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Smackdown at Setzler :Scare for the Bears: Ruben Hayes already had a 100-yard game rushing and was leading the Bears over Concord on the road. A reported concussion knocked him out of the game and forced him to watch his backups struggle in the fourth to take the loss. This is no doubt a major concern for LR. There is very little experience behind him at QB and it showed in the fourth against Concord. We will find out how serious it is come Saturday.
477 reasons to Fear the Veer : The Eagles once again began a season with a huge rushing effort, going for 477 yards on the ground against Glenville St. They dominated their first two games last year and then got bit by the injury bug, winning only three times in final nine weeks. They have a load of talent again and it will be interesting to see if they can keep the core unit healthy throughout season. If so , look out. The defense is still a work in progress after almost blowing a 35-14 lead.
New name, same defense so far for TC :CATU offense escaping spotlight :
Bulldog Backfield : It was a solid debut for QB Robbie Nallenweg, going 33-48 with seven of the 15 incompletions drops by wideouts. Wingate fell behind and had to abandon run but it will interesting to watch will be how the Wingate coaches attack the running back situation. Wingate, like Newberry, gave many players multiple touches in the first game. The general consensus is that tailbacks need many carries to get going so time will tell who they settle on. The unit is made up of two seniors and two sophomores.
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Offensive Helmet Stickers:
Brandon Baker, RB, Carson-Newman : (17 car, 219 yds, 3 TD). Baker averaged well over a first down every time he touched it in the opening win. The Eagle offense, when firing on all cylinders, is usually balanced and it was Baker that put on a show on Thursday against Glenville St.
Bo Cordell, QB, Tusculum : (38-58, 65%, 389 yds, 4 TD , 0 INT). After shaking off some first half rust, Cordell did his part on Saturday to get the Pioneers back in the game in the second half at Urbana. He found nine different receivers, throwing for four scores for the fourth time in his career.
Brandon Haywood, QB, Carson-Newman : (88 yds rush, 86 pass, 3 total TD) : The C-N faithful has been desperate for solid quarterback play and Haywood made them proud during week one. He led the offense to seven touchdowns, while only turning it over once.
(Just outside the huddle- Xzanvion Smith, WR, Tusculum, Chris Bowden, WR, Wingate)
Defensive Helmet Stickers:
Catawba Defense : (3 pts allwd, -33 yds rushing, 11 sacks). I knew West Liberty was bad, but the Catawba absolutely embarrassed the Hilltopper offensive line. Eleven sacks (Newberry gave up five during entire 2011), to go along with picking up EIGHT turnovers by eight different players. How about that for balance.
Troy Harris, DL, Mars Hill : Despite the loss to Western Carolina, Harris proved his worth among the D1 ranks, finishing with 10 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss. He will get another shot at a FCS offensive line this week.
Apollo Stretch, LB, Newberry : The Wolves defensive leader helped Newberry smother Elizabeth City for an impressive week one win. He finished with a team-high 12 tackles while recovering a fumble.
(Just outside the huddle - Jasper Mason, LB, Mars Hill, Jaycob Coleman, LB, Carson-Newman)
Special Teams Helmet Stickers:
JoJo Morris, P, Newberry : Morris averaged a staggering 47 yards per punt in the win over the Vikings. The ECSU starting average field position was their own 25 yard line. He also pinned two of the four punts inside the 20.
Eric Watts, P, Brevard : The preseason All-SAC selection punted seven time for an average of 45 yards against Division I Presbyterian. Five of the punts landed inside the 20 yard line. Watts also caught six passes, one resulting in a touchdown.
(Just outside the huddle - Chad Hollandsworth, K, Catawba)
Coaches of the Week
Ken Sparks, Carson-Newman : Sparks won career game number 300 at Burke-Tarr on Thursday night. As humble as they come, Sparks once again credited his players and staff for the many years of success. You do the math, (okay I will) : Coming into 2012, 32 years / 299 wins. 9.3 wins per season = legend.
Todd Knight, Newberry : The Wolves were the consensus pick for the most impressive squad during week one. Knight had a perfect game plan for ECSU and had his team prepared well to execute it. Newberry is coming off back-to-back losing seasons and this is exactly what Knight needed to get the year headed in the right direction.
SAC Week 1 Pick 'Em Helmet Stickers
"CAT U FAN" & "OLD CAT BLUE ": Both put up a message board high 6 wins on the weekend picking the SAC member games. The Urbana pick was the clincher for both.
(Just outside the huddle - Everyone else that finished 5-3)
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A 12 pack of Stats: (looking for a corporate sponsor)
36:06 :7 : The number of sacks combined for the seven SAC teams not named Catawba in week one. The Indians posted 11 against West Liberty.
10-0 : The margin Wingate outscored St. Augs in the first and fourth quarters. The Falcons scored touchdowns on four straight drives to end second quarter and start third.
0 :3 : Equals how many completions and how many interceptions Lenoir-Rhyne quarterbacks had against Concord.
27% : Completion percentage for Mars Hill senior quarterback Jon Richt against the Catamounts. He completed 54% in 2011 but was 10-27 on Thursday, similar to the 11-33 rate from 2011 against WCU.
5 : The number of SAC teams that Eagle back Brandon Baker has more rushing yards than after one week.
107 : Pass attempts combined for Wingate and Tusculum on Saturday. The rest of six teams in the league combined for 115.
.49 : The number, in seconds, of how long it took Newberry to take the lead on a Brian Spencer interception return for a TD.
106 : Yards Lenoir-Rhyne was penalized against Concord after being the least penalized team in the SAC last year at just 41 per game.
2 : Lion tailback Shaikel Davis has two 100-yard games in his career so far at MHC. Both have come against Western Carolina
15 :