Weekly SAC Football Notes, August 31, 2008
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games through Saturday, August 30:
BREVARD - The Brevard College men's football team opened up their 2008 slate on Saturday night in front of a large crowd of close to 2,500 spectators, losing at home to the Braves of UNC Pembroke 28-0. With the loss the Tornados fall to 0-1 and remain winless in their three season openers since the program was established in 2006 … In the season opener for both young programs, Brevard in their third year and UNCP in only their second season, the Tornados struggled offensively while the Braves capitalized on three key BC first half turnovers to help seal the victory. After the Tornados running back John Taylor opened up the first offensive series for BC with a 13 yard run up the middle, the drive was brought to a quick halt only four plays later as freshman receiver Michael Gist could not hold on to a low screen pass, fumbling the ball and giving the Braves new life at the Brevard 39 yard line. UNC Pembroke capitalized on the BC blunder, as running back Rashon Kennedy capped off a seven play, 39-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run putting the Braves on the board first. Kicker Taylor Baskett added the extra point to give UNC Pembroke an early 7-0 lead … The Braves would again take advantage of a BC turnover in the second quarter, as BC junior quarterback Kye Hamilton had a pass intercepted by Caylon Hann, giving UNC Pembroke the ball at the Brevard 39-yard line. Again Kennedy found the end zone, this time from eight-yards out, helping to put the Braves on top by two scores at 14-0 … On the ensuing offensive possession, the turnover bug would again bite the Tornados as Hann picked off a long throw by BC's Hamilton, this time returning it 41-yards to the Tornados 8-yard line. Only one play later, UNCP quarterback Cory Smith connected with wide receiver Jamal Williams in the end zone, putting the Braves up 21-0 with a little over five minutes remaining in the first half … The second half saw both teams continue to struggle offensively and saw the defenses hold their ground, with the lone score coming by way of a Keith Gore one-yard touchdown push up the middle at the 10:16 mark of the third quarter to put the score at 28-0 … For the game, the Tornados had 107 rushing yards on 32 rushing attempts, while the Braves rushed for 116 yards on 30 carries … Outside of the three BC turnovers, the difference in the game was by the air, as UNCP passed for 221 yards and one touchdown, while the Tornados threw for 65 yards and two interceptions … Taylor led the offensively, as he recorded 113 total yards for the game - 61 yards rushing on 15 carries and 52 yards on four catches. Junior slot receiver Donald Hudson had 21 rushing yards for the game, while fellow classmates Shaton Pratt and Desmond Wilson had 17 and 15 yards, respectively … In his first game in two years, Hamilton was 9-of-18 with two interceptions through the air, starting the game hitting on his first five pass attempts … Defensively, junior linebacker Stanley Jones, who missed three series due to an injury, led the Tornados with six total tackles, three of which were solo tackles. Safety's Trey Wilborn and Josh Durm each had five tackles on the night, while linebackers Brandon Rawls and Elliot Collins each recorded a sack for the game … The Tornados will return to action again at home next week as BC will play host to Pikeville College on Saturday, August 30, at 6 p.m. The two teams have never met before on the football field but have some connections as current BC Assistant Head Coach Jerry Mynatt was the Head Coach at Pikeville from from 2003 -2006, where he posted a record of 20-12 over the three-year span. In 2005, Mynatt led the team to the school's first ever appearance in the post-season National Championship Playoff Series and achieved the highest national ranking in the school's history at No. 5, where he still holds the record for most wins in Pikeville College history … The contest scheduled for Saturday night will be the season opener for Pikeville and their first ever visit to Brevard, N.C. The Tornados are 0-4 versus NAIA team since their establishment in 2006 and will be looking for their first win over an NAIA opponent and on the 2008 season on September 6.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The fifth-ranked Carson-Newman
Eagles opened the 2008 season in dominating fashion Thursday night
as they traveled to Concord University and brought home a 77-14
victory over the Mountain Lions … The Eagles racked up 722
yards of total offense - nine short of the school record - with the
first team offense playing a total of just four plays in the
contest. Concord finished with 218 yards - 109 on the ground and
109 through the air. Carson-Newman set the tone early with three
touchdowns in the first 4:30 of the opening quarter. The Eagles led
35-7 at the end of the first quarter and 56-7 at halftime …
Buck Wakefield scored from 11-yards out on the Eagles' first
offensive play of the game. After a three-and-out by Concord, C-N
needed just two plays before Alex Good turned an option keeper
upfield and took it 45 yards for the score. Good hooked up with
tight end Mo Whitten for a 67-yard touchdown strike on the Eagles'
next possession to give Carson-Newman three touchdowns in four
offensive plays … After a 52-yard scoring strike from
back-up quarterback Joel Staham to Reggie Hubbard gave
Carson-Newman a 28-0 lead with 8:26 left in the first quarter,
Concord got on the board with a two-yard touchdown run by James
Wilson. Ricky Harris added an 82-yard jaunt to the end zone late in
the first quarter for the Eagles … Carson-Newman needed just
38 seconds to dent the score board in the second quarter as Staham
hit Justin Long for an 80-yard touchdown . After a Concord fumble,
Staham rumbled in from 30-yards out to make the score 49-7 with
13:52 left in the second quarter. Wendy Desamour found the end zone
from three-yards out with 2:23 left to make the half time score
… Concord opened the scoring in the second half, once again
courtesy of a Wilson run …
Carson-Newman didn't attempt a pass in the second half, but found
the end zone three more times via the ground attack. Fourth-string
quarterback Doug Belk broke loose for an 84-yard sprint, while
Melton and Desmour added touchdown runs of 12 and five yards,
respectively … Belk finished as the team's leading rusher
with 104 on six carries. Ricky Harris recorded 103 yards on just
four carries. Desamour and Nate Inman added 73 and 62 yards,
respectively. The Eagles totaled 523 yards on 48 rushing attempts
… The Carson-Newman passing game was effective, as all three
completions (3-of-6) went for touchdowns. Staham was 2-of-4 for 132
yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Good's only pass
attempt was the scoring pass to Whitten … The Eagles will
return to Jefferson City next Thursday for their 2008 home opener -
an 8 p.m. showdown with third-ranked North Alabama at Burke-Tarr
Stadium. Tickets are still available, by calling (865)
471-3396.
CATAWBA - St. Augustine's cashed in on a pair of Catawba turnovers as the Falcons held off the 19th-ranked Indians for a 14-7 win in football action on Saturday night at Shuford Stadium and Kirkland Field. The loss marked the first season-opening loss for Catawba since 1995 ... After a scoreless first quarter, Stephan Stanback intercepted a Catawba pass at the Indian 35 early in the second quarter. On the next play, after taking a lateral, quarterback Anthony Brown tossed a 35-yard strike to Lendell Bembo, who made a grab in the back of the end zone against a pair of Catawba defenders for the game's first score ... Catawba was able to drive 76 yards in the final two minutes of the half to tie the score. Howard Williamson (Greensboro, NC/Dudley HS) completed five-of-seven passes on the drive, including a 29-yarder to Brandon Bunn (Virginia Beach, VA/Fork Union) on the final play of the half ... The biggest break for the Falcons came early in the fourth quarter when a punt bounced off the back of a Catawba player and was recovered by St. Augustine's at the Tribe 12. Brown ran in on the next play for the winning points ... Travis Landrum (Inman, SC/Chapman HS) returned the ensuing kickoff to the Falcon 26, but a fumble on a double reverse on the first play from scrimmage ended the threat. Catawba had one final chance, driving inside the St. Augustine's 20-yard-line inside the final three minutes. The Indians would turn the ball over on downs and the Falcons made one first down to run out the clock ... Brown completed 7-of-13 passes for St. Augustine's for 88 yards and a score. He added 40 yards on the ground and another score. Walter Sanders led the Falcon ground game with 72 yards and caught three passes for 25 yards. Williamson went 14-of-22 for 171 yards and a score for Catawba. The Indians were held to 64 yards on the ground.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The 2008 Lenoir-Rhyne University Football Team (1-0) opened the season with a resounding 51-13 victory over West Virginia Tech (0-1) Saturday night at Moretz Stadium in Hickory, N.C. … Fourteen different players ran the ball for the Bears, who totaled 361 yards rushing on the ground, en route to the win … Lenoir-Rhyne finished with 455 yards of total offense and scored its most points since a 55-28 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan on September 8, 2001 … The Bears also ran for the most yards in a single game since they accumulated 367 against Catawba on November 12, 1994, in a 59-21 victory in Salisbury, N.C. … That victory clinched a least a share of the South Atlantic Conference Title for L-R … Lenoir-Rhyne scored on its second play of the game, a 38-yard run by freshman running back Jasper Thomas (High Point, N.C.), and added two short touchdown runs by freshman quarterback Major Herron (Kingsland, Ga.) in the second quarter to take a 24-13 advantage into halftime … Lenoir-Rhyne then took complete control with four straight touchdown drives after intermission, highlighted by back-to-back scoring tosses from Herron … Herron finished with four total touchdowns (two on the ground and two through the air) and Thomas scored twice in the respective players' collegiate debuts … On defense, the Bears picked off two passes including two by sophomore safety Marcus Shuford (Newton, N.C.) … The two teams were meeting for the first time since 1988 … Lenoir-Rhyne now leads the all-time series with West Virginia Tech, 3-0 … For the Golden Bears, Josh Culbertson ran for 117 yards and Eric Putmon tallied 19 tackles despite the loss … L-R will face the second of three straight opponents at home next Saturday when it entertains Concord College with kickoff set for 7 p.m. … Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series with Concord, 5-0 … The last time the two squads met was on September 20, 2003, with the Bears prevailing by a 27-21 score in Athens, W.Va.
MARS HILL - The Lions lost their season opener Saturday night to NCAA Division I foe Furman University, 62-14 at Paladin Stadium in front of 8,419 fans ... Furman accumulated 299 yards of total offense in the first half of play while holding MHC to just 23 total yards. Furman rushed for 143 yards and threw for 156 yards ... MHC came out of the locker room and scored on their first drive when George Stripling (Jacksonville, Flab.) scored from six yards out. The drive consisted of seven plays for 77 yards that took 3:36. Michael Pinkerton (Bogart, Ga.) nailed his first PAT kick as a Lion to make the score 38-7 with 11:19 left in the third stanza ... Luis Cruz (Anaheim Ca.) scored the Lions' second touchdown with a eight-yard run with 3:29 left in the game. The score came after nine plays covering 51 yards that took 3:37 off the clock. Pinkerton recorded the PAT kick ... Furman ended with 486 yards of total offense, 256 an the air and 230 on the ground. MHC tallied 172 total yards, 98 rushing. Brown led Furman with 93 yards rushing with one touchdown while Sorrells threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns completing 19-26 attempts. Adam Mims was on the receiving end of six passes for 67 yards. Adim Obata led the Furman defense with six tackles, 1.5 tackle-for-loss and a half sack ... Stripling had 32 yards rushing and one score while Cruz threw for 74 yards and rushed for the Lions' second score. Frankie Waters (Brevard, N.C.) caught three passes for 36 yards to lead the wide receiver corps. Keadran Pinckney (North, S.C.) led MHC with a game high 18 tackles (11 solo). It was Pinckney's career high in tackles as well. Zach Johnson (Newland, N.C.) followed with seven stops and a tackle-for-loss ... Mars Hill will host the University of the Cumberlands on Saturday, September 6, in their home opener at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MHC leads the series against the Patriots, 2-0. The teams met in 2005 and in 2007. In the last decade MHC is 30-16 at home. The game will be broadcast on WKDK 940-AM in Burnsville and on the Internet at RedZoneMedia.com. The tailgate show starts at 12:05 p.m.
NEWBERRY - The 20th-ranked Newberry College football team dropped a 14-9 decision to top-ranked defending national champions Valdosta State at Setzler Field on Saturday… The loss snapped a 15-game home winning streak for Newberry, which was the third longest active streak in Division II… Sophomore receiver David Pressley (Anderson, S.C.) was Newberry's offensive leader with 6 receptions for 70 yards… Starting quarterback Brandon Gantt (Lexington, S.C.) was 15-of-19 for 102 yards, while backup Eric McCollom (Camden, S.C.) was 7-of-13 for 53 yards and a touchdown… Comments by head coach Zak Willis following the game indicated the early season quarterback battle is still not over… Tharry Salley (Blackville, S.C.) was the leading rusher for Newberry with 12 rushes for 38 yards… Wide receiver Kelton Tindal (Sumter, S.C.) caught five passes for 63 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter… Tindal also blocked a punt to set up a short field for the touchdown drive… Will Newell (Irmo, S.C.) had nine tackles to lead a Newberry defense which held the high-powered VSU offense to its lowest point output since September of 2005… Andre Clark (Rock Hill, S.C.) had two sacks to lead Newberry, while he and Derrell Kinard (Boiling Springs, S.C.) each recorded two tackles for loss and a forced fumble… Cornerback Andre Moyd (Andrews, S.C.) snagged an interception in the end zone just before halftime to keep the VSU lead at 7-2… Moyd earned Newberry's first two points earlier in the second quarter, as he forced the VSU punter out of the back of the end zone for a safety… Newberry takes the week off before hosting North Greenville on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers opened the 2008 season with a convincing 40-0 win over visiting Charleston (W.Va.)… The Pioneers scored on its first four possessions, while capitalizing upon two turnovers… Senior QB Corey Russell passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns… Russell went 22-for-31 through the air and also rushed for 26 yards on nine carries, including a seven-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter… Russell has eclipsed the 6,000 passing yards plateau, becoming the second player in school history and the 10th in SAC history to achieve that feat… Russell's 6,041 career passing yards is second in school history, 266 yards shy of the all-time mark held by former All-South Atlantic Conference signal caller Tony Colston… Freshman Rashaad Carter led the Pioneers with seven receptions for 76 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown… Ryan Tallent added six catches for 33 yards, while Jarrell NeSmith finished with four grabs for 38 yards and a TD… Marcus Foster guided the TC ground game with his 10 carries for 41 yards… Jamar Ferguson also accounted for five carries for 40 yards and a TD… The Tusculum defense forced three turnovers, including interceptions by Justin Scott and Tagon Richard… The Pioneers also got seven tackles from Scott, while Antrez McDaniel, Zach Norman, Jarvis Littlejohn and Randy Williams finished with five stops each… The Tusculum offense amassed 456 yards on the day, while the defense surrendered 310 yards as the Pioneers posted its second consecutive home-opening shutout in as many years… Tusculum coach Frankie DeBusk records his 60th career win, all with the Pioneers as he is sixth all-time in SAC history in victories… DeBusk also improved his August home record to a perfect 5-0 and the Pioneers also extend their home winning streak to six in a row… The Pioneers are now 26-30-3 in season openers, but 9-2 during the Coach DeBusk era (since 1998)… Tusculum is now 10-1 in its last 11 home openers… TC has outscored the opposition by a 347-90 margin in those games, including four shut outs… Tusculum is 53-3 all-time when scoring 30 or more points and 35-2 when posting 40 or more… Punter John Gregory tied a school record with his 125th career punt… He already holds the school record for punting yards and his 41.01 average is second in the TC Record Book… Tusculum will be on the road this week when they take on former SAC member Gardner-Webb for a 6 p.m. kickoff from Boiling Springs, N.C… GWU leads the all-time series 3-0 with the last meeting coming in 1999 as the Runnin' Bulldogs edged the Pioneers 24-21.
WINGATE - Three Wingate University quarterbacks either passed or rushed for a touchdown Saturday, helping the Bulldogs to a 34-10 NCAA Division II football victory over Saint Paul's College at historic Cameron Field in Petersburg, Va. The contest was the season opener for both clubs ... The road victory was a team effort for the Bulldogs, as the offense compiled 361 total yards. The defense held the SPC Tigers to 142 total yards. Wingate converted seven-of-12 third-down conversions and two-of-two fourth-down conversions ... Wingate redshirt senior quarterback JD Moore was 11-for-18 with 165 yards and two touchdown passes. Moore's long completion was a 72-yard catch-and-run toss to junior tight end Ryan Webber ... Bulldog junior signal-caller James Hall was five-for-seven passing. He added an acrobatic 21-yard touchdown jaunt in the fourth quarter. Wingate redshirt freshman quarterback Cody Haffly was four-for-four with 56 yards and one scoring strike ... "I was very pleased with our effort Saturday," Wingate head coach Joe Reich said. "We were able to see many players in many different situations. I give Coach (Bobby) James (Wingate's defensive coordinator) much credit. He had our defense ready to play." ... The Wingate defense featured 10 new starters on Saturday. Bulldog senior safety Dietrich Wright was the only returning 2007 starter on the field to start the contest. "At one time, we had three true freshmen playing linebacker at the same time," Reich noted, as Clayton Hazeltine, Richie Kazazian and Shane Outen shared the field for an important first half series ... Wright led the Bulldog defense with nine tackles (eight solo), one tackle for loss and one pass break-up. Redshirt junior linebacker Greg Harmon had eight stops and one tackle for loss, while sophomore linebacker Ben Hinson had seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Wingate led 34-3 when Saint Paul's scored its only touchdown with 2:19 to play in the contest ... Bulldog senior wide receiver Kameron Kranz wreaked havoc on the Tiger special teamers, as he returned three punts for 63 yards and one kick-off for 16 yards. His long punt return was a 51-yarder in the third quarter. Kranz also registered a team-high (tying) three receptions for 12 yards ... Wingate redshirt senior punter/place kicker Michael Crutchfield had a solid day, booming two punts for an average of 40 yards. He also booted three extra points. Thanks to the efforts of Crutchfield and the Bulldog return coverage teams, Wingate won the average field position battle (Wingate's AFP was the Wingate 43, while Saint Paul's was the SPC 36) ... With Saturday's victory over Saint Paul's, Wingate improves to 8-0 lifetime against members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The Bulldogs have three wins over Fayetteville State University and two victories each against Saint Paul's College and Johnson C. Smith University. Wingate possesses one triumph over Virginia Union University ... Wingate stays on the road next Saturday, visiting North Greenville University for a 7 p.m. contest. Saint Paul's will host CIAA newcomer Chowan University Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ... The Wingate University Sports Network will partner with Stretch Internet for at least 100 Internet audio broadcasts during the 2008-09 academic year. The Network will cover football, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and lacrosse during the 2008-09 academic year ... The Wingate University Sports Network welcomes new partner Stretch Internet to the Bulldog family. The 2008-09 audio broadcasts are free; however, Bulldog listeners must have QuickTime installed on their computer. Please note QuickTime is a free download; a QuickTime link can be accessed via the Stretch Internet web site ... The Network will broadcast at least four women's soccer matches, four men's soccer matches and seven volleyball matches. Recent Wingate graduate Ryan Brown (class of 2006) will provide the play-by-play for all of the broadcasts. Brown will team with Wayne Shadrick to broadcast the 11 football games during the 2008 season. The football pre-game show will begin 30 minutes prior to kick-off ... Headquartered in Mesa, Ariz., Stretch Internet provides streaming and other Internet services to more than 150 high schools, colleges, universities, professional teams and radio stations while reaching an audience of more than 50,000 users per month ... Stretch Internet was founded in 2002 by a former college sports information director. The corporation is devoted to customer service and providing a first-class, high quality experience for its clients and their extended communities.