Game recaps and notes from around the South Atlantic Conference:

CARSON-NEWMAN – In what can best be called a defensive masterpiece, the Carson-Newman Eagles and West Georgia Braves battled in a classic before the No. 6 Eagles prevailed 14-10 at Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia Thursday night … The game was scoreless through the first three quarters with all 24 points coming in the final 15 minutes of play … The first points of the game came when West Georgia’s Adi Brkic kicked a 25-yard field goal 14 seconds into the final quarter … The Eagles countered at the 12:12 mark when Cornelius Ballard scooped up a Braves fumble and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. But the Braves responded as Abe Felix busted out for a 42-yard run for a touchdown. Brkic’s kick was successful and the Braves led 10-7 with 7:58 remaining … The Eagles came fighting back as they completed a 10-play, 83-yard drive that was capped by senior quarterback Joey King who scored from two yards out with 2:39 remaining … The Braves got the ball on the kickoff and mounted one last push to win the game. The Braves converted a third down conversion and a fourth down conversion to keep the drive alive … The game came down to the final four seconds when Keats Baldwin’s pass to Emory Jones was incomplete … The Braves dominated the time of possession, 35-24 and held the potent Eagles offense to only 233 yards while racking up 322 yards of their own. Even more impressive was the fact the Braves held the C-N rushing attack, traditionally one of the best in the nation, to only 178 yards … West Georgia had 221 yards of their own and it was the first time since the Bloomsburg game in 2000 the Eagles were out-rushed by an opponent … J.J. Chatmon led the Eagles with 79 yards on the ground and Felix ran for 143 yards and a touchdown … Anthony Robinson had 11 tackles for the Eagles and John Perkins added eight for the Braves … The Eagles host West Virginia Tech on September 15.

CATAWBA - Catawba, ranked 17th in the AFCA poll, knotched its seventh straight win over Livingstone and claimed the Mayor’s Cup with a 38-6 win over the Blue Bears at Shuford Stadium and Kikrland Field ... It also marked the ninth consecutive year that the Tribe has won its home opener ... The last defeat came to Mars Hill in 1995 ... Brad Roach had another efficient day against Livingstone as the sophomore hit on 22-of-30 attempts for 248 yards and three scores ... He completed passes to 10 different receivers on the day ... Corey Ready and Rod Tenor each had four grabs, while Stencil Robinson added three catches ... On the ground, Kory Fisher ran for 110 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown ... Freshman Walter Horne also had a rushing touchdown, while red-shirt freshman Antwan Strong caught a touchdown pass ... Catawba held Livingstone to 172 yards and just 32 through the air ... Charles Morman had an interception, while Ron Ellington forced a fumble that was recovered by Cortez Best ... SaMario Houston led the unit with eight tackles, including one for a loss, and broke up a pass ... Cory Darnell averaged 45 yards on two punts, with one being downed on the one-yard line, and kicked a 24-yard field goal ... Catawba heads to Petersburg, VA, for a first-ever meeting with Virginia State on Saturday night ... The Indians are 13-0 against CIAA teams.

LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne College Football Team opened the 2005 campaign with a 32-27 win over Kentucky State on the road Saturday night in Frankfort, Kentucky … The victory was the first official season-opening win in five years and it snaps an eight-game losing streak on the road, dating back to September 20, 2003 … Lenoir-Rhyne, behind the rushing of junior tailback Andrew Tudor, jumped out to a pair of 18-point leads (25-7 in the second quarter and 32-14 in the third stanza) and was able to hold off Kentucky State at the end … The Bears, clinging to a 32-27 advantage, stopped the Thorobreds on their final drive on the game at their own 11-yard line with four minutes to go and ran out the clock for the victory … Tudor rushed for 186 yards on 29 carries and one touchdown and spearheaded an L-R ground attack that gained 274 yards, the most under fourth-year mentor Wayne Hicks … Senior quarterback Kurtis Koester finished 12-of-22 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns … Both passes were to senior wideout Christopher Winford …Koester all rushed for a career-high 66 yars … Lenoir-Rhyne was especially potent in the first half, scoring on all five possessions … However, KSU scored on the final play of the first half when Shawn Johnson hit Brandon Adams for a 42-yard touchdown reception that give the Thorobreds momentum going into intermission … Senior linebacker Tim Clarke, last year’s SAC Defensive Player Of The Year and a preseason All-American, led the Bears with nine tackles on defense while sophomore wideout Barry Tate topped the squad with 60 yards receiving and 86 yards on three kickoff returns … Lenoir-Rhyne hosts CIAA-member North Carolina Central in its home opener next Saturday at Moretz Stadium beginning at 7 p.m. … The Bears and the Eagles will be meeting for the first time in school history.

MARS HILL - MHC lost their season opener at NCAA I-AA rival Western Carolina University last Thursday night, 21-7 … The Lions lost despite leading in almost every statistical category … MHC had nine more first downs than WCU, out rushed the Catamounts by 55 yards, recorded 48 more total yards and maintained possession of the ball for nine minutes longer than WCU … The outcome was determined by six Lion turnovers … Field position was also a factor … WCU started their average drive on their own 47 yard line while MHC started their drives on their own 22 yard line … The defense played extremely well and the effort and confidence the entire team exhibited was tremendous … MHC fans saw Thursday night that this squad has the ability to have a very successful season … Western Carolina got on the board early, scoring on its second possession of the game … Lamont Reid, who finished with 59 yards on nine carries, capped a seven-play, 54-yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown ... Stephen Brown tacked on the extra point, but that is the last time the Cats would score until the start of the fourth quarter … Over its next eight possessions, Western had six punts, a fumble and an interception … Mars Hill moved the ball, but had little to show for it … On their first three possessions, the Lions punted and threw two interceptions ... However, with Mars Hill facing fourth-and-12 on Western's 38, quarterback Brandon Sims completed a 14-yard pass to Ben Pierson to keep the drive alive ... After back-to-back completions by Sims to the WCU five, he made it three straight with a five-yard score to Antione Jones to tie the game at 7-7, a score which would hold up until the break … Again, Mars Hill's offense was able to have some success … However, on the Lions' nine second half possessions, they had drives end with a fumble, punt, fumble, interception, punt, interception, punt, downs and punt, respectively … The Cats struggled through the third quarter, but scored on its first possession of the fourth … After a short punt, Clark found Bush for five-yard score with 11:53 left in the game … Two plays later, Western came away with its fourth and final interception … On the next snap, Clark found a streaking Nick Miller for a 48-yard score to provide the final margin … Western only committed two turnovers and held the Lions to just 105 yards of offense in the second half … For the Lions, Sims was 13-of-23 for 108 yards with a TD and four INTs … George Washington led the Mars Hill rushing attack with 74 yards on nine carries (8.2 yards per carry), while Jones was Sims top target with four receptions for 21 yards … Jeremy Stewart paced the Lions on defense with seven tackles … Nathaniel Smith also had seven stops, two for loss while Anrae Fevrier tallied five tackles … MHC will host St. Augustine’s on Saturday, September 10, to open the home season at Meares Stadium … Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

NEWBERRY - Newberry College scored 21 points in both the first and second quarters en route to a 55-7 victory over Virginia Union University in NCAA football action Saturday night at Setzler Field. The 48-point margin was the widest since Newberry’s 56-0 trouncing of Guilford College in 1957 ... The Indians (1-0) scored on six of their first seven drives to post a 42-7 lead at intermission ... Josh Stepp (Pelion, S.C.) threw for a college record five touchdowns and 275 yards in 20 completions out of 28 attempts. Alex Haynes (Summerville, S.C.) rushed for 103 yards and two scores in nine carries, and caught four passes for another 112 yards and one touchdown through the air ... The fireworks began when Stepp hit Haynes on the second play of the game on a simple swing pass that Haynes took 64 yards to the end zone. Newberry stopped Virginia Union (0-2, 0-1 CIAA) after three plays, and drove 52 yards in seven plays after strikes of 15 and 13 yards by Stepp to junior Tymere Zimmerman (Bennettsville, S.C.) and Mazzie Drummond (Greer, S.C.). The drive culminated with a 17-yard touchdown reception by Corey Seawell (Columbia, S.C.) ... After a missed Panther field goal, the Indians put together a third touchdown drive in the first frame. Stepp completed passes to Haynes, Antwan Surratt (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Zimmerman, and was denied a touchdown by defensive pass interference which placed the ball on the three-yard line. Stepp called his own number from the one, and made the score 21-0 after a successful extra point by Ryan Lukshis (Irmo, S.C.) ... In the second period, Stepp connected with Zimmerman on two more touchdowns, the second one being a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone with Zimmerman getting one set of toes inbounds. Haynes tacked on a 30-yard scamper into the end zone in Newberry’s three-play, one-minute mini-drive. The sophomore running back had 191 yards of all-purpose offense at halftime ... Newberry’s first two third-quarter drives resulted in points, both of them triggered by outstanding defensive plays. VUU quarterback John Grier was hit from behind by Indian linebacker Charlton Grant (Early Branch, S.C.), forcing a fumble which ended up in the hands of Levi Bennett (Summerville, S.C.) at Virginia Union’s 24-yard line. Haynes needed only one play to cover those 24 yards, accounting for his third score of the evening ... On the following Panther possession, Raul Alphonso (Miami, Fla.) blocked the punt of Chad Talley (Sunnyvale, Calif.) to put Newberry in business at the VUU 25. Zimmerman made his last touchdown catch, reeling in a 10-yarder over the middle for the contest’s final points at 55-7 ... Defensively for the Indians, newcomers Antoine Morgan (Bennettsville, S.C.) and Mike Grase (Rock Hill, S.C.) each made six tackles, and all-SAC linebacker Terrance Leverett (Ware Shoals, S.C.) recorded five tackles ... Newberry will now prepare to face Morehead State in Kentucky next Saturday at 7 p.m. Virginia Union travels for its third consecutive road game, playing at 6 p.m. at Livingstone College on the 10th.

PRESBYTERIAN - Presbyterian College used a balanced offensive attack and held the Fayetteville State University Broncos to 66 yards rushing en route to a 35-6 victory in NCAA Division II college football action Saturday afternoon at Bailey Memorial Stadium. The Blue Hose improve to 2-0 on the season, their best start since the 1999 season, while the Broncos fall to 1-1 on the year. The Broncos are coming off an 8-4 season in 2004 which included a trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs … PC roll up 414 yards of total offense versus the Broncos including 218 yards rushing as 10 different Blue Hose carried the ball. Fayetteville State, which entered the game averaging 135.0 yards on the ground, was held to 66 yards on 25 carries … Senior Blue Hose quarterback Zach Ellis (Tifton, Ga.) continued to stellar play versus the Broncos. Ellis completed 17-of-33 passes for 179 yards and four TDs. In his first two starts of the 2005 season, Ellis has thrown for 430 yards and eight TDs and no interceptions on 41-of-66 completions (62.1%). He has a pass efficiency rating of 156.85. On Saturday Ellis completed passes to seven different receivers … Defensively, the Blue Hose are allowing only 9.5 points per game this season. Opponents have not scored in the first quarter and only six points total in the second and third quarters … The Blue Hose currently hold a +6 turnover margin including forcing four interceptions and recovering four fumbles … Sophomore wideout Justin Durant (Florence, S.C.) continued his solid play this season versus the Broncos. Durant caught six passes for 87 yards and one TD. Durant leads the Blue Hose receiving corps with 13 receptions for 175 yards and four TDs. He also leads the team in scoring (12.0 pts/gm) and all-purpose yards (87.5 yds/gm) … Senior wideout Kip McAlister (Richburg, S.C.) caught six passes for 54 yards and a pair of TD’s versus FSU on Saturday. McAlister is second only to Durant in receptions (12), receiving yards (119), and TDs (2) this season … Redshirt sophomore free safety Kevin Molony (Edgefield, S.C.) made an impressive return to the field versus the Broncos after suffering his third ACL injury this past April. Molony tallied seven total stops on Saturday with one tackle for loss (-8) and one quarterback hurry on defense. On special teams, Molony returned four punts for 63 yards, good for a 15.8 yards per return average. Two of his four punt returns setup Blue Hose touchdowns on Saturday … Redshirt junior linebacker Cheyenne Keener (Canton, N.C.) led the Blue Hose defense with eight total stops to go along with one tackle for loss (-2), one pass defense, and one sack. Sophomore safety Caleb Massengill had a stellar game versus Fayetteville State. Massengill tallied seven total stops, one fumble recovery, one interception, and two pass defenses … Redshirt sophomore Stuart Mull (Morganton, N.C.) has stepped into his starting role as the team’s punter. Mull is averaging 43.1 yards per punt and in eight attempts he has had four punts downed inside the 20-yardline, one touchback, and one fair catch … The Blue Hose hit the road for the first time this season next Saturday as they travel to Charleston, S.C. to face NCAA I-AA Charleston Southern University at 1:30 pm.

TUSCULUM - The Tusculum College football team lost 33-7 at North Alabama this week… The Pioneers even their record at 1-1 on the season… Tusculum surrendered 498 yards offensively to the Lions as the TC defense was on the field for 91 plays… The Pioneers posted 89 yards on offensive, including 65 passing yards… It marked the first time since Sep. 25, 1997 that a Pioneer team had been held under 100 yards passing… It was also the second lowest total offensive output in recorded school history… In 1991, the Pioneers mounted 88 yards offensively against Cumberland (Tenn.)… Senior Josh Hubbard recovered a fumbled lateral and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown... It was the longest fumble return in school history, surpassing the 46-yard return by Josh Campbell against Carson-Newman in 2003… Senior Austin Hunter punted 10 times, which is tied for the third most in a single-game at Tusculum… The 365 punting yards are also the fourth most in a single-game at TC… The Pioneers will be idle this week as they prepare to return to Alabama to face Miles College on Sep. 17… It will be the first-ever meeting between Tusculum and Miles.

WINGATE - Wingate University senior quarterback Brandon Boone found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Shawn Barrett with a 14-yard touchdown pass to cap a comeback and give the Bulldogs a 26-25 victory over Webber International University Saturday afternoon at Legion Field. With the win, Wingate improves to 2-0 overall. Webber International (0-1 overall) drops its opening game of the season … Boone’s TD pass came on fourth-and-goal from the Warriors’ 14-yard line with 59 seconds remaining. An interception by Bulldog junior cornerback Donald Brown set up the winning score. Brown had nine tackles (seven solo) against the Warriors … Wingate senior running back Rip Smith rushed for a career-high 214 yards on 23 carries. Smith had a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to cut the Bulldog deficit to 25-20 and set the stage for the late-game heroics … Smith’s performance is number three on Wingate’s all-time single game performance charts. The Wingate single game record is held by Tracy Bowen, who rushed for 294 yards against Benedict in 1998 … The Bulldogs have won seven non-conference games in a row, dating to the 2003 season. Wingate’s last non-conference loss was a tough 42-38 decision at Jacksonville University on September 13, 2003. Wingate is 2-0 lifetime against Webber International … Brown has an interception in both games this season. In addition to his presence in the defensive secondary, Brown is one of the top punt returners in the SAC. In week one, the Freedom High School product had a punt return for a TD against West Virginia Wesleyan. Against Webber, Brown had five punt returns for 49 yards … Wingate redshirt sophomore Antonio Ingram led the Bulldog defense with 10 tackles against Webber International. Ingram had eight solo tackles, two QB sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The Bulldog defense had three quarterback sacks on the afternoon. Ingram and his defensive mates did not allow any points in the second half against the Warriors.