SAC Football Notes, October 25, 2009
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, October 24:
BREVARD - Xavier Johnson picked up 64 yards on the ground for the Tornados, including a 21-yard scamper for the lone Brevard touchdown, but Carson-Newman took advantage of six BC turnovers, returning four of them for scores in taking home the win, 77-7 ... Brevard (6-3, 2-3 SAC) was held to their lowest rushing total of the season, picking up 75 yards on the ground with the senior fullback from Chester, S.C. picking up the bulk of the yards on 15 carries for an average of 4.3 yards per carry ... Eric Watts had yet another outstanding punting game for the Tornados, kicking the ball nine times for 368 yards, booting the ball 50-plus yards twice in the game and pinning the Eagles inside their 20 twice as he average 40.9 yards per attempt ... On the defensive side, Brandon Rawls continued the Tornados 11 game sack streak, dropping quarterback Alex Good in the second quarter, but Brevard saw their 10-game interception streak end today as the Eagles quarterbacks went 7-10 through the air. Prince Simunyu led the Tornados with nine tackles on the afternoon, while Salonik Amos and Stanley Jones recorded eight apiece ... Brevard is back in action on Saturday, October 31st, as the Tornados celebrate Homecoming and recognize the 25 seniors on the 2009 team in the pregame ceremonies before taking on the Indians of Catawba College ... Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and fans can gain free admission by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The 20th-ranked Carson-Newman football team amassed a season-high 598 yards of offense and returned a school-record four fumbles for touchdowns en route to a 77-7 victory over Brevard on Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at Burke-Tarr Stadium … With the win, the Eagles (7-2, 5-0) extend their winning streak to seven games and remain atop the SAC standings. Brevard falls to 6-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play … C-N senior quarterback Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.) had a record-setting day as his 25-yard run on the Eagles' third possession of the first quarter pushed him past former C-N standout Leonard Guyton for first place in school history in career total offense … Good finished the day with 129 yards of offense (59 rushing, 70 passing) and now has 6,731 yards for his career … Good wasn't the only Eagle to set a record, as sophomore kicker Carlos Lopez (Seymour, Tenn.) broke the school mark for the most extra points by making all 11 of his attempts on Saturday … Robby Milam (2000) and Aubrey Ingham (2007) held the old record of nine … C-N's defense turned in its best performance of the year … The Eagles held Brevard, the fifth-ranked rushing offense in the nation, to 75 yards on the ground and just 84 yards of offense for the game … C-N was in Brevard's backfield for most of the contest as it recorded 10 tackles for a loss … C-N also forced seven fumbles and returned six of them for 146 yards and four touchdowns … Freshman Jamar Neal (Columbia, Tenn.) tallied 10 tackles, two forced fubmles and a fumble recorvery to lead the C-N defense … The Eagles finished the contest with a season-high 500 yards on the ground, led by Nate Inman's (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 94 yards and a score on five carries … Buck Wakefield (Drummonds, Tenn.) chipped in 64 yards and a score on three carries, while Ricky Harris (Perry, Ga.) finished with 58 yards and a touchdown … Jamie Bennett (Marven, N.C) added 49 yards and two touchdowns … The Eagles needed less than two minutes to put points on the board as they took the opening possession 82 yards in four plays … Wakefield capped off the drive with a 26-yard touchdown run … Lopez's extra point gave C-N a 7-0 lead with 13:28 left in the first quarter … Senior receiver Reggie Hubbard (Chattanooga, Tenn.) took a pitch from Good and weaved through the Brevard defense for a 54-yard touchdown run to push the Eagles' lead to 14-0 at the 10:10 mark of the first quarter … On the ensuing possession, C-N returned its first fumble for a touchdown. Eagles linebacker Byron Bell (Knoxville, Tenn.) stripped Matthew Gaines (Simpsonville, S.C.), and Jermel Demps (Valdosta, Ga.) scooped up the fumble and raced 20 yards for the score to give C-N a 21-0 cushion … Harris and Bennett added touchdown runs of four yards and one yard, respectively, on C-N's next two possessions to give the Eagles a 35-0 lead … Inman's 78-yard touchdown run and Elliette Jackson (Fairfield, Ala.) and Issac Kinley's (Johnson City, Tenn.) fumble returns for touchdowns of 15 and 31 yards, respectively, gave C-N a 56-7 advantage at halftime … C-N tacked on three more scores in the second half, including touchdown runs by Bennett and Brandon Baker (Miami, Fla.) and a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Kinley, his second of the day … The Eagles return to the gridiron next Saturday for a key SAC matchup at Wingate … The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-1) are a game behind C-N in the conference standings. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Irwin Belk Stadium in Wingate, N.C. … Carson-Newman leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs, 20-1…C-N survived the '08 meeting, 35-33.
CATAWBA - The Catawba Indians dropped a 42-17 decision to Wingate on Saturday ... The loss marked the third straight at home for the Catawba Indians ... The last three-game home losing streak by Catawba came from 1993-1995 when the Indians lost six straight, ending after the 1995 opener ... Patrick Dennis threw for 211 yards and two scores in the loss to the Bulldogs ... Both of his touchdown strikes went to Brandon Bunn, who increased his league-leading total to 11 on the season ... He is just the second Catawba receiver to reached double digits in receiving touchdowns in a season, three behind Ike Hill's 1968 record of 14 ... He now has 20 career touchdowns grabs ... Eric Morman had six catches against Wingate to up his team-leading total to 30 ... Catawba lost for just third fourth time when scoring first under Chip Hester, but three of those have come in the past two seasons and two this year ... The Indians have also struggled on third downs in SAC play ... Catawba converted just 3-of-12 against Wingate and are only 18-of-66 (27 percent) in league games, which includes a 9-of-18 performance at Carson-Newman ... The Indian defense has also had its struggles, allowing over 500 yards of offense in three of the last four outings ... Catawba will head to Brevard this weekend ... It marks the third meeting between the schools in football with Catawba winning the previous two.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University football team (4-5, 1-4) suffered its third consecutive loss when it fell to Mars Hill College (6-2, 4-1) by a 24-7 score last Saturday at the Ammons Family Athletic Center in Mars Hill, N.C. … The Lions' Jonas Randolph led the way with 177 yards rushing on 31 carries to go along with three touchdowns as Mars Hill won its third straight game and also defeated Lenoir-Rhyne for the third consecutive year … The Lions also held the Bears, the top-ranked rushing team in NCAA Division II, to just 73 yards on the ground … L-R entered the contest averaging over 315 yards rushing per game … Lenoir-Rhyne remained winless at Mars Hill since the 1989 season, when it defeated the Lions by a 28-21 margin … The lone score in the first half came on a 17-yard scamper by Randolph with 2:37 left in the second stanza … Mars Hill then extended the lead to 17-0 in the third quarter on another touchdown run by Randolph (eight yards) and a 25-yard field goal by Michael Pinkerton … Randolph's second touchdown run was set by an L-R fumble inside the 10-yard line … Lenoir-Rhyne's lone score came on a 33-yard touchdown pass by sophomore quarterback Major Herron (Kingsland, Ga.) to freshman wide receiver Artis Gilmore (Asheville, N.C.) early in the fourth quarter … Mars Hill then put the contest away with Randolph's third and final touchdown run of 12 yards on the ensuing possession … Herron finished with 140 yards passing while freshman wide receiver Brandon Brown added four receptions for 86 yards for the Bears … Junior safety Marcus Shuford (Newton, N.C.) led L-R on defense with 12 tackles … Mars Hill held a 401-220 advantage in total yards and remained in second place in the South Atlantic Conference standings … L-R needs to win its last two games of the year for its first winning season since 1994 … Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Newberry (4-4, 2-3) in its final home game of the regular season next Saturday at 2 p.m. … The game is also Senior Day for the Bears and is for the annual Bishop's Trophy … The trophy, sponsored by the ELCA, was established in 1987 and is between the two Lutheran schools of North and South Carolina … Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series with Newberry, 39-28-7, and the Bishop's Trophy series, 12-10 … Newberry, however, has won three straight games against Lenoir-Rhyne including last year's 38-14 victory on November 1, 2008, in Newberry, S.C.
MARS HILL - Jonas Randolph had another impressive day rushing as he ran for 177 yards and three scores to lead the Lions past Lenoir-Rhyne University, 24-7 in South Atlantic Conference football action at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium … Mars Hill improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the SAC with the win … Currently in second place in the SAC standings, Head coach Tim Clifton and his veteran staff are enjoying their best season since the 2000 campaign when the Lions finished 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference that placed them third in the league. Currently ranked fourth in the Super Region II, the Lions have a serious chance of making a playoff appearance this season if they can win at Tusculum and then at home against Wingate to close out the 2009 regular season schedule … Randolph (Daleville, Ala.), the nation's second leading rusher, averaged 5.7 yards per carry today. He currently has 1,358 yards rushing on the season and is averaging 169.8 yards per game … Travis Prince (Jacksonville, Fla.) caught four passes for 106 yards to lead the receiving corps. Jon Richt (Watkinsville, Ga.) and Luis Cruz (Anaheim, Calif.) combined for 181 yards passing completing 9-19 passes … Maurice Harris (Hendersonville, N.C.) led a solid defense that held the Bears to 220 yards of total offense. L-R managed only 74 yards rushing in the game. Harris totaled five tackles, two tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and a sack. Antwon Murchinson (Fayetteville, N.C.) added seven tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a fumble recovery and a sack … MHC will travel to Greeneville, Tenn., next Saturday to face the Pioneers of Tusculum College. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College football team lost a 34-31 game to the Tusculum College Pioneers at Setzler Field on Saturday… With the loss, Newberry's record falls to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in South Atlantic Conference play… Newberry built up a 28-17 halftime lead, but three turnovers in the second half spelled out defeat for the scarlet and gray… Senior quarterback Brandon Gantt completed 15-of-28 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown and had nine carries for 33 yards and three touchdowns of 1, 2 and 1 yards, but threw three interceptions… Gantt now has 2,006 passing yards on the season, which ranks fifth in Newberry history and is only the fifth 2,000-plus yard season in school history… He has 2,223 yards of total offense, which also ranks fifth in school history for a single season… For his career, Gantt has 4,096 yards of total offense, which ranks sixth in school history… David Smith was Newberry's leading receiver with six catches for 66 yards, while Kelton Tindal had two catches for 76 yards and a touchdown… Tindal now has 16 career touchdown catches (second in NC history) and 1,863 yards (fourth in NC history)… S.J. Worrell was the leading rusher with 20 carries for 73 yards… Defensively, Apollo Stretch was the leading tackler with nine tackles, with three of those for a loss… Brandon McCall notched a fumble recovery… Britt Blackmon was a perfect 4-for-4 on PAT attempts and was 1-for-2 on field goal tries, missing a 34-yard attempt in the second quarter and connecting from 28 yards out in the third quarter for Newberry's only score of the second half… The first half was a polar opposite from the second, with the Newberry offense starting out on fire... A 57-yard completion out of the backfield from Gantt to Worrell put Newberry at the Tusculum 16-yardline on only the second play of the game, and the first of Gantt's three touchdown carries put Newberry up, 7-0, with less than four minutes gone in the game... After a Tusculum score, Newberry scored again on its next drive, methodically chewing up yards on an 11-play, 57-yard drive that was capped by a Gantt 2-yard touchdown plunge to make it 14-7 in Newberry's favor with 2:21 left in the first quarter... After forcing TC to punt, Gantt connected with Tindal for an explosive 76-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to make it a 21-7 game... But the first of many scale-tipping plays came at the end of the next drive... Tusculum got one first down before being forced to punt... John Gregory blasted a 55-yard punt that Antonio Patton could not contain... He touched the ball in the field of play and it was recovered in the end zone by Hunter Adams for a touchdown to narrow the margin to 21-14... The Newberry offense seemed unfazed by the mishap and once again drove into the Tusculum red zone, but Blackmon's 34-yard field goal attempt missed just inches to the right to leave the score the same... After a Pioneer three-and-out, Newberry put together another long drive, trekking 81 yards on 14 plays over the course of six and a half minutes, with Gantt's third touchdown of the evening putting Newberry ahead 28-14 with just 44 seconds until halftime... Tusculum answered quickly though, with two Cordell passes quickly getting the Pioneers down to the Newberry 32 yard line... On fourth down, Gareth Rowlands connected on a 49-yard field goal as time expired to make it 28-17 at the half... From there, Tusculum used big plays to turn the tide in their favor... After a TC punt, Gantt was intercepted near midfield by Miles Washington, who returned it to the Newberry 39... It only took one play for Cordell to connect with running back Marcus Foster for a 39-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 28-24... Newberry pulled away slightly in the third quarter after McCall's fumble return into the TC red zone on a failed pitch attempt by Cordell... However, Newberry could only convert it into three points when Blackmon's 28-yarder made it a 31-24 game... The teams traded punts as the game entered the fourth quarter, but a fake punt by the Pioneers helped tie the game as Gregory connected with Rashaad Carter for a 43-yard pass that put TC inside the Newberry 5... Cordell found Binder in the back of the end zone two plays later to tie the game at 31-all... Newberry went three-and-out on the next drive, setting up TC at its own 20 after a Todd Moon punt... Newberry appeared poised to hold the Pioneers on third down, but Cordell found Deonte' Gist on a 56-yard completion that put the Pioneers on the Newberry 23... Newberry pushed Tusculum backwards, but Rowlands put the visitors ahead, 34-31, with a 44-yard field goal... The scarlet and gray defense found themselves back on the field quickly, after Antonio Johnson picked off Gantt at the TC 26 when the quarterback had to launch away a pass under heavy pressure... Newberry once again drove the Pioneers backwards on the first two plays, but Foster busted a 40-yard rush on third-and-19 to keep the drive alive... From there, a 25-yard completion to Binder and six penalties kept the clock going and the ball in Tusculum's hands... Rowlands connected on a field goal, but the points were taken off the board on a roughing the kicker penalty... Newberry did keep Tusculum from scoring though, getting the ball back at its own 3-yardline after the six minute drive... But it was the Pioneers' Javon Forsett who clinched the victory for Tusculum picking off Gantt on the next play to send TC home with its first SAC victory of the season... The loss marks the first time Newberry has lost consecutive games at Setzler Field since back-to-back losses to Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman to start the SAC slate in 2005... Newberry will look to get back on the winning track next week in the annual battle for the Bishops Trophy against Lenoir-Rhyne... The Haloween matchup in Hickory will be the 75th meeting between the two Lutheran schools and will kickoff at 2 p.m... L-R leads the all-time series, 39-28-7, but Newberry has won the last three matchups... Newberry won at home in 2008 by a 38-14 count, and shut out the Bears, 17-0, in the two teams' last meeting in Hickory in 2007... L-R's last win at home in the series was a 14-10 win in 2004.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (2-6, 1-4 SAC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 34-31 road win at Newberry… The Pioneers rallied from a 14-point deficit, out-scoring Newberry by a 20-3 margin in the final 31 minutes of the game to post TC's first league victory of 2009… The Tusculum defense limited Newberry to only 59 yards in the second half, while forcing four turnovers, including three second-half interceptions… TC rookie quarterback Bo Cordell passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns… The Cincinnati, Ohio freshman went 18-for-30, including 11-of-15 in the second half, while also throwing for 192 yards in the final 30 minutes… Junior RB Marcus Foster led all receivers with 83 yards on five receptions, including a 34-yard touchdown… Foster accumulated 201 all-purpose yards on the night (36 rush, 83 receiving, 82 return)… Junior kicker Gareth Rowlands accounted for 10 points with his four PATs and two field goals (49, 44)… Rowlands' 44-yard field goal with 7:19 remaining, proved to be the game-winner… He sparked TC's 20-3 rally with his 49-yard field goal as time expired in the opening half… The 49-yarder is tied for the fifth longest in school history… Rowlands established a new school career mark at Newberry as now has 146 points, becoming TC's all-time leader in kick scoring, surpassing former All-American Paul Czerniak (141, 2000-01)… Rowlands has been near perfect this season, making 20-of-21 extra points and a sizzling 11-for-13 on field goals… He is a perfect 8-of-8 on field goals of 40 or more yards, including a school-record 52-yarder earlier this season at Elizabeth City State… Senior WR Nate Binder finished with four catches for 71 yards, including a pair of touchdowns… In just 20 career games at Tusculum, Binder has hauled in a dozen TD catches, which are tied for fifth-most in school history… He has posted 1,420 receiving yards at Tusculum, which is eighth in TC history… Binder eclipsed the 2,000-yard plateau for his collegiate career… Including his two years at Missouri Science & Technology, he has amassed 2,026 receiving yards on 120 career receptions (16.89 ypc)… Senior WR Ryan Tallent is closing in on TC receptions record… He has posted 197 catches in his career, just three shy of former All-American Kevin Wolcott's 200 receptions from 2000-03… Tallent is also second all-time with 2,132 receiving yards to his credit… Of the 70 career wins by Tusculum head coach Frankie DeBusk, 30 have been come-from-behind victories, including Saturday's win at Newberry… The 14-point rally is tied for the second largest comeback since 1998… Three of Tusculum's four largest rallies have come against Newberry, all at NC's Setzler Field (TC is now 5-1 all-time at Setzler Field)… Tusculum hosts Mars Hill for homecoming this Saturday… It will also be Senior Day for Tusculum as 12 Pioneers will be playing in their final home contests at Pioneer Field… Tusculum leads the all-time series with Mars Hill, 15-8-2, including six in a row dating back to 2002… The Pioneers have also won four in a row against the Lions at Pioneer Field with the last MHC win in Greeneville coming in 1998… Since 1936, Tusculum is 10-15 in its homecoming game, but is 7-2 in his decade… This year will mark the first time Mars Hill has been TC's homecoming opponent.
WINGATE - Wingate University sophomore running back Vince Jordan posted 160 yards rushing to help the Bulldogs record 518 yards total offense in a 42-17 South Atlantic Conference victory over host Catawba College Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium. Jordan has 824 rushing yards this season … With the victory, Wingate improves to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the SAC. The Catawba Indians fall to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the SAC. Wingate's 21-member senior class sets a school record with its 29th career victory. Two previous classes posted 28 victories each … Catawba scored first, getting a 37-yard field goal by Thomas Trexler on the game's first possession. Wingate answered when Nelson Woods scored from two yards out midway through the first quarter. Woods rushed 19 times for 88 yards and two scores Saturday … The Bulldogs scored on their next possession, thanks to a 75-yard pass from Cody Haffly to Antonio Cotton with 2:53 left in the first quarter. Cotton's pivotal grab is his first career touchdown reception. The PAT by RP Lopez gave Wingate a 14-3 advantage … The Indians cut the lead to 14-10 early in the second quarter as Patrick Dennis connected with Brandon Bunn for a 30-yard score on a fourth-own play. Jordan set up the next Wingate score with a 52-yard run. The West Montgomery High School product capped the drive, scoring from two yards out for a 21-10 Bulldog lead with 7:22 to go in the half … Wingate stretched its lead to 28-10 on Haffly's 28-yard pass to Philip Thomas with 6:20 left in the third quarter. Catawba got its last score with 1:55 left in the third as Dennis and Bunn hooked up again, this time from 41 yards out. Bunn has a league-leading 11 touchdown catches this season … A 29-yard run by Jordan early in the fourth quarter set up Woods for another two-yard score and a 35-17 lead. Jordan got his second score with 3:25 left, running in from 22 yards out on fourth down … The Bulldogs ran for 284 yards. Jordan carried 17 times to accumulate his game-high 160 yards rushing. Both Jordan and Woods had two scores each. Haffly completed 16-of-24 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Cotton totaled 96 yards on three catches … Wingate did not commit a turnover on the afternoon and converted on half of its 16 third-down attempts. The Bulldogs are tied for third in the nation (with fellow super region member Albany State) in turnover margin … The Bulldogs won the field position battle, thanks in large part to the efforts of wide receiver/return specialist/place kicker Bobby Seidof. In his first collegiate kicking appearance, Seidof handled six of Wingate's seven kick-offs Saturday. He boomed the six kicks for an average of 63.3 yards, giving the visitors a plus-six-yard advantage in the most-important field position battle (Wingate 33 to Catawba 27) … Linebacker Aaron Plyler led the balanced Wingate defense with seven total tackles and his first career pass interception. Nine Bulldogs had three or more total stops Saturday. Safety Robert Fletcher, defensive lineman Cody Cole and cornerback Terrence Stephens had five stops each. Fletcher had two pass break-ups, while Cole posted two tackles for loss … Wingate returns home Saturday, entertaining number 20 Carson-Newman College for a 1:30 p.m. SAC contest. The Bulldogs will celebrate Senior Day and Sports Hall of Fame Weekend. Last year, Carson-Newman rallied from a 27-14 halftime deficit to take a 35-33 South Atlantic Conference victory over Wingate at Burke-Tarr Stadium … Both Wingate (number 16) and Carson-Newman (number 15) entered last year's contest as ranked teams in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division II top 25 poll. The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first three possessions in last year's encounter. Wingate quarterback JD Moore completed 23-of-50 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown. Moore also rushed for a third-quarter score … Carson-Newman leads the all-time series between the two schools 20-1. On Oct. 7, 1995, Bulldog quarterback Brandon Gandy led Wingate to a 25-24 win over the Eagles at Walter Bickett Stadium in Monroe.