Game Notes vs Wingate

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — After losing its first two games of the season, the 18th-ranked Carson-Newman football team has done everything in its power to stay out of the loss column.

The Eagles have won in a variety of ways, including three fourth-quarter comebacks, on their way to a seven-game winning streak. C-N will be looking to keep that momentum going on Saturday when it visits Wingate for a key South Atlantic Conference matchup at Irwin Belk Stadium in Wingate, N.C. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

C-N (7-2, 5-0 SAC) is a game ahead of the Bulldogs (6-2, 4-1) in the conference standings and could clinch at least a share of the SAC title with a win. Eagles head coach Ken Sparks said his team will prepare for Wingate the same it has for every game this season despite what is on the line on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s the same old thing as far as getting ready to play a good football team that can beat you, or if you play well, you might beat them,” Sparks said. “Ever since the second week of the season, we’ve been playing for our lives. Ever since the fifth week, we’ve been playing for a conference championship. Nothing has changed much. We just need to get it done and get out there and play good football.”

C-N played its best football of the season last Saturday in a 77-7 victory over Brevard. The Eagles, who moved to No. 2 in the NCAA Division II Super Regional Two Rankings after the win, amassed a season-high 598 yards of offense, including 500 on the ground. C-N’s defense returned a school-record four fumbles for touchdowns and held Brevard to just 84 yards of offense.

“It was probably the best we have played all year, as far as execution on offense, defense and special teams,” Sparks said. “The fact is each game we have 23 goals for offense, defense and special teams. The best we had done all year was 13, but we were able to reach 18 against Brevard. That’s a major difference. We are really excited that our kids responded pretty well.”

Senior quarterback Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.) became the Eagles’ all-time leader in total offense in the win. Good finished the day with 129 yards of offense (59 rushing, 70 passing) to give him 6,731 yards for his career, which surpassed former C-N All-American Leonard Guyton’s record of 6,626 yards.

Sparks said it has been a pleasure watching Good grow not only as a football player but also as a person during the last four years.

“He’s had an amazing career and is still growing,” Sparks said. “He knows he can get better and he’s humble about it. That’s what makes him a special player. He’s kept his head on pretty good. I think the reason is because he has a growing relationship with the Lord.”

Good and the Eagles will be facing a Wingate team that has won four out of its last five games, including a convincing 42-17 victory at Catawba last Saturday.

A big key to the Bulldogs’ success this season has been winning the turnover battle. Wingate has forced 22 turnovers and has only given up eight, which gives the Bulldogs the second best turnover margin in the nation at 1.75.

“We are playing a team that has had a lot of good things happen for them,” Sparks offered. “They have an unbelievable turnover ratio. When you have played eight games and have only had eight turnovers and you have thrown it as much as they have, that’s pretty good. They are a well-coached football team and have a lot of talent. We’ve just got to play the best we can and hope for something good to come out of it.”

Wingate will give the C-N defense a completely different look than what it has seen the last two weeks. Both Brevard and Lenoir-Rhyne relied heavily on the run out of their triple option offenses, but the Bulldogs are more balanced than any team in the conference.

Wingate is third in the SAC in total offense with an average of 382.5 yards per game (222.3 passing, 160.2 rushing). Sophomore quarterback Cody Haffly leads the way as he has completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,698 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The Bulldogs also have the conference’s second leading rusher in running back Vince Jordan. The Mt. Gilead, N.C., native has racked up 824 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“They have an unbelievable combination (at quarterback and running back), and that’s what makes them tough,” Sparks said. “They have the whole package. They don’t have a glaring weakness on offense.”

Sparks said his team must also do a better job on special teams coverage than it has done the last several weeks. Wingate leads the SAC in both kick return average (25.4) and punt return average (14.7) and has returned one kickoff for a touchdown.

“It’s going to be a great challenge,” Sparks said. “They did an unbelievable job on special teams against Catawba. They changed the field a whole bunch against Catawba because of their returns. We’ve just got to play better than we have been playing as far as that area is concerned."

"We are trying to figure out how we can win the kicking game. We have some people that can (break off long returns) too. It’s just a matter of who wants it the most and who can execute it the best.”

C-N leads the all-time series with Wingate, 20-1. Wingate’s lone win in the series came in 1995 (25-24). The Eagles pulled out a 35-33 victory over the Bulldogs last season.

Eagle Notes:
If the Eagles clinch a share of the SAC title on Saturday, it would be Sparks' 21st championship in 28 years...Good needs one touchdown pass to move past Guyton for first in school history in passing touchdowns…Good and Guyton are tied at 41 touchdown passes…Junior safety Mario Russell (Columbus, Ohio) remains the national leader in forced fumbles with six and is also tied for 11th in the nation in passes defended with 13…C-N’s 500 yards rushing against Brevard pushed it back into the national lead in rushing offense with an average of 303 yards per game…The Eagles’ six fumble recoveries against Brevard moved them into a tie for fifth in the nation with 14 on the season.