Tuesday. October 10
News & Notes Entering Tusculum Game
SATURDAY’S GAME: Presbyterian continues its South Atlantic Conference title defense against Tusculum on Saturday. The Blue Hose are 3-3 on the season after their 14-9 loss last Saturday to Wingate at home, while the Pioneers are 4-2 on the season after a 17-10 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 7. The game will be the first home game for Tusculum since the second week of September and the fourth road voyage of the campaign for Presbyterian after a two-game home swing. Both teams have an identical 1-1 record in league action, with both earning their conference victory over Lenoir-Rhyne.
THE COACHES: Presbyterian — Head coach Tommy Spangler is in his 6th season in charge of the Presbyterian College Blue Hose football program. Spangler, the 13th head football coach in Blue Hose history, led PC to a 10-2 record and an unscathed 7-0 mark in the South Atlantic Conference last year, taking the SAC crown in the process. Spangler spent four years as PC’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator before taking over as head coach. A 1983 graduate of the University of Georgia, he came to PC after spending five years as the defensive coordinator at Georgia Southern University. Spangler holds a 38-23 overall record. Tusculum — Head coach Frankie DeBusk is in his 9th season with the Tusculum College Pioneers. A 1991 graduate of Furman University, DeBusk has led the Pioneers to a 53-42 mark during his tenure. In nine seasons, his teams have rewritten the Tusculum record book by equaling or establishing over 100 team and individual marks.
A LONG TIME: The Blue Hose had not succumbed to a league opponent in quite some time after going unscathed last year in the SAC. After its 24-13 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne the week prior, Presbyterian had not fallen in a league game since the Indians of Newberry took the Bronze Derby 28-25 in the Blue Hose’s last contest of the 2004 campaign on Nov. 6, 2004. The Wingate loss snapped an eight-game league winning streak for the Blue Hose.
HOSE HAPPENINGS: After going three games without a field goal, Presbyterian hit a field goal for the second consecutive game in the Wingate contest, hitting a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter ... Chris Pope caught the only touchdown of the game for the Blue Hose in the first quarter ... Pope’s first touchdown of the season also marked the first time in 2006 that a receiver other than Justin Durant had acquired a touchdown reception ... It was also the first game this season that someone other than Durant had led the team receiving, as Pope haualed in a team season-high seven catches for 47 yards ... After one of the better games of his career the previous week Durant concluded the Wingate loss with just one catch for seven yards ... Brandon Clark had his best day of the season in the Wingate game, finishing with 70 yards receiving on six catches ... Clark also commandeered the longest play of the day for the Blue Hose when he brought in a 35-yard pass with one hand ... Antwan Thomas led the Blue Hose in the Wingate game with 9 total tackles and two quarterback hurries ... The preseason All-America now leads the Blue Hose in total tackles with 39 stops.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: An All-SAC selection prior to the season, Jamichael Caldwell enters the game agaisnt the Blue Hose with a league-leading 5.20 receptions-per-game. The junior has tallied 26 receptions for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Corey Russell has thrown the majority of the passes Caldwell’s way. The sophomore has thrown for 665 yards on the season, completing 62 of his 102 pass attempts. Russell has also passed for five touchdowns this year. Patrick King has carried the load for the Pioneers on the ground in 2006. The 6-foot, 220-pound King has racked up 323 net yards and two touchdowns on the season. Preseason All-American offensive lineman Michael Bujnak has led the way on many of the runs. Defensive Back Eric McIntyre has led the way in terms of tackles for the Pioneers in 2006. McIntyre has acquired a team-best 33 stops. An All-SAC first team member in the preseason, Adrian Samples from the defensive line has picked up 26 stops and a team-high eight tackles-for-loss this season, including one sack. The Blue Hose have been led all season offensively by preseason All-America selection Justin Durant, who in six games has corralled a team-high 20 catches for 376 yards and three touchdowns. The junior preseason All-America selection had one of the best games of his career in the win over L-R, finishing the contest with two touchdowns and 158 yards receiving on four catches. Corey Fidler leads the Blue Hose attack on the ground this season, rushing for 34 yards in the loss to Wingate to continue to own the team rushing lead with 192 yards picked up this season in six games. Fidler has scored two rushing touchdowns this season and has caught 10 passes for 105 yards. Defensively, Antwan Thomas led the way in the game with the Bulldogs, finishing with nine total tackles and two quarterback hurries. Thomas now owns the team lead in stops with 39 on the 2006 campaign. Fellow Preseason All-American Chad Burgess is just behind Thomas in total tackles with 38 thus far. Burgess has two tackles-for-loss in 2006.
ABOUT TUSCULUM: The 4-2 Pioneers eclipsed their win total of three from last season (3-7) with their 17-10 win over Lenoir-Rhyne last Saturday. The Pioneers are 1-1 in South Atlantic Conference action thus far, tying their win total from last season after ending league play 1-6 last season.
SOMETHING IN COMMON: The Blue Hose and Pioneers have more than just a conference affiliation in common. PC and Tusculum enter Saturday’s tilt in Greeneville, Tenn. having played the same two conference teams this season. Ironically, the two experienced the same results as well. Tusculum lost to Wingate 21-3 to open up its conference season and then followed that up with a 17-10 win over Lenoir-Rhyne. Presbyterian defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 24-13 in its league opener before succumbing to Wingate last Saturday, 14-9.
HIGH AVERAGE: Presbyterian’s Justin Durant had one of the better games of his career in the victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. Durant’s 158 yards receiving in the victory left him with 369 yards in five contests. Despite tallying just one catch for seven yards in the Wingate contest, Durant still leads the SAC in average yards gained per catch with an average of 18.8 yards commandeered every time he touches the football.
PIONEER PRIDE: Tusculum has one of the best rushing defenses in not only the SAC, but also in the nation. The TC defense has allowed a miniscule average of 50.8 yards-per-game by its opponents in six games. Tusculum has had their opponents rush the football 187 times in 2006, but has only allowed 1.6 yards gained per play. Prior to the L-R game last week, Tusculum was the national leader in the category, having given up just 35.2 yards-per-game.
TUSCULUM LAST WEEK: The Tusculum College football team picked up its first South Atlantic Conference victory with a 17-10 win over Lenoir-Rhyne College at Moretz Stadium on L-R’s Homecoming … The Pioneers’ Patrick King broke a 10-all tie in the fourth quarter with a 40-yard touchdown run with 13:45 remaining in the contest that proved to be the game winner. King led all rushers with 87 yards and the score ended an 11-play, 96-yard drive for Tusculum (4-2, 1-1 SAC) … The teams played even through most of the first half, but the Pioneers took a 10-3 lead going into intermission when quarterback Corey Russell (Speedwell, Tenn.) found wide receiver Candics Jones in the left corner of the end zone from 17 yards out with 60 seconds left before halftime … Lenoir-Rhyne (2-4, 0-2 SAC) tied the game at 10-10 on its first drive after the break when Justin Sanders found Brian Terwilliger in the back of the end zone from 27 yards out at the 10:39 mark … Terwilliger made an acrobatic, diving catch which was tipped by a Pioneer defender … Lenoir-Rhyne, however, could not take advantage on its next two drives, as both ended inside the Tusculum 10-yard line … The first came when Candics Jones, on fake end around pass, was sacked and fumbled at the TC 8 and was recovered by the Bears. But on the next play, L-R attempted some deception of its own. Fullback Josh Reeves attempted a pass, but it was intercepted by Rashad Montgomery and returned out of the end zone to the TC 14 to thwart another L-R scoring chance … Tusculum was forced to punt and L-R drove down the field, thanks to a 50-yard quarterback draw by Sanders to the TC 8. But on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, L-R went for the TD, but was turned away as Ronnie Edwards was hit for a three-yard loss by TC’s Justin Scott and Tagon Richard at the 4:08 mark of the third quarter … That defensive effort sparked the Tusculum offense as it marched down the field on an 11-play, 96-yard push, capped off by King’s 40-yard TD scamper, the longest run of his career. King rushed for 57 of his 87 yards on the day during the drive … TC was able to hold L-R on downs on its last two possessions of the contest en route to the win … Russell finished with 113 yards on 13-of-22 passing while defensive back Antrez McDaniel topped the squad with a career-high 12 tackles and a fumble recovery … Sanders led Lenoir-Rhyne in both passing (17-of-26 for 158 yards) and rushing (seven carries for 78 yards including a 50-yard run) and junior defensive back Chima Okoro was the Bears’ top defender with a career-high 12 tackles … L-R senior defensive back Rian Jefferson added 10 takedowns as the Bears defense recorded four sacks despite the loss … Lenoir-Rhyne held a 298-235 advantage in total yards but turned the ball over twice and missed a field goal. The 48-yard field goal attempt by Coln came in the final moments of the half as TC’s Scott Harris came up with the block.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BLUE HOSE: Presbyterian scored the game’s first points to take a 6-0 lead going into halftime, but PC allowed the Wingate Bulldogs to score 14 points in the second half and Wingate improved to 2-0 in league play with a 14-9 victory before a Presbyterian homecoming crowd of 4,251 … The loss marked the first time in nine league contests that Presbyterian has faltered in a South Atlantic Conference game. The last time prior to today’s loss that PC succumbed to a conference foe was in November of 2004 in a 28-25 loss to rival Newberry on Nov. 6, 2004 … Presbyterian had a chance to go ahead on the final play of the game, but the 35-yard heave by quarterback Grayson Mullins fell just out of the reach of three Presbyterian wide receivers in the right corner of the end zone … Wingate obtained the eventual game-winning touchdown scamper with 9:22 left in the final quarter when Bryson Summers’ 39-yard punt was returned by preseason All-SAC first team member Donald Brown for a touchdown to give Wingate a 14-6 lead … Presbyterian on the very next series gave itself the chance to take the game, marching 69 yards to the Wingate 11-yard line after starting the series at its own 20-yard line. The Blue Hose could not move further, garnering three yards on its next three plays … Carl Stevenson then connected on his second field goal in as many weeks, hitting a 27-yarder to make up for an earlier missed extra point and to set the score at 14-9 in favor of Wingate … Wingate originally acquired the lead in the third quarter on its second series of the half after opportunistically taking advantage of a Mitch Doolittle fumble at the PC 11-yard line. After a one-yard run by Jamie Lilly, Anthony Metzelaars threw a 10-yard strike to Gabe Neil to tie the game at 6-6 … Wingate’s Jonathan Bedford was on target on the extra-point try to give Wingate its first lead of the game at 7-6 … Presbyterian scored the first touchdown of the contest at the 2:45 mark in the second quarter when Doolittle found Chris Pope for a nine-yard touchdown. The 10-play, 66-yard scoring drive by Presbyterian lasted almost five minutes, but was somewhat marred by Stevenson’s failed extra-point attempt … Presbyterian finished ahead of Wingate in the contest in many statistical categories, including first downs (PC 17, WU 9) and total net yards (PC 263, WU 196) … The PC defense had as stout of a performance as it has had all year, holding the league’s leading passer in Metzelaars to just 122 yards through the air. Antwan Thomas led the charge individually, concluding the contest with nine total tackles and two quarterback hurries … The quarterback tandem of Doolittle and Mullins ended the contest with a cumulative 154 yards passing, which bested Wingate’s total of 140. Doolittle threw for 80 yards and one touchdown, while Mullins threw for 74 yards and rushed for another 19.
PC-TC LAST YEAR: Presbyterian’s Chetyuane Reeder ran for 59 yards and a pair of touchdowns on eight carries while the Blue Hose defense held Tusculum College to 240 yards of total offense en route to a 26-3 victory over the Pioneers at Bailey Memorial Stadium ... The 25th-ranked Blue Hose improved to 5-1 on the season including a perfect 2-0 mark in league play while Tusculum fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the SAC. On the day, the Blue Hose offense rolled up 352 yards of offense with 177 yards coming on the ground while Ellis threw for 175 yards and one TD on 18-of-27 completions. Tailback Corey Fidler led the way with 87 yards on 17 carries. Tusculum was led on offense by quarterback Corey Russell who threw for 105 yards on 17-of-20 completions while running back Randy Williams ran for 38 yards on 10 carries. The Blue Hose were led on defense by cornerback Quasi Gary and linebacker Antwan Thomas who each tallied nine total stops apiece while Willis added seven total stops, two tackles for loss (-9), one sack (-8), and a fumble return for 39 yards. The Pioneers were led on defense by linebacker Derrick Jones and defensive back Octavius Love who each tallied four solo tackles apiece.
FIDLER & BURGESS NAMED 2006 CAPTAINS: Presbyterian College senior running back Corey Fidler and strong safety Chad Burgess have been named captains for the 2006 season.
BLUE HOSE PLACE 10 ON PRESEASON ALL-SAC SQUADS: The Blue Hose commandeered five preseason first team All-South Atlantic Conference honors and 10 in total.Wide Receiver Justin Durant and fullback/tailback Corey Fidler made the preseason all-league squad on the offense, while strong safety Chad Burgess, linebacker Cheyenne Keener and linebacker Antwan Thomas were selected to the first team defense. Chris Pope made the second team offense as a wide receiver and was joined on the second team offense by Chetyuanne Reeder (running back) and Mitchell Anthony (offensive lineman). Justin Jones, who is starting the season as the weak side linebacker for the Blue Hose made the second team defense as a defensive back and Sean Foley was tabbed as the second team’s long snapper. The 10 all-conference student-athletes by PC were second only to Wingate’s 11.
PC PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN SAC PRESEASON POLL: Presbyterian College was tabbed to finish second in this year’s South Atlantic Conference preseason coach’s poll. The defending champion Blue Hose received 50 points (two first place) while Carson-Newman College received 61 points including five of eight first place votes.
BLUE HOSE RANKED HIGHLY IN PRESEASON POLLS: Presbyterian enters the season ranked as highly as No. 5 (CollegeSportsReport) nationally. The Blue Hose are rated eighth in the D2Football.com poll and ninth in the Football Gazette publication. The AFCA places the Blue Hose at No. 14, while the Massey Ratings have the Hose at No. 16.
BLUE HOSE OPPONENTS RANKED IN PRESEASON MAGAZINES: Presbyterian College football continues to play one of the toughest schedules in NCAA Division II with a pair of opponents on the 2005 schedule ranked in the preseason magazines. Carson-Newman College is ranked 15th in the Street and Smith preseason poll while West Georgia is ranked 22nd in Lindy’s. Newberry, Lenoir-Rhyne and Tusculum were also mentioned as team’s to watch in the Street and Smith publication.
ALL-AMERICAN: Presbyterian strong safety Chad Burgess was recently selected to D2football.com’s preseason All-America team, earning first team honors. The only Blue Hose player selected to the squad, Burgess’ honor is the fourth preseason All-America nod for him in the 2006 preseason (Don Hansen’s, Lindy’s and Street & Smith’s). Antwan Thomas joined Burgess on Lindy’s 2006 All-Division II team. A 5-foot-9, 199-pound redshirt sophomore linebacker, Thomas accumulated a team-high 100 total stops, including 47 solo tackles, in 2005. Thomas also chalked up 21 tackles for loss, three recovered fumbles, two interceptions, two quarterback hurries and 4.5 sacks in 2005. Thomas was also selected to Don Hansen’s Preseason All-America team where he was joined by wide receiver Justin Durant
400 AND COUNTING: PC’s football program, which began play in 1913, enters the 2006 campaign with 461 all-time wins. PC’s overall record stands at 461-415-35 (.526) over 91 seasons. After Presbyterian’s loss to Wingate, PC’s record all-time is 464-418-35.
ON THE AIR: PC football can be heard on WPCC 1410 AM as Chris Burgin and Sandy Cruickshanks handle the play-by-play chores. PC football comes on the air 45 minutes prior to kickoff. On Thursday nights, the PC Football Show will air live from Gooney Bird’s in Laurens. Burgin and Coach Spangler will discuss football at all levels, while taking calls from fans and having special guests throughout the campaign.
BLUE HOSE FOOTBALL ON THE INTERNET: Presbyterian College football can be heard via the Internet again this season. To hear the broadcast, just to go http://www.presby.edu/bluehose and click on the GoLive Logo. The Texas Sports Radio Network and GoLiveSports.com are providing the internet broadcast this season.
TOMMY SPANGLER’S COACH’S SHOW ON INTERNET: Presbyterian College head football coach Tommy Spangler will have his weekly coach’s show available via the internet this season. Radio voice of the Blue Hose, Chris Burgin, will host the show each week. To download the show each week go to: http://www.presby.edu/bluehose/coaches_shows.html.