Carson-Newman Begin SAC Play Saturday at Newberry
Sept. 25, 2008
Click here for Carson-Newman vs. Newberry game notes
The Carson-Newman football players enjoyed a rare off-weekend prior to beginning South Atlantic Conference play this Saturday at Newberry.
Head coach Ken Sparks wishes maybe they hadn't.
"My wife made me go hiking," the veteran coach said with a laugh Tuesday morning. "An eight-mile round trip."
"The first weekend I've had off in months. I tried to wave the mercy flag, but she kept marching on. So, we went and had a good time."
Sparks and his 11th-ranked Eagles (2-1) will start climbing a different kind of mountain beginning this week as they set out on their trek toward yet another conference title. Carson-Newman will travel to Newberry for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff at Setzler Field.
"We are starting off with probably, talent wise, one of the most talented teams in the conference," Sparks said. "We need to play well."
Newberry enters the contest with a 1-2 record, though one of those losses came in a narrow 14-9 defeat to No. 1 Valdosta State to open the season.
Newberry, formally known as the Indians but now without a mascot due to a new NCAA policy, fell to Midwestern State last week 24-10.
"They lost a game this past week that they shouldn't have," said Sparks. "They are a better team that the one they lost to, but made a couple of mistakes that put them in the hole."
Newberry was ranked No. 21 in the country prior to that loss. They were picked second in the SAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Newberry is currently ranked first in the conference in scoring defense, and 13th in the nation. The unit is led by linebacker Will Newell, who has 28 total tackles, including 5.5 for a loss.
"Defensively, they led the conference last year," Sparks pointed out. "I think they are an even better football team this year."
Head coach Zak Willis has started three different players at quarterback already this year - John Carnell, Eric McCollom and Brandon Gantt. The running game is led by Tharry Salley, who has 172 yards on 32 attempts.
Carson-Newman is still a work in progress, according to Sparks."We've played one team that has challenged us, and they beat us," he said. "We didn't play well against good competition, and we didn't necessarily play well against the other two teams we've played either."
The Eagles have been battling injuries throughout the preseason and the early part of the 2008 schedule, and Sparks hopes the bye week helped cure some of those ailments.
"We've got some people that are walking around a little bit better than they were," he grinned. "I hope it was helpful."
This will be the third road trip in four games to begin the season for Carson-Newman.
"That's the story of this team," Sparks said. "They are the road warriors. We are going to have to learn to play on the road."
Carson-Newman leads the all-time series with Newberry, 26-16. Newberry has only defeated the Eagles twice since 1988.
Seventh-ranked Carson-Newman thumped No. 9 Newberry 49-19 last year in Jefferson City in a battle of top 10 teams.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on WRJZ (AM-620, Knoxville). Pregame coverage on the Eagle Radio Network begins at 1 p.m. with Zeke Beam and Jeremy Ball.
TV: The Ken Sparks Show will be televised this Sunday night at midnight (following Sunday Night Football and the news) on WBIR-Channel 10 (Knoxville). Join Eagle Head Coach Ken Sparks and The Voice of the Eagles, Zeke Beam, for a complete recap of the Eagles' last game. The Ken Sparks Show is replayed each week at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night on 10News2.
Click here for Carson-Newman vs. Newberry game notes
