VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Mike Clowney Interview
VIDEO: Ivan Corbin Interview
VIDEO: Alonzo Houston Interview
VIDEO: Tyree Nelson Interview
VIDEO: Caleb Goins Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With a little more than five minutes left in the second quarter, Seventh-ranked Newberry (4-1, 2-1 South Atlantic Conference) quarterback Pete Elmore scrambled seven yards for a first down.
It would be the last first down the Wolves would get.
Carson-Newman (2-3, 1-2 SAC) turned in a defensive performance for the ages, limiting the Wolves to 17 yards of offense after halftime en route to collecting a win over a top-10 team and the 650th victory in program history. The Eagles scored the final 24 points in the contest to take a 24-14 decision from the Wolves.
"Watching them grow and develop these last two weeks against two really good football teams," Carson-Newman head football coach Mike Clowney said. "I think it's a testament of what this team can be."
With the victory, Carson-Newman becomes the fourth NCAA Division II school with 650 wins all-time. C-N joins Pittsburg State, Tuskegee and Hillsdale with 650 or more victories.
The Eagles chalk up their first win over a top-10 team since beating No. 5 North Alabama 24-21 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs in 2009 and their 14th since becoming a NCAA Division II school. Carson-Newman's last win at Burke-Tarr Stadium was also against Newberry. The Eagles handed then No. 9 Newberry a 49-14 loss on Sept. 29, 2007.
Newberry led 14-0 in the second quarter after returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown. Carson-Newman would rattle off 24 unanswered to score their first win when trailing by two touchdowns since 2014. C-N trailed 28-7 with two minutes left in the second quarter to North Greenville on Homecoming before coming back to win 35-34. The comeback effort is the Eagles' ninth win when trailing by double-digits since the year 2000, but just its third when facing a two-TD deficit.
"I think the worst thing that happened to us in this game may have been the best thing that happened to us in this game - where we got the field goal blocked," Clowney said. "We're sitting in this awkward situation, it's fourth and long, do you punt and try to pin them in or do you go for the field goal? We've got a guy that's capable of making it. We're playing no. 17 in the country—if you got a chance to get points, you go get 'em. But we get it blocked and they go score. But the thing that we talked about at halftime was like, that was something that we created. You know, they scooped and scored, but it wasn't like they were consistently moving the football and putting themselves in position to be ahead of the game. So that's where we felt like if we came back out, go put points on the board, get back to 0-0 and then just start the game completely over—and that's what our kids were able to do."
After the teams traded punts on their first two drives, Newberry ground out an 11-play, 90-yard drive that carved 5:44 off the clock. Tight end Tommy Washington caught his third pass of the season, his second for a TD, with a 10-yard grab to make it 7-0 Newberry with 10:57 left in the second.
�� PUT IT IN THE WIN COLUMN!
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 1, 2022
�� @cnfootball 24
�� Newberry 14
FINAL pic.twitter.com/Y2s3IZUK5E
C-N went three-and-out on its next drive, but Alonzo Houston (Wimauma, Fla.) snagged his second career pick to halt a Newberry drive in C-N territory. The Eagles' drive stalled out at the 39 in Newberry territory. Nate Craft (Salem, Va.) came on to try a school-record 56-yard field goal. Carson Smith burst through the middle of the line to block it, before Chico Onyekwere ambled 50 yards the other way for a special teams touchdown.
The Eagles two-minute drill the next drive put them on the board. Tyree Nelson (Atlanta, Ga.) burst over right tackle for a 23-yard ramble to finish a six-play, 80-yard drive in 74 seconds.
TOUCHDOWN!! @ty_str88 sprints 23 yards to get the Eagles on the board.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 1, 2022
�� Newberry 14
�� @cnfootball 7
2nd l 37.2
�� @Joy620WRJZ
�� https://t.co/UFWPpamVf6 @FloFootball
�� https://t.co/hiIvfnQa8x pic.twitter.com/sa4trMawWl
Then, Carson-Newman's defense took over. The Wolves' second half drive summaries were five consecutive three-and-outs followed by a game-ending interception.
Carson-Newman's defense held a team without a first down after halftime for the first time since Oct. 29, 2017 when it did so to Tusculum in a game played in an unrelenting deluge. The weather Saturday was a bit fairer, however, the Wolves were without the services of first team All-SAC quarterback Dre Harris who was injured on the contest's second series.
C-N tied the game with 4:34 to play in the third quarter on the Eagles second possession of the half. Tyler Curtis (Lilburn, Ga.) pounded the ball in for his first career score following a bruising one yard plunge off left tackle. The TD capped a gritty 11-play, 70-yard drive where C-N converted on a trio of third downs.
The Eagles put together a championship-caliber drive for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. C-N marched down the field on a 13-play, 78-yard, 7:31-clock chewing march before Curtis took an option pitch left for a nine-yard score – his second of the half.
A Nate Craft (Salem, Va.) 27-yard field goal iced the game in C-N's favor with 1:06 left on the clock before Ja'Laun Walton (Georgetown, S.C.) snared a pick to get the Eagles into victory formation.
Newberry entered the contest ranked fifth in the country in rushing defense. The Wolves hadn't allowed a 100-yard rushing performance on the season and were giving up just 50 yards a game. In fact, Newberry had only allowed 201 yards rushing total on the season. C-N rushed for 304 yards – the first time in seven years Carson-Newman had rushed for 300 yards on Newberry.
"I think the offensive line did a great job and I think that's something that going into last week's game we're going to go back and probably watch video and say hey, we probably really struggled up front. But when you go back and watch video of last week, you know, we're moving, we're gaining traction," Clowney said. "So we wanted to make sure we can build on that. I think having so many backs that can get in and contribute to where we can roll those guys in and keep fresh legs. They know when they get in there they have to make the most of their opportunities. And I think that was part of us being able to consistently move the football. Newberry fields a good football team, and we took some shots today but guys got up and kept going."
For the 14th time in program history, @cnfootball has taken down a top-10 team.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 1, 2022
Eagles do it behind a defense that didn't allow a first down in the second half, first time that's happened since 2017,
Postgame infographic time pic.twitter.com/2F3lVd18g8
Corbin led C-N's ground game with his second 100-yard performance. He had 109 yards on 17 carries. Corbin tallied 90 of his yards in the fourth quarter alone.
Nelson notched a career-high 84 yards on 14 touches, plus a 23-yard touchdown run, while Curtis carried the ball for 30 yards and two scores. TJ King (Knoxville, Tenn.) added in 55 yards on nine carries.
Houston led Carson-Newman defensively with nine tackles. With the performance, he moved past 200 tackles for his career – the first C-N player to do so since Sha'Heem Stupart in 2017.
First team All-SAC running back Mario Anderson led Newberry's offense with 82 yards rushing on 16 carries.
The Wolves had to use three different quarterbacks after injuries to Dre Harris and Pete Elmore. Elmore was the most productive of the trio, going 6-for-12 for 50 yards and a score.
Luke Taylor guided Newberry's defense with a 15 tackle day.
��️ ON HIS HEAD
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 2, 2022
Get dunked on @Mike_Clowney
All in for the celebration after a win over a top-10 team @cnfootball x #TalonsUp pic.twitter.com/LifRs7tw8N
Carson-Newman outgained Newberry 350-170 – a season-low for offensive output for Newberry.
C-N played turnover free for a second game this season. The Eagles dominated time of possession 37:01-22:59. C-N ran 27 more plays than Newberry, 73-46.
Carson-Newman resumes the second oldest rivalry in the state of Tennessee next Saturday at Tusculum. Kickoff with the Pioneers is set for 1:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network start at 12:30 with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
