VIDEO: Ken Sparks Press Conference
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (3-2, 1-2 South Atlantic Conference) will try to climb back into the win column against a team Saturday that has never defeated the Eagles in eight tries.
C-N will seek a ninth consecutive victory over Brevard (0-5, 0-2 SAC) Saturday at 1 p.m. at Burke-Tarr Stadium.
"Brevard, I would say, when they watch some video of Carson-Newman Eagles, they are going to say 'wow, we got a chance.'" Carson-Newman head football coach Ken Sparks said. "They have been beat up a couple of times this year but they are playing a whole lot better. They are improving which is probably a great compliment to coach Hamilton and his staff. They will do some things that we struggle with like cut blocks and getting mauled at the line of scrimmage. So we are going to have to play differently than we have been playing."
Brevard is one of three teams in the South Atlantic Conference that Sparks has not managed to ring up a nine-game win streak or longer in his tenure. Catawba and Tusculum are the other exceptions. The Eagles have beaten the Indians on eight straight occasions and the Pioneers six (a streak that is still active).
The Eagles are looking for loads of improvement after last week' 52-17 loss to then No. 22 Lenoir-Rhyne, which featured an abrupt downhill spiral after a poor snap, fumble and blocked punt in four possessions for the Eagles.
While the 52 points the Eagles gave up can't be put squarely on the defense (L-R had three fields of less than 25 yards, plus a kickoff return for a TD), it does mark the second time this season that the Eagles have surrendered 50 points or more. Two teams haven't scored 50 points on C-N in the same season since the Eagles lost to Tennessee 73-0 and Kentucky 58-6 in 1929.
In spite of last week's shortcomings, Sparks still says that he wants to hitch his wagon to this year's edition of the Eagles because of their attitude.
"I've really enjoyed coaching this football team from the prospective of not having to be a juvenile director in the middle of a ball game by saying, 'Hey you! Don't act that way, you don't do that.' I haven't had to do that much all year," Sparks said. "Last year, I was majoring in that with a few guys. I even had to suspend some people because they wouldn't do what we were asking them to do.
"You don't win ballgames with your mouth or a sorry attitude or with a defiant attitude. The defiance is what gets you beat. I'm really proud of this group of kids for that reason. I know we can build on that and continue to get better on that. Our thing is the same thing it's always been. Let's get better by blocking and tackling better."
To that end, Carson-Newman has been very disciplined, ranking among the top 10 least penalized teams in the country. The refs may as well leave their yellow hankies at home for this one. The Tornados rank fourth in the nation with 27.2 penalty yards a contest. Brevard has ranked in the top five in the nation for fewest penalty yards each of the last four seasons.
Carson-Newman represents the only school regularly appearing on Brevard's schedule that the Tornados have yet to defeat since the program joined the South Atlantic Conference. Carson-Newman's average margin of victory exceeds 27 points, although two of the last four meeting have been decided by less than two touchdowns.
The Tornados have yet to score against South Atlantic Conference competition. Brevard gave up a season-low 20 points in Saturday's loss to Tusculum, but that total could easily have been lower; the Pioneers' first two touchdown drives covered 25 total yards. Besides a pair of contests with College of Faith, Tusculum's 325 yards of total offense were the fewest allowed by the Tornados since a 35-7 win over Mars Hill on Oct. 12, 2013. That victory over the Lions represents Brevard's last Division II win.
While it would take another explosive offensive output against a Brevard defensive unit that has steadily improved week-to-week, the Eagles need 56 points to score their 14,000th point in Ken Sparks' 36-year career.
The Tornados are led by freshman quarterback Tyler Gregory, who leads Brevard with 189 yards on the ground and three scores.
"Well, he can throw and run," Sparks said. "He was a great high school football player. He was the player of the year down there in Georgia. We know he has the tools to do it and its probable one of the reasons why they are getting so much better. He is getting better and getting more adjusted to the fire of college football."
The Tornados have struggled at times this season. Brevard ranks in the bottom 10 nationally in eight statistical categories and the bottom 20 in another six. The Tornados have struggled to generate pressure with their front, ranking last in the country in sacks and fourth from the bottom in tackles for loss.
Even the Tornados vaunted triple-option attack has struggled this season, typically ranked among the nation's top 10 in rushing average, Brevard checks in at 107th nationally with 137 yards per game.
The same criticism could be lobbed at the Eagles' rushing attack. The split-back veer option attack has ranked in the top five nationally every year since 2007. In week six, the Eagles rank 11th in the nation at 272 yards per game – roughly 60 yards off their historical pace over the last eight seasons.
The Eagles and Tornados kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at noon with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
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