Weekly SAC Football Notes, September 7, 2008

Games recaps and notes from around the SAC for games through September 6, 2008.

BREVARD -The Brevard College men's football team picked up their first win of the 2008 season on Saturday night, as the Tornados used a 13 point third quarter to defeat the Pikeville College Bears 20-17 … The Tornados (1-1) got on the board first midway through the first quarter, as BC capitalized on a Pikeville turnover. On the ensuing BC offensive possession, BC running back went scrambling through the Pikeville defense and scored from eight-yards out to put the Tornados on the board for the first time this season … After a Chase Henry extra point, the Tornados found themselves up 7-0 with 8:45 remaining in the first quarter. Pikeville answered with a score of their own only four minutes later with their defense as BC quarterback Kye Hamilton had the ball fly out of his hands and into the air on a pass attempt. Pikeville defensive lineman Travis Norris grabbed the loose ball out of the air and rumbled 81 yards to the end zone for the touchdown. Chilton added an extra point to knot the score up at 7-7 … Chilton gave Pikeville the lead with 3:18 remaining in the first half, as he booted a 29-yard field goal through the uprights to give the Bears a 10-7 lead heading into the halftime break … The third quarter saw the Tornados dominate the game, holding on to the ball for close to 11 minutes in the quarter, while also scoring 13 unanswered points over the 15 minute span … Junior receiver Donald Hudson found the end zone early in the third quarter, as Hamilton connected with Hudson who made a diving catch for the ball in the end zone right down the middle of the Pikeville defense. The 36-yard touchdown pass, the longest play from the line of scrimmage through the air for the Tornados this season, put the Tornados up 14-7 … Two possessions later, the Tornados found the end zone again as Taylor busted through the right side of the line and then made a great cut back to the center of the field to go 44-yards for his second touchdown run of the game, capping off a five-play, 78-yard drive. The score gave the Tornados a 20-10 lead, their largest lead of the game, with 2:28 remaining in the third … The Bears tried to make a comeback late in the fourth quarter, as running back De'Rail Sims caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dan Wideman to cut the Tornado lead to three at 20-17 with 3:44 remaining in the game. However, the Tornados defense, which played well all game and forced the Bears to go away from the running game, came up big late as safety Trey Wilborn intercepted a Wideman pass deep in BC territory with 1:17 left in the game to help seal the 20-17 win for the Tornados … Taylor led the offensive charge for BC, as the senior had 110 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns for the game. Fellow running back Desmond Wilson had 18 yards on eight attempts, while Hudson had 22 yards on three attempts … Through the air, Hamilton was 11-of-20 for 93 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, as he connected with five different receivers. Hudson had four catches four 68 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Kyle Irby had three catches for 18 yards … Defensively, the Tornados were led by freshman linebacker Prince Simunyu, who collected two solo tackles and seven assists for the game. Cornerback Shorick Johnson had four solo tackles and one assist to go along with two pass break-ups. Fellow defensive back Wilborn had an interception, while fellow safety Josh Durm had a fumble recovery … The Tornados will hit the road for the first time in 2008 next Saturday, September 13, when BC will travel to Murfreesboro, N.C. to face off with Chowan University at 12 noon. The Tornados are 2-0 on the gridiron versus Chowan with the win in 2006 coming at Murfressboro, N.C.

CARSON-NEWMAN -- North Alabama's veteran quarterback A.J. Milwee completed 31-of-45 passes for 401 yards and two touchdowns to lead the third-ranked Lions (2-0) to a 20-13 victory over No. 4 Carson-Newman (1-1) Thursday night at Burke-Tarr Stadium and in front of a national television audience ... Milwee, who was a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist a year ago, kept the North Alabama offense moving in a game that was highlighted by the play of the defenses ... Both teams were almost one dimensional on offense. The Lions managed just 58 yards rushing on 37 carries. Carson-Newman rushed for 263 yards, but was just 7-of-17 through the air for 87 yards ...
Buck Wakefield led the Carson-Newman offense with 96 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. Quarterback Alex Good added 94 yards and a score on 13 carries. Good was 6-of-14 through the air for 65 yards and two interceptions ... Carson-Newman struck first in the contest when Alex Good rumbled in from one-yard out at the 8:52 mark of the opening quarter. The touchdown capped a 9-play, 54 yard drive. Carlos Lopez added the extra point ... North Alabama got a 47-yard field goal from Tom Schneider 1:30 into the second quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3. The Lions drove the ball down to the C-N nine-yard line just before intermission, but they were unable to add to their total before time expired on the half ... North Alabama took its first lead of the game with 5:51 left in the third quarter on Milwee's four-yard pass to Pickett. A 23-yard field goal by Schneider gave UNA a 13-7 advantage four seconds into the fourth quarter ... Carson-Newman finally found the end zone again when back-up quarterback Joel Statham led the Eagles on a six-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by Wakefield. Ingham's extra-point was blocked, leaving the score tied at 13-13 ... The score wouldn't last long as Milwee hooked up with Brandon Alldredge for an 8-yard score on the Lions' ensuing possession. Milwee completed five passes in the drive and had a key ten-yard run on third-and-seven from near midfield ... Carson-Newman had the ball for two more possessions in the final five minutes of the game, but both drives ended at the C-N 46-yard line ... The last drive was halted with 23 seconds remaining when Good was picked off by Anton Bowen ... Carson-Newman was led on defense by Otis Ballard's 11 total tackles ... Brian Brown added ten, including three for a loss. Mario Russell had an interception ... Carson-Newman travels to Bentley this week for the first Friday night game in the Ken Sparks era ... This is the first time the Eagles have traveled to the northeast for a game since a 38-35 win over New Haven in 2002 ... The Eagles beat New Haven in the return game in 2003 54-7 ... The meeting between C-N and Bentley is the first in the series ... C-N has an off week on September 20 before opening conference play at Newberry on the 27th.

CATAWBA - Catawba rebounded from its first season-opening loss since 1995 with a 41-29 win over Elizabeth City State on Saturday … Things looked bleak after four minutes as ECSU raced to a 13-0 lead, but Jamelle Cuthbertson ran for 150 yards and three scores to help rally the Indians … He capped a 78-yard drive with a one-yard plunge for the Tribe's first score then ran 49-yards for his second late in the first half for a 21-13 edge … His five-yard score midway through the third quarter gave Catawba the lead for good at 28-23 … Howard Williamson continued his solid play, completing 16-of-31 passes for 218 yards and two scores without an interception … he added 17 yards rushing … He tossed a 14-yard TD pass to Brandon Bunn on a third-and-12 for a 14-13 edge then connected with Gerron Bryant for a 23-yard score on a second-and-20 play for a 34-23 edge early in the final quarter … Marqus Davis sealed the win as he sacked Viking quarterback Curtis Rich, causing a fumble which he returned 47 yards for a score and the 41-29 lead with 4:40 remaining … Davis had a pair of sacks among his 3.5 stops for losses and added two hurries … Charles McAfee had 10 stops with five going for losses … Brian Terwilliger showed his versatility as he led the Tribe in receiving with four catches for 29 yards, ran for another 56 and completed a pass for 13 yards … Catawba totaled 479 yards of offense, while holding ECSU to just 265 … It marked the second straight week the Indians have allowed less than 300 yards … In two games, Catawba has recorded 25 stops for losses, including six sacks … Williamson has completed nearly 57 percent of his attempts in two games, going 30-of-53 for 389 yards and three scores with no interceptions … Cuthbertson's 150-yard outburst moved him into 25th place on the all-time Catawba rushing list with 1,262 yards … Antwan Strong had three receptions for 30 yards and reached the 100-catch mark for his career … Catawba will not return home to Shuford Stadium until Oct. 11 and a match-up with Carson-Newman … The Indians will head two miles for its next game, visiting Livingstone for the annual Mayor's Cup game on Saturday at 7 pm … After a week off, Catawba will open league play with trips to Mars Hill and Newberry.

LENOIR-RHYNE - The 2008 Lenoir-Rhyne University football team moved to 2-0 on the year for the first time since the 2000 campaign after the Bears defeated the Mountain Lions of Concord University (0-2), 28-10, Saturday evening at Moretz Stadium … The Bears rushed for 347 yards and rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the second quarter to claim the victory … Lenoir-Rhyne scored the first of its four consecutive touchdowns on freshman quarterback Jeremy Buchanan's (Enka, N.C.) three-yard run which culminated a nine-play, 73-yard drive late in the second quarter … The Bears, who trailed 10-7 at intermission, used special teams and defense to take complete control in the second half … L-R's scoring drives after halftime were one, one and two plays … Senior defensive back Barry Tate (Burlington, N.C.) returned punts of 21 and 38 yards, respectively, in the third quarter that set up Lenoir-Rhyne's touchdowns … Sophomore running back Andrew Courman (Beaufort, N.C.) scored from 20 yards out on the ground to give the Bears the lead for good with three-plus minutes remaining in the third quarter while junior halfback Joey Robinson (Tampa, Fla.) made it 21-10 with a 17-yard scoring run on a pitch with 36 seconds left in the third stanza … An interception by sophomore defensive back Carl Brooks (Raleigh, N.C.) set up L-R's last score: a five-yard touchdown run by Courman on the first play of the fourth quarter … Robinson (72 yards rushing) and Courman (71) led the Bears ground game while the Lenoir-Rhyne defense limited Concord to just 77 yards of total offense after halftime and picked off two passes … Sophomore defensive back Marcus Shuford (Newton, N.C.) led the Bears with 11 tackles and Tate finished with 127 all-purpose yards (53 yards on kickoffs and 74 yards on punt returns) … L-R has now won all six meetings against Concord … Lenoir-Rhyne has averaged 354 yards on the ground and 422.5 yards of total offense after two games in 2008 … Eight different Bears have scored touchdowns and 15 different players have ran the ball so far this season … L-R looks to start the year 3-0 for the first time since the 1999 season (that squad won its first four games) when it hosts Davidson College next Saturday at 7 p.m. … The Bears' contest with the Wildcats wraps up a three-game home stand to start the year … The series between the two schools is tied at 7-7-1 but Davidson has won the last two meetings including last year's 21-20 win on September 15, 2007, in Davidson, N.C. … Davidson is 0-1 on the year after falling to UNC Pembroke, 21-9, last Saturday on the road … Lenoir-Rhyne's 837 yards rushing against Davidson on the road in 1975 (a 69-14 victory) remains the all-time collegiate single-game rushing mark … L-R finished with 914 yards of total offense in the victory.

MARS HILL - The Mars Hill Lions won their home opener Saturday afternoon over the University of the Cumberlands, 37-14, at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. The Lions even their season record to 1-1 while the Patriots dropped to 0-1 on the year … MHC accumulated 518 yards of offense, 291 on the ground … Jonas Randolph (Daleville, Ala.) led the Lions averaging 14.2 yards per rush and two scores while George Washington (Warner Robbins, Ga.) accumulated 120 yards (6.3 avg.) and one touchdown … Ricky Spradling (Roan Mountain, Tenn.) completed 12-20 passes for 211 yards. Tyrea Allen (Murphy, N.C.) was on the receiving end of four of those passes for 87 yards … Chris Dowdell (Riverdale, Ga.) led the Lions' defense with 10 tackles (6 solo), a tackle-for-loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Dowdell's forced fumble led to Washington's 26-yard scoring run that put MHC up 23-7 with 2:04 left in the third quarter … Zach Johnson (Newland, N.C.) followed with a game high 12 stops (9 solo). Deshun Nesbitt (Asheville, N.C.) led the secondary with an interception, two pass breakups and three tackles … The third quarter belonged to the Lions. MHC scored 20 unanswered points in the frame to take a commanding 30-7 lead heading into the final period … Mars Hill will play at St. Augustine's College on September 13. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WKYK 940-AM in Burnsville and on the Internet at RedZoneMedia.com. The tailgate show starts at 12:45 p.m.

NEWBERRY - Newberry had this week off. Newberry will return to action Thursday night when it hosts North Greenville. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers couldn't take full advantage of four early trips in the red zone as TC dropped a 31-12 decision at NCAA Division I FCS Gardner-Webb… TC kicker Gareth Rowlands accounted for all the offense for the Pioneers as he tied a school record with his four field goals… Rowlands went 4-for-5 in his field goal attempts, making kicks from 20, 38, 35 and 25 yards… Rowlands four field goals ties the school mark held by All-American kicker Paul Czerniak, who boomed four field goals at Livingstone in 2000… The Tusculum offense was limited without a touchdown for the first time in 12 games… It also marked the first time in 12 outings that quarterback Corey Russell was held without a TD pass… Russell went 28-for-45 for 259 yards... His completion and attempt totals are the second most in his career… He now has passed for 6,300 yards, eight shy of breaking the all-time mark currently held by former All-SAC signal caller Tony Colston… Russell is also just 35 yards of moving ahead of Colston in total offensive yardage... TC receiver Ryan Tallent hauled in a career-best 12 receptions for 87 yards… Tight end Jarrell NeSmith also posted career bests with eight catches for 83 yards… Offensively, Tusculum amassed 265 yards on 58 plays (4.6 avg.), but were held to just six yards rushing… Two-time All-SAC punter John Gregory, became the school's all-time leader in career punt attempts with 130, surpassing the previous record held by Mike Carter… Gregory also moved into sole possession of the lead for career punting average at 41.20 yards per punt… Against GWU, he average 46 yards per punt, which is the fourth best average by a Pioneer in a game… Defensively, Jarvis Littlejohn led all tacklers with 13 stops, including a tackles for loss… Jeremy Thompson added eight tackles, while Brandon Kelley finished with seven tackles, including two for loss, a sack and forced a fumble… Jermaine Jennings also added five tackles, while also forcing a pair of fumbles… TC head coach Frankie DeBusk now drops his record to 8-4 all-time against NCAA I-FCS teams… Tusculum returns home this week to host Elizabeth City State University… It will be the first-ever meeting between the Pioneers and Vikings… Tusculum is 5-0 all-time against teams from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)... TC has a six-game home winning streak and hasn't lost to a non-conference opponent at Pioneer Field since Sep. 9, 2006 when TC fell 22-10 to then third-ranked North Alabama… Tusculum is 53-3 all-time when scoring 30 or more points and 35-2 when posting 40 or more points.

WINGATE - Wingate University redshirt sophomore Nelson Woods rushed 21 times for 147 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs rallied for a 35-31 NCAA Division II football victory over North Greenville University Saturday night at Younts Stadium on the NGU campus … Woods gained 142 of his 147 yards after halftime. The Bulldogs and the Crusaders combined for 731 yards total offense. Wingate (2-0 overall) posted 376 yards on 58 plays, while North Greenville (0-2 overall) recorded 355 yards on 73 plays … The 2007 South Atlantic Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year, Woods also caught five passes for 41 yards in the Wingate victory. Appropriately, Woods scored on a four-yard run with 5:55 to play to give the Bulldogs the lead for keeps. The extra point by redshirt sophomore place kicker RP Lopez gave Wingate the 35-31 advantage. The Woods' TD capped a six-play, 57-yard drive for the visitors … North Greenville took a 31-28 edge with 14:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. A punt by Wingate freshman punter Jake Hardy pinned the Crusaders deep in their territory at the nine-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, NGU senior running back Rashad Cummings sprinted 91 yards for the go-ahead score. For the evening, Cummings carried the ball 18 times for 150 yards and the long-distance touchdown … Woods was by no means a one-man show for the visiting Bulldogs. Wingate sophomore running back Patrick Pinchinat returned an NGU kick-off 85 yards for a second quarter touchdown. The special teams' TD gave Wingate a 14-3 lead at the 8:52 mark of the second frame. Pinchinat also rushed for a touchdown later in the contest … Wingate redshirt senior quarterback JD Moore completed 18-of-31 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Moore and the offense had good field position all evening, as the Bulldogs' average field position was the Wingate 45. North Greenville's typical starting point was the NGU 32 … For the Bulldog defense, redshirt junior linebacker Greg Harmon had 12 tackles and one pass break-up. Wingate redshirt junior defensive back Brandon Lawson recorded 11 total stops for the visitors. Wingate senior wide receiver/return specialist Kameron Kranz returned three punts for 54 yards and four kick-offs for 104 yards … With the victory, Wingate improves to 6-0 lifetime against North Greenville. On Saturday, the Bulldogs open the home portion of their schedule with a 1:30 p.m. game against UNC Pembroke. The contest will be held at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus … Last year, Moore completed 21-of-30 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns as the #24 Bulldogs defeated UNC Pembroke 57-14 at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Field Sept. 15. The Bulldogs led 42-7 at intermission … The Wingate offense was working on all cylinders. On the afternoon, Wingate compiled 542 yards total offense (311 passing, 231 rushing). The Bulldogs were seven-for-seven in red zone scoring opportunities.