VIDEO: Mike Clowney Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Ethan Marshall Interview
VIDEO: Caleb Goins Interview
NEWBERRY, S.C. – Carson-Newman (0-7, 0-5 South Atlantic Conference) scored first, but Newberry (6-2, 5-1 SAC) scored the final 34 points of the game to hold serve on its homecoming with a 34-3 win Saturday at Setzler Field.
The Wolves held the football for 41:27 and ran 30 more plays than the Eagles en route to winning their fifth straight home game over C-N. The Eagles haven't beaten Newberry at Setzler Field since 2010.
"No one wants to be where we are right now," Carson-Newman head football coach Mike Clowney said. "If you're going to go through what we're going through, I wouldn't want to go through it with a different group of guys. At the beginning of the game, you could see some things starting to break and the pieces coming into play. The big thing is confidence and believing while having an edge and making plays."
Carson-Newman found some offensive footing early.
On the Eagles' opening possession, Lamarcus Brown (Mobile, Ala.) hit Braxton Westfield (Simpsonville, S.C.) on a 45-yard slant to flip field position and set the Eagles up with first and goal from the seven.
Brown hit Westfield on a screen pass, but Westfield shy of the goal line at the three. Two plays later, Christian Erwin (York, S.C.) booted through a 22-yard field goal to give C-N a 3-0 lead with 12:52 left in the first quarter.
After Carson-Newman forced the Wolves off the field with a three-and-out, the Eagles used another big play to set up a scoring chance. Brown ripped off a 56-yard zone-read run to get the Eagles down to the 15.
However, the Wolves defense stiffened after a drop and a tackle for loss to force a field goal. The 32-yard try went wide left to keep things at 3-0 for C-N.
Newberry got on track and scored 17 straight to close the first half.
Mario Anderson started the scoring with a five-yard toss pay off the left side to finish an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
After C-N fumbled away the ensuring kickoff, the Wovles took a 14-3 lead with 2:48 to play in the first frame. Bobby Irby hauled in a six-yard pass from Dre Harris to cap a five-play, 34-yard drive.
The Eagles went three-and-out on their ensuing possession, but had drops on back-to-back plays that would have gone for first downs.
"Some of the things we do during the week, those things have to show up better on Saturday," Clowney said. "It's confidence. The worst thing a kid can do is question himself. We have guys making plays every day in practice and they make plays repeatedly. We have to have those plays show up on game day."
The Wolves rounded out the scoring with a Ray Cotton 33-yard field goal. The three-pointer finished a 13-play. 58-yard drive with 2:52 to go before halftime.
Newberry added a field goal in the third quarter to go up 20-3 with 4:35 to go in the period before Cameron Gaymon and Olin McCurry tallied ive and 18-yard receiving touchdowns in the fourth.
Carson-Newman had a degree of success on the ground. C-N rushed for 129 yards on 24 carries for a season-high 5.4 yards per carry. Brown led the ground game with 66 yards on four touches. Troy Dendy (Laurens, S.C.) and EJ Davis (Palmetto, Fla.) each added in 25 yards.
"When you talk about growth," Clowney said. "We played a bunch of different guys up front in different places than they played last week. Because of the front that Newberry has, they had to give great effort. They played low and with high effort. There are still pains, but they are getting there."
Westfield caught two passes for 49 yards.
Dre Harris led Newberry's offensive attack. The signal caller was 11-for-18 through the air for 125 yards and two scores. Harris also rushed 12 times for 66 yards.
C-N held the SAC's second-leading rusher Mario Anderson to 3.9 yards a touch. The tailback rushed 21 times for 82 yards. Bobby Irby led the Wolves receiving corps with four catches for 34 yards and a score.
Caleb Goins (Bristol, Va.) reset a career high for C-N with 11 stops. Alonzo Houston (Wimauma, Fla.) also had 11 tackles.
"We come out every week and keep fighting," Goins said. "To be in the position we are in, we keep fighting. Guys still believe that we have the capability to do this. You see a lot of teams in this position quick. We haven't. It's a testament to the guys in the locker room and this coaching staff."
Carson-Newman returns to Burke-Tarr Stadium for Homecoming Saturday against Mars Hill. Kickoff with the Lions is set for 3 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 2 p.m. with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
