Brevard, N.C. – In only the second year of the re-establishment of the football program at Brevard College, the Tornados made great strides of improvement throughout their 2007 campaign.

 

The 2007 season was a challenging one for the Tornados, as in their first full season Head Coach Paul Hamilton’s squad played four nationally ranked top-25 NCAA Division II teams as well as a full South Atlantic Conference slate.

 

While the Tornados posted a 2-9 record overall, BC scored in every game of the season, a big improvement from last season in which Brevard was shutout four times. After only scoring a total of 72 points in all of 2006, the Tornado offense came alive under first year Head Coach Paul Hamilton, scoring 200 points over their 11 games this season.

 

On the season the Tornado offense rushed for 2,144 yards, good enough for fifth-place in the South Atlantic Conference. BC averaged 194.9-yards per game on the ground, averaging just over 4.2-yards per carry.

 

The Tornados started out their season with a tough 41-23 road loss to UVA-Wise, a game in which the Tornados stayed with the Cavaliers for three quarters before falling behind for good in the fourth quarter.

 

After falling to Shorter College at home 24-21 on a last second field goal, the Tornados traveled to Mars Hill where they played the Lions to a 7-7 tie at the half. However, the Lions in front of the home crowd jumped out early on the Tornados in the second haft to win the game 35-7.

 

Coach Hamilton and the Tornados would taste victory in their next game, a 45-7 blowout of Chowan University at home in front of a packed Brevard Memorial Stadium. The win showed the Tornados quick improvement from last season, as they defeated Chowan 10-5 in 2006.

 

Coming off the first win of the season, BC jumped right into their full SAC slate, falling on the road at Lenoir-Rhyne, 23-12, and then at No. 23 Wingate, 51-7.

 

The Tornados would drop their next game at home versus Tusculum, 30-7, before picking up their second win of the season, a 38-21 victory over LaGrange College.

 

With a 2-6 record, Brevard still had the toughest part of their schedule remaining as their last three games were all against nationally ranked top-25 opponents. The Tornados took on the No. 13 ranked Eagles of Carson-Newman, falling in Jefferson City, T.N. 52-13. The following week, the Tornados welcomed the No. 13 ranked Catawba Indians to Brevard, N.C., where the Indians were able to hold off a Tornado offense that posted 355-total offensive yards for the game to win 56-21.

 

In the season finale, the Tornados traveled to Newberry, S.C. to battle the No. 22 ranked Newberry Indians. BC battled hard with the defending SAC Champions, pushing the Indians to the limit before falling 17-6.

 

On the offensive side of the ball, the BC rushing attack was led by junior running back John Taylor. Taylor gained 766-yards on 165 carries and had 11 touchdowns for the season. Freshman quarterback Trey Wilborn, who started the season as the starting free safety for the Tornados, had 494-rushing yards on 93 attempts and four touchdowns, while sophomore running back Tyrone Arrington had 63 carries for 388-yars and two touchdowns.

 

The passing game for the Tornados was limited in their triple-option style offense, however, Wilborn connected on 24 of 37 attempts for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Colby McCoy, who shared snaps with Wilborn for most of the season, led the team with 456-passing yards on the year.

 

Defensively, the Tornados were greatly improved from a year ago, as they forced 36 turnovers on the year. Sophomore linebacker Stanley Jones led the Tornados in total tackles with 73.5 on the season, including collecting 8.0 tackles for a loss of 34-yards. Jones also led BC with two fumble recoveries and two interceptions, including running one back for a touchdown.

 

Fellow linebacker Elliot Collins had 71.5 total tackles on the season, including 9.0 for a loss and 2.0 sacks. Strong safety Joshua Durm recorded 57.0 total tackles, while sophomore linebackers Devin Simpson and Butch Bridges recorded 48 and 45 tackles, respectively.

 

Despite their 2-9 overall record, the Tornados showed signs of greatness throughout the 2007 season. With no seniors on the entire BC roster, look for the Tornados to again improve in the 2008 season. With a foundation firmly built, a lot of positive points to build on and Coach Hamilton’s leadership, the Tornados football program is full of promise for many seasons to come.

 

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