By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Catawba’s football team is 0-2 in the South Atlantic Conference, but it’s been a pretty energetic and exciting 0-2.

Quarterback Preston Brown and receiver Bo Pryor have been key reasons for that.

Brown has put up huge numbers through four games, huge numbers even at the national level. He’s tied for fifth in D-II with 14 touchdown passes. He ranks fifth with 1, 217 passing yards and seventh with 24 completions per game.

Brown’s stats received quite a jolt upward from his record-setting game with Livingstone, but he’s been productive in every game.

Well, at least he was productive in second half of last week’s game at Tusculum. The first half was forgettable for Brown and all his teammates. Catawba dug a 21-0 hole with five turnovers and ultimately lost 35-21.

The elusive Pryor ranks third nationally in receiving yards. He has 30 catches for 451 yards and seven TDs.

The Indians have a chance for their first SAC win when Emory & Henry visits on Saturday. The Indians are underdogs, but this is not like the games against Mars Hill and Tusculum where everything had to go right for Catawba to have a shot. Catawba has more margin for error in this one and may be able to survive some mistakes. If the Indians play as well as they did in the second half last week, they can win.

Catawba is a four-point underdog against an Emory & Henry squad that got out to a 21-0 lead and beat Catawba 38-23 in 2022. Catawba proved to be a cooperative homecoming guest.

Kickoff on Saturday at Shuford Stadiam is at 6 p.m. It’s Family Day.

Emory & Henry (2-2, 0-2) has experienced a season that mirrors Catawba’s — two non-conference wins followed by two SAC losses.

Emory & Henry’s eight-overtime loss to Newberry at Setzler Field on Sept. 16 was literally one for the books. That loss in the longest game in D-II history, had to drain something out of the Wasps, and they lost by three TDs to Wingate last week.

E&H quarterback Charles Mutter III  ranks fifth in the SAC in passing yards. Linebacker Kaleb Lundy is the SAC’s leading tackler.