The final week of September football. Three more SAC games that will either have the contenders rise to the top or will muddy the waters even more and keep us guessing for another week.

Week 4. In order of time.

Catawba (2-1) at #10 Carson-Newman (3-0)
1 p.m. - Jefferson City, Tenn.

The Eagles and Indians begin our fourth week of football in Mossy Creek. Just about everyone on the board lost all faith in Catawba after being shut out at home last week in the rain against Newberry. The Eagles once again got out to a lead early, and cruised past Brevard. Three C-N games and three touchdowns on all three opening drives.

Catawba was one of those teams we were all still unsure of where they were after two weeks of the season. West Liberty is still very much rebuilding and has only scored two TD's in their first three games (but somehow have a 2-1 record) plus Livingstone is on their way to another cellar dweller season. Catawba managed just 3 of 15 on third down against NC and that must change if they are going to have any shot against the Eagles. If anyone is going to beat C-N this year, it will be LR or a balanced offense that can sustain long scoring drives that keep De'Andre Thomas and the Eagle offense off the field. Seems like the Indians have found some consistency with the running game but O'Brien has to be better than 10-21. C-N like LR, has three super backs in Hibbet, Douglas, and Baker that can all post big numbers. Makes it so tough on who to game plan for. Carson-Newman, like last week against Brevard, expects to win but its up to them in how fluid they can be on offense and defense and how distant the final score can be. Catawba defense defended the run well last week but that was in rain on grass. C-N on their turf in the sun is a different story.

Prediction: Carson-Newman 49, Catawba 17


Wingate (1-1, 0-1 SAC) at #16 UNC Pembroke (3-0, IND)
2 p.m. - Pembroke, N.C.

The Braves and Bulldogs renew their rival for the seventh straight season in Pembroke on Saturday afternoon. The Braves completed the CIAA portion of their schedule 3-0 and find themselves in the Top 25 with four SAC schools coming up in the next six weeks. Wingate is coming off a disappointing performance in Hickory Saturday night. LR scored two TD's in their first two drives of the first half and two TD's in their last two drives of the first half to put the Bulldogs in an insurmountable hole.

Like the previous game, this matchup doesn't look like much according to the weekly pick 'em. Before we get into this years game, lets remember how wild last years matchup really was. UNCP took a 28-7 lead after the first quarter in which they scored on a pick six, an 89 yard TD run while Wingate threw three INT's. The next two quarters saw Wingate outscore the Braves 28-0 to take a seven point lead into the fourth. Despite Wingate having the ball for 10 of 15 fourth quarter minutes, the Braves outscored WU 21-0 in the final frame to win by 14. Wingate outgained UNCP by 250 yards but turned it over 9 times in the loss. This year will feature two teams that rely heavily on the passing game. Quite a turn around for the Wingate defense after dealing with LR last week. So much of this game will be on the secondaries. If the Bulldogs can't get the running game going, can they protect quarterback Robbie Nallenweg to give him chances to make plays through the air? People look at records and rankings but you can throw those out in a game that has turned into the best rivalry for both schools. The last three meetings have all been close, wild games. So will Saturday.

Prediction : None, calling game


Lenoir-Rhyne (2-1, 1-0 SAC) at Tusculum (2-1, 0-0 SAC)
2:30 p.m. - Greeneville, Tenn.

The Bears head to Greeneville with a ton of confidence after their big win over Wingate. Seven sacks, plenty of big plays and just one lost fumble. This week will give the Bears another chance to prove they are back to 2012 form on offense. Tusculum got off to a great start against NGU but couldnt finish the first half and let it effect them coming out of the locker room, giving up 30 straight.

Lenoir-Rhyne will usually have most of the attention on the running game and their efficiency. But it's been their defense that has been much more consistent this year. They limited Wingate to less than a yard per carry and didn't give up any big plays. Of course the rain had a lot to do with that. They will be tested again Saturday against Cordell who barely eclipsed 50% passing at NGU. I do think that North Greenville is a quality team in 2013 and like UNCP, could really cost some playoff spots to a GSC or SAC team. The Tusculum defense still has room to improve. We always blame the high scoring Pioneer offense for some of the struggles for the defense. But Saturday against NGU, the Tusculum offense had multiple three and outs along with a fumble in their own end zone during the decisive 2nd and 3rd quarters. Not much you can fault the TC defense there. I keep talking about it but I really believe there are still so many SAC teams that could make quality playoff runs but its still too hard to tell. Like Catawba, the Tusculum offense must be solid on third down and avoid three and outs at all cost. The LR offense seems to get better as the game goes on. The Pioneer defense was outstanding on third down vs NGU and must force LRU into 3rd and medium situations to have a chance. Tusculum got blown out last year 51-6 but this year at home and much improved, keep it much closer. The Bears get down early but rally for a road win to join C-N at 2-0 in the league.

Prediction: Lenoir-Rhyne 35, Tusculum 24

Mars Hill(1-2, 0-0 SAC) at Newberry (3-0, 1-0 SAC)
6 p.m. - Newberry, S.C.

The Lions head to the graveyard full of confidence but also disappointment after nearly knocking off D1 (sorta) Western Carolina. I wrote that I thought the Lions would give them a scare and did they ever! Has anyone had a stranger start to the season than Mars Hill? They let one slip away against West Georgia, then play great against Shorter then let another one get away. Seven SAC games along with NGU are ahead and Saturday against Newberry will tell us if they can settle in and be a contender. The Wolves had a solid showing in Salisbury and are headed in the same direction as they were a year ago. Hot start, but couldn't finish. The matchup with the Lions will be a huge test to figure out if they have a title caliber defense

So last week I wrote that NC quarterback WT Murden "hasn't been reliable enough to win the game on just his arm." Well the past is the past after Murden took over the offense and led the Wolves through the rain at Shuford Stadium. He didn't have huge numbers but didn't turn it over and threw for two scores. He seemed like he was back in his pre-season All-SAC form. NC also cut their penalties in half, committing just five. Miller, Davis, and Holmes have turned into of the best QB/RB/WR combos we've seen over the years. They are the definite leaders of the Lion offense. Shak Davis, like HH winner Jonas Randolph, seems to get better the more carries and the later in the game it gets. This game comes down to each defense picking their poison and denying the opposing offense. Does NC decide to game plan around Davis and force Miller to air it out. Will the MHC.... I mean MHU defense bring a heavy dose of Jasper Mason and Troy Harris to Murden and force the running game to beat them. This is the hardest game to pick. Seems like both teams are in pretty much same spot as last year when MHU won 35-28. That seven point win had a lot to do with the game being in Lion country. Newberry found ways to win tight games during the first two weeks and Mars Hill hasn't. That coupled with the graveyard gives the Wolves the slight advantage. Mars Hill early, Wolves late for the win.

Prediction: Newberry 35, Mars Hill 31



North Greenville (3-0, IND) at Brevard (1-2, 0-1 SAC)
6 p.m. - Brevard, N.C.

North Greenville heads to BC with a solid 3-0 record after rallying over Tusculum. The Crusaders look to play spoiler over this region, much like they did in 2011. I don't think they are anywhere close to the 2011 squad yet but time will tell. Nelson Hughes has done well protecting the football and spreading the offense out. They will need to get the running game a little more balanced once they get deeper into the season. Brevard returns home after a soggy loss to Carson-Newman and it wont get any easier with the Crusaders coming to Tornado Town.

Brevard, like most of C-N's opponents, got down early and just aren't built as a rallying/comeback team. They played the Eagles to a 21-14 score over the final quarters and can give them positive thoughts heading into this week. It was a little indicative of Carson-Newman letting off some of the gas but still finished strong. BC can't get down early against NGU. The Tornados are going to upset a team or two this year and that always happens from great starts and then wearing down the opponent with long, clock draining drives. Tanner Price continues to spread the wealth on the ground game. Five BC players got eight carries or more against C-N, including Price and have developed some nice depth. The Crusaders are giving up four TD's per game and expect the Tornados to have offensive success. Problem is, Hughes and the NGU offense will score more and knock off Brevard. Another chance to see how good North Greenville is and how much Brevard is getting better. Can the Crusaders win big heading into Charleston Southern or will Brevard show their improvement and make this a ball game. A mixture of both. But a heavier dose of Crusader.

Prediciton: North Greenville 30, Brevard 17


Next week is our only week of 2013 with all SAC games.