SAC Week 11 Preview

November 15th, 2024 12:00pm

The final week of the regular season is here. It's fantastic in many ways because we have championship games being played and the playoff bracket being released Sunday. But it's sad as well, as many fan bases will see their club for the last time tomorrow. There are several big games this weekend in the conference, but none bigger than the 2024 South Atlantic Conference Championship between #18 Wingate, and #20 Carson-Newman. Coach Jordan and the Bulldogs are hunting for their first SAC title since 2017. Meanwhile, Coach Ingram and the Eagles are looking to bring a league championship to Mossy Creek for the first time in fifteen years. It should be a great game that also has major Super Region 2 playoff ramifications. Here are the latest regional rankings as determined by the NCAA Division II Football Championship Committe (not by us at D2Football.com):

1. Valdosta State (9-0, 9-0)

2. Wingate (8-1, 8-1)

3. West Alabama (8-1, 8-1)

4. Carson-Newman (8-1, 7-1)

5. Lenoir-Rhyne (8-2, 7-2)

6. Miles(8-1, 8-1)

7. Johnson C. Smith (8-2, 8-2)

8. West Florida (7-2, 6-1)

9. Virginia Union (7-2, 6-1)

10. Winston-Salem (7-2, 6-2)

Key non-SAC games:

Valdosta State host West Florida

Miles vs. Clark Atlanta (SIAC Title Game)

Virginia Union vs. Virginia State (CIAA title Game)

*-If you are a bubble team, you want Valdosta State, Miles, Virginia State to win probably. 

Players of the Week

Offense: JR Martin (Mars Hill): 18 of 28, 345 yards, 2 TD’s. 10 rush, 36 yards and 1 TD.

Defense: Jarrell Harrison (Emory & Henry): 2 pick-sixes, 2 tackles, 1 PBU

Special Teams: Christian Teeter (Wingate): 50.0 yard per punt average, two inside the 10-yard line.

Last Week: 6-0

Season: 56-12

Mars Hill Lions at Limestone Saints

Location: Gaffney, SC / 12 PM

Line: Limestone -6.5

Series: Mars Hill leads series 6-3. (Limestone won the last meeting, 27-23, in 2023)

Mars Hill had arguably one of it’s best offensive days of the season last week, as they put up nearly 570 yards of total offense in a 15-point win over Anderson. This marks the fourth consecutive winning season for Coach Clifton. The Lions had the only score of a slow first period, as Lon Teachey put one through the uprights. The second quarter wasn’t exactly an offensive outburst either regarding points, and each team found the endzone once (Lions via a JR Martin touchdown throw to Jean-Baptiste), and it was a four-point lead for MHU at the half. After falling behind briefly in the 2^nd half, who else would you expect to respond but the dynamic JR Martin? His four-yard touchdown run gave the Lions the lead once again. Martin would toss another score to David Hargro on the first play of the final period, and Jon Gullette would score from 42-yards away to put the nail in the Trojans coffin. Final score, 31-16. Martin would finish the day 18 of 28, 345 yards and 2 TD in the air, while adding a TD run on 36 yards and 10 carries. Jon Gullette, one of the most underrated backs in the SAC, rushed for a season high 180 yards on 21 carries and his 3^rd TD of the year. Malik Laurent, Izaiah Jean-Baptiste, and Edward Louis Jr. each had 50+ yards in the air. The defense was in the backfield all day, as the Lions recorded four sacks and 3 hurries, along with picking off Wesley. It looked bleak at times for the Lions, especially after starting 0-2 and being 1-3 after 4 games. But they have found a way to finish over .500 again.

In what was (at least to me) the surprise of last weekend, Jerricho Cotchery’s Limestone Saints had their work cut out for them against a game Barton squad. The Saints struck first, as Dustin Noller and DJ Black connected on a 60-yard touchdown to make it 6-0. Daniel Deneen Jr. would add a field goal to put the Saints ahead 9-0 after one. Barton would take over for a bit in the second, and despite another long DJ Black touchdown, the Saints trailed 20-16 at the break. After the teams combined for 27 second quarter points, Kevin Lalin scored the only points of the third quarter, giving the Saints back the lead 23-20. It would not last long though, as Barton would regain the lead early in the fourth and truly had the Saints on upset alert. However, the Saints would go on a 17-0 run over the last 12 minutes of game time, sealing the win 40-26, and a third consecutive 7+ win season on The Rock. Luke Janack was busy, with another double-digit performance (he has 107 to lead the SAC, 21 more than the 2^nd place guy), and Malakai Ray would add an interception. But other than that, the Saints defense was carried by the offense most of the game. Noller would throw for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns, a lot of those yards to rising sensation DJ Black (now just 173 yards away from 1,000-yard season) and Ty Cade (6 for 84). Kevin Lalin once again was tremendous, rushing for 161 yards on 29 carries. It took a gutsy performance, but the Saints found a way to get the job done after taking it on the nose in this game.

Prediction: Limestone wins a classic.

This could be a game of the week if the SAC Championship weren’t going on. If this game were in Mars Hill, I’d pick the Lions but since it’s in Gaffney, I’ll roll with the Saints. Lots of records potentially to look at in this one. Limestone’s Dustin Noller currently sits in 8^th place in league history in career passing yards and if he throws for 337+ could climb as high as 4^th. He tied Cody Haffley for 3^rd all time in touchdowns last week and could have it to himself with one score. Mars Hill’s Triston Rankin is hoping Noller helps him climb the charts as well. Rankin is tied for 8^th in league history with 18 career interceptions. Two plus picks could put him in the top five. This game will come down to which defense can make the most stops, and while I have a little more faith in Mars Hill’s defense overall, the gap is not wide enough for me to change my mind. I think Noller and company throw the ball all over to try and take advantage of the 8^th ranked pass defense in the conference and escape with a one score victory.

Anderson Trojans at Lenoir-Rhyne Bears

Location: Hickory, NC / 1 PM

Line: Lenoir-Rhyne -36.5

Series: 1^st Ever Meeting

Anderson gave Mars Hill quite the spook last weekend, despite the Trojans being outgained by 257 total yards, it was a close game until the Lions pulled away late. The Lions led 3-0 after one and took a 10-0 lead late in the second. Tyler Wesley then immediately answered with an outstanding play call, making it a 10-6 game at the intermission when he hit Zaidon Gunn on a 75-yard touchdown. Not even 2:30 into the second half, the Trojans would take their first (and only) lead of the afternoon, when Wesley found Kenneth Brown for a 45-yard score to make it 13-10 in favor of the black and gold. A little bit of back-and-forth scoring resulted in Mars Hill going ahead by 8 six seconds into the final frame (24-16), before Jon Gullette’s late score sealed the defeat for Anderson. Wesley finished the day 11 for 20, 220 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. Another week, another leading rusher, as Bryson James had 16 carries for 66 yards. The two long touchdowns were the biggest “yes” moments for Coach Lamb’s squad. Gunn would finish just short of 100 yards (3 for 91) and Brown had a solid day as well (3 for 84). It was a rough showing for the defense in this one though, giving up nearly 200 yards more than the Lions season average. The absurdly young Trojans have shown some fight in year 1 and would love to have some more fun as the season ends.

Lenoir-Rhyne fell behind 14-3 to longtime rival Catawba last Saturday night and looked to be in upset territory until the fourth quarter. The Bears then spent the next three periods pitching a shutout on defense, and when the fourth quarter came around the defense decided to end the party with two interceptions returned for touchdowns, as the Bears scored 30 unanswered points on their way to a 33-14 win over the Indians. Jamir Fox scored two touchdowns between the second and third quarters to put the Bears ahead, 16-14. Jake Brown then added his second field goal of the evening to make it a five-point game. The two defensive touchdowns came courtesy of Damien Savage (from 30-yards out) and James Ussery (from 70-yards out), while Nic Cheeley added yet another interception of his own. Cheeley has recorded a pick in five consecutive games. The story of this game really was the Bears defense, as the offense really struggled to move consistently (33% on 3^rd down doesn’t help either). They held Catawba to 238 yards of offense over the last three quarters while keeping them off the scoreboard. Jalen Ferguson was 14 of 27 for 160 yards and one interception. Jamir Fox led the ground game with his two scores on 79 yards rushing. John Godwin was the only target with more than three catches and had 45 yards.

Prediction: Bears cruise, wait for Selection Sunday.

I like Lenoir-Rhyne in this one, though I do not think they’ll cover the spread. Even though the Bears offense has taken some steps back from recent years (just is not that same level of explosiveness where they can bury you with points in a hurry), they are still stout enough on the defensive side of the ball to win ball games. The “things” that Anderson needs to potentially pull off the upset, Lenoir-Rhyne just does not do. They do not turn the ball over often, and they don’t beat themselves with foolish penalties. If the Trojans pulled it off, they would have to be near perfect. Give me the Bears, something like 31-6.

Emory & Henry Wasps at Newberry Wolves

Location: Newberry, SC / 1 PM

Line: Emory & Henry -1.5

Series: Newberry leads series 2-0. (Newberry won the last meeting, 25-23 in 8 OT, in 2023)

The Wasps wanted to leave no doubt on the rivalry matchup with UVA Wise last weekend. And the onslaught never gave up, likely leading the scoreboard operator to need a wrist brace all week. After two touchdown runs gave the Wasps a 14-0 lead after the opening quarter, two consecutive UVA Wise drives would result in interceptions returned to the house for scores (Jarrell Harrison and Elijah Harper) to push the lead to 27. UVA Wise would add a score to slightly close the gap before the half, but this turkey was cooked already. Cole Lambert would find Cam Abshire for a 13-yard touchdown to make it 34-6 early in the 3^rd, before SAC Defensive Player of the Week Jarrell Harrison would take his 2^nd interception of the day back for six, ballooning the lead to 41-6. But just when you thought the party halted, just like a wasp in real life, the stinging continued. Lambert would hit Noah Allred and Cam Abshire on two separate occasions, before Eli Foutz came in and had some fun as well, as the lead would swell to 62-6 before UVA Wise scored to end it. It was a massacre, with Foutz and Lambert combined for 349 yards passing. Jordan Jackson would rush for just 61 yards, but he is now just 37 yards away from the 1,000-yard mark. Cam Abshire is also closing in on 1,000 yards, after a 4 catch-92-yard day. The Wasps defensive attack was relentless, allowing hardly any yardage and forcing four more turnovers. If Coach Hunter’s crew was searching for style points, they certainly got it.

I have been saying this a lot lately regarding teams who played Wingate the week before, but Newberry was on the wrong end of a butt whooping last weekend, falling 38-0 to the rival Bulldogs. It was the first time Newberry had been shutout since October 13, 2018, in a loss to Tusculum. Wingate was up 21-0 at the break and added 17 more after half. The passing game was non-existent, as Coleman Gray and Ja’Corey Martin were a combined 3 of 17 for 44 yards. Two of those three grabs belonged to Ja’Mias Halloway (first time column mention). The run game combined for 187 yards, but nobody consistently got anything going. Trakell Murray got to 50 yards, but it was rather bleak. The Wolves had four drives that went over 30 yards in total in the ball game. The defense had it is struggles as well in the afternoon, as Colby Taylor’s two sacks were the lone positives. The defense gave up 347 yards, but they did not give up, but the best way to describe it was watching a boxing match and see the guy just take punch after punch after punch and be too exhausted to fight back, but not give up. It has been a second consecutive tough season for the Wolves, but Coach Knight’s teams always fight to the final whistle.

Prediction: Emory & Henry wins, prays for madness on Saturday

A rematch of last years insane eight overtime classic, which Newberry won 25-23. There were a lot in Wasps Country that felt like they should have won that game last year and it’ll be interesting to see how things go this week. E&H is on the outside looking in when it comes to the regional rankings, as they were not in the top 10. We do not know where they were at on the list, it could be 11, could be 14. But you would think that Coach Hunter’s team would want to come out and make a statement, while hoping for madness elsewhere, to try and likely be the first team ever to go from unranked to the playoffs in the same week. I love their chances in this game, simply because I do not see Newberry’s offense moving the ball on the Wasps. Newberry’s lack of a passing game may (oddly) help them in this game: if you cannot throw, you can’t throw interceptions. I like the Wasps, whether it is Foutz, Lambert, or Mutter under center is irrelevant in this one. Wasps easily cover the spread.

UVA Wise Cavaliers at Barton Bulldogs

Location: Wilson, NC / 6 PM

Line: Barton -9.5

Series: Barton leads series 3-0. (Barton won the last meeting, 28-24, in 2023)

The Southwest Virginia Bowl did not go the way Coach Bass and the Cavaliers wanted by any stretch of the imagination. Seth Fischbach caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Wick with 1:07 on the clock in the second quarter, and Zavier Lomax ran it in from a yard out with 0:32 seconds remaining in the ball game for the only two scores of the day for UVA Wise, as they got lambasted by their in-state rivals, 62-14. Emory & Henry took a 27-6 halftime lead and just buried Wise in the 2^nd half like an avalanche, outscoring them 35-8 after the break. UVA Wise managed just 219 yards of total offense on the day, while allowing almost 500. Cooper Wick tossed four interceptions, and the Wasps had 90 yards of interception return yardage, compared to the 154 Wick threw for. This was Wick’s second four interception day in three weeks, and three of them were pick sixes. Ian Scammell and the run game never had room to breathe and outside of an interception by Michael Kendricks Jr, there were not a lot of smiles to be had on the other side of the ball. There is just not a lot more to be said about this one. It was ugly, but we will see how the Cavaliers bounce back, with a chance to reach four wins in 2024.

Barton gave Limestone all it could manage and some last weekend, before ultimately falling short of what would’ve been the biggest win of the year by far for Coach Hester’s crew. After falling behind 9-0 after the first, it turned into the Jackson Parrish show in quarter #2. Parrish would find pay dirt three times and give Barton a 20-16 lead going into the half. The Saints would take back the lead late in the third, just to have Parrish answer again with his fourth touchdown of the day to give the Bulldogs a 26-23 lead. That would be the only score for Barton in the second half, and Limestone would end the game running off 17 straight to win, 40-26. Despite holding stud wide out Jayden Flood-Brown to just one catch on the day, the Saints defense really struggled at times to contain the offense, in particular Mr. Parrish. He would erupt for 154 yards on the day to go along with the previously mentioned four touchdowns, his third straight 100+ yard game. Despite throwing a pick, Al Lee was efficient going 11 for 19 for 165 yards, most of which to Isaiah Jacobs (5 grabs for 76 yards). I thought Barton would have a rough go of it this year, after losing so much talent on offense. But they have continued to play tough and have found some pieces that may help them as they transition football to the Conference Carolinas in 2025.

Prediction: Barton ends it’s time in the SAC with a win in a shootout.

It’s been a tough season for both programs, but both have had some moments of positivity as well. The battle of the day is going to be the UVA Wise passing game (6^th in SAC) against the Barton pass defense (5^th in SAC). Statistically speaking, neither team can run the ball consistently, and neither can stop it. Barton has struggled to pass it, and UVA Wise has struggled to stop the pass. Something’s got to give, and Barton has a couple more playmakers than the Cavaliers. These reeks of a high scoring game and would be a blast to be at. Give me Barton to win and cover. Both teams put up 35+ I think.

Tusculum Pioneers at Catawba Indians

Location: Salisbury, NC / 6 PM

Line: Catawba -3.5

Series: Catawba leads series 17-10. (Tusculum won the last meeting, 35-21, in 2023)

For a majority of the first quarter, Tusculum was the better team last weekend against their East Tennessee rivals (we really need a good rivalry game name for this game), with Matthew Palazzo making a solid run to put the Pioneers up 7-0 heading into the 2^nd. The problem for Coach Taylor’s team is how the game completely unraveled over the first five minutes of game time in the 2^nd, highlighted by two Palazzo interceptions, that quickly found the host down 21-7. C-N would score once more to expand their lead to 28-7 before the half and would put the game on ice in the 3^rd quarter. Carson-Newman would pull away, 56-14, to secure their first win over the Pioneers since 2019. Palazzo would provide most of the offense in his final home start, throwing for 101 yards and rushing for 31 more. Jalen Hunt, Kemani Brown, Reginald Hunter all were boxed up for most of the game with a few plays here and there. Despite running 75 plays to Carson-Newman’s 44, the Eagles outgained the Pioneers by almost 70 yards. The Pioneer defense played exceptionally well early, but it seemed that they were just getting worn out by C-N once the 2^nd quarter hit and the offensive turnovers added to their exhaustion. It has been a long year in Greeneville, but they have a chance to close it out on a positive note.

Catawba jumped out to a two-score lead against their rivals from Hickory last weekend and seemed poised for what would have been a huge upset. Kobe Christian caught a 36-yard pass from Mason Fortune to put the Indians up 7-3, and Marquece Williams followed that up with a run from 18 yard out to push the lead to 14-3. Unfortunately for Coach Haines and his team, which is about when the good times quit rolling. The Bears would take a 19-14 lead into the 4^th quarter, which gave the Indians a chance to still pull off the upset. But two Mason Fortune passes were grabbed by Bears defenders and took road trips to the endzones, pushing Lenoir-Rhyne to the big 33-14 win over their rivals in Salisbury. Fortune threw for over 300 yards in this game and completed 70% of his passes and a score to Christian. But the 3^rd different Indians QB this year threw more scores to Bears defenders than his teammates. Williams would finish with 13 rushes for 68 yards, and almost out of nowhere was JJ Grant, who had a monstrous day. Grant finished with 11 catches and 109 yards, which was more catches and yards than he had his first three years. At the end of the day, the injuries Catawba have faced this year have just been insane. Everybody has injuries, but Catawba lost their big 3 weapons and has just been insurmountable (Brown-Pryor-Turner). Shoutout to two guys on the Indian defense though for last week. Jaylen Hinton led the team with 12 tackles and two tackles for loss, and Zy Brown got his first interception of the season after tallying 3 last year.

Prediction: Indians end season on a W.

This game might have been the hardest to pick a winner for, simply because both teams have had some exceptionally low moments. Catawba went through a stretch where they just could not find a way to win one score games. Tusculum has just had some struggles with new systems and a ton of young players. I like Catawba to win and cover in this one, simply because regardless of who is under the center, they have been able to put up points. Tusculum’s pass defense is last in the league, and I see the Indians exploiting that. If Tusculum wants to win, they will have to force Catawba into mistakes and put points on the board when that happens. They had some momentum going defensively last week but just kept self-inflicting mistakes that eventually burned them.

2024 South Atlantic Conference Championship Game

#20 Carson-Newman Eagles at #18 Wingate Bulldogs

Location: Wingate, NC / 3 PM

Line: Wingate -16.5

Series: Carson-Newman leads series 25-9. (Carson-Newman won the last meeting, 31-28 in OT, this season)

Carson-Newman went into their game against Tusculum with a lot on the line: division championship; conference championship implications; playoff implications. For the first 12:00 of game time, the Eagles were outplayed by their rivals. The Pioneers even led 7-0 after a quarter. Coach Ingram’s team would spend the next while putting on a clinic on both sides of the ball. Freshman Justin Johnson ran in from a yard out to tie things up at 7-7 just :04 into the 2^nd period. Jimi Olarinde would then pick off Matthew Palazzo and take it to the crib to make it 14-7. After another pick, Jayden Sullins found the endzone and within a 5-minute span C-N went from being down 7 to up 14. Sullins would take on another touchdown run to give C-N a 28-7 lead at the intermission. Cade Meeks had a gorgeous touchdown run on a reverse as the only score in the 3^rd to push it to 35-7. The rushing attack would continue almost immediately in the final period, as Tyler Curtis made it 42-7. The Pioneers would answer, but C-N would step on the proverbial throat. Keithan Washington would make a tremendous play and find the endzone from 58 yards away, and the final score was on a “Piesman Trophy”, “Thick Six” fumble recovery by Sherman Turner from 82 yards out. Eagles rolled over their Greeneville foes, 56-14. Carson-Newman would put up 330 yards rushing and 340 yards of offense on just 44 plays and forced three turnovers. Jayden Sullins continued his push for awards, with 17 carries for 164 yards and 2 scores. The Eagles defense was stellar in this one as well.

Wingate had already clinched the spot in the conference championship last weekend and could have very easily looked ahead to the title game and had a big rival trip them up. That, however, did not happen, as the Bulldogs just bulldozed Newberry, 38-0, to win their sixth in a row. O’Brien Barnett got things rolling with a 6-yard score early in the 1^st. Austin Cain hauled in a 44-yard pass from Brooks Bentley to stretch the lead to 14 just two and half minutes later. Bentley tossed his 2^nd score of the first half to Evan McCray early in the 2^nd to put the Bulldogs up three scores before halftime. Another Evan McCray touchdown catch, a Noah Bell touchdown run, and a Caleb Bonesteel field goal in the 2^nd half were the only scores, as the ‘Dogs punished Newberry. It was once again a balanced offensive effort, with 180 yards in the air and 167 on the ground. Bentley was just 9 of 15 for 145 yards, but 3 TD’s. Bell was the leading rushing threat for the Bulldogs, rushing for 66 yards on nine carries. The Bulldogs defense, I know you are shocked as you read this, was formidable. Their third shutout in the past six games. Three sacks, nine tackles for loss, and a Dequan Mosley interception were the highlights of their beatdown performance. The defense has given up an incredible 87 points all season.

This is (as of right now) the final SAC Championship game with the league dropping divisions in 2025 when Barton’s affiliate membership is gone, and they move to a new conference for football. Unless the SAC adds somebody before then. What has been unique is that every year has featured two new programs (Mars Hill-Newberry in 2022, Tusculum-Lenoir Rhyne in 2023, Carson-Newman and Wingate in 2024), which go to show the depth of the league in many ways. The Eagles of Carson-Newman are looking to break the Piedmont division’s unbeaten streak in SAC title games and are looking to clinch their first SAC championship since the 2009 national semifinal team. This would be the Eagles league leading 22^nd conference championship. Wingate is looking to clinch their 3^rd league title since 2010, and their first since the 2017 team. The coaching matchup in the game also secures a 1^st year head coach will win the conference for the first time since Drew Cronic did it at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2018.

A lot has changed for both teams since they last met. Wingate’s defense has been on an incredible run, allowing just 6.1 points per game since their loss in Mossy Creek. Marquise Fleming is now just two sacks away from being the all-time sack leader in the history of the conference. The defense did a solid job for the most part against the Eagles, holding C-N to just 45 yards on the ground. So, to me, the repeated phrase of the Eagles offense throwing them off is sort of silly. It was the Eagles passing game that had success. So, I expect the Wingate secondary to be ready for that. If the defense can force C-N to make some mistakes, like the Eagles did in their loss to Emory & Henry, along with the gameplan that Coach Jordan and staff are cooking up, it should put Wingate in great position to get the win and possibly a top 2 seed for the playoffs. The Dogs are in regardless of result. My sense is that the guys from Wingate feel like the game got away from them last time and that missed opportunities is what cost them more than anything C-N did. There are some who think that a loss could be a disastrous result for the Eagles, possibly leading them to miss the postseason. Carson-Newman’s defense is not Wingate’s, but they are still one of the best in the conference and country. What I think could be a difference in this game is the Eagles offense, and the comfort they feel now they have 10 games under their belt running this new offense, compared to 2 last time they saw the Bulldogs. The B Back’s are more involved, and the offense has more wrinkles. If the Eagles are going to win, they will need to be able to pass enough to keep the defense honest.

It is always extremely difficult to beat a great team twice. Especially a team with an elite defense, and a particularly good offense. Everybody is picking Wingate to win, and they seem to be heavy favorites. Seems a tad disrespectful to a team that already beat them once. I think Wingate wins this game. If I were a gambling man, I’d pick the Eagles to cover and the Bulldogs to win.

But it was foggy at the house this morning. 

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