VIDEO: Ken Sparks postgame interview
VIDEO: Javaris Neal postgame interview
VIDEO: Andy Hibbett postgame interview
VIDEO: William Alderman postgame interview
VIDEO: Jamal Jones postgame interview
VIDEO: Highlights
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – No. 18 Carson-Newman (5-1, 4-0 South Atlantic Conference) ratcheted up its defensive efforts in the second half to get head coach Ken Sparks his 323rd career victory and move him into a tie for fifth on the all-time wins list with legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant with a 55-35 win over Tusculum (2-5, 1-3 SAC) Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
After Tusculum scored a school-record 35 second-quarter points to take a 35-27 lead into the locker room, Carson-Newman limited the Pioneers to just two first downs and 14 yards on 22 plays in the second half.
"Well it don't mean anything except thank you for a group of kids," Sparks said. "My thanks goes to a group of kids who played their hearts out today and did a good job. So I told them if anybody wanted to talk about the number of victories that I have, you tell them that I didn't play a play—for them to say, 'we played, and this is about us, it's not about how many plays Coach Sparks played, because he didn't play any.'
"The second thing I want to say about that is this, and you know how I feel about it: why in the world would I take too much credit when I'm the blessee—I'm not the blesser. So I say thank you Lord, because you're the blesser and I just give praise to my Lord Jesus and say I'm the great recipient, I've been a blessee and I thank him."
However, Sparks' 323rd career win was in doubt at the break. Tusculum had used the final 5:27 of the second quarter to score 21 unanswered points and take a 35-27 lead into the locker room. The Pioneers rounded out their scoring for the quarter, the half and the day with a Justin Houston 32-yard touchdown catch from freshman quarterback Malcom Pendergrass with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. Tusculum gained 252 yards – 79 percent of its offensive output – all in the second quarter.
"I think the kids were very frustrated at halftime with what happened in the second quarter and I think they were very determined to do something about that in the second half," Sparks said. "The fact is the only thing I said: 'hey let's use some f-words here, change frustration into faith." And I think that's exactly what they did. And Gosh, what a great performance."
William Alderman (Brooksville, Fla.) and Javaris Neal (Columbia, Tenn.) combined to generate a bevy of pressure up front that led to six sacks, six quarterback hurries and 11 tackles for loss. Alderman finished with nine stops to lead the team while Neal scattered five stops, two sacks and three tackles for loss.
"I think those are two guys that eventually you can say they'll find a way because they're not going to be satisfied with getting blocked every play, and I think second quarter they got blocked almost every play," Sparks said. "And give the defensive staff a whole lot of credit. They changed quite a few things and fact is we went with a three-man front most of the second half."
The party was slow to start in the second half for the Eagles offensively. C-N got the opening kickoff, but failed to convert on a fourth down conversion from the Tusculum 18-yard line. However, the Eagles forced the Pioneers off the field after Alderman and Neal chased down Pendergrass in the backfield to force a punt.
The Eagles' offense methodically worked its way 69 yards down field in 17 plays to punch Damian (Columbus, Miss.) into the end zone off a two-yard dive play. The Eagles used an identical play to convert a two-point conversion and knot the game at 35.
Another Alderman-Neal sack forced the Pioneers off the field on their next drive and gave way early in the fourth quarter to a steady does of Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.). The senior from Gibbs scored three times in the fourth quarter, from 12, 41 and three yards, to cement the game for the Eagles.
For the second consecutive week, Hibbett turned in a record book-altering performance. With 30 carries and 221 yards, Hibbett had the 14th-best single game rushing yard tally in school history. By rushing for more than 100 yards, Hibbett tied Buck Wakefield's school record of five consecutive weeks rushing for at least 100 yards.
Hibbett also moved past Wayne Morton and Floyd Mathis into 12th place on the all-time rushing list.
Jamal Jones (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and De'Andre Thomas (Milledgeville, Ga.) both also crested 100 yards on the day. Carson-Newman has had eight players rush for 100 yards or more on Tusculum in the last three years. With two rushing touchdowns, Jones had the first multi-TD day of his career.
Thomas also completed four-of-five passed for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Anthony Eubanks (Pendleton, S.C.) snagged a 71-yard post for a score while James Phillips (Dallas, Texas) hauled in a five-yard back shoulder fade to open scoring.
Malcom Pendergrass led the Pioneer offense on 13-of-25 passing for 230 yards. Pendergrass also threw two picks. Houston grabbed six passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns.
The Pioneers were led defensively by Brandyn Bartlett and Cashaud Lyons, who each had 15 stops.
Carson-Newman has now won six straight games against the Pioneers. This marks the first time in series history that C-N has won in six consecutive years against the Pioneers. The Eagles won 13 straight games over TC from 1935-2000; however, those wins did not come in consecutive seasons.
The Eagles return home for homecoming next Saturday against North Greenville. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. with the Crusaders with pregame coverage on the AEC Tailgate Show kicking off at 2 p.m. on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
