When Carson-Newman entertains the Newberry Wolves on Sept. 23, the Eagles will be looking to score a win over a defending SAC champion for the first time since 2012. That year, the Eagles beat the reigning SAC champs, Lenoir-Rhyne, twice. C-N waltzed to a 47-22 win in the regular season before squeezing out a 38-35 triumph in a home playoff game.
Since then, the Eagles were downed by the Bears on four occasions (twice in 2013) and Catawba.
The Wolves return much of the team that went 7-0 in league play, won 11 straight games and appeared in the NCAA playoffs a year ago. Eight starters return on defense from a unit that allowed 20.1 points and 316 yards of offense per game.
Todd Knight's club will have to contend with the loss of defensive linemen Jimmy Holmes and Jaquille Oden, however, starting experience abounds everywhere else defensively.
Linebacker Joe Blue is the top returning tackler after a 91-stop performance last year. A staggering 68 of Blue's tackles were of the solo variety. He's joined in the linebacking corps by all-conference candidate Will Elm who started 12 games and had 62 tackles.
Even though the Wolves lose two starters up front Jamarcus Henderson wreaked a team's worth of havoc. The junior made 22 stops behind the line of scrimmage and had 9.5 sacks. He was instrumental in leading a Newberry defense to a nine-sack performance, a school record for C-N for sacks allowed, in last year's 34-19 win over the Eagles.
Offensively, the Wolves are a bit more barren, losing 40 percent of their offensive line, two stand out wide receivers, an all-conference caliber running back and a quarterback who shepherded Newberry to three playoff appearances.
The biggest holes are the departures of Raleigh Yeldell at quarterback and Romelo Doctor at running back. The loss of wide out Cole Watson and do-it-all wide receiver/running back/quarterback Braxton Ivery follow closely in impact.
That's not to say the cabinet is bare for Knight. He returns wide receiver Markell Castle after a 67-catch, 976-yard campaign. Castle also grabbed seven touchdown passes.
The Wolves also have a receiving threat at tight end in Baptiste Staggers. An 11-game starter, Staggers snared four touchdown passes, including a 40-yarder against the Eagles last year.
Trey Gregg is the top returning option at running back for the Wolves after a season as Doctor's backup. He tallied 290 yards on the ground with three scores.
Nick Jones has the most passing experience of anyone on the roster. He did get a start in a game for which Yeldell was suspended, completing 20-of-30 passes for 320 yards. The bad news is that Jones tossed four picks against two scores.
The Better Know the Opponent Series continues August 4 with Catawba.
