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VIDEO: 2023 C-N v. Mars Hill Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 23/18 Carson-Newman (5-0, 3-0 South Atlantic Conference) will try to keep the good times rolling when it heads to Mars Hill (1-2, 1-1 SAC) for a 1 p.m. kick Saturday at Meares Stadium.
Carson-Newman has an opportunity to go 6-0 to start the year. Carson-Newman's last 6-0 start was in 2007. The Eagles started 6-0 that season before losing a 55-49 thriller to Catawba en route to a 10-1 record. C-N has started 10 seasons 6-0. Nine of those years fall between 1989 and 2007.
"Coach Tim Clifton does a great job," Carson-Newman head football coach Ashley Ingram said. "He's been there for a really long time. He's got a very talented team. This defense is experienced, they are athletic, they are fast, they're dangerous. So obviously, I have my concerns about them. They've got an experienced quarterback; they've got great skill on offense. So we will certainly have our hands full."
Carson-Newman is searching for its first six-game win streak overall since the 2015 won the final six games of the regular season to clinch a spot in the NCAA playoffs. Carson-Newman is one of 14 teams remaining in NCAA Division II with an unbeaten record.
The Eagles have won five consecutive games away from Burke-Tarr Stadium. That's tied for the fifth-longest active road winning streak in NCAA Division II behind Benedict (13), Harding (12), Valdosta State (10) and CSU Pueblo (6). C-N hasn't lost on the road since a 45-14 loss at Limestone on Sept. 16, 2023.
Mars Hill is looking for a fourth consecutive win over Carson-Newman. The Lions have achieved a four-game winning streak one other time in the series' 60-game history. MHU won four straight from 1977-80.
MHU defensive back Tristan Rankin is one of the most decorated DBs in NCAA Division II. An All-American, Rankin has more pass breakups (50) than any other active DII player. His 15 career interceptions are third-most among active Division II players, while his four defensive TDs and three pick sixes are both second among active DII players. That has carried over to this season. Rankin is ninth nationally with 0.7 interceptions per game this season. He ranks eighth in pass breakups with 1.7 a game.
"He's just a great player so he can make plays," Ingram said. "He has three pick sixes in his career. He'll be physical in the run game. He'll be tough to beat with man coverage and things like that. So we certainly have to be aware of him. But there's a lot of other guys on that defense that are old, they're experienced, they're talented, they're athletic."
Often known of elite wide receivers, Mars Hill again has two stout ones who have historically put up big numbers against C-N. Simeon Thompson caught four passes for 206 yards and two scores in 2022.
Thompson joined fellow Mars Hill wide receiver Craig Rucker as the only receivers with 200-yard days against the Eagles aerially in the last 20 years. Thompson has three career TDs against C-N of 40 yards or longer. Fellow receiver Malik Laurent has 11 career catches for 93 career yards against C-N.
Quarterback JR Martin has four rushing touchdowns on the season, the only rushing TDs that MHU has accounted for. His four rush TDs are third-most in the SAC overall and tops among QBs.
"He's just a player, you know, he finds a way to extend plays," Martin said. "He can beat you with his legs, he can beat you with his arm. Obviously, he's a great leader. He's a heck of a football player and when you got a quarterback you always have a chance. He's certainly a guy that we've got to try to do a good job stopping defensively."
Carson-Newman had sensational offensive success against the Lions running triple option offense. Ever since the Mars Hill Lions deprived former head coach Ken Sparks of his 300th victory on his first try in 2011, the Eagles rattled off eight straight wins thanks to a marvelous run game that didn't rush for fewer than 380 yards over that span. The Eagles rushed for 488 in 2012, 433 in 2013, 428 in 2014, 435 in 2015, 428 in 2016, 420 in 2017, 546 in 2018 and 388 in 2019. What's more, the Eagles produced at least 500 yards of total offense in six of those eight games, including 672 yards 2016, the eighth highest single-game total in school history and 628 in 2018, the 16th most all-time. C-N averaged 445.75 yards per game on the ground in that stretch.
Carson-Newman has kept the defensive pressure dialed up. With a sack in every week of the 2023 season, last year's team became the fourth this century to tally a sack in every week of the season. C-N has registered a sack in 16 straight weeks and 24 of the last 25. The Eagles' seven sacks against Wingate in week three are tied for the second most in a NCAA Division II game this season and are the sixth-most in school history. C-N is 26th nationally in sacks this season and second in the SAC.
1️⃣6️⃣ straight weeks with a sack for Carson-Newman football
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 7, 2024
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Mars Hill has put at least three touchdowns on the board against Carson-Newman in every game the teams have played since 2012. The Eagles' limited the Jon Richt (Mark Richt's son)-led Lions to 17-points to clinch a playoff berth. MHU has scored at least 20 in the last 10 meetings. Mars Hill has gained at least 400 yards of offense against Carson-Newman in 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two teams. The 2019 meeting, a 48-21 C-N win, is the exception.
Mars Hill coach Tim Clifton is the dean among SAC football coaches. His 32 years and 163 wins are both second all-time in league history to Carson-Newamn's Ken Sparks and his 36 years and 338 wins.
Kickoff between the Eagles and Lions is set for 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at noon with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live
