JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The 14th-ranked Carson-Newman
football team has played in the friendly confines of Burke-Tarr
Stadium for its first three games this season, but on Saturday, the
young Eagle squad will face its first road test of 2010, and it
won't be an easy one.
C-N is set to face UNC Pembroke at 2 p.m. at Grace P. Johnson
Stadium in Pembroke, N.C. The Braves enter the contest with a 2-1
record and went 9-2 last season, reaching the NCAA playoffs.
"It's our first road trip period," said C-N head coach Ken Sparks,
whose team handed the Braves their only regular season loss last
year with a 35-22 victory. "It's the longest one that we will take.
We definitely have some adjustment going on, but it shouldn't have
any effect on us. It will be interesting to see how far we have
come as far as maturity is concerned."
The Eagles (2-1) enter the contest with two straight wins and are
coming off of their most complete performance of the season as they
rolled over Concordia-Selma, 37-7, last Thursday.
C-N's defense, which had struggled at times in its first two
games, took major steps in the right direction against the Hornets.
After the Hornets scored on their opening drive of the game, the
Eagles forced five turnovers, including four interceptions, and
recorded seven sacks in holding Concordia to 267 yards of
offense.
"I think we played lower and a little bit more explosive and
faster than we had been playing," Sparks said of his defense. "We
are probably understanding a little bit more about what the
requirements are to play. We were pleased that we got a shutout
after that first drive, but we certainly were not pleased with that
first drive."
"We made a couple of big mistakes right away. I hope we will get
away from those gifts that we have been giving, but the five
turnovers and the pressure on the quarterback were the two key
things. It's progress, and that's what we are looking for this time
of year."
Junior defensive end Byron Bell
(Knoxville, Tenn.) had a breakout game to lead the Eagles as he
collected seven tackles, including 4.5 for a loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Sparks said he hopes Bell can continue playing at that level
against the Braves.
"Byron is a special young man," Sparks offered. "He's one of our
shining stars as far as his character and what he's about. It was
fun to watch him get some fruit for his labor because he's worked
as hard as anybody that we've ever had."
C-N will need another solid effort from both sides of the ball
against UNC Pembroke. The Braves are coming off their first loss of
the season, a 28-23 setback last week at Wingate, but they rolled
to a pair of wins to start the season, outscoring their opponents
81-14.
UNC Pembroke will be one of the most experienced squads the Eagles
will face this season with 19 starters (nine offense, 10 defense)
returning. Fourteen of those returners are seniors.
"It's a senior dominated football team that has a lot of
experience," Sparks said. "They have fought in the wars and have
been two or three-year starters. That's a tremendous advantage over
a team like us that has been playing a bunch of freshmen and
sophomores."
Leading the way for the Braves' offense is junior running back
Travis Daniels and senior quarterback Cory Smith. Daniels amassed
1,042 yards last season, while Smith threw for 1,784 yards and 17
touchdowns.
Sparks said his team must be prepared to play disciplined football
against a very quick and athletic UNC Pembroke offense.
"I think they have really good speed at running back and big
receivers, which creates problems for our little defensive backs,"
Sparks said. "They create problems for you defensively because they
have a great screen package. They use them a lot. It's very
important that you play assignment football against a team like
this."
Defensively, Sparks said the Braves play very aggressively and
live in opponent's backfields. UNC Pembroke has recorded 15 sacks
in three games.
"They are very big and physical and have some good looking
athletes," Sparks said. "We look forward to seeing if we can
continue our growth because we are in a growth mode."
May 27, 2011
Eagles' signing list now at 85
May 2, 2011
Carson-Newman Releases 2011 Football Schedule
March 25, 2011
Carson-Newman to induct seven in 2011 Hall of Fame Class
February 21, 2011
Sparks, Eagles Open Spring Practice
January 10, 2011
Jones, Eagles Stand Out in 2011 Cactus Bowl
December 21, 2010
Eagles' Tribue Named First Team All-American For Second Time
December 17, 2010
Sparks inducted into Division II College Football Hall of Fame
November 16, 2010
Nine Eagles Earn All-South Atlantic Conference Honors
November 13, 2010
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November 10, 2010
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November 6, 2010
Eagles suffer 52-14 setback against Lenoir-Rhyne
November 5, 2010
Gameday Central: Lenoir-Rhyne at Carson-Newman
November 4, 2010
Eagles Host Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday in Regular-Season Home Finale
October 31, 2010
Douglas, Eagles overcome miscues to beat Newberry, 35-13
October 30, 2010
Gameday Central: Carson-Newman at Newberry
October 27, 2010
Eagles Looking for Third Straight SAC Win at Newberry on Saturday
October 21, 2010
Eagles Hold Off Mars Hill for 34-27 Victory
October 19, 2010
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October 16, 2010
Eagles Knock Off Catawba on the Road, 42-16
October 15, 2010
Gameday Central vs. Catawba
October 13, 2010
Eagles Set to Face Tough Road Test on Saturday Against Catawba
October 9, 2010
Gameday Central: Wingate University at Carson-Newman
October 9, 2010
Wingate Edges Carson-Newman, 38-35, in Overtime
October 6, 2010
Eagles host Wingate for Homecoming on Saturday
October 2, 2010
Eagles open SAC play with 35-17 win at Brevard
September 29, 2010
Eagles Set to Open SAC Play on Saturday at Brevard
September 25, 2010
Eagles Fall at UNC Pembroke, 30-7
September 24, 2010
Gameday Central: No. 19 Carson-Newman at UNC Pembroke
September 23, 2010
Eagles Travel to UNC Pembroke on Saturday for First Road Test of 2010
September 17, 2010
Eagles put up 37 unanswered points to beat Concordia, 37-7
September 15, 2010
Eagles set to host Concordia-Selma Thursday night
September 11, 2010
Eagles Use Off Week for Conditioning, Preparations for Concordia
September 2, 2010
Eagles Battle Back in Fourth Quarter to Claim 35-28 Victory Over Bentley
August 30, 2010
Eagles Drop to No. 20 in AFCA Poll
August 24, 2010
Russell, Tribue Named to D2Football.com All-America Team
August 21, 2010
Ninth-Ranked Eagles Hold Final Scrimmage of Fall Camp
August 17, 2010
Carson-Newman Hosts Annual Football Media Day
August 17, 2010
Defense Comes up Big in Eagles' Second Scrimmage of Fall Camp
August 13, 2010
Eagles Hold First Scrimmage of Fall Camp
August 11, 2010
Eagles Don Full Pads for First Time in Camp
August 9, 2010
Eagles Ranked Ninth in AFCA Preseason Poll
July 22, 2010
Eagles Picked to Win Fourth Straight SAC Football Title
June 23, 2010
Hutsell Joins Eagles Football Coaching Staff
May 21, 2010
Carson-Newman Releases 2010 Football Schedule
April 8, 2010
Bookbinder Joins Eagles Coaching Staff
April 8, 2010
Greene Joins C-N Staff as Defensive Backs Coach
February 19, 2010
Eagles Set to Hold First Scrimmage of the Spring on Saturday