Street & Smith slots C-N football 22nd in preseason poll

Street & Smith slots C-N football 22nd in preseason poll

NEW YORK - Carson-Newman's football team has been ranked 22nd by Street & Smith in the company's annual preseason football publication covering all levels of football.

Carson-Newman is the lone school from the South Atlantic Conference included in the preseason ranking.  The Eagles went 8-3 last year and return the vast majority of a squad that narrowly missed out on an NCAA playoff berth. 

Of the 48 players listed on the Eagles two-deep a year ago, 42 are back, including All-American safety Darius Williams(St. Petersburg, Fla.) and all-region selections Montel Presley (Bushnell, Fla.), Phil McDowell (Boiling Springs, S.C.) and Desmond Fairell (Miami, Fla.).  

Carson-Newman returns 10 of 11 starters from a defense that dominated last year.  C-N led the South Atlantic Conference in rushing defense and produced the Eagles' second best rush defense since the year 2000.  The Eagles allowed only 95 yards per game on the ground.  C-N also had the conference's best total defense and the second best scoring defense. 

Carson-Newman was was ranked 20th in another preseason magazine.  Lindy's Sports also selected Williams and McDowell to its preseaosn All-America second team. 

Carson-Newman opens the year Aug. 30 with Street & Smith's preseason No. 1. The Eagles travel to Pensacola, Fla. to take on the the West Florida Argos, who fell just shy of last year's national title with a loss in the championship game to Texas A&M-Commerce 37-27.  The Argos are very similar to Carson-Newman in that they returnining all but 10 players from last year's two-deep. 

This is the first time Carson-Newman has been ranked in Street & Smith's preseason top 25 since being slotted 18th in the 2014 poll. 

1. West Florida
2. Indiana(Pa.)
3. Minnesota St
4. Fort Hayes St
5. Grand Valley St
6. Texas A&M-Commerce
7. Indianapolis
8. Harding
9. Northwest Missouri St.
10. Midwestern St.
11. Central Washington
12. Shepherd
13. Ashland
14. Colorado St.-Pueblo
15. Sioux Falls
16. West Georgia
17. Assumption
18. Central Missouri
19. Ferris St
20 West Alabama
21. Findlay
22. Carson-Newman
23. Virginia St.
24. Edinboro
25. Colorado School of Mines