NEWBERRY – The Newberry College Wolves’ football team plays its final regular season game of the 2014 campaign as the scarlet and gray travel to North Greenville University this Saturday.

WHO: Newberry College at North Greenville University
WHERE: Younts Stadium on the NGU campus in Tigerville
WHEN: 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 15
RECORDS: Newberry is 5-5 overall and 3-4 in South Atlantic Conference action. North Greenville is 5-5 overall.
LIVE AUDIO: http://www.NewberryWolves.tv, WKDK-AM 1240 in Newberry County
LIVE VIDEO & STATS:  http://www.NGCrusaders.com 
WEATHER FORECAST: High of 50 degrees. Sunny.

THE GAME

• Newberry College is in its 101st season of intercollegiate football.

• Today’s game marks the 991st game in school history, with Newberry carrying an all-time record of 409-544-36 (.431)

• Neither team is ranked or receiving votes in either national poll.

 

COMMON OPPONENTS
• The teams share the seven other South Atlantic Conference football schools and Limestone as common opponents.

Opponent	Newberry	N. Greenville
Brevard	W 34-14 (A)	W 41-31 (H)
Carson-Newman	W 46-21 (H)	L 34-35 (A)
Catawba	L (2OT) 34-37 (H)	L 17-28 (A)
Lenoir-Rhyne	L 10-23 (H)	L 21-32 (A)
Limestone	W 70-20 (H)	W 38-9 (H)
Mars Hill	L 29-38 (A)	L 27-30 (H)
Tusculum	L 14-16 (A)	W 38-35 (A)
Wingate	W 33-10 (H)	W 24-14 (H)

 

THE NORTH GREENVILLE SERIES

• This game is the 13th meeting between Newberry and the Crusaders.

• Newberry has a 10-2 lead in the all-time series, snapping  a 2-game NGU win streak with last year’s win in the regular season finale.

• The Wolves are 5-1 against the Crusaders in their various road games.

• This is the first meeting between the two schools on the new FieldTurf at Younts Stadium.

• This is NGU’s final year of a four-year scheduling agreement with the South Atlantic Conference.

• Newberry has extended its series with NGU through the 2016 season.

 

THE COACHES

NEWBERRY:  Todd Knight (Gardner-Webb, 1989) is in his sixth season as Newberry’s head coach. He has a 33-30 record and a record of 6-4 against teams ranked in the AFCA Divsion II Top 25. He has a 20-20 record against the South Atlantic Conference. In 2009, Knight led Newberry to a 6-4 record and became the first Newberry head coach to record a winning record in his inaugural season since Reed Charpia in 1978. In 2010, Knight led Newberry to a 4-6 record, as well as the 2011 season. The Wolves went 5-6 overall in the 2012 season and achieved a ranking as high as No. 25 nationally. In 2013, he led the Wolves to a 9-3 overall record, making the school’s second appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Newberry finished the season ranked No. 23 nationally. Knight is 2-1 all-time against North Greenville.

 

NORTH GREENVILLE: Jeff Farrington (The Citadel, 1982) is in his second season as a collegiate head coach and as the head coach of the Crusaders. He has a 10-11 (.476) record in his tenurein Tigerville. He was NGU’s third head football coach in three seasons when he was hired prior to the 2013 campaign. He was previously defensive coordinator at VMI. He is 0-1 all-time against Newberry

 

IN-STADIUM BROADCAST

• For the first time, Newberry’s radio broadcast will be able to be heard in the stadium via FM radio for road games.

• The frequency will be determined on gameday and announced on the official Newberry College Athletics Twitter account - @NewberrySports

• All games will still be broadcast in Newberry County on the long-time home of Newberry College Athletics - WKDK-AM 1240.

 

ROLL OVER THE ODOMETER

• Newberry quarterback W.T. Murden became just the fourth trigger man in school history to pass for over 5,000 yards in a career with his 174 yards at CSU.

• He now has 6,078 yards passing, just the second Newberry quarterback to eclipse 6,000 yards in his career.

• He ranks second in in TD passes, yardage, completions and attempts.

 

Career
Yardage
1.	Josh Stepp	(2004-06)	7,398
2.	W.T. Murden	(2011-pres.)	6,078
3.	Dustin Coats	(1997-2000)	5,678
4.	Jimmy Skipper	(1982-85)	5,390
5.	Brandon Gantt	(2007-09)	3,716
Attempts
1.	Josh Stepp	(2004-06)	975
2.	W.T. Murden	(2011-pres.)	846
3.	Dustin Coats	(1997-2000)	821
4.	Jimmy Skipper	(1982-85)	746
5.	Tim Singleton	(1989-90, 1992)	636
Completions
1.	Josh Stepp	(2004-06)	583
2.	W.T. Murden	(2011-pres.)	523
3.	Dustin Coats	(1997-2000)	412
4.	Jimmy Skipper	(1982-85)	372
5.	Brandon Gantt	(2007-09)	321
Touchdowns
1.	Josh Stepp	(2004-06)	72
2.	W.T. Murden	(2011-pres.)	55
3.	Dustin Coats	(1997-2000)	47
4.	Jimmy Skipper	(1982-85)	34
5.	Bryan Ehrlich	(2009-11)	33

• Murden is also second in the career records in total offense. He could still become one of just three QBs to rush for 1,000 yards in their career.

 

	Career Total Offense Leaders	Rush	Pass	Total
1.	Josh Stepp, QB (2003-2006)	1,172	7,398	8,570
2.	W.T. Murden, QB (2011-pres.)	976	6,078	7,054
3.	Jimmy Skipper, QB (1982-1985)	514	5,390	5,904
4.	Dustin Coats, QB (1997-2000)	-87	5,678	5,591
5.	Tim Singleton, QB/WR (1989-1992)	1,413	3,665	5,078

 

HOMETOWN SCORER

• Jackson Swindler scored Newberry’s first touchdown of the season with his 62-yard score in the fourth quarter of the CSU game.

• He is the first player who is a native of Newberry to score a touchdown for Newberry College since Roderick Elkins returned an interception for the game winning touchdown at West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 23, 2000.

This is a span of 128 games

• The last Newberry local to score an offensive touchdown was Trokya Bates, who had a TD reception in the Nov. 14, 1998 Bronze Derby game, a 45-14 loss at Presbyterian.

This is a span of 143 games

• Newberry native Joseph Foster kicked four PATs in the blowout win over Limestone. He added another in the Carson-Newman victory.

• Both players have an interesting Newberry connection, as Swindler is the son of recently retired City of Newberry police chief Jackie Swindler and Foster is the son of Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster.

 

ELMORE HITS A THOUSAND

• With three carries in the third quarter of the Limestone game, Newberry senior Dureal Elmore from Abbeville earned over 1,000 rushing yards for his career.

• Elmore would crack Newberry’s top 10 in career rushing scores with his score against Carson-Newman. He currently has 13 touchdowns, tying him for 10th all-time in school history.

 

NEWBERRY IN THE NFL

• Three former Newberry College football players are on NFL rosters

• After lighting up the NFL in the preseason, New York Giants and former Newberry College wide receiver Corey Washington likely knew it would take some time to get in the swing of things in the regular season.

• The North Charleston native was targeted on a pass in the end zone in a Giants’ loss to the Lions on the first week of the season, but playing time had been sparse since then.

• On Monday, Nov. 3, Washington got into the game as the Giants faced a large deficit against Indianapolis on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. He proceeded to make the most of his time on screen with a great drive.

• Washington caught four passes for 48 yards, wrapping up the drive with his first career regular season touchdown reception - a 1-yard grab from Eli Manning over Colts’ cornerback Josh Gordy.

• Washington becomes the second Newberry alumnus to catch a touchdown pass in the NFL, following in the footsteps of Green Bay tight end Brandon Bostick, who caught his second career touchdown pass on Sunday night in Green Bay’s dominant win over Chicago.

• In other NFL action, former Newberry College safety Ron Parker has been a standout in the secondary for the Kansas City Chiefs this season. He ranks second on the Chiefs’ roster with 48 total tackles, including 41 solo stops.

• Parker was the Chiefs’ player of the game defensively against Buffalo with 3 pass breakups on the Bills’ final 4 plays. He also had a forced fumble and 8 tackles in a close win.

• Parker was an All-American safety at Newberry, but had been converted to a cornerback in each of his stops in the NFL. He had 7 tackles against the Jets this week along with a pass breakup this week.

• Parker has started the last six Chiefs’ games at strong safety, playing nearly every defensive snap. As a starter he has notched 27 tackles, three passes defensed, an interception, a quarterback hurry and a sack.

• The aforementioned Brandon Bostick has always faced stiff competition at tight end in his three seasons as part of the Green Bay organization. A leg injury late in the preseason did him no favors this season.

• With that being said, Bostick has still forced his way into the lineup and had one reception for 2 yards against the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago. Despite not putting up big receiving numbers, Bostick has still played in seven games post-injury this season.

• These players tie Newberry for the second-most NFL players of any Division II school, behind only Grand Valley State with five. A trio of other Division II schools also have three NFL players – Saginaw Valley State, Washburn and West Texas A&M.

• Newberry’s three NFL players is all the more impressive considering its relatively small student body. Only one player in the NFL hails from a college smaller than Newberry - Baltimore Ravens’ wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who attended Lane College in Tennessee. Lane lists its attendance as 1,000.

 

Newberry in the NFL  - Week 11

Sunday, November 18

1 p.m. - San Francisco at New York Giants, FOX

1 p.m. - Seattle at Kansas City, FOX

4:25 p.m. - Philadelphia at Green Bay, FOX

 

ALL-AROUND A.J.

• Senior outside linebacker A.J. Booker from Spartanburg has racked up a slew of varied awards in the last few weeks.

• On Sept. 25, he was named a national semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments®

• Booker has excelled in his academic pursuits as well, currently holding a 3.66 grade point average in Newberry’s nursing program, with a minor in biology. He intends to go into the pediatric nursing field following his graduation from Newberry.

• He is a two-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, and is eligible for that honor once again this season. He has been on the Dean’s List for every semester he has been enrolled at Newberry, was a resident advisor and is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

• Booker has also served the football team as a captain this season and was recently inducted into the Order of the Gray Stripe - the football team’s honor council.

• Booker earned AstroTurf SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors Monday, September 15.

• Booker had a pair of interceptions to set up scores in the Wolves’ record-breaking 70-20 win over Limestone.

• He totaled three tackles in the game, including a 14-yard sack which push Limestone out of easy field goal range. The Saints would attempt a 39-yarder which was blocked.

• Booker is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and was recently added to Newberry’s Order of the Gray Stripe.

• Booker added a fumble recovery for an 11-yard touchdown in the loss at Tusculum.

• Booker earned AstroTurf SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors Monday, November 10.

• He also added Corvias ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Tuesday, November 11.

• Booker totaled nine tackles with three tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble on the defense’s second play of the game and snagged an interception, which he returned 14 yards to set up the Wolves’ third touchdown of the first quarter.

 

IT’S MILLER TIME

• Kevin Miller is standing out in his first season for the scarlet and gray, especially on punt returns.

• His efforts in the Wingate game were rewarded with SAC Player of the Week honors, and he currently ranks 11th in the nation and first in the SAC and Super Region II in punt return average.

 

Rank	Player	PR	Yds	Avg
1	Etauj Allen, Ouachita Baptist	19	395	20.8
2	Stephan Dickens, Colorado St.-Pueblo	21	427	20.3
3	Torie Wagner, Charleston (WV)	20	359	18.0
4	Jermeil Douse, Concord	18	322	17.9
5	Dion Futch, Virginia St.	12	212	17.7
6	Vershon Moore, Washburn	16	281	17.6
7	Austin Rieder, Minn. St. Mankato	18	296	16.4
-	Austin Young, Northern Mich.	18	296	16.4
9	Elby Pope, Mary	14	230	16.4
10	Curtis Pumphrey, Bowie St.	13	212	16.3
11	Kevin Miller, Newberry	16	254	15.9

 

STOP RIGHT THERE!

• Newberry ranks high nationally in total defense, currently sitting in 12th in Division II in yards allowed per game.

• Only Albany State has a better ranking in the Super Region II.

 

Rk	Team	G	W-L	Plays	YDS	Yds/Play	Off TDs	Opp TDs	YPG
1	Northwest Mo. St.	10	9-1	583	2,066	3.54	17	18	206.6
2	Shepherd	9	8-1	516	1,947	3.77	11	14	216.3
3	Albany St. (GA)	9	7-2	528	2,065	3.91	16	17	229.4
4	Pittsburg St.	10	9-1	613	2,539	4.14	12	15	253.9
5	Bloomsburg	10	10-0	649	2,744	4.23	12	15	274.4
6	Winston-Salem	10	9-1	671	2,746	4.09	13	15	274.6
7	Harding	9	8-1	594	2,500	4.21	15	15	277.8
8	Indianapolis	10	9-1	664	2,786	4.20	19	20	278.6
9	Stonehill	10	4-6	674	2,788	4.14	22	28	278.8
10	Okla. Panhandle	10	7-3	725	2,822	3.89	21	26	282.2
11	Virginia Union	10	7-3	768	2,910	3.79	21	24	291.0
12	Newberry	10	5-5	689	2,919	4.24	22	26	291.9

 

NO FLY ZONE

• The Newberry secondary has been limiting opposing offenses to a paltry 119.7 yards per the game passing.

• This number was boosted last week when the Wolves held Brevard without a pass completion.

 

Rk	Team	Cmp-Att	Yds	TDs	Y/Att	Yds/Cmp	YPG
1	Newberry	111-214	1,128	8	5.27	10.16	112.8
2	Tusculum	99-183	1,199	9	6.55	12.11	119.9
3	Indianapolis	153-292	1,296	8	4.44	8.47	129.6
4	Pittsburg St.	125-263	1,426	5	5.42	11.41	142.6
5	Albany St. (GA)	109-243	1,308	10	5.38	12.00	145.3
6	Northwest Mo. St.	124-291	1,460	9	5.02	11.77	146.0
7	Alderson Broaddus	121-255	1,494	10	5.86	12.35	149.4
8	North Ala.	145-265	1,366	5	5.15	9.42	151.8
9	Mars Hill	92-179	1,371	14	7.66	14.90	152.3
10	Wingate	149-295	1,541	8	5.22	10.34	154.1

 

TO THE HOUSE!

• Newberry’s Byron Dickerson returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in the 46-21 win over No. 24 Carson-Newman.

• The senior had three touches in the game, which were all touchdowns. He had two receptions for touchdowns of 8 & 7 yards.