JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- After making just 1-of-4 field goal attempts all of last season, sophomore kicker Carlos Lopez (Seymour, Tenn.) displayed his much improved accuracy on Saturday by nailing all three of his field goal attempts against Newberry, with the last proving to be the most important.

Lopez drilled a 35-yarder in heavy rain with 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lift the Carson-Newman football team to a 23-20 victory over the scarlet and gray in the South Atlantic Conference opener for both teams at Burke-Tarr Stadium.

With the win, C-N improves to 3-2 on the year and 1-0 in the SAC. Newberry falls to 2-2 and 0-1 in conference play.

"(The win) was something to really be proud of," C-N head coach Ken Sparks said. "We refused to let the old lady (momentum) take over our minds."

Lopez, who also connected from 23 and 27 yards out, was the first Eagle kicker to produce a game-winning field goal since Angel Gonzalez accomplished the feat in a 24-21 win over Presbyterian in 2003.

"(The kicking game) was phenomenal," Sparks said. "It was the difference in the game."

With heavy rain in the area for the entire game, both teams had trouble holding onto the ball as they fumble 16 times. Newberry lost five fumbles on the day, while C-N had four lost fumbles. The teams turned six of the turnovers into 33 of the game's 43 points.

Junior safety Mario Russell (Columbus, Ohio) had a career day in the Eagles defensive backfield. Russell tied the NCAA Division II record for forced fumbles in a game with four. He also had a team-high eight tackles and five pass breakups.

"It's been since maybe the days of Chuck Proffitt that I saw hits from a safety that I saw today from (Russell)," Sparks said. "It was very, very impressive."

The Eagles dominated the line of scrimmage as they amassed 356 yards on the ground. It was the fourth straight game C-N rushed for 300 yards or more. Senior quarterback Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.) led the way with 203 yards and a score on 25 carries. C-N outgained Newberry 367-355 in total offense.

Newberry did most of its damage through the air behind the arm of quarterback Brandon Gantt (Lexington, S.C.). The senior signal caller completed 14-of-33 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 21 yards and a score.

Lopez gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead by nailing a 23-yarder at the 14:55 mark of the second quarter, and C-N regained possession less than a minute later on Newberry's first fumble of the game.

The Eagles took advantage of the miscue, as Buck Wakefield (Drummonds, Tenn.) capped a 3-play, 33-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Lopez's extra point gave C-N a 10-0 lead.

Another Newberry fumble inside its own 35-yard line led to a C-N touchdown with 6:59 left in the half. Good found the end zone from six yards out to give the Eagles a 17-0 cushion, but the scarlet and gray began to battle back as the half came to a close.

After a C-N fumble gave Newberry the ball at its own 30-yard line, the scarlet and gray needed just three plays to score from there. Gantt connected with Kelton Tindal (Sumter, S.C.) for a 56-yard touchdown pass with 2:11 remaining to trim C-N's lead to 17-7 heading into the locker room. Tindal had four receptions for 103 yards on the day.

Newberry opened the second half with even more success through the air. A 23-yard pass from Gantt to Brandon Bostick (Florence, S.C.) gave the scarlet and gray the ball at the C-N 38. From there, Gantt hooked up with Bostick for a 38-yard scoring strike to cut the Eagles' lead to 17-14 with 11:08 remaining in the third stanza.

C-N turned the ball over at its own 38 on the ensuing possession, and Newberry once again capitalized, as Gantt found the end zone from one yard out to cap a six-play, 54-yard drive. Nick Toole (Barnwell, S.C.) connected on the extra point to give Newberry a 20-17 lead.

The Eagles bounced back to tie the game at 20-20 on a 27-yard field goal at the 11:38 mark of the fourth quarter.

C-N drove inside the Newberry 10 on its next possession but came up short on fourth-and-one, but the scarlet and gray failed to take advantage of the opportunity, as Russell forced a fumble at the Newberry 37 to give the Eagles another chance.

C-N drove down to the Newberry 18, where Lopez nailed the game-winning 35-yard field goal.

The Eagles return to the gridiron next Saturday in a SAC matchup at Mars Hill. Kickoff is schedule for 1:30 p.m. in Mars Hill, N.C.