NASHVILLE – Carson-Newman quarterback Derrick Evans (Macon. Ga.) and linebacker Temoris Coats (Greenwood, S.C.) have been named the top offensive and defensive players for week 10 for the state of Tennessee, the Tennessee Sportswriters Association announced Tuesday morning.
This gives Carson-Newman its first sweep of the TSWA's offensive and defensive player of the week awards since 2012.
Coats is the first Eagle to win the defensive player of the week honor since Sha'Heem Stupart (Taylors, S.C.) racked up 13 tackles in week one last season against Humboldt State en route to the honor.
Evans is the first offensive player of the week honoree since De'Andre Thomas in 2015 when the then-senior quarterback hurled for a C-N record 412 yards in a playoff loss to Valdosta State.
The sophomore matched a Carson-Newman record by accounting for five rushing touchdowns in the Eagles 42-28 win over Lenoir-Rhyne. He matched the single-game school record also held by Buck Wakefield (Tusculum – 2009) and Kenneth Tyson (Elon – 2009).
Evans pounded the ball into the end zone five times, on rushes of 76, five, two, one and one yards to get to the school record.
Evans also completed 12-of-15 passes for 149 yards against the Bears. He tallied his first career 100-yard rushing effort with 108 yards on 19 carries.
Coats led Carson-Newman in tackling for the third time in his career with nine stops against the Bears, the second highest of his career. Coats also accounted for a career-best two tackles for loss, part of a series of 13 stops behind the line of scrimmage – a season-high for the Eagles.
Carson-Newman limited Lenoir-Rhyne to 208 yards of total offense and forced the Bears off the field with three-and-outs five times.
Coats, Evans and the rest of the Eagles will be in action Saturday in the regular season finale against UNC Pembroke. Kickoff against the Braves is set for 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at noon with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville) and online at cneagles.com/live.