#7 Eagles Roll to 59-18 Win at Bentley
Sept. 13, 2008
Waltham, Mass. - The Eagle offense wanted to begin a new streak of 49-point games...the defense and special teams made their job very easy.
After seeing its consective 49-point games streak end at eight, the 7th-ranked Carson-Newman Eagles scored 45 unanswered points to roll by Bentley 59-18 on Friday night in Waltham, Mass.
C-N (2-1) used two interception returns for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown to keep the pressure on a Falcon offense that struggled to move the football.
The Eagles entered the game trying to put their first loss of the season, a 20-13 setback to North Alabama last Thursday, behind then, and it took only one play.
Sophomore Mario Russell (Columbus, Ohio) stepped in front a pass from Falcons' quarterback John White on the first snap of the game, and returned it 39 yards up the sideline for a touchdown. It was the second interception in as many weeks for Russell.
Bentley would answer with a 12-play, 44-yard drive to get a 37-yard field goal from Tyler McNamara, cutting the lead to 7-3.
From there, C-N found another a different gear on both sides of the ball to put the game out of reach.
Junior Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.) would come out and steer the Eagles on an 8-play, 77-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by runs of 22 and 27 yards by Buck Wakefield (Drummonds, Tenn.). Junior Ricky Harris would cap the drive with his second touchdown of the year from three yards out to make it 14-3.
Wakefield finished with 151 yards on nine carries.
The Eagles would get the ball back on the next snap, as Bentley fullback Bart Stiles fumbled a handoff from White, and C-N's Brian Brown (Hartwell, Ga.) recovered at the 35-yard line.
On the second play of the ensuing drive, Good found a wide open Mo Whitten (Bristol, Tenn.) on a rollout for a 37-yard touchdown, pushing the Eagles lead to 21-3.
C-N would add a Carlos Lopez (Seymour, Tenn.) 43-yard field goal to close the half, to lead 24-3 at the break.
The Eagle offense would put the game away out of the locker room.
Good turned in a 15-yard run, and Wakefield a 59-yard run as the Eagles pushed the lead to 31-3 to open the second half, with Good plunging in on a sneak from two yards out.
Just like the first half, C-N would intercept White's first pass attempt of the second half and turn it into points.
Junior Donte' Strickland (Louisburg, N.C.) pressured White into his second interception of the night, which Otis Ballard (Miami, Fla.) returned 42 yards for the score.
Freshman Otis Rumph (Chattanooga, Tenn.) added touchdowns of 11 and 19 yardson Joel Statham (Chatsworth, Ga.) led drives for the Eagles.
Freshman Marcus Huie (Knoxville, Tenn.) made the most of his first career kickoff return, taking it back 90 yards for the Eagles final score.
Freshman Zeke Andrews (Eastman, Ga.) led C-N with five tackles. Junior Charles Dobson (Umatilla, Fla.) added two catches for 43 yards.
The C-N defense held Bentley to 100 total yards through three quarters, which the offense piled up 475 yards on 62 plays.
The Eagles improve to 2-1 on the year, and will enjoy an off week before traveling to Newberry for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff at Newberry on September 27. The game is the South Atlantic Conference opener for both teams.
