Carson-Newman Hosts Mars Hill Saturday at 1 p.m.
Oct. 2, 2008
JEFFERSON CITY - Carson-Newman head coach Ken Sparks called last week's overtime loss to Newberry one of the hardest he's had to swallow in a long time.
Now it's time to see how his team will respond.
The 23rd-ranked Eagles (2-2, 0-1 SAC) will host Mars Hill (3-2, 0-1) Saturday for a 1 p.m. South Atlantic Conference showdown.
"We've had a little bit of difficulty knowing the difference between `my way' and the `team way'," Sparks said Tuesday morning.
"We need to come together and play with a little bit more intensity and urgency...and ole coach Sparks needs to coach a little bit better too."
Carson-Newman fell to Newberry for the second time in three years, despite forcing four turnovers and racking up 407 yards of total offense.
Sparks believes the problem lies in execution.
"The main thing is, we are not executing our offense," he said. "Anytime you get inside the 30-yard line five or six times and don't get any points, you are making some execution mistakes."
In order to correct that, he believes his team has to stop turning over the football and start winning the battles up front.
"We are not moving the line of scrimmage like we need to," he noted. "Part of that comes from having several people banged up, but also we are playing nine or ten on our team instead of 11. It's a different guy (messing up) every time."
"This year, we are laying the ball on the ground like crazy. Last year at this time I think we were plus five or six in turnover margin. This year, we are minus two or three."
Mars Hill suffered a 24-7 loss to Catawba in its SAC opener last week. The Lions had ran off three straight wins prior to that.
Sparks is quick to point out that this week's opponent has enough veteran players to beat anyone on its schedule.
"Mars Hill's quarterback (Ricky Spradling) is a three-year starter, and they are throwing the ball better than they've ever thrown it," Sparks said. "They definitely have a throwing threat."
"And they've always been able to run the football. We'll have to play better and smarter than we did last week, there is no question."
Spradling is currently second in the SAC in passing yards per game with a 211.8 average. However, he is only completing 53.7 percent of his passes and has thrown three touchdowns to five interceptions. The Mars Hill ground game is led by another veteran, senior George Washington, who is averaging 72.8 rushing yards per game.
The problem for the Lions has been on defense. They currently rank last in the conference in both scoring and rushing defense. Carson-Newman is averaging 354.2 rushing yards per game.
The Eagles went on the road and defeated Mars Hill 49-28 last season, behind the 176-yard rushing performance of quarterback Alex Good. The last time the two teams met in Jefferson City (2006), Carson-Newman needed a late touchdown to squeak out a 10-7 win. The Eagles lead the all-time series 35-9.
"The year before last they played our tails off," Sparks remembered. "We had to score with about a minute left on a fourth-down play. Mars Hill should be pretty excited about coming in here and playing us."
Radio and TV
Carson-Newman's contest with Mars Hill can be heard live on WRJZ-AM 620. Pregame coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. The Ken Sparks Show will be televised this Sunday night at midnight (following Sunday Night Football and the news) on WBIR-Channel 10 (Knoxville). The Ken Sparks Show is replayed each week at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night on 10News2.
Division II polls
Carson-Newman dropped 12 spots to No. 23 in this week's AFCA poll. The Eagles are 17th in the D2football.com rankings.
