VIDEO: Mike Clowney Press Conference
VIDEO: Franklin Pierce Cinematic Highlights
VIDEO: 2021 Limestone Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (1-1) will take aim at back-to-back victories, plus a program milestone, when Limestone (1-1) comes into Burke-Tarr Stadium for a 1 p.m. kick Saturday.
The cross divisional SAC game opens lead play for the Eagles and Saints. Both teams were winless when facing off last season, but accrued wins in week two. C-N strangled the life from a game in a 27-6 win over Franklin Pierce, while Lime
stone snapped a 12-game losing streak in a major way with a 73-14 beatdown of Saint Augustine's.
Carson-Newman is playing to win its 650th game all-time as a football program. The Eagles are fourth in NCAA Division II history with 649 wins behind Pittsburg State, Tuskegee and Hillsdale. Carson-Newman has a six-game lead on Central Oklahoma to become the fourth team with 650 wins in D2.
"It's something else for our guys to buy into, to kind of be a part of the history here," Carson-Newman head football coach Mike Clowney said. "I had one guy tell me the key to history in his story and we talked about them last week and making their light shine, so here's an instrumental moment where they have a chance to kind of collect a victory to put us in another category."
Limestone is looking for its first win against the Eagles. Carson-Newman has won the first six games in series history. The Eagles have averaged 43.3 points per game against the Saints and scored at least 30 points in all but one game in the series.
The Eagles have rushed for 2,272 yards in the six all-time meetings with the Saints, good for 378.67 yards per game. C-N's low rushing output came in 2017 when it gained 239 yards. Every other game has featured at least 349 yards rushing.
Carson-Newman will honor the 1972 team during the game. The Dal Shealy-coached group lost to Texas A&M Commerce (then East Texas State) in the NAIA title game.
"It's a testament to who we are at Carson-Newman to where the generations, in some kind of way, continue to connect," Clowney said. "Knowing that those guys were here and were kind of a part of the start of that is something unique. I always talk about Dal Shealy, how that connection between him coaching Coach Parks, then coaching my high school coach, and then being able to get here where he's director of FCA and kind of connect those dots. We look forward to seeing those guys."
Limestone snapped a 12-game losing streak in a major way with a 73-14 win at Saint Augustine's. On the day, the Saints were able to establish six new program records, including points scored - the previous high was 56 at Mars Hill (9-30-17).
The Saints set a new school mark with 659 yards of total offense. Limestone also tallied program-bests with five rushing and five passing touchdowns. On the day, the Blue and Gold racked up 293 yards on the ground, the second most in school history behind only a 300-yard effort against College of the Faith in 2014.
Running back Tre Stewart was named South Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. He tied a program record with three rushing touchdowns on the afternoon while scampering for a team-high 120 yards on 12 carries.
"I mean, you talked about him being in the backfield, and you talk about catching passes out of the backfield. He's a versatile guy," Clowney said. "You have to be aware of where he's at. They'll try to do a couple of things to get match up's that we've got to be conscious of getting the right people in the right place. He's a really good athlete, good football player."
Limestone scored all but two times it touched the football against Saint Aug. The two times it didn't the Saints threw interceptions.
Carson-Newman wide receiver Braxton Westfield's next touchdown catch will break a tie for sixth with assistant coach Leonard Weaver and Alvin Sanders for sixth all-time. A two-touchdown day would move him into the top five and a tie with Tim Gaines (1975-77) and his 16 receiving TDs.
Westfield ranks 33rd in the country and second in the league with his six catches per game. Should he maintain this pace, he'd break into the top 20 for most receptions in a season by week five against Newberry.
With his 77 yards receiving against Franklin Pierce, Westfield became the program's 19th career 1,000-yard receiver. He needs 13 yards to pass Leonard Weaver for 18th and 55 to catch Grant Cockrell (1998-00) for 17th.
Carson-Newman has the 11th best kickoff return coverage in the country. All but one of Christian Erwin's kickoffs have gone for touchbacks. The one that didn't was only returned 12 yards.
Carson-Newman and Limestone have a combined six former NFL players on their respective coaching staffs. For the Eagles, C-N has representation in Pro Bowler and Philadelphia Eagle Leonard Weaver as well as Super Bowl XXIX Special Teams captain and former San Francisco 49er Antonio Goss.
Limestone head football coach Mike Furrey was twice nominated for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award while with the Detroit Lions, Furrey was a finalist for the prestigious award during the 2009 season as a member of the Cleveland Browns.
The Saints assistants boast defensive line coach Anthony Hargrove, who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV; wide receivers coach Jerricho Cotchery who had a 12-year career that spanned from his rookie season with the New York Jets in 2004 to Super Bowl 50 with the Carolina Panthers in 2015; offensive line coach Nate Garner, who played seven years with both the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins; and running back/strength coach Jordan Todman, who made his first career playoff appearance with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016.
The matchup is also a weird one for C-N quarterback Ivan Corbin (Warner Robbins, Ga.). Corbin started his collegiate career as Mike Furrey's starting quarterback in 2016 at Limestone. In a 39-25 C-N victory at Burke-Tarr Stadium, Corbin was 17-of-35 for 247 yards to go with two scores and two picks. He also rushed nine times for 34 yards.
Kickoff between the Eagles and Saints is set for 1 p.m. Saturday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at noon with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A paid video stream is available through FloSports.
