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Eagles flying high : Carson-Newman gets payback on the Bears with a big win. A couple people have mentioned it but it seems the Eagles are back to their old ways on offense. Brandon Haywood is doing a masterful job leading the unit so far. We will find out how "back' they are with a trip to Newberry coming up this weekend. Winner of that game takes control of league and should make an appearance into D2Football.com poll (cough cough).
Newberry escapes again : The Wolves have made their first three home games all count, posting a region best 3-0 record but they sure have made it interesting. All three wins have been of a different variety which can always be a positive but I'm still not sure they win the Shorter or Catawba game if they aren't at home. WT Murden proved his arm could carry the load and it will be interesting to see the play calling split coming up on Saturday.
Picked off : Back-to-back weeks, four different quarterbacks have had serious problems throwing the football to the right team. Last week Jon Richt and Bo Cordell were intercepted five times each, both coming on the road. This week BJ Sherill was picked off five times and Robbie Nallenweg was intercepted seven times. It is still relatively early in the year but if they played for TC Williams coach Herman Boone, they would be running a lot of miles.
Battle in the Trenches : Too many times (this column included) are the offensive lineman neglected for their great work in one of the toughest positions in sports. All work, rarely any glory. Ever seen the SAC or D2Football award an O-line as player of the week? Nope. But looking back at Saturday, how about process these numbers. Of the four teams that attempted 40 passes or more (CAT, WU, TC, NEW), only three sacks were registered. One of them came in last minute during desperation time for Wingate. A total of 174 dropbacks and 3 sacks. Great work.
Championship Season : Last weekened marked the beginning of official conference play. Every weekend from here on out we will have at least three conference games. How great does that sound? Seven of the eight schools in the SAC have won/shared a championship since 2008. In just five years, everyone but Brevard(in their defense, program still just five years old) has taken home hardware. Impressive balance throughout the league and this year feels like another, always suprising and always entertaining SAC season coming.
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Offensive Helmet Stickers:
Anthony Lewis & Shaikel Davis, RB, Mars Hill : (28 car, 230 yds, TD). The two Lion tailbacks combined for a huge day rushing in the shutout win against Brevard. Lewis had an 88 yard TD run in his first action of the season, while Davis continues to produce in his sophomore year, averaging over five yards per carry.
WT Murden, QB, Newberry : (27-42, 64%, 331 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT). With Catawba's defensive line shutting down the Wolves run game, Murden went to the air 42 times to help Newberry stay undefeated. He had only attempted 39 in the first two games and though he threw his first two picks, Murden proved the Newberry offense can be successful relying on himself and the receivers.
Brian Marshall, RB, Tusculum : (13 car, 90 yds, TD, 258 yds All-Purpose ) : Marshall did just about everything on Saturday but throw a pass. He rushed for 90, caught 7 passes for 54 yards, and piled up 114 yards in the return game during the Pioneers first win of 2012. Most importantly of all considered was the rushing yards, something TC wants to develop to help get some sign of balance for the offense.
(Just outside the huddle- Jason Livingstone, WR, Newberry, Chris Bowden, WR, Wingate, Jarrod Spears, RB, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Defensive Helmet Stickers:
Jumal Rolle, DB, Catawba : He was all over the place on Saturday at Setzler Field. Rolle had four solo stops, a fumble recovery, and two interceptions. On top of that he blocked the only field goal attempt in the game in the fourth that would've put Newberry up 10 points. It appeared to set up a game-tying drive but Catawba failed to score on fourt attempts inside the 10 yard line.
Brian Spencer, DB, Newberry : Spencer led a Newberry secondary that intercepted Catawba five times in the seven point win. Spencer had two of the interceptions along with five tackles and a pass break-up. The NC defense tackled well also, as Catawba had just a 5.5 yard per catch average.
Greg Beauduy, LB, Carson-Newman : He turned in seven tackles, a sack, tackle for loss and a fumble return for a touchdown that was the icing on the cake for the Eagles. The Eagle defense also recovered four more LR fumbles in the win.
(Just outside the huddle - Demetrius Green, LB, Lenoir-Rhyne, Mam Nyang, DL, Mars Hill, Alstevis Squirewell, DL, Newberry )
Special Teams Helmet Stickers:
Curt Duncan, K , Carson-Newman : Duncan had the most impressive day kicking in quite some time in the SAC with a 17 point effort. He drilled four field goals off the turf, including one from 50 and converted all five PAT attempts. The Eagles beat LRU to set up a huge matchup with Newberry this week.
Eric Watts, P, Brevard : I continue to be impressed by the job that Watts has been doing. Eight more booming punts against Mars Hill, with five of them inside the 20. Another average over 44 yards for a struggling Tornado team. Brevard isn't winning games yet but it isn't because of the field position battle.
(Just outside the huddle - Brad Winters, P, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Coaches of the Week
Frankie Debusk, Tusculum & Tim Clifton, Mars Hill : Both coaches had triumphant home openers to pick up their first win in 2012. Clifton had the Lions ready for Brevard, shutting down the Tornados 38-0 in SAC opener. Mars Hill will have a bit of payback on their mind when they head to Tigerville this week. DeBusk's defense continued to show improvement and also was able to produce in the ground game, both things of emphasis. The Pioneers will have a huge matchup back on the road at Catawba.
SAC Week 2 Pick 'Em Helmet Stickers
"NewOPSUDad", "ironcheftvdinner" (5-0 records) : Both nailed the UNCP win over Wingate to have a perfect record in week 3. Ironchef picks up his second helmet sticker along with OPSUDad, who somehow found his way to the board from Oklahoma.
(Just outside the huddle - Everyone else that finished 4-1)
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A 12 pack of Stats:
33: Games in a row that Tusculum has failed to have a 100 yard rusher, dating back to the end of the 2008 season. Marshall nearly reached the mark with 90 yards rushing Saturday.
9:54: The amount of time Newberry's opponents have possessed the football more than them in 2012 so far, despite the Wolves perfect 3-0 start.
51 : The amount of points Lenoir-Rhyne beat Carson-Newman by in 2010 & 2011 before falling by 24 to the Eagles on Saturday.
50: Career touchdowns at Mars Hill for quarterback Jon Richt
00:00 : The amount of time in minutes and seconds that Carson-Newman has trailed this season.
-6 : Wingate's turnover ratio at the beginning of the fourth quarter against UNC Pembroke, yet started quarter leading 35-28.
1: Number of turnovers for Tusculum in their win over the Crusaders after giving it up 9 times in the first two losses.
0-3: Brevards record through three games, the first time they are winless through three weeks since their first season in the SAC.
13: Straight games to start his career, with at least one catch for Mars Hil WR Dimitri Holmes before the streak was broken Saturday.
0: Number of sacks the Newberry offensive line has allowed this season through three games, after allowing just five in 2011.
28: Career number of touchdown receptions for Wingate's Chris Bowden, which breaks the school record.
21: The amount of points LR allowed in the fourth quarter during the 2011 season. The Bears gave up 21 in the final period to C-N on Saturday.
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As always, feedback is welcomed. Coming up Wednesday I will (hopefully) have Mars Hill coach Tim Clifton & Tusculum coach Frankie DeBusk, and the preview column on Thursday. As always, thanks for reading.
- Ryan ( @RyanBrown_PxP )