The telling of nursery rhymes has been passed down from generation to generation. "Old Mother Hubbard" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb" are prime examples of nursery rhymes I heard as a child from my parents. Now if you think I am going to sit here and recite nursery rhymes to you in this week's SAC column, you can think again.

Or am I?

"Rain Rain Go Away" had a whole new meaning from its original interpretation dating back to the Spanish Armada in the 16th century. In 2016, this rhyme recounted a dreary afternoon in Salisbury, NC, where Limestone forced seven turnovers en route to a 6-0 win over Catawba. Although the Saints only managed two first downs and less than 50 yards of offense in drenched playing conditions, sophomore linebacker Raymond Hall scored on a 34 yard fumble recovery only two plays into the contest. Another member of the Limestone defense stepping up to the plate last Saturday was defensive back Joshua Simmons, tying his own school record with three picks on the day.

Once the dust settled on Saturday night, three teams in the conference laid an egg on the scoreboard. Trust me, no golden goose laid these eggs.

In addition to the Indians' shut out loss, Brevard was blanked 47-0 by a Carson-Newman bunch that needed a win more than Little Bo Peep needed her sheep. Eagle rusher Montavious Taylor averaged nearly two first downs per carry with over 18 yards a touch. Six different Carson-Newman rushers reached the end zone on the afternoon, yet Taylor was not part of the touchdown club. The Eagles torched the Tornados with 534 yards of offense while allowing only four first downs and 56 yards on defense.

The third scoreless league team, Tusculum, was soundly defeated by Wingate 19-0 at the Dog Pound. For once, Lawrence Pittman was limited on the afternoon, averaging just over two yards per rush and punched in a first quarter touchdown on 15 carries. While the Bulldogs played Ring Around the Rosy with the football, chewing up over 38 minutes of clock on the rain-filled afternoon, Coach Joe Reich's defense limited the Pioneers to only four first downs and nine passing yards. Wingate linebacker Zack Singleton earned SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors with four tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. An argument for the award could have been made for defensive hog molly Tevita Mafi and his two sacks on Tusculum's Malcom Pendergrass.

Mars Hill's first half 14-7 lead over SAC leader Newberry last week went tumbling down faster than Jack and Jill fetching a pail of water. The Wolves took momentum after intermission, scoring 28 unanswered points to ultimately take command of the game and the conference championship picture with a 35-21 score. Newberry's Raleigh Yeldell threw for over 300 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in a pretty routine day at the office. Mars Hill's game plan was to make Jamel Harbison the focal point early and often. For the most part it worked, as he finished the contest with 41 carries for 206 yards. Harbison enjoyed 11 carries on the Lion's first drive of the game, which ended with 15 plays and no points.

London Bridge fell down in Hickory, NC, at around 5 PM, my fair lady. Lenoir-Rhyne was tripped up by UNC-Pembroke 36-20, allowing three touchdown runs by Rontonio Stanley of at least 45 yards in the second half. The Bears are still tied for first place with Newberry by having an undefeated conference record. However, it is hard to fathom Lenoir-Rhyne will stay unbeaten when they still have Wingate, Mars Hill, and Newberry to finish out October. I will have an easier time saying John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt three times fast than Lenoir-Rhyne will have in knocking off their next three league opponents.

Week 7 2016 SAC Football Schedule
Last Week's Prediction Record (4-1)
Overall Prediction Record (26-10)

Catawba (2-4)(2-1 SAC) at Mars Hill (2-4)(0-2 SAC)
Saturday, October 15th. 1:00 PM
Mars Hill, NC

Mars Hill: 27 Catawba: 20
The Scoop: The Lions ran 20 more plays from scrimmage than Newberry did in their strong offensive effort last weekend. The multiple offensive weapons that Mars Hill has in Craig Rucker, Gilbert Johnson, and Keyshaun Taylor will likely provide problems for a banged up Catawba secondary. The playoffs are out of reach for both programs this year, normally not the case so early in the season, but respect is on the line and an edge in recruiting the Florida and Georgia market. The Indians will get another look at Reid Carlton starting in place of the injured senior Mike Sheehan, this time on a dry field.

Brevard (1-5)(0-3 SAC) at Limestone (4-2)(0-0 IND)
Saturday, October 15th. 1:00 PM
Gaffney, SC

Limestone: 32 Brevard: 13
The Scoop: My predicted score has Brevard tallying 13 points, most of which will come late in the contest. Limestone turned in a solid defensive performance against Catawba by turning over the Indians seven times, including five interceptions by their secondary. A lopsided defeat to the hands of Carson-Newman does not appear to get any easier this week for Brevard. Tyler Gregory managed only 26 yards of total offense. The Tornados ran 41 plays compared to the Eagle's 81 snaps, a monumental difference when trying to play ball control with the option game.

North Greenville (3-3)(0-0 IND) at Tusculum (1-5)(1-3 SAC)
Saturday, October 15th. 1:30 PM
Greeneville, TN

North Greenville: 55 Tusculum: 3
The Scoop: North Greenville played The Citadel last Thursday night at home due to Hurricane Matthew's destructive path towards Charleston, SC. The Crusaders jumped out to a 7-0 lead midway through the first by means of a 99 yard touchdown throw from Will Hunter to Javon Smith. Unfortunately, that was the last time North Greenville would have the lead. The Bulldogs rolled for nearly 560 rushing yards as a unit, and six rushers accounted for at least 70 yards. North Greenville linebacker Sam Houston posted 18 tackles in the losing effort, being one of five Crusader defenders with at least 10 stops. I look for North Greenville to win big in Tennessee, a group who has been game planning since last Friday for the contest.

Lenoir-Rhyne (2-4)(2-0 SAC) at Wingate (5-1)(2-1 SAC)
Saturday, October 15th. 1:30 PM
Wingate, NC

Lenoir-Rhyne: 24 Wingate: 21
The Scoop: Another home game for Wingate will mark the fifth game at Irwin Belk Stadium out of a total seven games in 2016. The home field advantage has paid dividends for the Bulldogs thus far, only experiencing a loss to Catawba three weeks prior. Lenoir-Rhyne was able to succeed for the first time all season with a vertical offense last week. Freshman quarterback Jarrod Kellar connected on 26 of 41 passes for 282 yards and a pair of scores. Fellow freshman Nelson Brown leads the SAC with 156 rush attempts for 758 yards so far this season. Wingate's Lawrence Pittman still leads the country in rushing touchdowns with 15 scoring scampers. There always seems to be one head-scratching score each week, so here is my attempt to jump on top of it. Lenoir-Rhyne pulls out another shocking upset on the road.

Carson-Newman (4-1)(0-0 IND) at Newberry (2-3)(2-0 SAC)
Saturday, October 15th. 4:00 PM
Newberry, SC

Carson-Newman: 38 Newberry: 35
The Scoop: