VIDEO: Ken Sparks Press Conference
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-3,4-2 South Atlantic Conference) will tips its cap to 20 senior footballers who have given their time and dedication to the program with Saturday's matchup with Wingate (6-4, 3-3 SAC).
The game has also been dubbed Military Appreciation Day. Carson-Newman's marching band will pay homage to the branches of the military during its pregame program and at halftime.
Virtually eliminated from a spot in the playoffs, Carson-Newman will play for pride for the first time in three seasons. Head coach Ken Sparks said he's hopeful that the Eagles will put together four quarters of football for the first time this season.
"It's a great day and opportunity on a positive note and to get the bad taste out of our mouths from the game against Newberry," Sparks said. "We're looking forward to honoring those seniors and saying hello to those parents and relatives. It should be a special time. But at the same time we need to honor the God of this universe. We need to do that, not just talk about it."
Carson-Newman running back Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.) is one of the 20 seniors who will be honored Saturday. The South Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Year candidate has put together a senior season for the ages. With 1,333 yards for the season, Hibbett takes aim at becoming the third Carson-Newman running back in school history with a 1,500-yard season.
Hibbett has rushed for at least 100 yards in eight consecutive games – far and away a school record. With one more touchdown, Hibbett can pass his coach Alex Good for seventh on the all-time rushing touchdowns list.
In spite of Hibbett and the rest of the Eagles' offenses efforts, Carson-Newman has been plagued by slow starts since its bye week. C-N has been outscored 123-77 in the first halves of its last four contests. The Eagles have trailed in each of those games and haven't been in the lead since scoring a go-ahead TD against North Greenville on homecoming with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter of that contest.
The Eagles trailed wire-to-wire against both Lenoir-Rhyne and Newberry.
Unfortunately, Sparks sees loads of similarities between Saturday's opponent and the previous two weeks.
"They're not too different from L-R and Newberry," Sparks said. "They're very good defensively and then offensively they are just huge and can really move you around."
The Bulldogs are led defensively by Nick Napolitano. The senior defensive end has forced a nation-best six fumbles. On top of that, he's accrued 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.
Wingate only allows 310 yards of total offense per game.
While winning on senior day would be nice, Sparks views the next step in life as more important for the players who have been in the program.
"For me it's a lot of thankfulness to the guys who have invested in this program with their time and efforts," Sparks said. "It's a hallelujah time to see guys go through college and get a degree, to hopefully see a return on their investments, both for school and the spiritual investments they've made here."
Kickoff between the Eagles and Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m. Saturday. Pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at noon with Appalachian Electric Cooperative Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
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