Every coach, in every locker room, across college football week in and week out tries to find innovative ways to get their young men motivated to win and buy into their program.

At some institutions, the locker room itself is motivation enough. Sparkling facilities filled with Madden NFL 2017 gaming for ultimate bragging rights, a team barbershop, and even USB ports in each player's locker space describe an upcoming trend in FBS football. This transformation recently happened at the University of Kansas, a team that finished a dreadful 0-12 in 2015.

In the South Atlantic Conference, the tradition of playing for conference championships and trying to avenge last year's loss to a long-time rival often does the trick.

The present day has Wingate as the league's lone undefeated team and in the driver's seat for the crown. The Bulldogs comfortably wiped out Brevard 34-7 behind another epic performance by running back Lawrence Pittman and his 140 yards on the ground. He added another three touchdowns on the day, tying him with Louisville's Lamar Jackson with ten touchdowns this season to be the NCAA's statistical leader. Impressive company to say the least.

Catawba avenged two earlier Division II losses this season by doubling up Carson-Newman 40-20 this past Satuday. Five turnovers by the Eagles certainly did not help their efforts, but only one of their turnovers loomed large in my opinion. An 89-yard pick-six by Indian senior corner back Case Woodard II in the second quarter put Catawba on top for the first time in the contest, and ultimately for good as Catawba never looked back.

I mentioned last week that Mars Hill's tangle with Limestone would be a true toss-up and I was right. Mars Hill escaped with a 42-39 win. Lion receivers Gilbert Johnson and Craig Rucker accounted for nearly all of quarterback David Salmon's productive 309 passing yards. Rucker, a true freshman and former Utah State commit, reminds me of John Brown that went on to play for the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. Short in stature, but big in production. Two interceptions by Limestone were returned for scores as the Saints came marching in for a 32 point second half comeback attempt that fell just short.

Newberry squeaked by North Greenville in Tigerville, SC, on Saturday night 29-28, a place that is hard to exit with a win. Raleigh Yeldell's storybook career took on another dazzling chapter en route to conference offensive player of the week honors. The Wolves final three touchdowns came on quarterback runs by Yeldell inside the ten yard line. Sidekick running back Romelo Doctor was bottled up for less than 50 yards on the ground, and Yeldell added 20 carries from under center for 141 yards. As impressive as this was to watch as a fan, I could not help but wonder if he can continue to attempt so many draws and scrambles.

Tusculum received their toughest loss yet on the young season, a 31-3 setback at Lenoir-Rhyne. The air game for both teams has been a work in progress in 2016 under new coaching. Bear running back Nelson Brown turned in a career day with 34 carries for 261 yards and a pair of scores. Six different Lenoir-Rhyne defenders recorded sacks against Pioneer quarterback Luke Lancaster, while the unit overall held all-league rusher Isaac Robinson to 1.5 yards per carry.

Week 4 2016 SAC Football Schedule
Last Week's Prediction Record (3-2)
Overall Prediction Record (15-6)

Mars Hill (2-1)(0-0 SAC) at Carson-Newman (1-2)(0-1 SAC)
Saturday, September 24th. 12:00 PM
Jefferson City, TN

Carson-Newman: 54 Mars Hill: 42
The Scoop: Points will be aplenty on both sides. This showdown will be the 24th of its kind with Ken Sparks and Tim Clifton coaching against one another. Whoever reaches 500 yards of offense first will win the game in my opinion, even if that team does not win the turnover battle. My gut is to always pick Carson-Newman fresh off of a loss as they will be chomping at the bit to light up the scoreboard. The Lions will be in conference play for the first time this year, and running back Jamel Harbison is ready to try and control the clock as much as he can. Try this for a stat, Eagle quarterback Noah Suber is second in the SAC in passing yards per game with 221 yards.

Newberry (2-1)(0-0 SAC) at Tusculum (0-3)(0-1 SAC)
Saturday, September 24th. 1:30 PM
Greeneville, TN

Newberry: 42 Tusculum: 14
The Scoop: This might be a perfect game for Newberry to run a vanilla offensive game plan and to get their key players to exit stage right at the half. Pioneer running back Isaac Robinson has suffered a very slow start with limited production, and the same goes for their quarterback Luke Lancaster. Time heals all wounds, but that time is not this weekend. Better days are ahead for the Tusculum program and these are contests that build character for your football team. Newberry has only managed three sacks all year on defense, look for them to turn up the heat and tally at least five sacks.

Catawba (1-2)(1-0 SAC) at Wingate (3-0)(1-0 SAC)
Saturday, September 24th. 1:30 PM
Wingate, NC

Catawba: 21 Wingate: 20
The Scoop: Five consecutive losses have been experienced by Catawba at the hands of the mighty Bulldogs. Their last taste of victory was in 2010 when receiver Brandon Bunn hauled in nearly 250 receiving yards and four touchdowns. No one is predicting that kind of production out of the Catawba receiving corp this weekend, but a rejuvenated Indian bunch shook off two early season losses in their big win over Carson-Newman. Wingate running back Lawrence Pittman has simply shook off all defenders thus far in 2016. An efficient passing game under senior Kyle Johnson has not yielded many downfield throws, but a high completion percentage (65%) keeps defenses honest. I do believe Catawba will break the losing streak in a low scoring affair, but who would be shocked if Pittman did not literally carry his team to another win?

The Apprentice School (2-1)(Unaffiliated) at Brevard (0-3)(0-1 SAC)
Saturday, September 24th. 4:00 PM
Brevard, NC

Brevard: 34 The Apprentice School: 31
The Scoop: Let me first say that The Apprentice School should not be taken lightly. The Builders are coming off a huge 26-23 win over Division III Bridgewater less than a week ago. They have also enjoyed back to back wins for the first time since 2007, and had a running back go over 200 yards in a game for the first time since that same year. With all of this enthusiasm, why on earth am I giving the nod to Brevard? Twenty-five straight losses (not including the Tornados win over College of Faith in 2014) is a gloomy trend any player or coach would love to break. This is the perfect timing for Brevard to produce a win, especially since sophomore quarterback Bubba Craven is playing some of the best football of his career right now.

Limestone (2-1)(0-0 IND) at Lenoir-Rhyne (1-2)(1-0 SAC)
Saturday, September 24th. 7:00 PM
Hickory, NC

Limestone: 17 Lenoir-Rhyne: 10
The Scoop: The fourth straight home game for Lenoir-Rhyne to begin the season is always a plus, and so is winning your conference opener. Despite freshman running back Nelson Brown's 261 yards (3rd highest in school history) on the ground, the jury is still out on Lenoir-Rhyne's aerial capability. Transfer quarterback Jarrod Kellar threw for 108 yards, one score, and a pair of interceptions. Are the Bears ditching their itch to pass and sticking with what works on solid ground? Might be a good idea as Limestone's defense has already registered 15 sacks in three games and defensive back PJ Brown has pilfered three passes for big-time return yardage. I will say it again for the second straight week, I am buying into Saint quarterback Ivan Corbin and what he offers in this offense. The past two weeks has produced huge fruit for the freshman, as he has thrown for 466 yards, five scores, and no interceptions.