SAC Week 10 Preview

November 8th, 2024 8:00am

Week 10 is already here, which means it is the last week of divisional play in the SAC football season. This week will feature some big rivalry matchups, and almost every game has either conference championships or D2 playoff ramifications. What this means is we are in for an unbelievable weekend of football.

First, let us look at the conference championship picture. Coach Jordan and the Wingate Bulldogs have already clinched the Piedmont Division. Who will play in the championship game against the Bulldogs is still to be determined. Here are the Mountain Division clinching scenarios:

• Carson-Newman clinches with:
  • A win or
  • Mars Hill and Emory & Henry losses
• Mars Hill clinches with:
  • Win and Carson-Newman losing.
• Emory & Henry clinches with:
  • Win and Carson-Newman and Mars Hill losses.

The second regional rankings from the NCAA were also released this past week, and as stands three SAC schools are in the top ten regionally. There are several big games this week that could play a massive role in deciding how the playoff picture unfolds.

Players of the Week

Offense: Cooper Wick (UVA Wise): 27 of 39, 369 yards, three touchdowns

Defense: Tristan Rankin (Mars Hill): four tackles, one pass break up, 2 interceptions (extended Mars Hill record, congrats Tristan!)

Special Teams: Christian Teeter (Wingate): 40.8 yards per punt, three inside the 20 and a pair inside the 10.

Last Week: 5-1

Season: 50-12

Barton Bulldogs at Limestone Saints

Location: Gaffney, SC / 12 PM

Line: Limestone -20.5 / SP+: Limestone 34.0, Barton 16.9

Series: Limestone leads series 2-1. (Limestone won the last meeting, 33-28, in 2023)

Just when I began to think the Barton offense was six feet under, they absolutely exploded for almost fifty points and 539 yards on Catawba, picking up win #3 on the season, 49-35. Jackson Parrish kicked the door down first, putting the Bulldogs up 7-0 after 1. Catawba would answer with two scoring drives (a theme on the day of this teeter-totter affair), before Al Lee threw a 75-yard pass to Zakvil Smith to even things at 14. :57 seconds later, Parrish was at it again, putting BC ahead for good. Nasir Winston would take an interception back 32 yards to give some cushion, but Catawba just refused to go away. The teams traded scores on the next six scoring possessions. Jayden Flood-Brown had been quiet the past few weeks, but caught a touchdown pass from Lee to start the fourth. Parrish would score again with 5 to go, and Dakauri Davis would hammer the final nail with just under two to win it. Lee finished just under 50% completions but threw for 215 and 2 tuds. Parrish and Davis rushed 36 times combined for 253 yards and 4 scores, and Flood-Brown himself had another 100+ yard afternoon. It was a big day on homecoming for Coach Hester’s crew and they look to continue to build on that.

Limestone fell behind Newberry with 4:37 to go in the opening period last weekend. And in typical Saints fashion, they answered quickly (2:21 later) and with a big play, as Dustin Noller returned from injury and hit stud wideout DJ Black on a 40-yard score. The Saints would then pour it on, scoring four of the next five possessions, with only one drive being longer than three minutes. A Tre Williams touchdown run made it a 14-7 game. Kevin Lalin, who is just 56 yards away from 1,000 on the year, joined the action from three yards out to give the Saints a 21-7 lead at the break. Noller liked his first 40+ yard score to Black so much he said, “let’s do that again” and this time found DJ from 45 yards, and they were off. Mikey Jones would find pay dirt later in the third, and the Saints marched to the big rivalry win, 35-14. Noller finished the day 18/24 with 308 and 3 scores. Lalin carried the rock 27 times for 104 yards. DJ Black had another big game, seven grabs for 141 yards and 2 scores, and Mikey Jones (who has been quiet this year) had 2 grabs for almost 100. Josh Shodipo and Malakai Ray picked off Coleman Gray and five different Saints recorded at least a 0.5 sack. The Saints defense played very well again. That frequently gets overlooked.

Prediction: Limestone wins in a blowout, picks up win #7.

I think this gets ugly. Dustin Noller currently sits at 9223 yards and 91 touchdowns. He has a very good chance at passing Shaw Crocker (WU 18-22) and Cody Haffley (08-11) to move to 7^th in yards for a career this week. Maybe 6^th if he goes buck wild. His 91 touchdowns currently have him 4^th all time, with a chance to pass Haffly again (94) this weekend. Don’t think he catches Bo Cordell or Todd Cunningham, but he’s got a chance to finish 3^rd or 4^th in both major passing records in league history. Barton is solid on pass defense, but their inability to stop the run will open the pass. Give me the Saints by 3+ scores.

UVA Wise Cavaliers at Emory & Henry Wasps

Location: Emory, VA / 1 PM

Line: Emory & Henry -17.5  / SP+: Emory & Henry 35.1, UVA Wise 12.0

Series: Emory & Henry leads, 5-1. (Emory & Henry won the last meeting, 41-24, in 2023)

After the defense gave up an opening drive touchdown, UVA Wise would tie things up at 7-7 just 1:49 later on Ian Scammell’s first touchdown run of the day. Coach Bass and the team wouldn’t trail again. Cooper Wick would hit Dejauvis Dozier from 23 yards out to put the Cavaliers in front 14-7 late in the 1^st, then Brady Dalton in the 3^rd after Tusculum had tied it at 14 before half. Tusculum would tie things up once again in the 3^rd, but the never-quit Cavaliers would answer again. Wick would find DJ Powell from 32 yards to make it 28-21 in the 3^rd, and then add on another Ian Scammell score to make it 35-21 early in the 4^th. The Pioneers, who never gave up in this one either, would make it an eight-point game nearing the midway point of the final frame, but would only run 3 plays after that, as UVA Wise held on to win 35-27. Wick, making his 2^nd career start, was phenomenal. The SAC Offensive Player of the Week completed 27 of 39 attempts for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Ian Scammell had 84 yards to go with his two scores, and three Cavaliers pass-catchers tallied 75+ yards on the day. All in all, a solid day at the office.

Emory & Henry found themselves down 17 in the first half, after Charles Mutter III and Cole Lambert threw two pick sixes to put the Wasps in an early hole. Like a true wasp, these Wasps were resilient and fought back to find themselves down just three early in the third quarter after Jordan Jackson ripped off a 37-yard touchdown run. The rally was short lived, as the Lions would answer with two 80+ yard touchdown drives in the last 8:35 of quarter 3 to make it a three-score game again heading to the final frame. Trace Butcher would nail a 43 yarder, and Lambert would hit Jakari Mozelle on a 27-yard score to make it an eight-point game late in the 4^th, The Wasps even got the ball back with 2:07 left to try to rally, but Lambert would be picked off again by Tristan Rankin to seal the win for the Lions. The loss sends the Wasps to 2^nd place in the division, hoping for a win paired with a Carson-Newman loss to have a shot at the SAC championship game. Lambert would finish the game for the injured Mutter, going 14 of 24 for 278, 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Jordan Jackson rushed for 119 yards on 22 carries, and big time Cam Abshire hauled in 7 receptions for 163 yards.

Prediction: Wasps bounce back, keep playoff hopes alive with win.

The Southwest Virginia Bowl has potential to be a pretty good football game, but I like the Wasps to win and keep their hopes of a first D2 playoff trip alive (first playoff trip since 2000 of any kind I believe). Whether it’s Corkren or Wick under center, UVA Wise has been able to move the ball through the air the past few weeks. The biggest obstacle for them is the Wasps defense swarms to the ball and forces more turnovers than anyone. The only way the Cavaliers win this game is to force a couple of turnovers, and not turn it over themselves. Whether it’s Mutter or Lambert, I don’t think it matters. I like Emory in this one and think they get the job done at home.

#22 Carson-Newman Eagles at Tusculum Pioneers

Location: Greeneville, TN / 1 PM

Line: Carson-Newman -7.5 / SP+: Carson-Newman 35.0, Tusculum 15.3

Series: Carson-Newman leads series, 36-15-2. (Tusculum won last meeting, 27-21, in 2023)

It was a very slow start for Ashley Ingram’s Eagles last week on homecoming. Shutout and shutdown for most of the first half, the Eagles finally got on the scoreboard when freshman Justin Johnson came in the game and hit Jeremiah Carroll on a gorgeous pitch and catch from 73 yards to go up 7-0. From that point on, the Eagles put up over 300 yards of offense on their way to a blowout victory, 28-7. Jayden Sullins scored his 1^st of 2 touchdowns early-ish in the 3^rd quarter to pad the lead to 14. He would later add a physical 21-yard score, squished between Jelan Pearson’s 17-yard run, to give the Eagles a 28-0 lead with just under 5 remaining in the game. It was Pearson’s first trip to the end zone since 2021! The Eagles offense had nearly 400 yards, led by Sullins nine carries for 110 yards and 2 scores. Johnson was 3 of 6 for 100 yards in the air and rushed for 64 on 12 carries. It was the freshman’s first big exposure to significant playing time this season, and he shined. Coach Ingram said this week that they had hoped to redshirt him, but due to the absurd number of injuries in the quarterback room had really no choice but to turn to the Army Prep transfer.  The Eagles defense shined throughout the contest, with FOURTEEN tackles for loss in this one, topped off by a Kendall Williams interception and return. Outside of the late touchdown drive, they held the Anderson offense to 109 yards on the day.

Coach Taylor’s team had one of its best statistical days of the season last week offensively, but the defense was shredded by the UVA Wise offense, leading to a 35-27 defeat for the Pioneers. AJ Hill got the party started with a 3-yard run on the opening drive, giving his team an early 7-0 lead. Two quick UVA Wise touchdown drives (averaging 2 minutes each) put the black and orange behind on the scoreboard after the opening period. The theme of the day was “answering”. Tusculum answered the two quick scores with an Ethan Stinnett touchdown nearing the half to tie things up before the break. Jojo Restall would answer another UVA Wise score from 67 yards away, but then there was a period of the phone kept ringing, and nobody picked up. Matthew Palazzo would hit Ashton Hagans to make it a one score game, but the Pioneers never truly had another chance. It’s tough to win in college football, but especially tough when you give up 450+ yards of offense, allow your opponent to go 10 for 14 on 3^rd down, and finish at 0 in turnover margin. The star of the Pioneer offense (besides the line blocking well) was Restall, who finished with 11 carries for 172 yards, his best output of the season by far.

Prediction: Eagles secure Mountain Division and SAC Title Berth.

It’s time for the second oldest rivalry game in the state of Tennessee, dating back to 1904. Last year, Tusculum won in Mossy Creek for the first time since 1934 and won 3 straight for the first time since Woodrow Wilson was in office. I believe it stops here. While it is always a challenge when two options teams play each other, and then throw in it’s a rivalry game and Tusculum would love nothing more than to ruin the Eagles season…. I think Coach Ingram will have the boys ready to go. The Eagles have been better on both sides of the ball this year and while the Pioneers offense has made some strides, I just don’t know if the defense will be able to force enough stops or mistakes. May take the Eagles a bit to get going, but I like them to handle business.

Newberry Wolves at #18 Wingate Bulldogs

Location: Wingate, NC / 1:30 PM

Line: Wingate -19.5 / SP+: Wingate 32.7, Newberry 10.0

Series: Series tied 17-17. (Wingate won the last meeting, 21-17, in 2023)

Newberry stuck first last weekend against Limestone, as Dwayne Wright found his way to the endzone from 16 yards out to give the Wolves a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. That is about the time all the fun stopped for Coach Knight’s ball club. Limestone would score touchdowns on five of their next six possessions to build a 35-7 lead at the end of the third. Ja’Corey Martin would run in from forty-two yards with just over 5:00 to go in the ball game to make the score slightly more respectable, but this game was over long before then. Saints won 35-14. Newberry’s lack of a consistent passing game hurt them in this one, as Martin, Reed Charpia, and Coleman Gray (two picks) combined 67 yards in the air on 9 for 20 passing. Martin finished the day with over 100 yards running the football, and Wright finished 10 for 50 (he has seemed quiet this year, but has rushed for almost 600 yards). KeSean Glover and Cam Faircloth added interceptions for the Wolves defense. May be an inconvenient time for them to run into a buzz saw, but they always seem to give Wingate a handful regardless.

After a scoreless first, Wingate opened the scoring in the second when O’Brien Barnett scooted in for a 30-yard touchdown. This was followed by a tremendous catch by Evan McCray with just :37 left on the clock, putting Wingate in control going into the half, 14-0. The Bulldogs defense in the first half was unbelievable, holding Lenoir-Rhyne to just 28 yards of total offense on seven first half drives. Lenoir-Rhyne scored twice in the third quarter to make it a four-point game, but the defense shut them out in the 4^th to secure not just the 3^rd win in a row for Wingate in this rivalry but allowed them to clinch the piedmont division and host the conference championship game. Outside of Barnett’s touchdown, the Wingate run game struggled to do anything. Brooks Bentley was solid, completing 23 of 38 passes for 248 yards and the score to McCray. McCray would finish with a season-high in receptions (10) and yards (140). The defense only got to Ferguson once (shocker, it was Marquise Fleming), but the interception belonged to Brandon Perry, his second on the season.

Prediction: Wingate wins and breaks the series tie.

Wingate actually replaced Newberry in the SAC in 1988, before the Wolves rejoined in 1996. This is an under the radar rivalry in the conference and has been almost as even as Lenoir-Rhyne/Catawba. 17 wins apiece, and the Wolves have scored only a few more points. While there is a miniscule chance that Wingate is looking ahead to the SAC title game and is currently the #1 seed in the region, I don’t think Newberry will catch them napping. Newberry rush offense is 3^rd in the SAC, but they are 10^th in passing. Unless the QB play resembles a few weeks ago, it could be bad. You will struggle to run, and can they make enough plays in the air to keep them honest? Not betting my money. Give me Wingate to win.

Mars Hill Lions at Anderson Trojans

Location: Anderson, SC / 4 PM

Line: Mars Hill -24.5 / SP+: Mars Hill 32.0, Anderson 14.7

Series: First Ever Meeting

Tim Clifton’s crew knew they would be in a fight, and they threw the first few haymakers early last weekend. After Lon Teachy put the Lions up 3-0, Neil Vertilus took a Charles Mutter III pass back 55 yards for six. The defense would decide to do it again in the second, as Tristan Rankin got his first of the day and took it 58 yards to the crib, stretching the Mars Hill lead to three scores. The Wasps would get back into the game with a late second score, followed by an early 3^rd. JR Martin then decided he had had enough of that, scored on back-to-back drives from one and three yards out to put the Lions back up 17. Just when things looked like they were over, the Wasps scored twice to make it an eight-point game before Rankin decided he was ready to go to the house, picking off Cole Lambert again. Rankin is now the all-time interceptions leader on The Hill at 18 and has been a stud for seemingly forever now. Coach Clifton’s guys held on for the 31-23 win. JR Martin finished 15 of 24 for 235 yards, but also was 78% of the Lions rushing attack at just 32 yards. While Jon Gullette could not find any sort of space rushing, he led the team with 71 yards on 3 grabs receiving. The Lions defense combined for 4 sacks on the day to go along with the three interceptions.

The Trojans of Anderson made their first road trip to the banks of Mossy Creek last weekend and defensively played very respectfully for almost the entire first half. The Trojan defense shut the Eagles out for the first twenty-seven minutes and change of game time and held the Eagles offense to just 60 yards. Justin Johnson then tossed a 73-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Carroll to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead at the halftime intermission. The Trojans offense struggled to gain any traction against the Eagles defense most of the day, until a seven play, 72-yard drive with just 1:12 remaining got Coach Lamb’s crew on the scoreboard. Final score, 28-7. Tyler Wesley took a lot of big hits (sacked 3 times), and Rob Sanders finished the game for him. Sanders went 2 of 3 and hit Jalon Warthen-Carr for a 21-yard touchdown. Warthen-Carr finished with 66 yards on three catches, nearly 1/3 of the offensive output. While the game, in particular everything after the Carroll score, did not go the way the Trojans wanted, they played fairly well against the nationally ranked Eagles and did some good things at times on defense for sure.

Prediction: Lions pick up win #5

Somehow, someway, Mars Hill still has a slim chance of making it to the SAC Championship game. I don’t think they will, which then makes my preseason pick of them doing so to face Wingate incorrect, but I do like them to win this game. JR Martin’s ability to make plays with his arm and his feet keeps a defense honest and I think he and Jon Gullette have a big day. Mars Hill has won 4 of 5 and while I saw some things I liked from the Anderson defense last weekend, I’m not sure they can make enough plays on the other side of the ball to keep up with the Lions.

Lenoir-Rhyne Bears at Catawba Indians

Location: Salisbury, NC / 6 PM

Line: Lenoir-Rhyne -21.5 / SP+: Lenoir-Rhyne 36.2, Catawba 16.6

Series: Series tied 49-49-4. (Lenoir-Rhyne won the last meeting, 28-7, in 2023)

Lenoir-Rhyne had a first half to forget last weekend against rival Wingate: less than 30 yards of total offense, down 14-0, and it did not seem like it was going to get better. Jalen Ferguson would lead a touchdown drive shortly after the third quarter started to pull the Bears within a score, then a Jake Brown field goal with 5:00 to go would make it a 14-10 game. Unfortunately, that would be all she wrote. The Wingate defense put the clamps down, holding the Bears offense to ZERO yards on the four following drives that totaled sixteen plays, as the Bears dreams of back-to-back SAC titles would end, losing 14-10. Part of the Bears offensive struggles obviously start with star DeAree Rogers not playing. It, combined with nobody really stepping up offensively, just did not help. Jalen Ferguson finished the day 16 of 34 for 119 yards and an interception. Adonis McDaniel had five snags for 67 yards. It just wasn’t there, and yet they were still in the ball game on the scoreboard. Nic Cheeley picked off Bentley, his fourth consecutive game with an interception; Deshaun Whitmire had the lone sack for the Bears. Jaelin Willis was absurd, finishing with 14 tackles. The Bears defense gave them a chance.

Good news: The Indians offense was in full gear once again, putting up 375+ yards of offense for the 6^th time this season. And did so without elite back LJ Turner.  The bad news: the defense has continued to regress, allowing Barton a season high in points (49) and yards (539). Catawba took the lead with about 4:03 to go in the 2^nd quarter last weekend after Quece Williams scored his 2^nd rushing touchdown of the game, 14-7. The problem was Barton tied it up 12 seconds later at 14 and then took the lead not even a minute later of game time. The Bulldogs took a 21-14 lead at the half and Catawba never tied or took the lead again. Kevon Rivera had a 2-yard touchdown run late in the third to cut the lead to a score, and Quece Williams scored twice in the 4^th quarter to cut the lead back to a score between Barton answers. But the Indians defense couldn’t make necessary stops, and Barton put the nail in the coffin with 1:50 to go to win, 49-35. Quece Williams finished the day with 11 carries for 41 yards and 3 scores on the ground, 7 grabs and a score in the air. Mason Fortune, a freshman from Raleigh, NC, made his first collegiate start and wasn’t disappointed outside of the two interceptions he threw. Fortune finished 28 of 45 with 348 yards and a score. Kobe Christian finished with 6 grabs for 144 yards, and Amari McArthur had nearly 100 yards as well on 8 catches.

Prediction: Bears get series lead, keep playoff hopes afloat.

This is the 103^rd all time meeting between the Bears and the Indians, making it the sixth longest rivalry in D2 football. I am rolling with Lenoir-Rhyne in this game, though I would not be shocked (like Southern Nazarene beating Ouachita Baptist shocked) if Catawba made a game of this or even somehow won. The Indians offense is fun. They put up a ton of yards and points. Lenoir-Rhyne’s offense has not shown this year they can score a lot of points in a hurry, so if Catawba were to somehow get out to an early lead and keep it up, it could smell trouble. The only problem for the Indians, is unfortunately the defense has struggled to be able to stop a nosebleed this season. Throw in the fact that the Bears defense, even without all-world Andre Jefferson, is still a formidable unit, I just do not have the Indians being able to get the job done. Give me the Bears to win, and keep their playoff hopes alive for another week.

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