Thomas ripped the Tusculum Pioneers to shreds on the ground in the second oldest rivalry in the state of Tennessee.
He is Carson-Newman's first TSWA offensive player of the week honoree this season and its third overall, joining Justin Long (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Xavier McFadden (Rock Hill, S.C.) on the defensive side of the ball.
Thomas rushed 21 times for 203 yards and three touchdowns and also completed 7-of-12 passes for 109 yards in Carson-Newman's 65-32 victory over Tusculum.
The Milledgeville, Ga., native became the first Eagle quarterback to rush for 200-plus yards since Alex Good in 2008 and the 203 rushing yards is second on the single-game charts at Carson-Newman among quarterbacks and 31st among all players.
The Eagles rolled up 570 rushing yards (the fifth highest total all-time) and 679 yards of total offense in the win.
It marked the 13th time in the quarterback's career that the senior found the end zone multiple times in a game. Thomas ranks fourth all-time in Carson-Newman history with 43 rushing touchdowns. If he finds the end zone against Valdosta State in the Eagles' playoff game, he'll match Kenneth Tyson for third on the all-time list.
Kickoff for the Eagles' first round playoff game with VSU is set for noon Saturday. Pregame coverage begins one hour before kickoff with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
_story_story.jpg?max_width=280&max_height=160&crop=true)
_story.jpg?max_width=280&max_height=160&crop=true)
