JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Anytime Carson-Newman and North
Alabama meet on the gridiron, the matchup is always of great
importance to both teams.
But when the 10th-ranked Eagles (10-2) and fifth-ranked Lions
(11-1) square off on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA
Division II Playoffs, the stakes will be extremely high.
C-N and North Alabama are set to kickoff at 1 p.m. on Saturday at
Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Ala. The winner will advance
to the national semifinals, where they will face the winner of the
Minnesota Duluth/Grand Valley State game on Dec. 5.
Despite facing a team as talented as North Alabama, Eagles head
coach Ken Sparks said his focus is on his own squad and getting it
ready for its biggest matchup in years.
“I don’t look so much at who we play. I look at what we
do,” Sparks said. “We’ve always said the team
that beats us is us. That’s the way we approach it. At the
same time, we know we are playing a very, very talented football
team. They have a lot of great players. We are just excited about
playing. It’s the first time we’ve been in this
situation in a few years.”
The last time C-N and North Alabama met in the postseason was in
the 2003 quarterfinals in Florence. The Lions claimed a 41-9
victory on that day to improve their playoff record against the
Eagles to 4-1.
The Eagles have never won in Braly Municipal Stadium. Including
this year’s 31-14 regular season loss to the Lions, C-N is
0-8 all-time in Florence.
C-N was its own worst enemy in its loss to the Lions earlier this
season. The Eagles outgained North Alabama 422-332 in total offense
but they turned the ball over four times, including twice deep in
Lions territory.
Sparks said his team cannot afford to have those miscues again on
Saturday.
“During this time of the year, it doesn’t matter who
you are playing,” he said. “There are eight teams left,
and all of them are good teams. If you make a mistake or you
don’t execute, it will show up and you’ll get taken
advantage of.”
The Eagles reached the quarterfinals on the strength of a 59-41
victory over West Alabama last Saturday.
C-N continued to dominate offensively, gaining 591 yards of total
offense against the Tigers. Defensively, the Eagles struggled at
times during the second half as they allowed a 49-20 halftime lead
to turn into a 49-41 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Despite its struggles late against West Alabama, Sparks believes
his defense will bounce back with a good effort on Saturday.
“There were seven plays where (West Alabama) gained 50
percent of its offense, which means that we need eliminate the
inconsistencies of those seven plays,” Sparks said. “On
some of them, we just lined up wrong. Good teams will make you pay
for it, and that’s what happened Saturday. We are still a
growing football team and are still getting better.”
North Alabama is coming off a 41-28 second round win over Arkansas
Tech. The Lions piled up 480 yards in the win, but Sparks was
impressed with how they did things differently on offense last
Saturday.
“Last week they lined up and just pounded Arkansas
Tech,” Sparks said. “They just went and pounded it
right at them. It was pretty impressive.”
Even though North Alabama was more aggressive in their running game
last Saturday, its offense still goes through senior quarterback
Harrison Beck. The Harlon Hill Trophy candidate threw for 341 yards
and three touchdowns in the win. He has completed 59 percent of his
passes for 3,542 yards, 30 touchdowns and just nine interceptions
this season.
Eagle Notes:
With a rushing TD or receiving TD, Buck Wakefield (46) and Reggie
Hubbard (26), respectively, would each set new school
records…C-N’s lone win over North Alabama in the
postseason came in the first round of the 1997 playoffs (21-7) in
Jefferson City…The Eagles have not advanced to the national
semifinals since 1999…C-N went on to play for the national
title that season, losing to Northwest Missouri State 58-52 in four
overtimes…C-N is 16-11 all-time in the Division II
Playoffs…The Eagles have averaged 662.25 yards of total
offense in their last four games…C-N ranks first nationally
in rushing offense (356.42 yards per game), fourth in total offense
(498) and eighth in scoring offense (40.5)…The Eagles have
gained more than 500 yards of offense six times this season,
including a school-record 803 yards against Tusculum in their
season finale on Nov. 7.
April 20, 2010
Sparks receives prestigious Neyland Award
March 3, 2010
Eagles to Hold Orange and Blue Game on Saturday
March 2, 2010
Carson-Newman Adds Seven to 2010 Football Signing Class
February 8, 2010
Eagles Add Two to 2010 Signing Class
December 14, 2009
Eagles Ranked Fourth in Final AFCA Poll
December 4, 2009
Carson-Newman Game Notes vs. Grand Valley State
November 30, 2009
Scouting Report: No. 10 Carson-Newman vs. No. 3 Grand Valley State
November 28, 2009
Semifinal Bound: Eagles Drop UNA in Florence, 24-21
November 27, 2009
Gameday Central: Carson-Newman/Grand Valley State
November 25, 2009
Back to Florence: Eagles Face North Alabama on Saturday
November 24, 2009
Scouting Report: Carson-Newman vs. North Alabama
November 23, 2009
Kickoff Time Set for Eagles' Quarterfinal at UNA
November 20, 2009
Gameday Central: Carson-Newman vs. West Alabama
November 19, 2009
Carson-Newman Game Notes vs. West Alabama
November 18, 2009
Eagles Postseason Begins with West Alabama on Saturday
November 18, 2009
C-Ns Needs Named D-II Assistant Coach of the Year
November 17, 2009
Scouting Report: Carson-Newman vs. West Alabama
November 9, 2009
Carson-Newman Climbs to 10th in AFCA Poll
November 9, 2009
Carson-Newman Leads Way On SAC 2009 All-Conference Football Team
November 8, 2009
No. 14 Carson-Newman Receives First-Round Bye in NCAA Playoffs
November 7, 2009
No. 14 Carson-Newman Defeats Tusculum, 70-35, on Record-Setting Day
November 6, 2009
Eagles Good Named Candidate for Harlon Hill Trophy
November 6, 2009
Gameday Central for Carson-Newman/Tusculum on Saturday
November 5, 2009
Eagles Host Tusculum in Regular-Season Finale Saturday
November 2, 2009
Eagles Jump to 14th in AFCA Poll, Remain No. 2 in Regional Rankings
November 2, 2009
Eagles' Wakefield Named SAC Offensive Player of the Week
October 31, 2009
No. 18 Carson-Newman Runs by Wingate, 45-7, to Win 21st SAC Title
October 28, 2009
Eagles Travel to Wingate on Saturday with SAC Title on the Line
October 26, 2009
Eagles Move to 18th in AFCA Poll, Second in Regional Rankings
October 24, 2009
No. 20 Carson-Newman Cruises Past Brevard, 77-7
October 19, 2009
Eagles Jump to 20th in AFCA Poll
October 15, 2009
Eagles Travel to Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday
October 10, 2009
Carson-Newman Battles Back to Down Catawba, 41-31, on Homecoming
October 8, 2009
Carson-Newman Hosts Catawba for Homecoming on Saturday
October 5, 2009
Eagles Third in First Regional Rankings
October 3, 2009
Carson-Newman Storms Past Mars Hill, 55-28
October 2, 2009
Carson-Newman Visits Mars Hill on Saturday Afternoon
September 28, 2009
Eagles' Good, Lopez Named SAC Players of the Week
September 26, 2009
Carson-Newman Takes Down Newberry in SAC Opener, 23-20
September 24, 2009
Eagles Welcome Newberry in SAC Opener Saturday
September 21, 2009
C-N's Jones Named SAC Special Teams Player of the Week
September 19, 2009
Carson-Newman Upends UNC Pembroke, 35-22
September 16, 2009
Eagles Set to Host Unbeaten UNC Pembroke Saturday
September 10, 2009
Eagles Roll Past Campbellsville, 38-10, in Home Opener
September 8, 2009
Eagles Set For Thursday's Home Opener Against Campbellsville
September 5, 2009
No. 22 Carson-Newman Falls at No. 4 North Alabama, 31-14
September 4, 2009
Eagles Set for Top 25 Showdown at No. 4 North Alabama
August 27, 2009
Carson-Newman Drops 2009 Season Opener, 17-12, At Winona State
August 25, 2009
Sparks Begins 30th Season at Mossy Creek on Thursday Night
August 21, 2009
Eagles Begin Game Week Preparations for Season Opener
August 19, 2009
Eagles Hold Final Scrimmage of Fall Camp
August 17, 2009
Eagles Ranked Ninth in AFCA Preseason Poll
August 15, 2009
Good, Hubbard On Same Page During Saturday's Scrimmage
August 14, 2009
Eagles Hold Media Day, First Full Scrimmage
August 8, 2009
Eagles Continue to Grind Through Camp
July 30, 2009
Eagles Picked to Win South Atlantic Conference
July 13, 2009
Eagles Ranked Ninth in Lindy's Sports Preseason Poll
March 23, 2009
Carson-Newman Releases 2009 Football Schedule