SAC Football Notes, November 2, 2008
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, November 1:
BREVARD - The Brevard College men's football team fell on the road on Saturday afternoon, as Coach Hamilton's squad lost to the Catawba Indians 24-10 in South Atlantic Conference football action … The Tornados fell behind early 3-0, as Catawba place kicker Thomas Trexler booted a 31-yard field goal attempt through the uprights to cap off a 10-play, 29-yard drive which started on the Tornados 44-yard line … BC answered on their ensuing offensive possession, as the Tornados pushed the ball down to the Catawba 5-yard line on nine plays highlighted by a Donald Hudson 19 yard rush to start the drive. However, the Tornados were unable to punch the ball in from five yards out and had to settle for a field goal of their own, a 24-yard field goal off the right foot of sophomore kicker Chase Henry to knot the score up at 3-3 with only 47 seconds remaining in the opening quarter … The Indians struck next in a very big way, as the first play from scrimmage on their next drive took only 14 seconds, as senior running back Jamelle Cuthbertson broke a 69-yard touchdown run, using all of the field going from one side line to the other on the long run. The run, the longest play from the line of scrimmage against the Tornados defense this season, broke the game open as Trexler converted on the point after attempt to put the Indians on top 10-3 after the first quarter … In the second quarter of play, neither team could find the end zone until the Indians scored on a trick play late in the half. Catawba's tight end Grayson Downs caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Brandon Bunn on a double-reverse pass that just sailed over the head of a BC defender to put the Indians up 17-3, where the score would stand at the halftime intermission … In the third quarter, the Tornados came out like a ball of fire offensively but had their opening drive stall at the Catawba 45-yard line, forcing senior punter Luke Lovelace to punt for the third time of the day … The BC defense responded with an interception by way of freshman safety Salonik Amos, to give the ball back to the Tornado offense at the Brevard 27-yard line. Yet the Tornados could not capitalize on the turnover, which proved to haunt the Tornados for most of the game, as on the ensuing punt attempt, Catawba's Terrence Jones blocked the Lovelace attempt giving the Indians the ball on the Brevard 11-yard line … Catawba capitalized on the great special teams play, scoring on the next possession by way of an 11-yard touchdown run by Cuthbertson. After the Trexler extra point was good, the Tornados found themselves down 24-10 heading into the final quarter of play … In the fourth quarter the Tornados did not fold and refused to go away. At the 10:05 mark junior running back Desmond Wilson scored from three yards out to give the Tornados their first touchdown in their last nine quarters of play. The touchdown was Wilson's second rushing touchdown on the season and helped cut the Catawba lead to 14 points at 24-10 … Brevard would not score again in the final 10:00 minutes of play, but kept the Catawba defense from making big plays down the field in the final quarter … The Tornados crossed the 200-yard mark of total offense for the first time in their last three games, as BC finished the game with 202 yards, with 183 yards coming by way of the running attack. Brevard also finished with 14 first downs, the same amount as the Indians did for the game … Junior slot back Donald Hudson led the ground attack for the Tornados, as he rushed for 52 yards on 12 carries. Wilson picked up 49 yards on 15 rushing attempts and had the lone touchdown on the afternoon for Brevard … Sophomore quarterback Trey Wilborn had 48 yards on 13 carries, while junior quarterback Matthew Gaines had 20 rushing yards on eight rushing attempts and was 3-of-9 for 19 yards through the air … Defensively the Tornados were led by a duo of freshman as safeties Amos and Michael Gist had 10 and eight tackles, respectively, as Amos also added an interception in the third quarter. Freshman defensive end Thinh Ho had 1.5 sacks on the day, while fellow classmate and defensive tackle Augustus Dukuly was part of one of those sacks on the day … The Tornados will wrap up their 2008 season next Saturday afternoon, when BC will play host to Newberry College at Brevard Memorial Stadium in Brevard, N.C. for a 2 p.m. kick-off.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The 15th-ranked Carson-Newman Eagles rallied twice for a 35-33 win over the 16th-ranked Wingate Bulldogs at home on Saturday...C-N trailed at 27-14 at the half and 33-28 in the third quarter, answering the bell both times to claim their at least a share of their 20th South Atlantic Conference title in the last 27 years... The Eagles piled up 532 yards on 69 plays...The Carson-Newman defense played two seemingly separate games, allowing the Bulldogs to convert on their first six third-down plays...C-N would shut Wingate out on its next 10 third down conversions...WU finished 7-of-17 on third down conversions...The Bulldogs piled up 428 yards on 81 plays... Eagle junior running back Buck Wakefield had C-N's best rushing game of the season...Wakefield piled up 223 yards on 20 carries with four touchdowns...He scored on runs of 8, 1, 1, and 70, which stood as the game winner...As a team, the Eagles rushed for 363 yards on 52 carries...Alex Good completed 9-of-12 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown, a 21-yard slant to Reggie Hubbard to give C-N its first lead of the day at 28-27...Junior Brian Brown had four tackles, including a sack and tackle for loss to lead the C-N defense...He also had two quarterback hurries...Wingate jumped to an early 7-0 lead, which C-N answered with a score of its own with an 8-play, 90-yard drive in just over two minutes...C-N would falter on its ensuing drive, turning the ball over on downs inside Wingate's five...The Eagles cut into a 21-6 Wingate lead in the second quarter with a 7-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 1-yard Wakefield run...C-N would score twice in the first four minutes of the second half...Wakefield opened the half with a 51-yard run...Neither team scored in the fourth quarter...The game ended with Wingate at the C-N 10-yard line on its final drive of the day...Wideout Delric Ellington caught a J.D. Moore pass at the numbers, but couldn't get out of bounds and the game clock expired...Carson-Newman will face Tusculum next Saturday in Greeneville, Tennessee...Kickoff is at 1:30...With a win, The Eagles would advance to the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
CATAWBA - The Catawba Indians guaranteed a non-losing season with a 24-10 win over Brevard to close out its home schedule on Saturday … Senior Jamelle Cuthbertson had a big day, rushing for 156 yards and two scores in the victory … It marked a school record-tying sixth 100-yard performance of the season for Cuthbertson, who also become the seventh Catawba back to accumulate 2,000 career yards … With the game tied at 3-3 late in the first quarter, Cuthbertson scored on a 69-yard run, the longest of his career … He added a final score late in the third quarter after Terrence Jones blocked a Brevard punt for a 24-3 edge … Catawba led 17-3 at the break as Brandon Bunn threw a reverse pass for touchdown to Grayson Downs in the final minute of the opening half … It was the longest pass play for either team in the half … Catawba would throw for just 30 yards in the game, while Brevard totaled a mere 19 … Cuthbertson accounted for 156 of the Tribe's 266 total yards … The Tornados ran for 183 and finished with 202 yards … Catawba's defense recorded six sacks, including one by senior Charles McAfee, who finished with eight tackles … freshman Lakeem Perry made 15 tackles with two for losses … The victory was another for Catawba when scoring first … Under Chip Hester the Indians are 40-2 when getting on the scoreboard first … Catawba will close out its season at Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday night … A win would give the Indians a 14th-straight winning season.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University football team (3-7, 1-5) lost its fifth straight game Saturday night to Newberry College (5-4, 4-2), 38-14, in a South Atlantic Conference contest at Setzler Field in Newberry, S.C. … Newberry scored touchdowns on its first four possessions and finished with 452 yards of total offense in keeping its slim hopes alive for a league crown … Lenoir-Rhyne scored on the game's opening possession with the drive culminated by quarterback Justin Sanders' (Monroe, N.C.) 42-yard touchdown pass to sophomore running back Andrew Courman (Beaufort, N.C.) … Newberry, however, quickly tied it at seven on the game's next offensive play when quarterback Eric McCollom hit Kelton Tindal for a 71-yard touchdown pass … McCollom scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak on Newberry's next possession that ended a 91-yard, nine-play drive with 13 seconds left in the first stanza for what proved to be the game-winner … Tindal and Lyndon Ingram added scoring runs of five and 18 yards, respectively, in the second quarter en route to a 28-7 halftime advantage … Newberry eventually built the lead to 38-7 before L-R redshirt freshman running back Byron Darby (Gastonia, N.C.) scored on a 45-yard touchdown run with 8:36 remaining in the fourth quarter … Darby finished with a game-high 101 yards rushing on 11 carries while Sanders added 135 yards passing in the losing effort for the Bears … Tindal added 130 yards receiving on just three catches to go along with two touchdowns and McCollom finished with 201 yards passing to lead the home team to the win … With the victory, Newberry also retained the Bishops Trophy for the third straight year … The trophy was founded in 1987 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is played between the two Lutheran schools in North and South Carolina … L-R still leads the series, 12-10 … Lenoir-Rhyne averages 256 yards on the ground and has scored 253 points on the year (compared to 156 all of last season) … Lenoir-Rhyne closes out the regular season when it hosts long-time rival Catawba next Saturday at Moretz Stadium beginning at 7:00 p.m. … Catawba leads the all-time series, 45-38-1, and has won 12 of the last 13 games between the two schools … Catawba prevailed last year by a 45-0 score on November 10, 2007, in Salisbury, N.C.
MARS HILL - The Mars Hill Lions lost their final home contest to SAC rival Tusculum College, 33-28 Saturday afternoon at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium … Prior to the game, MHC recognozed their 18 senior players. MHC fell to 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the SAC … Ricky Spradling (Roan Mountain, Tenn.) led the Lions' offense with 68 yards rushing and 157 yards passing. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Tyrea Allen (Murphy, N.C.) and John Brown (Homestead, Fla.) … Zach Johnson (Newland, N.C.) led Mars Hill's defense with seven tackles (4 solo), two for loss and a sack. Jeff Pell (West Jefferson, N.C.) followed with six tackles (5 solo). Stan Galbraith (Birmingham, Ala.) also had six stops, two for loss, and the same number of sacks … At halftime of the contest, MHC recognized the 2008 inductees to the Mars Hill Athletic's Hall of Fame. Ed Hoffmeyer, Derek Thomas, Randy Whitson and Jennifer Wiggins were the 2008 inductees.MHC will finish the 2008 campaign at Wingate University on November 8 at 1:30 p.m.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College football team defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University, 38-14, at Setzler Field on Saturday night to claim its third straight Bishops Trophy… Newberry moves to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the South Atlantic Conference with the win…Kelton Tindal was the game's offensive leader with three receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown as well as three carries for 24 yards and a touchdown… Tindal now has 1,430 career receiving yards, which places him sixth all-time in the Newberry record books… His 12 career touchdowns is tied for third most in school history… Eric McCollom was 7-of-13 passing for 201 yards with a touchdown and an interception… Gerald Legree led the scarlet and gray rushing attack with 17 carries for 90 yards… Eleven Newberry players earned rushing yardage on the night, including an interesting seven yards for right tackle Marchent Faustin after recovering a Legree fumble… On 45 carries, the Newberry backs only lost four yards rushing… Lenoir-Rhyne got on the board on its opening drive, but Newberry responded with six scores to put the game out of reach… The Bears took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 lead… The touchdown came on a 42-yard strike from Justin Sanders to Andrew Courman… But the scarlet and gray answered immediately, as McCollom connected with Tindal on a 71-yard touchdown pass on Newberry's first play of the game to tie the contest…L-R took the next kickoff and drove into Newberry territory, but the drive was snuffed out when Devon Smalls intercepted a Sanders pass at the Newberry 9… Newberry took nine plays to cover the 91 yards, and a McCollom quarterback sneak put Newberry ahead, 14-7… The hosts held Lenoir-Rhyne to a three-and-out on the next drive, and an aborted punt attempt on fourth down gave Newberry excellent field position at the Lenoir-Rhyne 26… It took only four plays for the scarlet and gray attack to find the endzone on a 5-yard end around from Tindal for the 21-7 lead… Another Bear three-and-out followed by a punt set Newberry up in great field position again… Three plays later, Lyndon Ingram took the ball 18 yards for the score and a 28-7 halftime lead… The scarlet and gray extended their lead on the opening drive of the second half, capping a 9-play, 54-yard drive with a 22-yard field goal by Britt Blackmon for a 31-7 advantage… Newberry's final score came on an impressive 11-play, 92-yard drive that was finished off with a 12-yard touchdown carry from fullback Timmy Boyd… The Bears put the finishing touches on the scoring in the fourth quarter, when Byron Darby carried the ball 45 yards to paydirt with 8:36 left in the game… L-R's two interceptions in the game landed in the hands of Smalls and Kamaal McIlwain… Smalls also recorded six tackles and a tackle for loss, while McIlwain had two tackles, one of which was a nine yard sack, and a fumble recovery, as well as 73 yards in kickoff returns… Will Newell led the Newberry defense with nine tackles, all of which were solo tackles... Newell is now alone in fifth place in Newberry history with 328 career tackles… He has an opportunity to finish his career in fourth place next week… That spot is held by James Putnam, who recorded 339 tackles from 1986-89… Newberry will wrap up the regular season on the road against Brevard next Saturday… Kickoff at Brevard Memorial Stadium is set for 2 p.m.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (7-3, 4-2 SAC) have won four of their last five games, including last week's 33-28 win at Mars Hill… With the victory, the Pioneers move into a three-way tie for second place with one game remaining against in-state foe Carson-Newman this Saturday at Pioneer Field… In the win at Mars Hill, Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Corey Russell threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another… Russell passed for 256 yards going 17-for-25… He also rushed for 101 yards on 16 carries, including a 53-yard TD scamper on Tusculum's opening possession… Russell has rushed for over 100 yards in his last two games and three times this year… He has thrown for four touchdowns on five separate occasions this year… Russell has already established school single-season records with 3,168 passing yards (5th in SAC history) and 29 touchdowns (4th in SAC history)… Russell has also tallied 3,738 total offensive yards which is a new TC best and currently third in SAC history (255 yards shy of SAC record held by Gardner-Webb's John Craven in 1992 - 3,993 yds.)… Russell eclipsed the 10,000 total offensive yards plateau for his career, making him only the fifth player in South Atlantic Conference history and the 25th player in NCAA Division II history with over 10,000 yards to his credit… Russell has completed TD passes to seven different receivers… Five different players have also recorded at least 20 receptions this year… Junior TE Jarrell NeSmith hauled in a pair of TD catches against Mars Hill, giving him seven on the season, which are one shy of tying a school record (8 by Matt Riggs in 2002)… Junior WR Nate Binder and sophomore WR Calvin Britt are tied for second on the team in TD catches with six apiece… Binder hauled in a 67-yard TD strike from Russell this week… He leads the Pioneers with 733 receiving yards this year, which are the second-most ever by a Pioneer… Britt has tallied 569 receiving yards on just 22 catches for a 25.9 yards per catch average which is on pace to break the single-season record he established last year… Senior LB Justin Scott established a pair of records last week… He posted three tackles for loss against MHC, giving him 19 on the season and 48 for his career… The 19 TFL are a new single-season record, while the 48 hits behind the line of scrimmage are tied for the most ever by a Pioneer… Scott and senior LB Jarvis Littlejohn are tied for the team-lead with 81 tackles each… Scott enters his final regular season contest this week with 245 tackles, which are tied for sixth in school history… Tusculum had its consecutive scoring quarters streak end this week… The Pioneers failed to score in the third quarter against Mars Hill, stopping a streak of 22 in a row… TC has outscored the opposition by a 135-47 margin in the opening quarter and 228-114 in the first half… Tusculum has already clinched its third straight winning season and eighth in the last nine years… This week will be the 39th recorded meeting between Tusculum and Carson-Newman in the second oldest football rivalry in the State of Tennessee (Tennessee/Vanderbilt is the oldest)… The Pioneers and Eagles first met in 1904.
WINGATE - The Carson-Newman College football team rallied from a 27-14 halftime deficit to take a 35-33 South Atlantic Conference victory over Wingate University Saturday afternoon at Burke-Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City, Tenn. … Both Wingate (number 16) and Carson-Newman (number 15) entered the contest as ranked teams in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the SAC … The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first three possessions Saturday. Wingate quarterback JD Moore completed 23-of-50 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown. Moore also rushed for a third-quarter score … The game ended when Moore completed a seven-yard pass to Delric Ellington at the Carson-Newman 12-yard line. The Bulldogs were unable to attempt a game-winning field goal before time expired … The two teams combined for 960 yards of total offense. Wingate totaled 428 yards. Moore's favorite target was Shawn Barrett, who caught nine passes for 117 yards. Ellington and Philip Thomas added four grabs each, with Ellington grabbing a touchdown strike. Nelson Woods led the Bulldogs on the ground with 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Vince Jordan and Moore also recorded one rushing touchdown each … Carson-Newman posted 532 yards on 69 offensive plays, including 363 yards on the ground. The Eagles overcame four fumbles and converted only four-of-11 third-down tries. Wingate started the game with six consecutive third-down conversions, but was only one-of-11 the rest of the game … Wingate scored on five of its first six possessions, including three straight touchdowns to begin the game. Jordan opened the scoring with a 40-yard dash up the right side with four minutes expired … After an Eagle touchdown, Ellington and Woods posted scores to give Wingate a 21-7 advantage at the 9:29 mark of the second quarter. Carson-Newman added another score three minutes later. Bulldog kicker Michael Crutchfield booted field goals of 41 and 35 yards in the final 1:10 of the half to make the score 27-14 at intermission … Carson-Newman took the second-half kickoff and marched 60 yards in only five plays to set up another TD. After a Wingate turnover on the ensuing kick-off, Carson-Newman capitalized to take a 28-27 lead … Wingate regained the lead later in the quarter on a one-yard touchdown by Moore, but Carson-Newman running back Buck Wakefield answered the call with a 70-yard jaunt to settle the final score … The Bulldogs marched into Carson-Newman territory three times in the fourth quarter, but were unable to take advantage. Wingate reached the C-N 32-yard line the first time, but an intentional grounding penalty pushed them out of field goal range. Carson-Newman ended the next Wingate drive with an interception at the Eagle 31-yard line … After Carson-Newman failed on a fourth-down try at the Wingate 37 with 43 seconds left in the game, three Moore completions and a 15-yard face mask penalty on the Eagles put the Bulldogs in field goal range before the time expired … Greg Harmon had nine solo tackles and eight assists for the Wingate defense, while Ben Hinson participated in 15 stops. Morris Gatewood, Ed Doughty and Sean Jones each had a fumble recovery for the visitors … Wingate will conclude its regular season Saturday, Nov. 8, hosting Mars Hill College (1:30 p.m. kick-off) for homecoming. Wingate has won three of the last four games in the series. The Bulldogs won 33-21 last season at Mars Hill, thanks to four touchdown passes from Moore … A live pay-per-view video stream will be available for the WU-MHC contest. The Wingate University Sports Network will provide the live pay-per-view video stream in cooperation with Internet Consulting Services, Inc. Bulldog fans can purchase the pay-per-view broadcast for $4.95.