A wild weekend across Division II took place, where many shocking upsets happened. The SAC was a microcosm of what happened across this great land on Saturday. The once-invincible Lenoir-Rhyne Bears looked awfully human in their loss to North Greenville, while Tusculum and Newberry's offenses were lifeless in their respective defeats.

Mayberry and its outspoken population offered their unique perspective shortly after Week 2's conclusion.

Carson-Newman: 20 Shorter: 7

A noon kickoff was a mighty early start for this non-conference matchup between the Eagles and Hawks. I assume the kickoff was this early because the early bird gets the worm?

While shoveling some Chinese food into my mouth, followed by gulps of Cherry Lemon Sun Drop (an excellent beverage by the way), it was apparent very early that this contest was not going to be a shoot out. Neither team accumulated more than 300 yards of total offense, and the half-time score was a mild 14-7 Carson-Newman lead.

Most of Shorter's 242 total yardage occurred on a 77-yard scamper by fullback BJ McCoy late in the first quarter. The game in general, nor the Eagle's halftime lead, appeared to be in any danger despite the lack of offense by both squads.

"Danger!?" yelled Barney Fife. "Where?!"

"Oh Barn, that was just Tommy reassuring his reading audience that Carson-Newman always had control of that ball game," Andy Taylor explained to his bumbling deputy.

Virginia State: 40 Tusculum: 13

The Pioneers fell hard 40-13 in their home-opener against one of the CIAA's traditionally strong programs in Virginia State.

"Yeah Ange," said Barney while hoisting his pants up well over his belly button. "It was Tusculum's first home-opening loss since 2009. Not much went right on Saturday for our Pioneers."

"I should say not," said a concerned Andy while rising from his chair. "What on earth went wrong for the score to be that lopsided?"

"I'll tell you what happened!" Barney exclaimed. "Before Tusculum could blink, Virginia State had snuck their Trojan horse inside Pioneer Field and it was 21-0."

That is quite a tale Fife told Sheriff Taylor, but maybe there is some validity to it after all. Perhaps you could say a select group of star players were hid inside this Trojan horse, waiting to overrun and overwhelm Tusculum on their home field. Running backs Kavon Bellamy and Trenton Cannon combined for nearly 340 rushing yards once they exited the horse's belly.

The lone bright side in the Tusculum loss was the defense's ability to force three interceptions by Trojan quarterback Tarian Ayres. Veteran defensive back Cameron Thomas was one of the recipients of one of those throws.

"You remember DJ Starling back in the good ole days, Ange?" reminisced Fife. "Thomas reminds me of him."

"Barn, that was only about 15 years ago when he played for Tusculum," Andy replied. "And yeah, you are right. Thomas could be a spittin' image of Starling by next fall."

Bowie State: 35 Brevard: 21

"It was Deja vu all over again for the Brevard Tornados, Andy!" yelled Barney inside the Snappy Diner.

"Barn, keep your voice down," whispered Andy. "I know Brevard lost over the weekend to Bowie State 35-21. And let me guess Yogi Berra, you told others during the game that it ain't over 'til it's over?"

I'll answer that question, Sheriff. By the end of the third quarter and three straight Bowie State touchdowns, I assure you it was over. (Brevard did add rushing scores shortly before the end of the third and fourth quarters to make it appear closer.)

The dynamic duo of Mayberry have quite a knack for quoting the baseball legend and his coined Yogisms. Brevard fell by this exact same score last week to the hands of Bowie State. Deja vu indeed.

Brevard quarterback Tyler Gregory was sacked five times over the weekend, and witnessed the Bulldogs pile up 14 tackles for losses against his offense. Bowie State signal caller Matthew Goggans lit up the Tornado defense for 352 yards and four touchdown passes.

Jacksonville: 17 Newberry: 14

Both Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife began singing "The Vacant Chair" in reference to Newberry's disappointing 17-14 defeat to Jacksonville University on Saturday afternoon.

And surprisingly enough, Fife sang on key.

What was not on key was the Wolves offense after trigger man Braxton Ivery was forced into action in the second half. Starting quarterback Raleigh Yeldell and his backup Zach Blair exited the game due to injuries. Ivery only connected on two of his ten attempts, while Blair tossed two pilfered passes during his limited action.

Mayberry's law enforcement did change the grim lyrics to fit Newberry's first loss of the young season.

"There will be one less undefeated SAC team," sang Andy and Barney, "The other undefeated teams shall meet and play, but we shall miss Newberry."

The reason for the somber occasion? Meet Jacksonville University quarterback Kade Bell.

Bell has been one of the most impressive signal callers to date this season across the college football landscape. Road wins at Delaware and Newberry are credited to Bell and his near 600 passing yards.

Led by Newberry linebacker Taylor McDonnell, the Wolves were brave in their attempt at trying to limit Bell's effectiveness. Newberry unloaded 16 quarterback hurries, 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. (I'm counting down to Christmas already, don't judge me.)

Let's keep in mind this loss neither hurts Newberry from a conference title standpoint nor affects their playoff berth aspirations down the road as it was not a Division II loss.

Chattanooga: 44 Mars Hill: 34

To put it simply, Mars Hill fought the Mocs for 60 minutes on Saturday in Tennessee. The SoCon team had problems with Jacksonville State last weekend in their 23-20 season-opening loss, and almost started their 2015 campaign 0-2 after squeaking out a 44-34 win over Mars Hill.

Barney leaned against one of the jail cells with a huge smile on his face. Andy knew Barney was just dying to be asked why he was carrying such a jubilant facial expression.

"What are you grinning about now Barn?" laughed Taylor.

"All I'm going to say Ange is that Mars Hill could have sealed the deal at Jordan-Hare Stadium against Auburn. I mean if Chattanooga only lost to Jacksonville State by three points in their opener, and Mars Hill was within striking distance the entire way against Chattanooga, it is entirely possible," uttered Fearless Fife.

"Easy there Barn," hesitated Andy. "You don't want to go out on a limb like that do you?"

"In Layman's terms Andy, Mars Hill gave Chattanooga all they could handle and then some," Barney stated.

"I see." said Andy.

"Oh, and didn't you also see what I did there"? exclaimed Fife. "Matt Layman? Layman's terms? Layman is Mars Hill's quarterback. Oh c'mon now Ange."

"Now I have to admit that ain't half bad," said Mayberry's sheriff. "I heard Layman threw for 220 yards and four scores."

"And seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent," began a drunk Otis inside the jail, or "The Rock" as Barney likes to call it.

"Don't you even start that mess," interrupted Andy and Barney in unison.

As good as Layman was in the Lion's impressive outing against the Mocs, his freshman receiver Keshaun Taylor was most stellar.

Taylor hauled in nine catches for 157 yards and all of Layman's four scoring strikes.

Wingate: 30 Shaw: 16

"It's time to take this show on the road Andy," joked Deputy Fife.

"Barn, are you referring to the Wingate Bulldogs being 2-0 so far this season, while not being at home?" Sheriff Taylor replied.

"No Andy, I'm talking about doing another annoying Victory Chevrolet radio advertisement," joked Barney. "Of course, I am talking about the SAC's most impressive team so far, the Wingate Bulldogs."

Last week, the stifling dog pound defense limited the Johnson C. Smith rushing attack to only 31 yards. Coach Joe Reich must have thought 31 yards was way too much to surrender, because Wingate clamped down even more in this past weekend's 30-16 victory. The Shaw Bears only managed 29 yards on the ground. Currently, Wingate ranks third in all of Division II in rushing defense.

Kyle Johnson has been exceptional thus far behind center for the Dawgs with no interceptions and a 64% completion mark, while Lawrence Pittman is a natural at running back. The sophomore amassed 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Shaw.

Catawba: 35 Davidson: 21

Cary Littlejohn galloped for a 64-yard scoring run midway through the opening quarter during Catawba's expected 35-21 victory over the Davidson Wildcats.

Without pre-season all-league running back David Burgess for the foreseeable future, Littlejohn answered critics' questions about his ability to carry the workload with exclamation points.

The senior running back ran for a career high 193 yards, and looked as if he were sprinting towards the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He might not be able to catch Usain Bolt or Asafa Powell within the next 12 months, but thus far, he has sprinted in to the nations' top 25 rushers.

Turnovers still plague the passing game. Quarterback Mike Sheehan has thrown four interceptions against only one touchdown in 2015.

Linebacker Kyle Kitchens is a true workhorse for the Catawba Indian defense, and he can play just about any position. Perhaps he is a lot like Sheriff Taylor in that regard. Remember Andy at one point was the Justice of the Peace, Mayberry Gazette Editor and Mayor in the pilot episode of "The Andy Griffith Show".

North Greenville: 35 #8 Lenoir-Rhyne: 13

I watched Auburn hang on for dear life against Jacksonville State on Saturday afternoon, preventing a colossal upset from occurring early in the college football season. Later on that night, one of the most unexpected upsets in America happened in Tigerville, SC. Lenoir-Rhyne, ranked #8 as of last Saturday, fell to North Greenville 35-13.

The Crusaders piled up 455 yards by means of a balanced offense. Ashton Heard gashed the Bear defense for 177 yards and a trio of touchdowns, while veteran quarterback unleashed 224 passing yards and a pair of scores.

We can't give up on the Bears just yet for the 2015 cycle, I mean even Mayberry's town drunk was later deputized by Sheriff Taylor. Good things are still in store for Hickory's beloved Lenoir-Rhyne.


Week 3 Predictions

I need to get back in the zone when it comes to making these picks each week. I suffered defeat on three occasions over the weekend, finishing Week 2 with a mediocre 5-3 mark. Overall, I feel like the new doctor in Mayberry has given me a clean bill of health as I am 12-4 since Week 1.

Mars Hill: 57 Limestone: 14

The Lions can make an argument that they are one of the strongest winless teams in Division II. Mars Hill fought Western Carolina and Chattanooga to their respective cores. The combination of Shaikel Davis and Jamel Harbison will overwhelm the Saints early and often. Welcome to a SAC-style schedule, gentlemen.

Catawba: 46 Carson-Newman: 44

From 1999 through 2004, the Catawba vs. Carson-Newman matchup was always a national game to watch. While it might not be on anyone's national radar in the present day, this is a crucial Southeast Region contest early in the 2015 season. Catawba's defense comes up with more stops than the young Eagles. Offense will be plentiful.

Wingate: 28 Brevard: 10

Wingate reminds me of a throw-back, ball control Steeler's offense. The Bulldog defense, in my opinion, has demonstrated to be the best in the SAC thus far, also Steeler-like. Somebody's rushing offense (Brevard) and stellar rush defense (Wingate) is going to be seriously tested. I guess I gave it away by labeling the teams in parenthesis. You're welcome students.

Lenoir-Rhyne: 33 Tusculum: 17

The Bears are prime for a "Grade A" comeback this week, trying to bounce back after a stunning upset to the hands of North Greenville. Folks, this will be the game to see if Tusculum is opening up the SAC's basement door, or if they can chill on the ground floor for at least another week. The Pioneers will need at least 500 yards of offense to overcome Lenoir-Rhyne's forceful option.

North Greenville: 24 Newberry: 21

I know I am going out on a limb with this pick, but let me explain. Newberry's top two quarterbacks were injured in the Jacksonville loss on Saturday. Whether they are 100% healthy remains to be seen. I do not see either team winning by more than a score. Wolves' fans hope my limb is starting to split in two. Timber...