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D2Football.com Columnists South Atlantic Conference

South Atlantic Conference

November 27th, 2007

Catawba's season came to a screeching halt in the second half at Valdosta State. The Indian special teams unit was responsible for most of the mistakes in a third quarter that ultimately ended the year for one of the most talented teams ever at Catawba, at least offensively. The Tribe posted a record of 11-2, but the 55-29 final score makes a dream season seem sour.

A 16-10 halftime lead was turned into a fourth quarter deficit of 48-16 due to numerous short fields for a great quarterback in Willie Copeland and a physical running back in Michael Terry to carve into like a Thanksgiving turkey. The outlook of the game did not look promising from the start. Blazer free safety Sherard Reynolds returned a Grayson Downs fumble for a quick touchdown with less than a minute off the clock. The Indians are 36-1 when they score first under head coach Chip Hester. Despite Valdosta stealing momentum early, Catawba bounced back with an eleven play drive that covered 65 yards. After George Bell's touchdown run, the extra point was blocked by a determined Blazer special teams group that made gigantic plays throughout the game.

Valdosta proved last Saturday that special teams can turn a close game into a whipping very quickly. It is eerily reminiscent of the 2004 beating Catawba put on IUP by a score of 52-19. Nine times out of ten that score would not occur, but turnovers and special team mistakes opened the flood gates. VSU head coach David Dean also got a field goal block with a huge return, another extra point blocked, and several huge kickoff returns from Cedric Jones and Ronnye Nelson. The average punt for Catawba was 28.5 yards while the Blazers had one punt of 40 yards and that was inside the 20. It really did not matter if the Indians had Brett Farve on Saturday, the third phase of the game ended a promising season.

Brad Roach finished his Catawba career with a 278 yard performance with two touchdowns. Bell accounted for 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 16 carries while Jamelle Cuthbertson contributed 61 yards rushing. Receiver Brent Johnson was double teamed for the most of the contest and his numbers were very low and are unlike Brent, three catches for 35 yards and a late score.

A Different Southeast Region

Three conferences will represent the Southeast Region in the 2008 season. The South Atlantic Conference, Gulf South Conference, and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Missing from the region next year will be the CIAA. They will now play in the Northeast Region along with the PSAC, Northeast-10, and the WVIAC. The CIAA will not be a top conference in that region, but they will certainly be more competitive. Could it be possible for the CIAA to begin scheduling Northeast Region teams for non-conference games, which would make the SAC look for games against the GSC and the SIAC.

Carson-Newman fans will not have to worry about Shaw occupying a spot in the final regional rankings next season.

Eric McCollom Back for 2008

Newberry senior quarterback Eric McCollom, a transfer from Iowa, will be back in 2008 after he was granted a medial redshirt by the NCAA. It was the right decision for the NCAA to make and I am happy to see a player's career extended after suffering an unlucky setback. A 9-2 season for the Indians was an excellent rebuilding year, but with the losses of offensive lineman Heath Benedict and running back Alex Haynes on the offensive side of the ball, Newberry will rely on McCollom for production.

Final Record of 2007

I ended the season with a 56-5 record. There was a point in the 2007 season in which I won nearly 30 games in a row.

Contact D2Football.com's Timmy Readling.

 

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