Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director
BREVARD, N.C. – On Wednesday the USA South announced the annual Preseason Football Coaches poll, selecting the Brevard College Tornados to finish sixth. The Tornados have been selected in the preseason poll and will be eligible for the USA South Regular Season Championship for the first time since reclassifying to NCAA Division III.
Brevard was tabbed sixth, just ahead of conference foes Methodist (seventh) and Greensboro (eighth). Three-time defending conference champion Huntingdon College was selected first, garnering 7 first-place votes in the process. Huntingdon also received votes in the recently released D3football.com Preseason Top-25 Poll. Maryville (second) received the other first-place vote. Rounding out the poll were Averett (third), N.C. Wesleyan (fourth), and LaGrange (fifth).
|
2018 USA South Coaches Preseason Football Poll |
||
|
Rank |
Institution (1st Place Votes) |
Pts. |
|
1. |
Huntingdon^ (7) |
49 |
|
2. |
Maryville (1) |
38 |
|
3. |
Averett |
37 |
|
4. |
N.C. Wesleyan |
28 |
|
5. |
LaGrange |
27 |
|
6. |
Brevard* |
23 |
|
7. |
Methodist |
15 |
|
8. |
Greensboro |
7 |
|
*Ineligible for NCAA Tournament (Div. III Reclassifying Member) |
||
*Courtesy of USA South*
Although not counting toward regular or postseason championship honors, the Tornados enjoyed solid performance against their new conference opponents last year. Brevard went 3-3 (.500) against teams currently in the USA South last season (Wins @ Methodist, @ NC Wesleyan, @ Greensboro; Losses @ LaGrange, vs Huntingdon, vs Averett). Brevard will look to build in 2018 on significant improvements already made under second-year Head Coach Bill Khayat.
"First off, congratulations to Coach Mike Turk and the Huntingdon College Hawks," Khayat stated after the poll release. "Their preseason ranking speaks directly to the efficiency and excellence of Coach Turk's program. His approach is one to emulate."
"Brevard College's sixth-place position in the preseason poll is not surprising. When a program loses a successful quarterback, it usually presents a challenge. Youth and inexperience compound the task ahead with two thirds of the team being new to the program and of the returning players on the roster, only six are seniors."
The Tornados welcomed 79 newcomers to camp Tuesday, with 6 seniors on the preseason roster. The offense will look toward one of those seniors, Bubba Craven, to lead them in the receiving game.
Craven compiled 50 receptions for 868 yards to go along with 11 touchdowns in the 2017 campaign. He eclipsed the 100ypg mark four times during the 2017 season, and his season totals were higher than 10 out of 11 previous Tornado receiving corps (904 yds. in 2009) since Brevard made the move to NCAA competition in 2007.
*Courtesy of Tommy Moss*
The Brevard College 2017 offense finished among the top five in seven major team categories in program history including passing yards (2,460-1st); first quarter points (92-1st); fourth quarter points (94-2nd); total points (282-4th); first downs (188-4th); total offensive yards (3,343-4th); and red zone scores (27-4th).
The Tornados surpassed the 50-point mark twice in 2017 as they downed Greensboro College (63-7) and N.C. Wesleyan (58-42), making it only the second time in program history (2010) that Brevard completed two 50-plus point outings. Brevard's 58-42 victory over N.C. Wesleyan also gave the program back to back road victories for the first time since 2010.
2018 Season At A Glance
The Tornados open the season up for the second time in as many seasons against Davidson on Sept. 1 for a primetime 7pm kickoff at Richardson Stadium in Davidson, North Carolina. Brevard will be looking for revenge against the non-conference DI opponent, as the Wildcats upended the Tornados in the 2017 season opener 30-7. Brevard returns home to face off with the NAIA's Allen University on Sept. 15th, before closing out the non-conference stretch with a road trip to the NCCAA's Virginia-Lynchburg on Sept. 22nd. The Tornados then storm through a slate of 7 consecutive conference games, starting with a trip to Maryville on Sept. 29th and ending with a Nov. 10th clash with Greensboro.
Full 2018 Tornado Football Schedule
September 1st @Davidson 7:00pm Davidson, N.C.
September 15th vs Allen University 3:00pm Brevard, N.C.
September 22nd @Virginia-Lynchburg 1:00pm Lynchburg, Va.
September 29th @Maryville 2:00pm Maryville, Tn.
October 6th vs Methodist 1:00pm Brevard, N.C.
October 13th @Huntingdon 2:00pm Montgomery, Al.
October 20th vs N.C. Wesleyan 1:00pm Brevard, N.C.
October 27th vs LaGrange 1:00pm Brevard, N.C.
November 3rd @Averett 5:00pm Danville, Va.
November 10th vs Greensboro 1:00pm Brevard, N.C.
*Bold Denotes Conference Game
*Italics Denotes Neutral Site Scrimmage
For more information on all things Tornado Football, please click here.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook (Brevard College Tornado Athletics), Twitter (@bctornados), and Instagram (@bctornados) for more news and updates on Brevard College Athletics
To view the USA South Preseason Coaches' Poll Release, please click here.