line … On fourth-down and five, punter Adam Bailey took the snap and ran 14 yards to the right side and a MHC first down .. On the ensuing play, Kenyari Addison (Jonesboro, GA) ran scrambled out of the pocket, got a terrific block and scampered 69 yards for the touchdown. Harris' kick gave the Lions a 10-3 advantage at the 1:44 mark of the third quarter. Tusculum went three plays and out on its next possession as Mars Hill took over at the MHC 42. The Lions would get to the TC 28 but would turn the ball over on downs … TC gained new life as Russell completed a 17-yard pass to senior Jamichael Caldwell and a 25-yard strike to rookie Cameron Harris to the MHC 30. Russell would hook up with Caldwell one more time, this one on a 30-yard TD strike to bring TC to within one point (10-9). Rowland's extra point attempt was blocked and returned by Jordan. Jordan was stopped at the MHC 30 before he laterally tossed the ball to Galbraith who took it the remaining 70 yards for the defensive two-pointer and a 12-9 Mars Hill advantage with 10:51 left in the game. Mars Hill looked to have the momentum as the Lions drove across midfield into Tusculum territory on its next series … But the play of the game came when TC's Justin Scott forced a fumble from Addison and was recovered by Littlejohn at the Tusculum 49. On the next play, Britt got behind the MHC secondary and scored on the 51-yard strike from Russell with 7:46 remaining. The extra-point sailed wide right as TC led 15-12 lead with 7:46 left in the game … Mars Hill went three and out and was forced to punt as Tusculum regained the ball with six minutes remaining. The Pioneers went to milking the clock with runs and short passes. Tusculum converted a pair of critical third downs, including an eight-yard reception by Britt and a seven-yard run by Russell … The Lions were forced to exhaust their timeouts, before MHC regained possession at its own 23-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. Addison's pass was caught Demario Zachery (Atlanta, GA) at the MHC 30, before he pulled the hook and ladder play as lateral was grabbed by Travis Prince (Jacksonville, FL) and taken to the MHC 34. But on the next play, Addison was sacked by Samples to end the game … Mars Hill returns home next Saturday when it hosts Wingate for Senior Day on the Hill.

NEWBERRY - The No. 23 Newberry College Indians defeated Lenoir-Rhyne College, 24-0, at Moretz Stadium in Hickory, N.C., Saturday afternoon... With the win, the Indians wrap up their South Atlantic Conference schedule with a 4-2 league record and a four-game SAC winning streak... Newberry also holds on to the Bishops Trophy, founded in 1987 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America for the winner of the two Lutheran Schools in North and South Carolina... The Indians had distinct advantages in total yardage (462-131) and first downs (25-6)... Sophomore quarterback Brandon Gantt led the team offensively with 157 yards passing and 110 yards rushing and two touchdowns - one through the air and one on the ground... With those numbers, Gantt goes over 1,000 yards of total offense in his first year at NC... Backup quarterback Michael Johnson also passed for a touchdown... David Brown and Kelton Tindal were each on the receiving end of touchdown passes... Ryan Lukshis connected on a 35-yard touchdown and was 3-for-3 on PAT attempts... Temarcus Thompson and Levi Bennett each recorded interceptions, while Tony Ransom notched a sack... Thompson now leads the team with four interceptions this season... Derrell Mills led the team with five tackles... The Indians have now scored 368 points this season, which is the most points any Newberry team has scored in a regular season, with one game remaining... Newberry wraps up the regular season on Senior Night against Brevard College next Saturday at 7 p.m. at Setzler Field....

TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (6-4, 4-1 SAC) moved back into a tie for first place in the South Atlantic Conference with a come-from-behind 15-12 win over Mars Hill… Tusculum assures itself its seventh winning season in the last eight years… The Pioneers also went undefeated at home in 2007, going 5-0 at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field… Four Tusculum players finished with double-digit tackles, led by Jarvis Littlejohn, who finished with a career-best 17 stops, the fifth most in Tusculum history… Littlejohn tied a single-game record with five tackles for loss, including a sack… He also recovered a fumble, setting up Tusculum's winning touchdown in the fourth quarter… Adrian Samples finished with a career-best 13 tackles, including four for loss and a sack… Brandon Kelley and Jeremy Jones each tallied 10 tackles in the win… Kelley also posted a pair of sacks… Tusculum got on the scoreboard first thanks to a 24-yard field goal by freshman Gareth Rowlands… Mars Hill tied the game with a field goal before halftime and took the lead thanks to a 69-yard run by its quarterback late in the third quarter…. Tusculum cut into the deficit when Corey Russell found Jamichael Caldwell in the back of the end zone with 10:51 remaining in the game… The point after was blocked and returned for a two-point defensive PAT as MHC led 14-9… MHC drove into Tusculum territory on its ensuing possession, but Justin Scott forced a fumble and was recovered by Littlejohn at the TC 49… On the first play, Russell connected with Calvin Britt on a 51-yard touchdown strike with 7:46 left in the contest… The PAT was missed as TC led by a slim three-point margin… Mars Hill went three and out on its next series and was forced to punt with five minutes left… Tusculum milked almost four minutes off the clock, converting a pair of third downs before turning the ball over on downs with 20 seconds remaining… Samples sealed the win with a sack as time expired… Russell went 13-for-40 for 227 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off three times… Patrick King was Tusculum's leading rusher for a second straight game, recorded 55 yards on 11 carries… Caldwell has made a reception in every game he has played in at Tusculum (39 straight games)… Russell became Tusculum's all-time leader in total offensive attempts (1152)… He is second all-time in total offense, posting 6,131 yards, 833 shy of Tony Colston… Russell is closing in on a couple of single-season marks… His 2,571 passing yards and 384 attempts are the second most in a TC season… His 23 passing touchdowns are already a new TC mark… In 2007, Russell has made 507 total offensive attempts, a new TC record for 2,864 yards (2nd in school history)… Britt is one pace to shatter the single-season yards per reception single-season record… He is averaging 27.8 yards per catch, posting 500 yards on 18 receptions… Tusculum quarterbacks have passed for 27 touchdowns this year, one shy of a school record… Tusculum wraps up the regular season this week as they face in-state foe Carson-Newman… It will be the 38th meeting between the Pioneers and Eagles in a series that began in 1904… The Tusculum/Carson-Newman series is the second oldest gridiron rivalry in the State of Tennessee (Tennessee/Vanderbilt series is older - 1892)… C-N has won the last three meetings and hasn't allowed a touchdown in the series in those contests… The winner of the game will claim at least a share of the SAC Championship.

WINGATE - The Wingate University football team put up 322 yards of total offense (including 274 yards through the air), but number 12 Carson-Newman College prevailed 58-27 over the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus … With the win, the Carson-Newman Eagles improves to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the SAC. Wingate is 6-4 overall and 1-4 in the SAC. The Bulldogs visit Mars Hill College Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to conclude the 2007 season … Wingate redshirt junior quarterback JD Moore completed 24-of-43 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Bulldog redshirt freshman running back Nelson Woods accumulated 73 yards on 23 carries. Woods passed the 1000-yard plateau Saturday. The Lawndale Burns High School graduate has 1,044 yards on 203 carries this season. Woods is the top freshman running back in the SAC; the next first-year player has 584 rushing yards … The Bulldogs did not give up, outscoring the Eagles 21-20 after intermission. Moore connected with senior tight end Chris Conklin for a 15-yard TD in the third quarter. Conklin caught two touchdown passes Saturday, padding his team-leading total to nine scoring receptions … Moore hit redshirt junior wide receiver Jordan Softcheck with a touchdown strike in the fourth quarter. In between Moore's two TD passes, Wingate redshirt senior linebacker Bobby Floyd returned a Carson-Newman fumble 35 yards for touchdown in the third frame … Wingate junior wide receiver/return specialist Kameron Kranz compiled 228 all-purpose yards for the hosts. He returned four kick-offs for 127 yards and brought back three punts for 93 yards. His best kick-off return Saturday spanned 60 yards, while his longest punt return covered 67 yards … Kranz also completed one pass for 33 yards on a trick play. One of 10 Bulldogs to catch a JD Moore pass Saturday, Kranz posted two pass receptions against the Eagles … For the Wingate defense, senior linebacker Tyler Johnson had a game-high 11 tackles. Bulldog junior linebacker Aaron Plyler notched 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and one forced fumble … Saturday's contest was the final home game for 18 Bulldog seniors. This year's class has compiled the most wins of any senior college class in Wingate history (27 victories entering next Saturday's game at Mars Hill) … This year's senior class includes Jonathan Beford, Greg Brown, Chris Conklin, Kenwin Cummings, Johnny Edwards, Bobby Floyd, Dustin Garcia, Brad Hambric and Brad Horne … Also, Bulldog seniors are Tyler Johnson, Greg Keziah, Jamie Lilly, Cedric McNear,
Geremy Rodamer, Darrell Tremble, Jermaine Wallace, Ben Williams and Matt Williams … Wingate hits the road next Saturday, finishing the 2007 season with a SAC road contest at Mars Hill. The Lions lead the overall series between the two schools 12-9. Mars Hill is one of two teams (Lenoir-Rhyne is the other) Wingate has played every year since the institution revitalized football in 1986. The Lions have won six of the last eight games in the series. Wingate won five-of-seven series contests from 1987-1993 … Last year at Wingate, Bulldog quarterback Anthony Metzelaars had a career day as the hosts completed the 2006 regular season with a 37-14 South Atlantic Conference victory over Mars Hill College on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 11, 2006 … Metzelaars accumulated a career-high 364 passing yards in the Mars Hill victory. Metzelaars completed 25-of-41 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns (to three different receivers) … Wingate wide receivers Dan Brooks, Gabe Nail and Gary Tatum caught one TD pass each against the Lions. Brooks also completed one pass for 54 yards to tight end Chris Conklin on the second play of the game … Tatum topped the Bulldog receiving charts with eight catches for 103 yards. Brooks caught seven passes for 57 yards, while Nail grabbed three balls for 89 yards. Conklin also eclipsed the 100-yard plateau with four receptions for 104 yards … Wingate compiled 502 yards total offense, compared to 271 yards for Mars Hill. The Lions accumulated 111 of their 271 yards in the fourth quarter. Bulldog place kicker Jonathan Beford equaled his career-high with three field goals (22, 30 and 36) … On defense, Wingate linebacker Bobby Floyd had a team-high 10 tackles. Floyd notched one interception, his third pick in his last two home games. Bulldog cornerback Donald Brown also had an interception for the hosts. Wingate scored after both Mars Hill turnovers.