No. 14 Carson-Newman Defeats Tusculum, 70-35, on Record-Setting Day
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The 14th-ranked Carson-Newman football team ran away from South Atlantic Conference rival Tusculum, 70-35, Saturday afternoon on a record-setting Senior Day at Burke-Tarr Stadium.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The 14th-ranked Carson-Newman
football team ran away from South Atlantic Conference rival
Tusculum, 70-35, Saturday afternoon on a record-setting Senior Day
at Burke-Tarr Stadium.
The teams combined to break six school records, four of which were
by C-N.
With the victory, the Eagles (9-2, 7-0 SAC) close out regular
season play on a nine-game winning streak. C-N will find out its
postseason schedule on Sunday, as the 24-team field for the 2009
NCAA Division II playoffs will be announced on a segment between 3
and 3:30 p.m. on ESPNEWS. Tusculum ends its season at 3-7 overall
and 2-5 in conference play.
After gaining more than 1,200 yards in its last two contests, C-N
continued to dominate offensively on Saturday in record-setting
fashion. The Eagles finished the day with a school-record 803 yards
of total offense, including 671 yards on the ground, which is also
a record.
“There weren’t any defensive records today,” C-N
head coach Ken Sparks quipped. “But we are grateful for this
group of kids that keep getting better as the year goes along. This
game never got comfortable until about three minutes left because
there were so many quick scores. Hopefully, when the NCAA pairings
come out, we will have a week to rest a little bit and get prepared
to make a run.”
Senior running back Buck Wakefield (Drummonds, Tenn.) broke the
school’s single game mark for rushing yards in a game for a
second straight week by amassing 332 yards and five touchdowns,
which is also a new C-N record. Wakefield rushed for 303 yards and
two touchdowns in a win at Wingate last Saturday.
Eagles senior quarterback Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.) surpassed
the 7,000-yard mark for total offense in his career as he passed
for 132 yards and two touchdowns and added 128 yards and three
touchdowns on the ground. Wakefield and Good have now rushed for
1,117 and 1,020 yards, respectively, which is the first time in 20
years C-N has had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.
Doug Belk (Valdosta, Ga.) added 80 yards rushing on seven carries,
while Ricky Harris (Perry, Ga.) had 60 yards on six carries in the
win.
C-N senior receiver Reggie Hubbard (Chattanooga, Tenn.) hauled in
one pass, which was a 68-yard touchdown reception, while senior
Charles Dobson (Umatilla, Fla.) also turned his only reception of
the game into a 64-yard touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Bo Cordell (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the
Pioneers as he completed 37-of-57 passes for a school-record 524
yards and two touchdowns.
Cordell’s main target was senior receiver Ryan Tallent
(Maryville, Tenn.), who grabbed 10 passes for 141 yards. Tallent
also rushed for 12 yards and had 56 yards on kickoff returns,
giving him 209 all-purpose yards on the day. He now has 3,838
all-purpose yards for his career, which is a new Tusculum
record.
Nate Binder (Ontario, Canada) caught three passes for 107 yards
and touchdown, while Jarrell NeSmith (Russellville, Ala.) nabbed
nine passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
The C-N defense may have given up 497 yards on the day but it was
able to force two Pioneer turnovers and recorded six sacks for
minus-40 yards. Eagle sophomore defensive end Zeke Andrews
(Eastman, Ga.) led the way with two sacks.
Junior linebacker Zachary Norman (Greenwood, S.C.) tallied 16
tackles to lead the Tusculum defense, while Miles Washington
(Concord, Calif.) recorded 12 tackles.
The teams came out firing in the first half as they combined for
63 points, with the longest of the nine scoring drives lasting
three minutes and six seconds. The Eagles took a 42-21 lead into
the locker room before putting the game out of reach with three
third-quarter touchdowns.
“It was a rewarding day and has been a very rewarding year
so far,” Sparks said. “Hopefully, we can keep it
going.”
