SAC Football Notes, November 1, 2009
Game notes and recaps from around the SAC for games of Saturday, October 31:
BREVARD - Richard Ray picked up the blocked punt and rumbled 12 yards into the endzone as the Tornados completed the home portion of their 2009 season with a win over visiting Catawba, 7-6 ... Brevard recognized their 22 seniors in the pregame festivities as the Tornados also celebrated their first four-year class of seniors since the program was reinstated in 2006 ... With the win over the Indians, the Tornados home record improved to 4-1 on the season and Brevard has improved to a modern program best 7-3 on the season, 3-3 in conference play ... The Tornados were held to 88 total yards on offense in the game as both teams struggled to gain a foothold in the mud which covered the field from the beginning of the game and at times it was uncertain as to who was what after pile-ups on the field covered everyone who played in the mud ... Neville Bryce led the Tornados rushing game, which failed to gain 100 yards on the ground for the third week in a row, as the junior fullback picked up 43 yards on 10 carries ... Michael Crumbaker, coming off of surgery, started the game at quarterback and rushed for 12 yards and gained seven more in the air on a shuffle pass to Derek Church ... The Tornados defense held the Indians offense to nine first downs in the game and 175 yards, with most of the Catawba damage coming on the ground ... Stanley Jones eclipsed 100 tackles on the season for the first time in his collegiate career with nine in the first quarter on his way to 16 on the season ... The senior linebacker has 108 tackles on the season, averaging 10.8 per game to lead the South Atlantic Conference ... Donald Hudson picked off Pat Dennis' last attempt to seal the game at the the Brevard 8 yard-line ... Brandon Rawls and Chris Lumbu continued the Tornados 12-game sack streak in the fourth quarter, dropping Daniel Griffith in the fourth quarter ... Brevard finishes the 2009 regular season this upcoming Saturday on the road against Newberry.
CARSON-NEWMAN - Senior running back Buck Wakefield rushed for a school-record 303 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 18th-ranked Carson-Newman football team to a 45-7 victory over Wingate on Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at Irwin Belk Stadium…With the win, the Eagles (8-2, 6-0) claimed its 21st SAC title and extended its winning streak to eight games…Wingate falls to 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in conference play…Wakefield surpassed the single-game rushing mark of 299 yards set by Heath Hawkins in 1998 against Slippery Rock. Wakefield has now rushed for 685 and 10 touchdowns on 51 carries in four career games against the Bulldogs, averaging 13.4 yards per carry…The Eagles amassed 657 yards of total offense on the day with 496 yards on the ground and 161 through the air…C-N senior signal caller Alex Good completed 6-of-11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Eagles' passing attack. He also added 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground…Good's first touchdown pass, a 53-yard scoring strike to Charles Dobson on the fourth play of the game, moved him past former Eagle great Leonard Guyton for first in school history in career touchdown passes with 42…The record was the second Good has broken in as many games, as he also became the Eagles' all-time leader in total offense last week against Brevard…C-N turned in another stellar performance on defense. The Eagles surrendered 373 yards on the day but held Wingate out of the end zone with two goal line stands. C-N had three fourth-down stops for the game…The Eagles took the opening kickoff and needed less than two minutes to find the end zone…On C-N's fourth play from scrimmage, Good connected with Dobson on a bubble screen, and Dobson evaded a defender and raced 53 yards to pay dirt…Carlos Lopez's extra point gave C-N a 7-0 lead with 13:15 left in the first quarter…Lopez added a 31-yard field goal at the 3:22 mark of the first stanza to push the Eagles' lead to 10-0…Eagles senior cornerback P.J. Woods set up C-N's next score by intercepting Wingate's Cody Haffly at the Eagles 21. C-N then went on an 11-play, 79-yard scoring drive capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run by Ricky Harris to give the Eagles a 17-0 advantage…Wingate scored its lone touchdown of the game two possessions later, as Haffly found Phillip Thomas for a 42-yard touchdown pass to cut C-N's lead to 17-7…But the Eagles answered on the very next play…Wakefield took a handoff from Good and busted loose up the middle and outran the Wingate defense for a 68-yard touchdown run. Lopez's point after gave C-N a 24-7 cushion…The Eagles added two more touchdowns to close out the half…Good hooked up with Dobson for a 56-yard scoring strike and added a 7-yard touchdown run with 13 seconds left in the second quarter to give C-N a 38-7 advantage heading into the locker room…Dobson finished the day with a career-high 125 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions…C-N put the game away late in the third quarter, as Wakefield broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 45-7 lead…C-N closes out the regular season next Saturday at home against SAC rival Tusculum…Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Burke-Tarr Stadium…C-N leads the all-time series, 28-9-2…The Eagles, who are ranked second in the Super Region II Regional rankings, lost last year's matchup 45-44.
CATAWBA - The Indians lost the battle against Brevard and the elements on Saturday in its 7-6 loss on a rainy day and muddy field at Brevard Memorial Stadium ... A blocked punt returned for a touchdown and the ensuing point-after with 5:33 left lifted Brevard to the win ... Catawba's last chance ended on an interception at the BC five after driving to the Tornado 25 with a minute to play ... The Catawba defense did not allow a score and held Brevard without a first down and a mere five yards in the second half ... Brevard did not take a snap in Catawba territory after its first drive of the second quarter ... Catawba outgained the Tornados 175 to 88 and had the only two drives in the second half that produced a first down ... Dennis completed 6-of-12 passes in the elements for 68 yards and one touchdown ... The touchdown went to Brandon Bunn for his 12th of the season ... Catawba missed the point-after try ... The Indians also fumbled away a chance to add to its lead at the BC 20 in the third quarter ... Levon Curtis ran for 85 yards and freshman Cory Johnson had 10 tackles ... The Indians close out its season this weekend against Lenoir-Rhyne ... Catawba has won 13 of the last 14 in the series and need a win to avoid its first losing season since 1994.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University football team (4-6, 1-5) suffered its fourth straight loss as it fell to Newberry College (5-4, 3-3), 24-21, Saturday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference contest on the Bears' Senior Day at Moretz Stadium … Newberry, which rallied from a 21-3 second-quarter deficit, defeated Lenoir-Rhyne for the fourth straight year and retained the Bishops Trophy … The trophy is sponsored by the ELCA and is the annual battle between the two Lutheran Schools of North and South Carolina … Newberry's Gerald Legree rushed for 153 yards on 22 carries and scored the game-winning, 73-yard touchdown run with 12:02 left in the contest in the victory for the Scarlet and Gray … Three consecutive one-yard touchdown runs by L-R junior running back James Pone (Wilson, N.C.), sophomore running back Jasper Thomas (High Point, N.C.) and senior quarterback Justin Sanders (Monroe, N.C.) gave Lenoir-Rhyne a 21-3 advantage before Newberry started its rally … Newberry quarterback Brandon Gantt tallied two straight touchdown runs (11 yards and one yard) to cut the margin to 21-16 before Legree's game-winning score in the fourth stanza … Newberry held a 359-260 advantage in total yards and limited Lenoir-Rhyne to just 48 yards of offense after the break and forced the Bears into seven straight punts … Lenoir-Rhyne did rush for 247 yards on the day, led by sophomore fullback Byron Darby's (Gastonia, N.C.) 106 yards, but passed for just 13 yards … L-R was led on defense by junior safety Marcus Shuford (Newton, N.C.) and junior linebacker Victor Nito (Douglas, Ga.) with nine tackles apiece while Shuford's forced fumble set up Lenoir-Rhyne's third touchdown of the game … The setback marks the third loss this year where the Bears held a double-digit lead in the second half … Darby, who leads the team in rushing this year with 563 yards and a 7.1 average-per-carry, has gone over the century mark twice in 2009 … Sanders is second on the team in rushing (552) and has gone over 100 yards in a game twice this year as well … Eleven different players have scored rushing touchdown this season (29 total) and L-R continues to average 284.3 yards rushing per contest … Lenoir-Rhyne finishes the regular season this Saturday when it travels to Salisbury, N.C., to face Catawba (4-5, 1-5) beginning at 1:30 p.m. … Catawba leads the all-time series with Lenoir-Rhyne, 46-38-1, and has won 13 of the past 14 meetings between the two schools … Catawba prevailed last year by a 58-23 score on November 8, 2008, in Hickory, N.C.
MARS HILL - Tusculum defeated Mars Hill 38-28, on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field … Jonas Randolph also had an impressive day for MHC. Randolph (Daleville, Ala.) had a monster game as he rushed for a career-best 260 yards on 38 carries, including four touchdowns … Randolph established a new school single-season record with 1,618 rushing yards. He is 250 yards shy of the SAC season record with at least one game remaining … He also owns the records for most rushing touchdowns (16) in a single-season and most all-purpose touchdowns (16) in a season … The Lions fell to 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in the SAC … MHC entered the contest No. 5 in NCAA II Super Region 2 … Both teams combined for 850 yards offensively (MHC 439, TC 411), while each squad committed three turnovers each … But Tusculum took advantage of good field position all day. TC's average field position was at its own 40, while Mars Hill started on average from its 26-yard line … Mars Hill also went 0-for-3 on its fourth-down conversions … Randolph's rushing performance is the 11th-best in South Atlantic Conference history, while marking the fourth time this year he has rushed for over 200 yards in a game … Leading the Lions defensively was Maurice Harris (Hendersonville, N.C.) as he finished with eight tackles, including three sacks … Darin Baldwin (Florida City, Fla.), Marzarius Samon (Jacksonville, Fla.) Josh Baker (Skyland, N.C.), Zach Johnson (Newland, N.C.) and Antwon Murchinson (Fayetteville, N.C.) each finished with seven stops in the loss … Mars Hill will host Wingate next week for its regular-season finale on Senior Day. The game is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College football team defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University, 24-21, at Moretz Stadium in Hickory on Saturday to win the Bishops Trophy for the fourth straight season… With the win, Newberry's record moves to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in South Atlantic Conference play… Senior running back Gerald Legree was the offensive leader for Newberry, carrying the ball 22 times for a career-high 173 yards, including the game-winning 73-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter… Senior quarterback Brandon Gantt completed 12-of-24 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, but also had touchdown carries of 11 and 1 yards… Gantt continues to move up the single-season passing records at Newberry, moving into fourth in both completions (174) and attempts (301) and third in yardage (2,151)… He is sixth in school history in career yardage (3,543) and career total offense (4,253)… He is responsible for 20 touchdowns this season with 11 through the air and nine on the ground… Ron Parker and Andrew Koszela tied for the team lead in tackles with 10 apiece… The duo was also responsible for Newberry's two takeaways on the day, with Parker snagging his SAC-leading 6th interception and Koszela recovering a fumble… Britt Blackmon started the Newberry scoring on the first drive of the game with a 23-yard field goal, his sixth of the season and 14th of his career… The six field goals in a season is the 10th most in school history… Blackmon connected on eight field goals last season… L-R then scored three touchdowns in a row, all from 1 yard out as the Newberry defense struggled to stop the run… Gantt's 11-yard touchdown carry with 2:26 left in the first half made it a 21-10 game at the break… The Newberry defense came out of the break on fire, holding Lenoir-Rhyne to 48 total yards of offense in the half and only 4 yards in the third quarter… Gantt's 1-yard touchdown carry in the third quarter was set up by a 29-yard carry from Alkeem Sherman, and Legree put Newberry ahead for good with a 73-yard touchdown carry on the first play of the drive with 12:02 remaining in the game… L-R managed only two first downs the rest of the game to give Newberry the win… Newberry outgained the Bears, 359-260, in the game and won the game despite converting on only 1-of-12 third down attempts… Both teams were a perfect 3-of-3 in the red zone… The win was Newberry's fourth straight against L-R, marking the scarlet and gray's longest streak in the series since winning five straight from 1995 to 1999… Newberry will close out the season at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, at Setzler Field against the resurgent Brevard Tornados (7-3, 3-3 SAC)… Newberry holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series and has never allowed a touchdown to the Tornados… NC won in Brevard last year, 17-0… Newberry was a 17-6 victor in 2007 in the last meeting at Setzler Field.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (3-6, 2-4 SAC) posted a 38-28 homecoming win over visiting Mars Hill… It was Tusculum's seventh straight win over the Lions and third straight homecoming victory… Senior WR Ryan Tallent became the school's all-time leader in receptions (204)… He tied the record with his 200th reception, that coming on a seven-yard touchdown catch in the final moments of the first half to put the Pioneers in the lead (14-13)… Tallent takes over the previous record, held by former All-American Kevin Wolcott (200, 2000-03)… Tallent is still behind Wolcott in receiving yards having tallied 2,200 catching yards, 177 behind Wolcott's 2,377... It was a pretty good day for Tallent as he was also crowned Tusculum's Homecoming King at halftime… Tusculum scored on five straight possessions spanning the second and third quarters, including a pair of touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half… Freshman quarterback Bo Cordell passed for 366 yards and four touchdowns… During the second quarter, Cordell went 11-for-18 for 107 yards and two touchdowns… In his last three games, Cordell is averaging 345.0 yards per game, while throwing for 11 touchdowns during that three-game span… He has completed at least two TD passes in seven of his nine games this year… Cordell has passed for 2,934 yards so far, which are the second most in school history… They are also a new TC and South Atlantic Conference record for most passing yards in a season by a freshman… Senior tight end Jarrell NeSmith led all receivers with 92 receiving yards (on 5 receptions), including a 47-yard touchdown… NeSmith has recorded 1,573 yards (5th in TC history) on 149 receptions (3rd in TC history) for his storied career… Tallent has made at least two receptions in each of his last 32 games, while NeSmith has made a reception in 31 straight contests… Senior Nate Binder has posted a catch in all 21 of his Tusculum games… Junior Calvin Britt had his catch streak halted at 17 in a row as he was blanked against Mars Hill… Junior Lyall Harrison recorded a pair of interceptions in the second quarter… Harrison's two picks marks only the 16th time a player has tallied two picks in game in school history… Tusculum head coach Frankie DeBusk recorded his 71st career win on Saturday… He is already Tusculum's all-time winningest coach and fourth in SAC history… He needs one more win to move into a tie for third place with former Gardner-Webb skipper Woody Fish (72)… With the win over Mars Hill, Tusculum is now 70-8 all-time when scoring 30 or more points… The Pioneers will close out their season this week as they face arch-rival Carson-Newman in the 39th recorded meeting between TC and the Eagles… Tusculum won last year's encounter 45-44 to force a three-way share of the SAC title... Since 1926, Tusculum is 1-12-1 against the Eagles in Jefferson City and 0-6 all-time at Burke-Tarr Stadium… TC has lost 10 straight in Jefferson City and haven't won at C-N since Oct. 20, 1934 as the Pioneers posted a 3-0 win to capture the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference title… The Pioneers and Eagles first met in 1904, making the TC/C-N series the second oldest football rivalry in the State of Tennessee.
WINGATE - Wingate redshirt sophomore quarterback Cody Haffly completed 19-of-37 passes for 280 yards and one touchdown in Wingate's 45-7 loss to number 18 Carson-Newman Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field … Haffly's favorite target Saturday was redshirt junior wide receiver Philip Thomas, who caught six passes for 102 yards and one score. Carson-Newman senior running back Buck Wakefield led the Eagles, rushing for a school-record 303 yards and two touchdowns … Wakefield has now rushed for 685 and 10 touchdowns on 51 carries in four career games against the Bulldogs, averaging 13.4 yards per carry. The Eagles amassed 657 yards of total offense on the day with 496 yards on the ground and 161 through the air … Haffly and redshirt senior quarterback James Hall combined for 330 passing yards, but the Bulldogs lost the turnover battle 3-1. Wingate entered the contest as the number two team on the NCAA Division II turnover margin charts with a plus-14 rating … Wingate got on the scoreboard in the second quarter, as the Bulldogs marched 80 yards on six plays to find pay dirt. Haffly finished the drive with a 42-yard scoring strike to Thomas. Bulldog redshirt junior place kicker RP Lopez added the PAT to make the score 17-7 Carson-Newman with 4:23 remaining in the second quarter … On the next play from scrimmage, Wakefield scored the first of his two touchdowns with a 68-yard bolt to the end zone. Wakefield scored the only touchdown after intermission when he recorded a 64-yard scoring run with 56 seconds to play in the third quarter. In addition to his 303 rushing yards, Wakefield caught two passes for 36 yards … Wingate posted 373 yards total offense on the day, but the Eagle defense held the Bulldogs out of the end zone with two goal-line stands. Carson-Newman had three fourth-down stops for the game. Wingate entered the game as the SAC leader in fourth-down conversions with 10-of-15 successes … The Bulldogs honored 21 seniors in a pre-game ceremony Saturday. With last week's Catawba triumph, Wingate's senior class sets a school record with its 29th career victory. In addition to the pre-game festivities, four new Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame members were recognized at halftime … Baseball first baseman Jeremy Byers (class of 1995), men's soccer standout Kirk Calvert (class of 1971), softball pitcher Angela Curlew Lampley (class of 1999) and basketball power forward Andrea McCloud (class of 1982) joined 64 other Bulldog luminaries in the University's Sports Hall of Fame during a Saturday morning ceremony … Wingate completes the 2009 regular season Saturday, climbing the mountain for a 1:30 p.m. contest at Mars Hill College. Mars Hill leads the overall series between the two schools 13-10. Mars Hill is one of two teams (Lenoir-Rhyne is the other) Wingate has played every year since the Bulldogs revitalized football in 1986 … In 2008, the MHC Lions rallied from a 13-point first half deficit en route to a 45-42 SAC football victory over number 22 Wingate at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus … Bulldog tailback Nelson Woods had a monster 2008 contest against the Lions. The 2007 SAC Freshman of the Year, Woods rushed 30 times for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Both the rushing attempts and the rushing yardage obliterated his previous career highs.