VIDEO: Mike Clowney Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Cade Meeks Interview
VIDEO: Braxton Westfield Interview
VIDEO: Alonzo Houston Interview
VIDEO: Major Williams Interview
VIDEO: Ivan Corbin Interview
SALISBURY, N.C. – Carson-Newman (6-5, 5-4 South Atlantic Conference) scored 27 third quarter points and turned a tight game into a blow out with a 61-23 win over Catawba (1-10, 0-9 SAC) Saturday afternoon in a record-book rewriting affair at Shuford Stadium.
The win is Carson-Newman's third straight and secured the Eagles a winning season to go along with the third-greatest win turnaround in school history.
"The consistency's what grows you," Carson-Newman head football coach Mike Clowney said. "We talked about before, anyone can do it once in a while, but you know when you put it together over time, after time, after time is where you really see your growth. But I think the big testament is to our players. You know, we got a group of seniors who hung in there and were determined that they were going to find a way to win. And then even—you talk about the recruiting process—we had some guys that bought into our program when we were 1-9, and so just for them to go out and see that we weren't lying to them. The biggest thing we try to always do with our guys is be honest about who we are and where we're trying to go. And it's always good to finish out with a win."
Carson-Newman's 61-points are the second-most scored in series history and its 38-point win is the second-largest margin of victory in series history.
The contest saw Braxton Westfield (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Ivan Corbin (Warner Robbins, Ga.) match the single-game receiving touchdowns (three) and passing touchdowns (four) records while Carson-Newman as a team threw for five for the first time in school history. Zane Whitson joined Corbin with a fourth-quarter pitch and catch.
The 38-point margin of victory obfuscated the fact that Carson-Newman fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter before outscoring the Indians 61-10 over the final 48 minutes of the game.
"The thing with Catawba, man, is they're a really talented football team. A lot of explosive players. And you know, they made a couple plays early to get themselves ahead." Carson-Newman head football coach Mike Clowney said. "But I am just so proud of our guys being resilient. It was a slow fight to get back into the game and then to be able to take the lead right before half before breaking loose after halftime."
A see-saw first half saw Catawba bounce out to a 13-0 lead before C-N rallied to take a lead at the break.
Catawba struck first. Ridge Jacobs hit Marquece Williams on a 15-yard out route to put Catawba up 6-0 with 6:14 to play in the first quarter. The Indians sent a pooch kick to the right sideline on the ensuing kickoff. The ball shorthopped and then bounced 10 feet over the head of an up man for Catawba to recover an onside kick at the C-N 24.
SCHOOL RECORD ALERT@ZaneWhitson fires the fifth touchdown pass - a 27-yarder to @koreyjr1
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) November 12, 2022
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Three plays later, Williams called his own number out a wildcat formation to give Catawba a 13-0 lead with two touchdowns in 72 seconds.
Carson-Newman found its footing on the ensuing drive. Tyler Curtis (Lilburn, Ga.) knifed up the middle of the field on a dive play to score from 11 yards out on a third-and-seven to cap a nine-play, 53-yard drive.
The Eagles took the lead two possessions later. C-N was the benefactor of three Catawba personal fouls that kept the drive alive for Ivan Corbin (Warner Robbins, Ga.) to gallop into the end zone from three yards out on a QB lead play.
The score with 9:56 to play in the second quarter gave C-N a 21-16 lead.
Catawba retook the lead on the next drive. Clayton Crile punched through a 42-yard field goal to finish an 11-play, 59-yard drive after 5:12 to give the Indians a 16-14 edge.
The Indians appeared to be set up for massive success after a C-N three-and-out. Catawba would get the ball to start the second half and moved it down to the C-N 28. The drive stalled and Crile misfired from 45 with 63 seconds left.
Carson-Newman took advantage with a four-play, 72-yard drive. A total of 27 seconds came off the clock when Corbin found Cade Meeks (Ooltewah, Tenn.) along the left side of the end zone for a 27-yard pitch and catch that gave C-N a 21-16 lead with 36 seconds left in the first half.
That would be the tipping point for C-N.
"It just changes your message at halftime," Clowney said. "I think when we went into halftime our guys were pretty confident about where we were, but at that point we had a lead. I think we've gotten to the point this year where even going in 13-0 they didn't panic. We did a good job of keeping our composure, and then just working our way back into the football game. But being able to go in with the lead, because the game at points in time got chippy today, and that's where you see it's on a razor's edge. You know, being able to go in and address that with a lead is different sometimes than addressing it from behind."
Carson-Newman then dropped the hammer. The Eagles scored 27 points to put the game away in a hurry.
Catawba went three-and-out to open the period and C-N immediately countered. Major Williams (Fort Myers, Fla.) returned a punt 26 yards down to the Catawba 40. Three players later, Corbin hit Westfield for the first of three times for a score in the period with a 33-yard strike up the right sideline.
After another three-and-out, Williams brought a punt back 86 yards for a score. It tied the fourth-longest punt-return in school history and put the Eagles up 35-16.
C-N scored twice more in the quarter, both on crazy Westfield touchdowns. The first, a 61-yard slant, Westfield broke off five tackles and dragged a tackler over the goalline for a score. The second, he tippy-toed along the back of the end zone from 37 yards out. Those scores were sandwiched around a 65-yard TD run from Catawba's Daniel Parker and set the margin at 48-23 C-N at the end of three.
C-N added fourth quarter scores on a Curtis 40-yard burst and a 27-yard toss from Zane Whitson (Kingsport, Tenn.) to Korey Waters (Bradenton, Fla.).
Record-book altering performances for @cnfootball in the regular-season finale @westfieldb15, @Ivan_corbin1, @TrulyBl3ssed17 all etch their names pic.twitter.com/oqR2oPgRuP
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) November 13, 2022
All seven of Carson-Newman's touchdowns from the two-minute drill of the second quarter to the end of the game travelled more than 20 yards.
"We didn't throw it well early, but then we were able to find Braxton [Westfield] and you know, what a day for him today," Clowney said. "A lot of the yardage, I mean he catches the football, it's extra effort. You know, this week he took care of the ball, got it in the end zone. But I mean, just a testament to him, and his effort and what he's capable of doing as a player. And then you know, Cade [Meeks] catches a long ball down on the sideline, you know. to kind of get us some momentum in the passing game. And I think once we got that momentum, we were able to back them off a little bit to where we could kinda complete running the full offense."
Westfield snagged his 100th career reception on his 61-yard jaunt. His three-score day gives him 21 for his career to match him for fourth all-time with Tank Black.
All told, Westfield snagged five passes for 162 yards and the three scores. The 162 yards are the 11th-highest single-game total in Carson-Newman history. He closes his C-N career with three straight 100-yard games.
His 886 yards receiving this season are sixth all-time and the most in the option-era. Westfeld finishes his Carson-Newman career with 1,752 yards – the seventh-most in school history and the third-most in the option era.
"Going from 1-9 to 6-5—that means a lot," Westfield said. "Especially with how people have bought into this program this year. I said it at the beginning of the first week of this season. I said that it felt different from during camp to now, and it still does. I'm glad I got to spend it with these guys."
Corbin was hyper-efficient through the air, completing 9-of-13 passes for 236 yards and the school-recrd matching four scores. He had the eighth such game in program history. He closes out his Carson-Newman career with three straight 200-yard games, the first C-N signal caller to pull that off since Noah Suber in 2016.
Tyler Curtis led Carson-Newman on the ground with his first career 100-yard rushing performance. He carried the ball 11 times for 103 yards and two scores.
Carson-Newman outgained Catawba 526-450. The Eagles 526 yards were split equally through the air and on the ground with 263 each way.
Rudge Jacobs completed 16-of-33 passes for Catawba for 222 yards. Daniel Parker rushed 16 times for 148 yards and the 65-yard rushing TD. Kujuan Pryor caught six passes for 57 yards.
Williams, Alonzo Houston, Callum Clements and Jake Cottle all led the defense with seven tackles.
Williams also became the first Eagle all-time with 100 yards worth of punt returns in a single game. He finished with 111.
For news and notes on Carson-Newman through the offseason, follow @CNFootball and @CN_Eagles on Twitter.
