Weekly SAC Football Notes, October 5, 2008
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, October 4:
BREVARD - The Brevard College men's football team played their second consecutive South Atlantic Conference game at home on Saturday night, falling to the No. 18 nationally ranked Wingate University Bulldogs 44-13 at Brevard Memorial Stadium. The loss drops Brevard to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the SAC, while Wingate remains undefeated at 6-0 and 2-0 in conference play with the win … The Tornados defense came out of the gates on fire as on Wingate's first offensive possession, as junior linebacker Stanley Jones picked off a J.D. Moore pass in the middle of the field at the Brevard 10-yard line and returned it 37 yards to close to midfield to halt the Bulldogs from scoring and give early life to the BC crowd. However, the Tornados offense stalled and Wingate did not miss out only two possessions later as Moore connected with receiver Jordan Softcheck for an 18-yard touchdown pass to cap off a 4-play, 30 yard drive to put the Bulldogs on the board first … After the Michael Crutchfield extra point was blocked by Brevard's Shorick Johnson, the Bulldogs were up 6-0 with a little over six minutes remaining in the opening quarter … On their ensuing offensive possession, Wingate running back Patrick Pinchinat scored on a one-yard touchdown run, set up by quarterback Cody Haffly's 14-yard pass to Marquise Allen, to put the Bulldogs up by two scores. This time Crutchfield's extra point was good, putting Wingate up 13-0 after one quarter of play … In the opening drive of the second quarter, the Bulldogs drove 73-yards down the field on 14-plays, capped off by Nelson Woods touchdown run from three-yards out to give the Bulldogs a large 20-0 lead … The Tornados answered on their next offensive series, as BC junior running back Tyrone Arrington broke through the Wingate defense where he scurried for a 40-yard touchdown run to put the Tornados on the board for the first time in the game. Kicker Chase Henry knocked through the point after attempt to cut the Wingate lead to two scores at 20-7 … In the third quarter, the Bulldogs outscored the Tornados 13-0 to take a demanding 30-7 lead into the fourth and final quarter of play, as Crutchfield knocked through a 29-yard field goal with 7:41 to play in the third, which was followed up by a Moore 27-yard touchdown pass to Kameron Kranz on their next possession to go ahead 30-7 … In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs added some insurance points as Pinchinat scored on a 48-yard touchdown run, his second touchdown of the game, to put Wingate up 37-7. Wingate then scored again on a Vince Jordan 7-yard touchdown run up the middle, which capped off a 7-play, 68-yard drive to put the scoreboard at 44-7 with 8:02 remaining in the contest … The Tornados did not throw in the towel, as the Tornados drove down the field late in the fourth quarter, a 15-play, 73-yard drive which was capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by junior receiver Donald Hudson … For the game, Arrington had 73 yards on 12 rushing attempts and one touchdown, while fellow junior running back Desmond Wilson had 27 yards on eight carries … Receiver Shaton Pratt had 29 yards on three carries, while Hudson had 21 yards on eight carries and a score … Through the air, junior quarterback Matthew Gaines was 3-of-8 for 23 yards and one interception in his first ever start … Defensively, the Tornados were led by freshman linebacker Andrew Barrentine, as he had 14 total tackles for the game. Freshman cornerback Chase Waldo had 13 total tackles, while fellow classmate Michael Gist collected 11 tackles from the safety position … Linebacker Stanley Jones had 11 total tackles, one sack and one interception on the night, while the other Wingate turnover came by way of an interception by defensive lineman John Hardee … The Tornados will continue their conference schedule next Saturday, October 11, as BC will be on the road to Greeneville, Tenn. where they will face off with the Tusculum College Pioneers. The game is slated for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The 23rd-ranked Carson-Newman Eagles scored eight touchdowns on their first 33 snaps to beat visiting Mars Hill on Saturday afternoon, 61-49 ... The game tied the school record for most combined points in game, matching the Eagles memorable overtime loss to Northwest Missouri State in '99 in four overtimes, 58-52 ... Junior quarterback Alex Good tied the school record for TD passes in a single game with four, matching his four against Catawba in 2007 ... Good joins four other Eagles signal callers with the record ... He finished 6-for-8 for 238 yards ... Backup Joel Statham completed 2-of-5 passes for 59 yards, including a 45-yard screen to Dwayne Mims ... Junior running back Buck Wakefield ran for 140 yards and three touchdowns ... Junior Reggie Hubbard had a three score day ... He caught touchdowns of 59 and 48 yards ... He also scored on back-to-back touches in the third quarter, returning a punt 70 yards for a score after his second TD catch ... Senior Otis Miller had his first two TD receptions of the season as well, hauling in a 43-yard touchdown catch ... He also turned a short hitch route into a 20-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the Eagles first score ... The Eagles amassed 529 yards on the day on just 49 snaps ... Carson-Newman built a 35-7 lead at the midway point of the second quarter, only to see Mars Hill cut the lead to 35-21 after a fumble by Wakefield with under a minute to play in the half ... The Eagles would score the first 14 points of the second half to stretch the game back out to a 28-point lead at 49-21 ... Punter Chris Jones averaged 48 yards per punt on the day, none of his three kicks were returned ... The 49 points the Eagles allowed was the most since a 55-49 loss to Catawba in 2007 ... Mars Hill actually outgained C-N, but took 32 more offensive snaps than the Eagles ... C-N travels to Catawba next Saturday for a 7 p.m. kickoff with Catawba ... The Eagles have dropped their last two meetings with the Indians, including a 24-22 decision in Salisbury in '06.
CATAWBA - The Catawba Indians out-gained Newberry in total yards on Saturday, but had for turnovers and three blocked kicks which aided in a 33-14 loss at Setzler Field … The Indians fell behind 7-0, but rallied after a safety and a short run by Jamelle Cuthbertson to go on top 8-7 … Newberry would block the ensuing PAT attempt and return it for two points of its own and a 9-8 lead it would never surrender … Newberry scored on its next possession for a 16-8 edge then picked up another score after blocking a Catawba punt to lead 23-8 at the break … Newberry tacked on a field goal early in the third quarter and picked off a Catawba pass near the goal line to end a scoring threat … After the pick Kelton Tindal hauled in a 94-yard pass to virtual ice the game for the hosts with a 33-8 lead … Catawba finished with 374 yards to 342 for Newberry, but threw third interceptions, lost a fumble and had three kicks blocked … The Indians also missed a short field goal try early in the first quarter which would have given Catawba a 3-0 lead … Catawba has lost just once in 39 games under Chip Hester in which they have scored first … Cuthbertson ran for 108 yards for Catawba, zooming into 13th place on the all-time Catawba rushing list with his third 100-yard performance of the season … The senior is averaging 7.5 yards per carry after opening the season with just 23 yards on 12 attempts in a loss to St. Augustine's … Freshman Lakeem Perry recorded 17 tackles in the loss, while Julian Samolu had 10 tackles and forced a fumble … Melquan Fair and Julian Hartsell shared a sack … Williamson, who was just 3-of-14 for 96 yards, was intercepted on Catawba's first play, marking his first on the season … He would throw a 72-yard completion to Travis Landrum on his second pass … Catawba will return home this week after playing away since from Shuford Stadium since Sept. 6 … The Indians host Carson-Newman and Tusculum over the next two weeks..
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University football team (3-3, 1-1) fell to Tusculum College (4-2, 1-1) by a 48-19 score last Saturday in a South Atlantic Conference game on L-R's Homecoming in front of 7,119 fans at Moretz Stadium in Hickory, N.C. … TC quarterback Corey Russell passed for 375 yards and four touchdowns as Tusculum rolled up 482 yards of total en route to the win … Tusculum took advantage of three L-R first-half fumbles, which led to three Pioneer touchdowns, in building a 34-6 lead going into intermission … After L-R junior quarterback Justin Sanders (Monroe, N.C.) culminated the Bears' opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run, Tusculum reeled off 34 consecutive points including a pair of touchdowns by Marcus Foster and Calvin Britt … Lenoir-Rhyne cut the deficit to 34-12 when Sanders found junior tailback Joey Robinson (Tampa, Fla.) for a 30-yard touchdown reception on the first drive of the second half and looked to slice margin even further but was stopped on the TC three-yard line on its next possession … Tusculum then put the game away when Russell found Rashaad Carter (a game-high 148 yards receiving) for a 64-yard touchdown reception after taking over on downs with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter … Sanders passed for 119 yards and one touchdown and the Bears rushed for 238 yards despite the loss … On defense, senior Scott Turbeville (Columbia, S.C.) tallied eight tackles and two quarterback sacks in the losing effort … L-R is now 35-22 (.614) all-time on Homecoming … Lenoir-Rhyne averages 270.8 yards rushing and close to 60 carries per game this year … L-R has also rushed for at least 206 yards in every contest in 2008 … Seventeen players have carried at least once for Lenoir-Rhyne … Turbeville now leads the team in tackles (40), tackles for a loss (10), quarterback sacks (six) and forced fumbles (two) … L-R hits the road for two consecutive South Atlantic Conference contests starting next Saturday at Wingate (6-0, 2-0) beginning at 1:30 p.m. … Wingate was ranked No. 18 in last week's NCAA Division II Poll and is off to its best start in senior college history … Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series with Wingate, 15-7, but the Bulldogs prevailed last year by a 31-13 score on October 13, 2007, in Hickory, N.C. … Lenoir-Rhyne won the first 11 and 14 of the first 16 games in the series but Wingate has prevailed in five of the last six contests … L-R will also be traveling to Wingate for the third time in the last four years.
MARS HILL - Mars Hill lost at Carson-Newman Saturday afternoon, 61-49. The Lions fell to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the SAC … Saturday was a day for offensive fireworks at Burke-Tarr Stadium as No. 23 Carson-Newman and Mars Hill combined for 1,076 total yards … The Mars Hill offense was impressive, piling up 547 yards. The Lions did so on 81 plays from scrimmage, while Carson-Newman ran just 49 offensive plays … Mars Hill quarterback Ricky Spradling (Roan Mountain, Tenn.) was 15-of-31 through the air for 247 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a score … John Brown (Homestead, Fla.) and Tyrea Allen (Murphy, N.C.) each had four catches, for 104 and 83 yards, respectively. Brown and Elroy Harris (Orlando, Fla.) recorded two touchdown receptions apiece … George Washington (Warner Robbins, Ga.) contributed 138 rushing yards and one touchdown for the Lions. Allen added 83 yards on four rushes … Mars Hill outscored the Eagles 21-6 in the final quarter. Spradling hooked up with Brown and Harris for touchdowns, while Washington ran one in from 46-yards out … Next Saturday, Mars Hill will be at home to host Newberry for homecoming at 2:30 p.m. The Lions pregame show will begin at 1:05 p.m. on RedZoneMedia.com and the game will air on the Internet and on 940-AM WKYK.
NEWBERRY - Newberry College moved into a tie for the South Atlantic Conference lead with a 33-14 victory over 20th-ranked Catawba College … It was homecoming night for Newberry, and the scarlet and gray gave the alumni a treat of a game to watch … The special teams unit blocked three kicks, while the defense forced four turnovers … Kelton Tindal caught two passes for 143 yards … Both passes went for touchdowns, one of 49 yards and one of 94 yards … The 94-yard scoring pass tied for the longest pass play and play from scrimmage in Newberry College history … Tindal also blocked a punt inside the Catawba 5 to set up another score … Kamaal McIlwain blocked two extra points and nearly blocked a field goal attempt … Newberry took the lead with 2:54 remaining in the first quarter, when Gerald Legree capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run … Catawba put two points on the board when a Newberry snap went out of its own endzone … Catawba took the lead at 8-7 on a Jamelle Cuthbertson touchdown run, but Newberry immediately regained the lead, when Andre Moyd returned a blocked PAT attempt for a score, putting Newberry up 9-8 … Tindal caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Gantt with 5:09 before the half, and blocked a punt that set up Tharry Salley's 5-yard touchdown rush, giving Newberry a 23-8 halftime lead … Newberry extended its lead in the third quarter on a Britt Blackmon 20-yard field goal and Tindal's record-tying 94-yard touchdown reception … Catawba's Antonio Hall wrapped up the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run, but McIlwain blocked his second PAT attempt of the night … Newberry got off to a solid start, as senior linebacker Will Newell grabbed his first career interception on the first play of the game … Senior defensive end David Harris recovered a fumble in the third quarter and ran it inside the Catawba 10, while senior safety Derrell Mills and junior defensive back Antonio Patton each recorded interceptions inside the Newberry 5 … Salley was Newberry's leading rusher with 21 carries for 87 yards and a score … Gantt was 5-of-11 passing for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns … Junior punter Todd Moon had a solid performance, as he averaged 39.2 yards per punt and pinned Catawba inside its own 20 twice ... Mills and Devon Smalls led Newberry with five tackles apiece … The win was Newberry's third win over Catawba in the last four years … The 19-point margin of victory is Newberry's largest in the series since a 38-13 win over Catawba in 1996 … Newberry looks for its fourth 3-0 start to SAC play on Saturday at Mars Hill (3-3, 0-2 SAC) … Kickoff against the Lions is set for 2:30 p.m. at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill, N.C. … MHC holds a 23-15 lead in the all-time series … Newberry has won the last three meetings in the series, and the last two at Mars Hill … The game can be heard in Newberry County on WKDK-AM 1240 and online at www.WKDK.com and www.RedZoneMedia.com... Jimmie Coggins and Brice Zimmerman will provide the call.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (4-2, 1-1 SAC) ended a four-game road losing streak by winning 48-19 at Lenoir-Rhyne … Tusculum scored 34 unanswered points, including three touchdowns in the final four minutes of the first half … The three scores were set up by a pair of fumble recoveries and a blocked field goal … Senior QB Corey Russell went 20-for-35 for 375 yards… He also matched a career-best with his four touchdowns … His 375-yard performance marks the fourth straight game Russell has passed for over 300 yards, a first in Russell's career … Russell, who is already TC's all-time leader in passing and total offensive yards, continues his assault on the SAC Record Book … He is now fourth all-time in the SAC in total offensive yards (8,565) and fifth in passing yards (7,705) … Rashaad Carter and Calvin Britt recorded 148 and 100 receiving yards, respectively … The multiple 100-yard performances marked only the fourth time in TC history that two players tallied 100 receiving yards in the same game … Britt was involved in the most recent multi-100 yard effort, that coming last year against Wingate when Britt (196) and Ryan Tallent (118) achieved the feat … Tallent became the eighth player in school history to record 100 receptions in his career (102) … He is also one of eight players in TC history with over 1,000 receiving yards (1,084) … Senior LB Justin Scott joined an exclusive group himself, by recording his 200th career tackle, becoming the 12th player in Tusculum history to achieve that feat … His 202 career tackles are 11th in TC history … Scott also recovered his sixth fumble as Pioneer tying him for the all-time school mark with former All-SAC LB Ryan Cuthbert (1999-2000) … Tusculum is 55-4 all-time when scoring 30 or more points and 36-2 when posting 40 or more points … The win at L-R was Coach Frankie DeBusk's 63rd of his career … He is already the winningest coach in school history and is now tied with former Catawba skipper David Bennett for fourth all-time in SAC history … The Pioneers return home this week to face Brevard… It will be the fifth recorded meeting between the two schools and it will be BC's first ever visit to Pioneer Field and first trip to Greeneville since 1946… Tusculum leads the all-time series 3-1, including last year's 30-7 win at Brevard… Tusculum is 3-0 at home this season and have won its last eight in a row at Pioneer Field, which is tied for the longest home winning streak in school history.
WINGATE - The Wingate University football team compiled 524 yards total offense as the number 18 Bulldogs defeated Brevard College 44-13 in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday night at Brevard Memorial Stadium ... With the victory, Wingate improves to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the SAC. The 2008 Bulldogs achieve a milestone with the best start in the school's senior college history. Wingate has won seven consecutive contests, dating to last season. Wingate hosts Lenoir-Rhyne University Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ... Bulldog redshirt sophomore tailback Nelson Woods rushed 21 times for 126 yards and one score for the visitors. Wingate sophomore running back Patrick Pinchinat had nine carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns, while Bulldog redshirt senior quarterback JD Moore completed 18-of-33 passes for 182 yards and two TDs ... The Wingate defense held the BC Tornados to 181 yards total offense and only 23 yards in the air. Bulldog redshirt sophomore linebacker Ed Doughty had seven tackles (four solo, three assists) with 2 1/2 quarterback sacks (for 19 yards). Wingate freshman linebacker Shane Outen topped the Bulldog defensive charts with nine total stops (two solo, seven assists) ... In addition, freshman linebacker Clayton Hazeltine recorded eight tackles (two solo, six assists) and one tackle for loss. Classmate Antron Parker recorded his first career interception from his defensive back position. Three additional Wingate defenders had six total tackles each ... The Bulldogs bolted to a 20-0 lead and never looked back. In the first quarter, Wingate converted a Brevard fumble into six points when Moore found redshirt senior wide receiver Jordan Softcheck (Farmingdale, N.J.) with an 18-yard scoring strike at the 6:48 mark. Pinchinat helped the Bulldogs push the lead to 13-0 with a one-yard TD plunge with 1:57 to go in the first frame ... Woods got into the act in the second quarter, capping a 14-play, 73-yard drive with a three-yard scoring scamper at the nine-minute mark. The drive consumed 5:48 from the game clock. Redshirt senior punter/place kicker Michael Crutchfield added the extra point to put the Bulldogs up 20-0 ... Brevard scored on the next possession, as junior running back Tyrone Arrington found pay dirt with a 40-yard touchdown run. Arrington was Brevard's top ground gainer with 12 carries for 73 yards and one score. The Tornados would not score again until 50 seconds remaining in the contest ... In the second half, Crutchfield started the scoring with a 29-yard field goal. His three-pointer concluded a 12-play, 60-yard drive for the visitors. The march took 4:50 off the game clock. Crutchfield had a solid day, scoring seven points and booting three punts for an average of 43.3 yards per kick. Two of his boots landed inside the Brevard 20-yard line ... Wingate senior wide receiver/return specialist Kameron Kranz notched his first receiving touchdown of the season later in the third quarter. Moore found the fleet-footed Kranz with a 27-yard TD pass at the five-minute mark. Crutchfield's PAT put Wingate up 30-7 ... Pinchinat added his second touchdown in the fourth quarter with a 48-yard run at the 13:51 plateau. Wingate freshman running back Vince Jordan tallied his first career TD with 8:02 to play on a seven-yard run. On the afternoon, Jordan rushed four times for 35 yards. Wingate junior place-kicker RP Lopez converted the PAT after Jordan's score to conclude the Bulldog scoring Saturday ... The Bulldogs will host Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 1:30 p.m. Last year, Wingate outscored Lenoir-Rhyne 21-3 after intermission to take a 31-13 SAC victory over the Bears on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007. The Bulldogs have won five of the last six games in the LRU/WU series ... Lenoir Rhyne is one of two teams (Mars Hill is the other) Wingate has played every year since the institution revitalized football in 1986. Lenoir-Rhyne leads the series between the Bulldogs and the Bears 15 7 ... The Bulldogs will honor four new members of the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame during halftime Saturday. The quartet will be inducted on Friday evening, Oct. 10. Football offensive lineman Dave Thomas (class of 1957), tennis standout Audley Bell (class of 1971), basketball legend Bill Foster (class of 1956) and baseball catcher Dr. Jerry Pierce (class of 1964) will join 60 other Bulldog luminaries in the University's Sports Hall of Fame ... In addition to the four Sports Hall of Fame inductions, the Wingate University athletic department will honor a Team of Distinction at Friday's gala. The Team of Distinction for 2008 is the 1995 Bulldog women's volleyball team (36-6 overall), coached by James Mumford.