Motivated Newberry looking to improve on last year's 9-2 mark

It's difficult to be disappointed after going 9-2 in the tough South Atlantic Conference. But there's no question that was the feeling around the Newberry campus when the team (formerly known as the Indians) was overlooked in the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

Still, that's water under the bridge as far as coach Zak Willis is concerned.

"I'm not big on negative motivation. We actually haven't talked about it at all," said Willis, whose .611 winning percentage is tops among Newberry coaches. "We just want to go out and play the best we can play and be positive with our kids because we're on a five-game winning streak going into this year. We've won 15 in a row at home and we've got a lot of positive things going … But we are motivated."

Newberry lost some big-time players, including graduated All-American offensive lineman Heath Benedict, who had a possible NFL career in front of him before unexpectedly dying last summer. Also gone is running back Alex Haynes of Summerville, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards but missed several games because of injury.

Newberry's offense looks solid, in part because injuries last year earned some younger players more time than they otherwise would have garnered. Willis said at one point 10 of the team's 11 offensive starters were sidelined by injury.

While Haynes and his 1,000 yards rushing in 6 1/2 games will be missed, sophomore Tharry Salley and junior Gerald Legree both saw plenty of action. Salley ran for 588 yards while Legree gained valuable experience.

Quarterback also looks solid with junior Brandon Gantt seeing lots of action because of an injury to senior Eric McCollom. Gantt was 7-2 as a starter, threw for 940 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 345 yards and two more TDs. McCollom, 2-0 as a starter, has been granted a medical redshirt. He threw for 332 yards and five touchdowns in three games.

Willis hopes the return of those two players will allow the school to redshirt Hanahan's John Carnell, whom Willis expects to be one of the best players the school has signed from the Lowcountry.

Defensively, Newberry lost several good defensive linemen, but Willis said the gaps have been filled pretty well during camp.

"Everybody else is back," Willis said. "We feel good about our defensive backfield. We feel good about our linebackers, who will be led by senior Will Newell, who is an All-America candidate."

Willis said one of the school's biggest concerns is replacing punter/placekicker Ryan Lukshis, an all-conference performer for three straight years.

"That's a small thing, but people don't realize how important that can be in close games, and we have a lot of (potentially close games) on our schedule," Willis said.

It begins for No. 20 Newberry with a home contest against defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Valdosta State. Newberry is picked to finish second in the SAC, but there are no pushovers in the league, Willis said.

The biggest void Newberry may be unable to fill is the loss of the school's nickname. Last spring the board of trustees voted to abandon the "Indians" nickname to comply with a 2006 agreement with the NCAA that allowed Newberry to host its first-ever playoff game. The school's media guide lists the nickname as "N/A," while releases about the team have referred to the team as the "scarlet and gray."