Game recaps and notes from around the South Atlantic Conference:

CARSON-NEWMAN – The Carson-Newman College Eagles played their first game in the new Burke-Tarr Stadium with a 33-6 win over the Lenoir-Rhyne College Bears in front of a C-N record 5,292 in attendance, breaking the old record of 5,246 which was set at the NAIA National Championship Game in 1986 ... Freshman quarterback Alex Rouse (Maryville, Tenn.) completed eight of his 12 attempts for 109 yards and led the team in rushing with 95 yards in just the second start of his young career ... Ray Hightower (Belfast, Tenn.) and J.J. Chatmon (Cartersville, Ga.) rolled up 94 and 93 yards rushing respectively as the Eagles (6-2) out-gained the Bears (3-5) 480-216 on the day ... Senior safety Deonte Bolden (Tampa, Fla.) tallied 96 return yards and an interception for the Eagles ... Anthony Robinson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) became the first player to score on newly dedicated Roy Harmon Field with a safety 11 seconds into the ballgame. Robinson finished the day with 11 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble ... Rouse and Kiel Angry (Smithville, Ga.) had rushing scores of 14 and 5 yards respectively in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 16-0 lead ... Ronnie Edwards (Union Hall, Va.) reeled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kurtis Koester (Canton, Ga.) to get the Bears on the board with 1:27 to play in the second stanza ... Brandon Mott (Seminole, Fla.) plinked a 27-yard field goal and both extra-point kicks in the first half for the Eagles to give his squad a 19-6 lead at halftime. Chatmon powered home a 19-yard touchdown run with 4:44 to play in the third quarter to build on the Eagles lead before the defense turned in a scoring play of its own ... Trenard Foster (Norcross, Ga.) recovered a punt blocked by Ty Harrison (Taylors, S.C.) and scurried 15 yards in for a score early in the fourth quarter to set the final tally at 33-6 ... Carson-Newman has out-scored their opponents 60-13 in the first quarter and 71-14 in the third quarter in games this season ... The Eagles host Catawba on Thursday, October 27 at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on CSS ... Carson-Newman leads the overall series with the Indians 30-7-1 and won the last four games in the series including a 49-30 in Salisbury. C-N head coach Ken Sparks needs one more win to reach 250 for his career. His record is 249-59-2 in 26 years as the head coach of his alma mater.

CATAWBA - Catawba scored on its first two possessions and two of its three in the fourth quarter to defeat Tusculum 28-20 on Saturday ... A 32-yard pass from Brad Roach to Corey Ready and a 33-yard run by Kory Fisher gave the Tribe a 14-0 lead after just five minutes ... Tusculum rallied and took a 20-14 lead into the locker room ... Catawba would shut the Pioneers down in the final half allowing TC just 67 total yards ... Mario Crowe ran in from a yard out with 9:03 to play to give the Indians a 21-20 lead ... After an interception by Sam Greiner on a fake punt, Fisher added an insurance score with 5:22 left ... Fisher ran for 141 yards in the win, while Roach trew for 192 yards on 18-of-29 passing ... Shane Timmons had four catches to lead the receivers, while Ready had three grabs for 52 yards ... On defense, the Tribe recorded 10 sacks, led by Bryan Biggs, who had four and a half ... Ron Ellington and Pierre Deshauteurs each had two ... Catawba will travel to Carson-Newman this week for a Thursday night game ... Catawba has not defeated the Eagles since 2000 and have not won in Jefferson City since the 2-0 win in 1987.

LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne College football team (3-5, 1-3) lost its fourth consecutive game, 33-6 to No. 24 Carson-Newman (6-2, 2-2), Saturday afternoon at newly-renovated Burke-Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City, Tenn. … The Eagles now lead the all-time series with the Bears, 37-9, and have 27 straight meetings between the two schools … Carson-Newman totaled 480 yards of total offense including 371 on the ground while three different players scored a rushing touchdown for the Eagles … Carson-Newman took control early, leading 16-0 after the first quarter of play including a safety just 11 seconds into the contest … Lenoir-Rhyne managed to just with 1:27 left in the contest on a 16-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Kurtis Koester to freshman running back Ronnie Edwards to cut the lead to ten at 16-6 but the Eagles kicked a field goal on the last play of the first half to give Carson-Newman a 13-point lead going into intermission … Carson-Newman shut out L-R after halftime and scored a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters each including a 15-yard blocked punt return by Trenard Foster ... L-R was limited to just 216 yards of total offense and was sacked five times was junior tailback Andrew Tudor (77 yards rushing) and sophomore wideout Barry Tate (69 yards receiving on six catches) led the team in rushing and receiving, respectively … On defense, Lenoir-Rhyne forced four Carson-Newman turnovers and was led by junior linebacker Tim Clarke with 10 takedowns … Lenoir-Rhyne has to win its last two games to avoid its 11th straight losing season … Junior wide receiver Chris Winford remained in fifth place on school’s career lists with 129 receptions while Koester is sixth in completions with 232 and eighth in touchdown passes with 24 … Tudor now has 2,271 yards rushing for his Bear career … The Bears are now 3-3 on the road but 0-3 at home and will take on SAC-rival Tusculum College next Saturday night on Senior Night at Moretz Stadium beginning at 7 p.m. … Tusculum leads the all-time series with Lenoir-Rhyne, 6-2, and has won the past five meeting between the two squads … Ironically, the last two meetings between the two schools at Lenoir-Rhyne have been 28-23 Tusculum victories.

MARS HILL - Mars Hill College lost to No. 16 Presbyterian College Blue Hose 45-24 in South Atlantic Conference football action Saturday afternoon in Bailey Memorial Stadium … Mars Hill dropped to 4-4 on the season and 3-2 in league play … PC fought back from a 24-14 halftime deficit by scoring 31 points after intermission and holding the Lions’ offense to 63 yards … Mars Hill took their 10-point lead into halftime after rolling up 313 yards of total offense and 24 points in the first frame and were led by senior running back Antoine Jones (Orlando, Fla.) who rushed for 175 of his game-high 208 yards in the first half … Mars Hill struck first on the scoreboard early in the first quarter when Jones found an opening on the outside and ran 84 yards for a touchdown at the 13:39 mark of the first quarter … The Blue Hose responded on their next possession with a 10-play, 70-yard drive … Mars Hill broke the tie later in the first quarter as senior Craig Williams (Fayetteville, WV) hit a 29-yard field goal with 2:04 remaining … The Lions increased the lead to 17-7 early in the second quarter when sophomore Kendrick Johnson (West Columbia, S.C.) scored from three-yards out … PC responded on their next possession as Corey Fidler found the endzone from three yards out to trim the lead to 17-13 … Mars Hill capped the first half with an 80-play drive on seven plays with freshman Jarrett Simmons (Lithia Springs, Ga.) scored on a 49-yard TD run to push the lead to 24-14 at the half … In the second half, PC’s offense scored on their first possession to cut the lead to 24-21 … The Blue Hose defense responded with a three-and-out series on Mars Hill’s next possession, and PC took advantage as Ellis found McAlister for a four-yard TD reception to give the team their first lead 28-24 … After Mars Hill could not move the ball on their next possession, PC’s James Mitchell returned a punt 35 yards to give the Blue Hose offense the ball on the Lions’ 22-yardline … Stuart Mull connected on a 42-yard field goal four plays later to push the lead to 31-24 … Ellis found McAlister for their second touchdown connection early in the fourth quarter this time from 30 yards out, as PC pulled away 38-24 with 11:47 remaining in the game … Chetyuane Reeder scored PC’s final points with a one-yard TD run with 2:50 remaining … Mars Hill was led by Jones’ 208 yards rushing and one score on 35 carries while junior quarterback Brandon Sims (Spartanburg, S.C.) completed 10-of-13 passes for 122 yards … Defensively, the Lions were led by senior linebacker Jeremy Stewart (Irmo, S.C.) with a team-best seven total stops and one sack (-8) while senior defensive back Ryan Howell (Dallas, N.C.) added six solo stops ... Mars Hill College hosts Newberry College in a battle for second place in their annual homecoming game at 2:30 p.m.

NEWBERRY - Newberry College placekicker Ryan Lukshis nailed a 36-yard field goal with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter while Wingate’s Jonathan Beford missed a potentially-tying 37-yarder with five seconds remaining as the Indians eked out a 34-31 win at Setzler Field Thursday night. Newberry (4-3, 3-2 South Atlantic Conference) is now over .500 in the conference for the first time since the 1998 season ... Indian tailback Deshon Rodell rushed for a career-high 135 yards on 27 carries, and quarterback Josh Stepp threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Stepp is three passing touchdowns short of the Newberry career record of 47 set by Dustin Coats in less than two seasons of play ... With 1:01 left in regulation, Wingate started its final drive on its own 15-yard line. Backup quarterback Anthony Metzelaars completed fourth-and-ten and third-and-ten passes to move the ball to Newberry’s 30. On second and ten, the Bulldogs benefited from a defensive holding call that placed the ball on the 20 with nine ticks left. On came the field goal unit, and Beford’s attempt was wide right ... Lukshis posted his second field goal of the day and the winning points after a 61-yard drive where Rodell had a 15-yard carry and Stepp scrambled for 22 yards. Newberry broke a 31-31 tie with the 37-yard made field goal ... Stepp and junior receiver Tymere Zimmerman made their 20th touchdown connection after the Bulldog defensive touchdown to put the Indians up 31-28. The lead was short-lived; Wingate marched to Newberry’s five on the next possession and stalled, settling for Beford’s only good field goal attempt from 22 yards. The redshirt sophomore had misssed a 43-yarder after Wingate recovered the second-half opening onside kick in Newberry territory ... Alex Haynes built Newberry’s lead to 24-13 three minutes after the intermission with a four-yard score. The touchdown was seven of 17 consecutive points for Newberry going back to the second quarter. Antwan Surratt hauled in a 25-yarder from Stepp to go ahead 14-13, and Lukshis’ 23-yard boot gave the Indians a 17-13 halftime edge ... Wingate was fortunate not to be down more at the half. Three consecutive drives ended in lost fumbles, two of those forced by Indian linebacker Terrance Leverett, but Newberry came up with only three points on turnovers ... Will Newell had a breakout defensive game for the Indians in his first start, recording a team-high ten tackles, including a tackle for a four-yard loss. Leverett had nine tackles, two quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles. Deonte Hundley broke up three passes, recovered a fumble, and returned a fumble 17 yards out of his own endzone ... Newberry takes the road for its next action, a 2:30 start on October 29 at Mars Hill. The Indians are seeking their fourth straight conference win, a feat that has only been accomplished once way back in 1979 with the help of a Gardner-Webb forfeit. The last time Newberry won four games of any type in a row was back in 1989, rescuing a 1-6 season with four victories over SAC schools, although Newberry had opted out of the league one year earlier.

PRESBYTERIAN - Presbyterian College improved to 8-1 overall and clinched atleast a share of the 2005 South Atlantic Conference Championship (5-0) after defeating Mars Hill College 45-24 at home Saturday for Homecoming. The Blue Hose are off to their best start since the 1979 season ... PC clinches a share of their first SAC championship since 1979 with the win versus the Lions. The Blue Hose can win the league title outright with a win in one of their last two games of the regular season versus Wingate (10/29) and Newberry (11/5) ... The victory over Mars Hill snapped a two-game losing streak to the Lions. PC owns the all-time series record at 23-11-1 that dates back to the 1970 season ... Redshirt freshman linebacker Antwan Thomas (Hawkinsville, Ga.) had another big game this past Saturday. Thomas tallied a career-high 17 total stops including eight solo tackles, three tackles for loss (-13), one sack (-9), and one quarterback hurry. He leads the team in total stops (74), tackles for loss 18.0 (-47), tied for first in sacks (4.5 for –32 yds.) and recovered fumbles (3) ... Redshirt junior linebacker Cheyenne Keener (Canton, N.C.) added 10 total stops while junior linebacker Justin Jones (Carrollton, Ga.) and senior cornerback Quasi Gary (Kingstree, S.C.) each added nine total stops. Gary added two tackles for loss (-5) and one fumble recovery while Jones chipped in one tackle for loss (-7), one forced fumble, one recovered fumble, and one sack (-7) ... PC senior quarterback Zack Ellis (Tifton, Ga.) completed 24-of-37 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns versus the Lions. Ellis completed passes to five different receivers and was sacked only one time. For the season, Ellis has completed 178-of-292 passes for 1,924 yards and 21 TD’s and only five interceptions. He has a pass efficiency rating of 136.62 ... Defensively, the Blue Hose are allowing only 10.0 points per game this season. Mars Hill is the first team to lead the Blue Hose entering halftime all season. The Lions’ 24 first half points are the most by any opponent this season. PC is allowing 4.1 points per game in the first half this season and the team is outscoring their opponents 157-37 in the first half. PC has allowed only 17 points in the first quarter, 20 points in the second quarter, and 16 points in the third quarter this season ... PC’s scoring defense (10.0 ppg) is one of the lowest in program history. The last time the Blue Hose held opponents to 10.0 ppg or less for a season was the 1960 season. That year, PC allowed 9.0 ppg over nine games and compiled a 6-3 overall record. In comparison, the 1979 Blue Hose squad (11-2) allowed only 11.4 ppg during the regular season and 12.2 ppg for the entire season including the playoffs ... The Blue Hose currently hold a +9 turnover margin including forcing seven interceptions and recovering 15 fumbles. For the season, PC holds a +1.0 turnover margin per game average ... PC’s ground attack amassed 70 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 34 carries versus Mars Hill. In addition, five different players rushed the ball for the Blue Hose on Saturday with freshman Chetyuane Reeder (Clinton, SC) leading the way with 38 yards on 11 carries and one TD, while redshirt junior tailback Corey Fidler (Savannah, Ga.) added 31 yards and one TD on 13 carries ... Freshman James Mitchell (Lawrenceville, Ga.) averaged 17.5 yards per punt return versus the Lions including a long of 35 yards. His 35-yard return late in the third quarter setup the Blue Hose offense that scored four plays later to move ahead 31-24 ... Starting field position played a key role in Saturday’s victory over the Lions. For the game, PC’s average starting field position was their own 47 yardline while Mars Hill’s was their own 23 yardline. Mars Hill was 7-9 on third down conversions en route to a 24-14 halftime lead, but went 0-8 in the second half when they allowed PC to score 31 unanswered points en route to a 45-24 Blue Hose victory. Mars Hill scored on four of six possessions in the first half, but punted the ball five times and lost three fumbles in the second half ... PC’s defense allowed 313 yards of total offense in the first half and 24 points to the Lions, but responded in the second half to allow only 61 yards of offense, three first downs, and no points to Mars Hill ... In five league games this season, PC is averaging 33.0 points per game and allowing only 7.4 points per game. Quarterback Zach Ellis has posted a 133.73 pass efficiency rating by throwing for 979 yards and nine TD’s and only three interceptions. Freshman Chetyuane Reeder has run for 318 yards and five TD’s on 59 carries while averaging 63.6 yards per game and 5.4 yards per rush. Five different wideouts have double-figure receptions in league play led by sophomore Justin Durant (Florence, S.C.) who has 20 receptions for 198 yards and one TD. Defensively, redshirt freshman Antwan Thomas has 48 total stops, 14.0 tackles for loss (-43), 4.5 sacks (-32), two recovered fumbles, and one interception. He is averaging 9.6 tackles per game, while senior Quasi Gary and junior Cheyenne Keener have tallied 31 total stops apiece in league action, good for 6.2 tackles per game ... Presbyterian College (8-1, 5-0 SAC) will wrap-up the regular season on the road with a pair of games at Wingate (10/29) and at Newberry (11/5). Both games will be televised on a tape-delay basis. The Blue Hose will have a chance to win their first outright SAC title with a win over the next two weeks. PC will take on the Wingate University Bulldogs (5-3, 2-3 SAC) in Wingate, N.C. for a 1:30 pm kickoff this Saturday. The Blue Hose hold a 10-6-0 advantage in the series including a 27-17 victory at home on October 30, 2004.

TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers dropped a 28-20 road loss at Catawba College on Saturday… Rookie quarterback Corey Russell had a career day as he passed for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns to sophomore Jamichael Caldwell… Russell went 22-for-34, but was on the run for most of the day as he was sacked 10 times… Caldwell recorded eight catches for 125 yards… Defensively, the Pioneers were led by Marcus Robinson’s 10 tackles… Tusculum extended its streak of forcing a turnover to 31 consecutive games… With the defeat, Tusculum will suffer its first losing season since 1999… The Pioneers travel to Lenoir-Rhyne for the final road game of the season… Tusculum has won five straight against the Bears, including last year’s 44-7 decision in Greeneville… The last two times Tusculum has played in Hickory, TC won by identical scores of 28-23… This week will be the 31st night game for Tusculum since the reinstatement of the program in 1991… TC is 18-12 since then, but during the Coach Frankie DeBusk era, the Pioneers are 14-5, including 2-1 this season… In fact, Tusculum has won its last five night SAC games… The last time TC lost a conference night game was Sep. 23, 1999 at Carson-Newman… The Pioneers lead the all-time series 6-2, which began in 1924.

WINGATE - Newberry College hit a 36-yard field goal with 3:12 remaining in the contest and the Indians withstood a last-minute Wingate University drive, giving the Indians a 34-31 South Atlantic Conference football victory over the visiting Bulldogs Thursday night at Setzler Field. The game was broadcast live on Time Warner Cable ... Wingate is 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the SAC. The contest was true to the history of the Wingate versus Newberry series; 11 of the 16 games in the rivalry have been decided by six points or less ... The Bulldogs made a heroic last drive, getting the ball with 1:01 remaining. Wingate redshirt junior Anthony Metzelaars led the visitors down the field for a potential game-tying field goal. Metzelaars completed fourth-and-ten and third-and-ten passes to move the ball to Newberry’s 30 ... The Bulldogs took advantage of a defensive holding penalty on the Indians to move the ball to the Newberry 20 yard line. On Wingate’s last play, Bulldog redshirt sophomore Jonathan Beford missed a 37-yard field goal wide right with 4.7 seconds to play ... Wingate sophomore linebacker Kenwin Cummings gave the Bulldogs their final lead with 12:39 left in the fourth quarter, recovering a fumble by Newberry redshirt junior quarterback Josh Stepp in the end zone to give Wingate a 28-24 edge. Bulldog redshirt sophomore defensive end Kevin Hubbard forced Stepp’s fumble ... Newberry answered on the next drive, as Stepp led his troops 80 yards on six plays. Stepp found redshirt junior wide receiver Tymere Zimmerman with a 25-yard scoring pass to give the hosts a 31-28 lead ... The Bulldogs tied the game as senior quarterback Brandon Boone led an eight-play, 41-yard drive to set up a 22-yard field goal by Beford with 8:34 to go in the fourth quarter. Boone was injured on Wingate’s next possession and did not return to the game ... The two teams traded punts before Newberry moved the ball 61 yards on 10 plays to set up a field goal. Wingate turned the ball over on downs and Newberry gave the ball back on a punt to set up the Bulldogs’ last drive ... Indian redshirt junior running back Deshon Rodell was Newberry’s go-to guy, rushing 27 times for 135 yards and one score. Stepp was 17-of-32 for 178 yards and two scores. Zimmerman grabbed six Stepp aerials for 58 yards and one TD ... For Wingate, Boone was 16-of-31 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior wide receiver Dan Brooks. A local product from Piedmont High School, Brooks has 47 career catches in the blue-and-gold. Sixteen of his receptions have resulted in six points for the Bulldogs. Cummings had 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and six points ... “Our guys fought hard,” Wingate University head coach Joe Reich said. “Unfortunately, we fell a couple of plays short. I am very proud of our effort.” ... Newberry opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, driving 75 yards on 12 plays. Rodell capped the march with a seven-yard touchdown run at the 7:22 mark of the opening frame ... The Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in a span of one minute and 29 seconds to take their first lead of the evening. Boone found Brooks with a 16-yard scoring strike to tie the game. Beford nailed the extra point, tying the game at 7-7 with 1:11 remaining in the first quarter ... Wingate held Newberry to three plays on the next possession. Bulldog junior cornerback Donald Brown (Morganton, N.C.) returned a punt 68 yards to pay dirt with 14:42 to go in the second quarter. The extra point try failed, leaving Wingate with a 13-7 advantage ... Newberry redshirt sophomore wide receiver Antwan Surratt returned the ensuing kick-off 52 yards to set up the next score. Stepp rewarded Surratt with a 25-yard TD pass with 12:22 left in the second quarter, giving the hosts a 14-13 edge ... The Indians added a field goal after a Wingate fumble to take a 17-13 lead at intermission. The halftime statistics were almost identical, as Newberry gained 174 yards to Wingate’s 171 yards. Boone completed 10-of-16 passes for 138 yards in the first half ... As a team, Wingate ranks 12th in the NCAA Division II in total defense and 11th in rush defense. The Bulldog defense is ranked 10th overall in pass efficiency defense, as well as 20th overall in scoring, allowing under 17 points per game ... Individually for the Bulldogs, junior corner backs David Jones and Donald Brown are 14th and 26th, respectively, in the interceptions per game category ... Brown and Jones are tied for 11th on the NCAA Division II charts in passes defended per game. Bulldog defensive end Kenwin Cummings ranks 10th in forced fumbles per game.