SAC title in the balance as C-N heads to Newberry
November 7, 2025

SAC title in the balance as C-N heads to Newberry

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-2, 5-2 South Atlantic Conference) looks to keep control of its own destiny for the NCAA playoffs and a SAC title when it heads to Newberry (8-1, 7-1 SAC) for a 1 p.m. kick Saturday. 

C-N Game Notes

VIDEO: Ashley Ingram presser

VIDEO: In the Booth 

VIDEO: 2023 C-N at Newberry Full Broadcast Replay

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-2, 5-2 South Atlantic Conference) looks to keep control of its own destiny for the NCAA playoffs and a SAC title when it heads to Newberry (8-1, 7-1 SAC) for a 1 p.m. kick Saturday. 

Newberry has clinched a share of sixth of SAC title. A win over Carson-Newman would give the Wolves the title outright.  All but one (2008) of Newberry's titles have been outright titles. In 2008, the Wolves shared the SAC title with Carson-Newman and Tusculum.

Carson-Newman still controls its own destiny. A win over Newberry would keep C-N's SAC title hopes in its own hands.  The Eagles are on the hunt for a league-record 22nd championship. Carson-Newman is also the owner of a 16-year title drought, the longest of the league's membership.  C-N needs to beat Newberry and Tusculum for that to happen.  The league hasn't had a shared championship since 2011 when Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill did it.

The winner of this game also wrests control of the SAC's autobid to the NCAA playoffs.  It's Newberry's with a Wolves win, while C-N would need to win out to gain it.

"A lot at stake in this football game for us," Carson-Newman head football coach Ashley Ingram said. "We are playing a very, very talented football team that's well coached. Obviously, there's a reason they're 8-1. There's a reason they're in first place in the league and a top 20 team in the country. They have great quarterback play. I would think their quarterback's offensive player of the year  in the SAC if things ended today. They've got a lot of skill around him, wide receiver, running back, and then very big up front. And then defensively, just a lot of talent on defense as well."

Carson-Newman is trying to do something it hasn't done in two decades, win consecutive games at Setzler Field. C-N has just two win at The Graveyard since a seven-game win streak at Newberry's 103-year-old home field game to an end in 2006. The Wolves have won seven of the last nine games inside Setzler Field.  The Wolves had won five straight at home prior to C-N's 34-21 win in 2023. 

Newberry QB Reed Charpia is eighth in the nation in completion percentage at 69.8 % and eighth nationally in completions per game at 22.89. His 20 passing touchdowns lead the South Atlantic Conference. His 268.3 yards per game are tops in the SAC and 14th nationally.  Charpia has trio of of 300 yard days and has been kept below 200 yards just once (199 yards against Lenoir-Rhyne).  His 20 TDs come against just one interception. 

"He's got it all. He can throw the football, obviously, he's very athletic," Ingram said. "He stays alive. He's not afraid to try to make a play. And the way he plays, I think it's really impressive that he does not turn the football over. Says a lot about the kid, but he's just a dynamic football player, dynamic playmaker. He's a lot of fun to watch, honestly." 

The Wolves have been absurdly good in tight games.  Newberry is 6-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less. It's easier to tell you about the three games that weren't - a 49-0 win over NAIA Point, a 21-10 loss to Catawba and a 38-24 win over Mars Hill.  Four of the Wolves wins have come by a field goal or less, a combined nine points of separation in wins over Wingate (one), Lenoir-Rhyne (three), Emory & Henry (two) and Anderson (three).  Wingate and LR featured a win on the final play. Anderon came in the final 30 seconds. 

Newberry receiver Keith Desaussure leads the SAC and is third nationally with 8.00 receptions per game.  The SAC Player of the Year candidate has 810 receiving yards (11th nationally) and eight TDs to lead the SAC. 

"You know, he's talented, he's athletic, he's an explosive kid," Ingram said. "And then they have other weapons around them, too, so good combination for them, I guess, bad combination for us. Great quarterback play with great skill around them, with a really big offensive line in front of them." 

Carson-Newman has kept the defensive pressure dialed up.  With a sack in every week of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the last two years's teams are the fourth and fifth this century to tally a sack in every week of the season.  C-N has registered a sack in 31 straight weeks and 39 of the last 40. This is the longest stretch of weeks with a sack this century.  C-N has never had three consecutive seasons where it sacked an opposing QB every week of all three seasons.  Carson-Newman leads the SAC with 3.00 sacks per game.  Carson-Newman has sacked opposing QBs a minimum of four times per game over each of the last three weeks.

Ashley Ingram is coaching in his 21st game as C-N head coach.  A win would give him 16 for his career and move him past Mike Turner for the most wins in the first two years of a coaching career at C-N.  Winning out would mean Ingram would join Frosty Holt as the only coaches in Carson-Newman history to win a conference title in their second year as head coach.  Holt won the Smokey Mountain Athletic Conference for the first time in 1930.  Ken Sparks is the only other C-N coach to hoist a conference title, which he did 21 times as SAC Champion. 

QB Zane Whitson is third in the SAC and 21st nationally with 6.52 y/c.  That puts him fourth nationally among QBs. Last season, Whitson only averaged 2.3 yards per carry. 

Kickoff between the Eagles and Newberry is set for 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at noon with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloCollege at cneagles.com/FloFB. The ESN also allows you to go "Inside the Radio Booth" with a live feed of the ESN crew on YouTube 

In The Booth Game Notes Highlights Photos Audio Live stats Recap Box Score (PDF) Box Score