Weekly SAC Football Notes, November 11, 2007
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, November 10:
BREVARD - For the third straight week, the Brevard College football team took on a top-20 team, as they fell on the road to the No. 22 ranked Newberry Indians, 17-6 to finish up their first full season … With the loss the Tornados fell to 2-9 overall, while Newberry improved to 9-2 overall … The Indians got on the board first, driving 78-yards to the three-yard line. However, the Tornados defense made a strong stop at their own three-yard line to force the Indians to settle for a Ryan Lukshis field goal in an early 3-0 lead … After two stalled drives by the Tornado offense, the Indians added to their lead with 6:15 remaining in the second quarter, when running back Alex Haynes scored on a two-yard touchdown run, capping off a 12-play, 81-yard drive to put the Indians up two scores. A Lukshis extra point pushed the Newberry lead to 10-0 … The last 6:15 of the first half saw sloppy play from both teams as the Tornados quarterback Trey Wilborn threw an interception to end the next BC offensive drive, while Newberry committed three penalties are their next offensive possession to give the ball back to Brevard with just a little over two minutes remaining. With BC penned back deep in their own territory, the Tornados moved the ball picking up 21-yards on four plays only to have the clock wind down ending the half with the score remaining 10-0 … BC came out of the halftime break rejuvenated, as the defense capitalized on a Newberry bad snap, as safety Ricky Morton recovered the loose ball for the Tornados at the Brevard 49-yard line … The BC offense would take advantage of the turnover and drive 42-yards on 11 plays led by the rushing attack. However, the Tornados were forced to settle for a Chase Henry field goal which split the uprights putting BC on the board and cutting the Newberry lead to 10-3 … Yet the Indians answered right back on their next offensive possession, driving 62-yards on nine plays which was finished off by a Haynes four-yard touchdown scamper and a Lukshis point after attempt to put the Indians back on top by two touchdowns at, 17-3 … With their first offense set in the fourth quarter, BC faced a third down and three from their own 35-yard line, when Wilborn picked up the Tornados longest play of the day, a 62-yard run down to the Newberry 3-yard line. However, BC was unable to punch the ball in on the next three tries and again was forced to settle for a field goal. Henry connected on his second field goal of the game, a 27-yard attempt, to cut the lead to 17-6 with 9:58 remaining in the fourth quarter … After a Tornado defensive stop, Brevard got the ball back on their own 20-yard line. However, a personal foul penalty would put the Tornados in a hole which forced Luke Lovelace to punt for the fifth time of the game … The Indians would just run out the last 4:45 of the fourth quarter as they held on to defeat the Tornados, 17-6 … The Tornados were led by the running attack they garnered 222-yards, as BC did not complete a single pass on the night, going 0 for 3 with an interception. Wilborn led BC with 61-rushing yards on 10 carries. Fullback Derek Church rushed 16 times for 54-yards, while sophomore running back Tyrone Arrington had 10 carries for 47-yards … Freshman place kicker Chase Henry connected on both of his field goal attempts, 25-yards and 27-yards, to provide the scoring for the Tornados on the night … Defensively the duo of Stanley Jones and Elliot Collins collected 12 tackles apiece, while four players - Donald Hudson, Michael Turner, Cory Pertz and Jeffrey Adams - lined up on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball for most of the game … Newberry was led by running back Alex Haynes who gained 224-yards on 37 carries, scoring twice on the ground for the Indians. Quarterback Brandon Gantt went 10 of 14 through the air for 94-yards, while also rushing for 69-yards on 10 carries … In only the second year of the football program, the Tornados finished their challenging 2007 campaign with a 2-9 record, making drastic improvements throughout the season, and living up to Coach Hamilton's season motto of "improving each and every day, not only as football players but as young men." … The Tornados scored in every game this season compared to four shutouts last season, including a 45-0 loss to the Indians in 2006.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The Eagles continued their offensive onslaught, rolling over intra-state rival Tusculum, 63-24 to finish the regular season at 10-1 overall and 5-1 in the South Atlantic Conference … The Eagles rolled up 524 yards of total offense. 83 of those yards came courtesy of Buck Wakefield's TD run with 10:55 remaining in the first quarter. Alex Good gave C-N a two-touchdown advantage with a one-yard TD run to cap a 12-play, 41-yard drive … After a 23-yard field goal by TC's Gareth Rowlands, Wakefield found the end zone again, this time from 31 yards out, for a 21-3 lead. With less than a minute in the half, Good found Otis Miller in the left corner of the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown completion to give C-N a 28-3 lead at the break … In the second half, the Eagle ground game rolled on as Clarence Goines scored from two yards out while Wakefield hauled in a screen pass from Good and scampered 40 yards to paydirt as the Eagles increased their lead to 42-3 … Tusculum ended their touchdown drought against C-N when Corey Russell tossed an eight-yard pass to Calvin Britt. The Pioneers had failed to score a touchdown against the Eagles since 2003. In the last three meetings prior to the Saturday's game, C-N outscored Tusculum, 103-6 … Matt Ward continued the Eagle rushing attack with a 13-yard touchdown run for a 49-10 lead and Alex Rouse tossed a 19-yard TD to Mo Whitten to make the score 56-10 in the Eagles' favor … Patrick King's 70-yard touchdown burst and Jamichael Caldwell's 43-yard TD reception from Brandon Behenna capped the Pioneer scoring while Eagle quarterback Caleb Sorrells scored the first touchdown of his Eagle career with a one-yard sneak into the end zone … Good completed 13-of-19 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Wakefield had eight touches for 123 yards and two scores. The sophomore runner averaged an astounding 15.4 yards per carry. James Banks had five catches for 35 yards while Wakefield caught three passes for 69 yards and a score. Linebackers Eric Rice and Brian Brown anchored an aggressive Eagle defense. Brown collected 8.5 tackles while Rice had 7.5 tackles including one sack … For the Pioneers, Russell was 24-of-44 for 246 yards and one touchdown while Patrick King collected 10 carries for 107 yards and one touchdown. Caldwell caught six passes for 92 yards and one score while Justin Scott had 6.5 tackles to lead the Pioneers on defense.
CATAWBA - The Catawba Indians claimed a share of the South Atlantic Conference Championship for the first time since 2003 with a 45-0 win over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday … The win also sends the Catawba Indians back to the NCAA II playoffs for the first time since 2004 … Catawba will host Albany State in the first round this coming Saturday at 1 p.m. … The shutout of Lenoir-Rhyne was the first of the season for Catawba, who scored 40 points for a record eighth time … The Indians finished the regular season with 483 points which has shattered the previous mark of 403 points … Catawba has also reached 10 wins for the seventh time in school history … Kory Fisher started the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown run on the game's third play and finished the day with 104 yards, reaching the 100-yard plateau for the ninth time in his career … At 907 yards for the season, he needs just 81 more to break the Catawba rushing mark for a senior … Early in the second quarter, Brad Roach extended the Indian lead to 14-0 with a 30-yard scoring strike to Brandon Bunn … The TD set a new school record for touchdown passes in a season and the senior finished the game with 243 yards on 17-of-24 passes with three scores … He now has 24 touchdown passes on the year and with 2,704 passing yards is just 82 yards shy of Luke Samples' record set in 2003 … George Bell scored his 18th touchdown of the year to close out the first-half scoring, on a nine-yard reception, to give the Indians a 28-0 lead … Thomas Presley accomplished a rare feat with two defensive touchdowns, one interception return and one fumble return … He picked off a tipped pass in the second quarter and scored on a 12-yard return for a 21-0 lead and opened the third quarter by returning a fumble 49 yards for a 35-0 edge … Catawba closed out the scoring on a 33-yard pass from Roach to Joe Mitchell and a 22-yard field goal by Jared Temple … Catawba totaled 482 yards of offense and held the Bears to just 157 … Catawba has earned a playoff berth for the third time under Chip Hester … The game will be the first at home for the Indians since 2001 and Catawba is 3-1 in home playoff games … The Indians have not lost at home in the first round, claiming wins over Fort Valley State (1999), West Georgia (2000) and Central Arkansas (2001).
LENOIR-RHYNE - The 2007 Lenoir-Rhyne College football team (2-9, 0-6) ended its season with a 45-0 loss to long-time rival and 12th-ranked Catawba College (10-1, 5-1), 45-0, Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium in Salisbury, N.C. … With the win, the Indians captured a share of the 2007 SAC Regular Season Title (along with Carson-Newman) … Catawba also beat Lenoir-Rhyne for the 12th time in the last 13 meetings between the two schools while the Bears suffered their first winless league campaign since 1997 … L-R's two wins are also its least since 1998 … Catawba's Thomas Presley returned an interception (12 yards) and a fumble (49 yards) for touchdowns while the Indians' Brad Roach passed for 243 yards on 17-of-24 passing and three passes and set the school record for touchdowns throws in a season (24) as Catawba clinched a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs … Catawba running back Kory Fisher rushed for a game-high 104 yards on 13 carries and set the tone early with a 46-yard touchdown run of the third play from scrimmage … Catawba put the contest away with three touchdowns in the second quarter including two Roach touchdown passes to Brandon Bunn (30 yards) and George Bell (nine yards) … L-R was held to just 157 yards of total offense including 30 through the air … Freshman running backs Andrew Courman (Beaufort, N.C.) and James Pone (Wilson, N.C.) led the Bears' ground game with 74 and 60 yards, respectively … On the defensive side for Lenoir-Rhyne, freshman defensive back Marcus Shuford (Newton, N.C.) finished with a game-high 14 tackles while sophomore linebacker Dewayne Jones (Reidsville, N.C.) added 13 stops … Senior placekicker Andrew Coln finished third on Lenoir-Rhyne's career list for scoring for kickers with 167 and tied the school record for field goals in a season with 13 (Jeff Long, 1981) … Jones, who led the team in tackles with 86, tallied a double-digit takedowns in five of the last six games while Shuford tied for the league lead in interceptions with four in 2007.
MARS HILL - The Lions lost to Wingate University in football action, 33-21 Saturday afternoon at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. MHC recognized their senior players prior to the contest and at halftime, the 2007 Mars Hill Athletic Hall of Fame members were introduced. MHC fell to 5-5 overall and 1-5 in the SAC to end the 2007 campaign … MHC got on the board first after Kenyari Addison (Jonesboro, GA) dove in from the one yard line. Wingate then exploded for 20 second half points in the second frame highlighted by two touchdown passes by J.D. Moore (Mount Holly, NC) … MHC managed another score in the second stanza but Wingate enjoyed a 20-14 halftime advantage. Jonathan Beford (Charlotte, NC) missed the Bulldogs third PAT kick attempt. Chris Conklin (Snow Camp, NC) hauled in a 47-yard pass from Moore with 9:18 left in he third frame to extend Wingate's lead to 26-14. The Bulldogs two-point pass conversion failed … The teams traded scores in the fourth quarter to make the final tally 33-21 … Moore passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns in the win completing 18-30 passes … Shawn Barrett (Andover, NJ) caught seven passes for 89 yards and one touchdown … Conklin had three catches for 58 yards and one score … Nelson Woods (Charlotte, NC) rushed for 118 yards on 29 carries. He also scored once. Geremy Rodamer (Morgantown, WV) led the Bulldogs defense with 14 tackles (9 solo). Dietrich Wright (Baltimore, MD) and Tyler Johnson Hickory, NC) tallied 10 tackles apiece … Addison threw for 199 yards completing 13-26 passes. Demario Zachery (Atlanta, GA) caught five passes for 112 yards.He also rushed for 57 yards. Travis Prince (Jacksonville, FL) caught seven passes for 76 yards … Nathaniel Smith (Georgetown, SC) led the MHC defense with 12 tackles followed by Stan Galbraith (Birmingham, AL) with 11 stops. Rashawn Champion (Jacksonville, FL) added 10 tackles, all solo stops … At halftime, MHC inducted Brock Bailey (Cross Country), Chris Crist (Men's Soccer), Joe Pizzo (Football) and David Riggins (Men's Basketball & Athletic Director) into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
NEWBERRY - The No. 22 Newberry College Indians wrapped up their season with a 17-6 win over Brevard College… Senior running back Alex Haynes finished his collegiate career with 224 yards and two touchdowns on a school-record 37 carries… It is the fourth most rushing yards in a game in Newberry history… He finishes the season with 1,019 rushing yards, his second consecutive 1,000-yard season… He wraps up his career with 2,698 rushing yards, the fifth most in program history… The Indians outgained the Tornados, 393-222, and did not allow a single pass completion, although BC attempted only three passes, one of which was intercepted by Derrell Mills… Will Newell recorded 15 tackles, while five of Tony Ransom's nine tackles were for a loss of yardage… The Indians end the season on a five-game winning streak with a 9-2 overall record and a 4-2 record in SAC competition… Newberry now has a 14-game home winning streak, and has not lost a game at Setzler Field since the installation of the artificial playing surface in the summer of 2006.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (6-5, 4-2 SAC) ended the regular season with a 63-24 road loss at No. 11 Carson-Newman… The Pioneers finish tied for third in the final South Atlantic Conference standings… Both teams combined for almost 1,000 yards offensively… After starting the season 0-3, Tusculum finished strong winning six of its last eight outings… Senior RB Patrick King rushed for 107 yards on 10 carries, including a 70-yard TD run… Junior QB Corey Russell went 24-for-44 for 246 yards and a TD… Russell finishes the season with a school single-season record 2,817 passing yards and 24 passing TDs… Russell also established a new TC mark with 3,141 total offensive yards… Senior WR Jamichael Caldwell led Tusculum on Saturday with six receptions for 92 yards and a TD… Caldwell finished fourth on the team this season with 26 catches for 393 yards… He recorded a reception in 40 consecutive games during his career… He finished his career with 2,083 yards, the second most in school history… Caldwell's 19 career TD receptions are a Tusculum best… Tusculum's top receiver in 2007 was sophomore Ryan Tallent… Tallent finished the year with 59 receptions for 696 yards and six TDs… Tusculum committed four turnovers in the game, which C-N converted all four miscues to 28 points… Jarvis Littlejohn, the reigning D2football.com National Defensive Player of the Week, finished the year with a team-best 85 tackles… He made nine stops against C-N… Justin Scott added 78 stops, while Adrian Samples tallied 57 tackles, including a team-best 15 for loss… Five Tusculum players were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV team (Jarrell NeSmith, Justin Higgins, Ryan Tallent, John Gregory, Drew Noe)… The five honorees are tied for the most of any team in District IV (Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan).
WINGATE - Wingate University redshirt junior quarterback JD Moore (Mount Holly, N.C.) completed 18-of-30 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated Mars Hill 33-21 Saturday afternoon at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium on the MHC campus … With the victory, the Bulldogs improve to 7-4 overall and 2-4 in the SAC. The Mars Hill Lions fall to 5-5 overall and 1-5 in the league. Wingate's 18-member senior class has compiled the most wins (28) of any senior college class in Bulldog history … Wingate led 20-14 at intermission, thanks to two TD passes by Moore and a scoring run by redshirt freshman running back Nelson Woods (Charlotte, N.C.). On the afternoon, Woods ran 29 times for 118 yards and one TD. The Lawndale Burns High School graduate rushed for 1,174 yards on 232 carries during his first season in the Bulldog blue-and-gold … Mars Hill hit pay-dirt first, as senior quarterback Kenyari Addison scored on a one-yard plunge. Wingate then exploded for 20 second-quarter points, highlighted by two Moore touchdown passes. Addison registered another TD scamper in the second frame to keep the hosts close … Wingate senior tight end Chris Conklin (Snow Camp, N.C.) hauled in a 47-yard pass from Moore with 9:18 left in the third frame to extend Wingate's lead to 26-14. The teams traded scores in the fourth quarter to make the final tally 33-21 … Bulldog redshirt junior wide receiver Shawn Barrett (Andover, N.J.) caught seven passes for 89 yards and one touchdown to lead the Wingate receiving corps. Conklin had three catches for 58 yards and one score. Four different Bulldogs caught TD passes from Moore Saturday afternoon … Wingate senior safety Geremy Rodamer (Morgantown, W.Va.) led the Bulldog defense with 14 tackles. Rodamer's ledger included nine solo stops. Wingate junior safety Dietrich Wright (Baltimore, Md.) and senior linebacker Tyler Johnson (Hickory, N.C.) tallied 10 tackles each. Wright added two fumble recoveries as the Bulldogs recovered four Lion loose balls on the afternoon …In addition to his two touchdown runs, Addison passed for 199 yards. He completed 13-of-26 passes. Lion senior wide receiver Demario Zachery caught five passes for 112 yards. He also rushed for 57 yards and one touchdown. Mars Hill redshirt freshman wide receiver Travis Prince caught seven passes for 76 yards … Lion senior linebacker Nathaniel Smith led the MHC defense with 12 tackles, followed by sophomore linebacker Stan Galbraith and his 11 stops. Mars Hill senior defensive back Rashawn Champion added 10 tackles, all solo stops … Wingate has won three of the last four meetings with Mars Hill. The Lions lead the overall series between the two schools 12-10. Mars Hill is one of two teams (Lenoir-Rhyne is the other) Wingate has played every year since the institution revitalized football in 1986 … Woods is Wingate's first 1000-yard rusher since Tracy Bowen ran for 1,274 yards in 1997. Bowen was the SAC Offensive Player of the Year the same season. Wingate entered the Mars Hill game as the number two team in the nation in fumbles recovered with 18. On Saturday, the Bulldog defense recovered four fumbles to push the season total to 22. Wingate notched six takeaways Saturday, as Addison threw two interceptions.