VIDEO: Ken Sparks Press Conference
The Eagles are 7-0 all-time against Brevard, but the Tornados have been close of late. Two years ago, Brevard and C-N were tied at seven at the half before the Eagles pulled away for a 35-19 win. In 2011, the Eagles needed a Carlos Lopez field goal as time expired to pull out a 27-24 win.
Head coach Ken Sparks, who could pass Pop Warner and take over sixth place on the all-time wins list with a victory, said the 2014 game won't be an easy one for the Eagles because of Brevard's level of competition in weeks one and two.
"To put up 60 plus points on two FCS teams, that's dangerous," Sparks said. "They're very proficient on offense. After playing back-to-back Division I games, and especially after they look at our tape against Wayne State, they'll say that they have a great chance in this one. They certainly do. We'll have to show improvement, otherwise we'll get beat."
Brevard is averaging 335 yards on the ground after losing in the first two weeks to Western Carolina and Liberty. Brevard is averaging 40 minutes for time of possession, a figure that leads the nation.
The Tornados feature four seniors in their backfield. Quarterback Steven Wright, fullback Jordan Ollis and slotbacks Andre Overholt and Kelvin Jeter have started the last 13 games together. The three running backs have formed the Brevard backfield for three years running.
Ollis is second in the SAC and 15th in the nation with 273 rushing yards. The fullback leads the league with four rushing touchdowns and is 12th in the nation for scoring on the ground.
"There's no question that experience helps in what they're trying to do," Sparks said. "The thing that impresses me is the offensive line coming off the ball and hitting people in the nose. They are driving that line of scrimmage back."
The Eagles will counter with their own work horse running back. Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.) had garnered 277 yards rushing and is sixth in the nation in scoring with his five touchdowns – three rushing and two receiving.
However, Sparks greatest concern is the defense. The Eagles allowed the second highest rushing total by an individual in school history and just the fourth 200-plus yard rushing performance in school history when the Warriors' Desmond Martin carried the ball 33 times for 235 yards last week.
The 41-31 loss for C-N snapped a 27-game winning streak in contests where the Eagles scored 30 points or more.
"We lined up wrong some 15 times in that game against Wayne State, so a lot of it was lack of focus," Sparks said. "We probably played seven or eight guys who had never played in a Carson-Newman road game before. So we have to simplify a lot to avoid some breakdowns. Last week, mistakes in the kicking game and on defense probably equated to about 28 points."
Brevard is led defensively by Michael Gruber. The senior linebacker has 36 tackles over the last two seasons against C-N. However, Brevard's defense has given up yards in bunches. Liberty averaged 16.5 yards a play against BC. The Tornados needed 39 plays to rack up 635 yards of total offense in a little under 20 minutes.
Kickoff from Brevard Memorial Stadium is set for 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network gets underway at noon with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative Tailgate Show on flagship Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), 106.3 ESPN Radio The Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
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