VIDEO: Ashley Ingram Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Zane Whitson Interview
VIDEO: Mekhi Brown Interview
WINGATE, N.C. — In a battle of elite defensive football teams, No. 19/20 Carson-Newman fell short. The 23/18 ranked Wingate Bulldogs held the Eagles to just 84 yards of total offense in a 28-13 loss in the South Atlantic Conference Championship Game Saturday at Irwin Belk Stadium.
Wingate wins its third SAC title and its first since 2017.
The 84 yards of total offense for the Eagles (9-2, 7-2 SAC) was a season low and the lowest offensive yardage total for the team since the 2000 season. Carson-Newman is now 12-21 overall and 5-18 on the road in games where both teams are ranked since 2000.
"They (Wingate) have got a very good football team," C-N coach Ashely Ingram said. "They're a very experienced, older team on defense. I thought our defense played their hearts out. They played great. Our guys on offense played hard. We just didn't have enough for them. They came to our place and we beat them and we came to their place and they beat us. Tip your hat to them. It's a good group."
Carson-Newman must now wait until Sunday night's NCAA Division II Playoff Selection Show to find out their playoff fates. The Eagles are one of 10 teams in the running for the seven playoff positions in Super Region II and can boast a 31-28 overtime victory in week three over this same Wingate team, who will be one of the top two seeds in the region.
Ingram is confident his team has done enough to punch its postseason ticket. As his team gathered to watch Wingate (10-1, 8-1) receive their trophy and celebrate, he let them know as much.
"They're not happy right now," Ingram said. "I think they wanted to see this because they want to see themselves celebrating in this manner pretty soon. We've got a great group of guys. I love them to death. I'm so proud of everything they've done, everything the coaching staff has done. We'll just keep battling and I think we're going to have an opportunity to play next week. We're going to gear it up and go."
C-N's offense struggled to get on track in the opening quarter. The Eagles opened with a three-and-out and then coughed the ball up on a Jayden Sullins fumble in their second possession. It was the defense that kept the game tight, holding the Bulldogs to two field goals to open the game, then kept them off the board completely until surrendering a third field goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Mekhi Brown led the defense with 7.5 tackles, three tackles for a loss and three sacks, the sixth highest single game sack total in school history. Carson-Newman has set a new school record with 22 straight games with at least a sack. The Eagles have recorded at least one sack in 30 of their last 31 contests.
"You got two great defenses on the field." Ingram said. "…They showed up again today. I'm proud of Mekhi. He plays hard. I love the young man and he keeps battling."
For Brown, who accounted for seven solo tackles on the day, it was all about reacting within the play call to what he was seeing on the field.
"On two of them, they slid the protection off me, so I just ran and he (Wingate quarterback Brooks Bentley) was there in the backfield," Brown said. "It was just about getting the play call in and running."
C-N started moving the ball in the second quarter. A 14-yard pass from QB Justin Johnson to Don Bradley on a third-and-seven sparked a push down the field. Tyler Curtis, Jerimiah Carroll and Jelan Pearson did most of the work to get the Eagles into scoring range. Bennett Smith would put the first points on the board for the Eagles with a 41-yard field goal.
Bennett would tie the game up at 6-6 with a 45-yard field goal with 2:32 to go in the half. SAC title game Most Valuable Player Caleb Bonesteel would give the Bulldogs back the lead with a 48-yard field goal before the whistle. Wingate led 9-6 at the end of two quarters.
The Bulldogs capitalized on the back-to-back possessions as they opened the third quarter with the ball. Benefiting from a 49-yard kick return from Jake Snapp, Wingate capped a 44-yard, 10-play drive with a Noah Bell 1-yard rush to go up 16-6. The Bulldogs enjoyed a short field most of the day, with their average starting position their own 45. Four of Wingate's drives started in C-N territory.
The Eagles, on the other hand, saw lots of grass in front of them all day, with only two drives originating on the plus side of their own 30.
A Kendall Williams interception and 57-yard return would help C-N get into the paint to open the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-goal call, quarterback Zane Whitson would follow his center into the end zone to pull within six points, 19-13 with a little over 12 minutes to go in the game.
Wingate answered back with its second and final touchdown drive of the game, when Corey Siemer broke loose down the left side for a 38-yard scamper into the paint. A missed two-point conversion kept the game in reach, 25-13, but the Eagles could not respond, suffering a three-and-out and consecutive drive-ending interceptions.
"They (Wingate) have got great edge players and great defensive backs," Whitson said. "We didn't perform to the best of our ability today. We've got to go, get into the film and get better for next week. … As an older guy, I've been around tough losses. For the younger guys, it's burning bad right now. You've got to remind them that this isn't the end. It hurts to lose, but the season's not over. We've still got a fighting chance."
Bonesteel added his fifth field goal of the game, a 36-yarder, to cap the scoring before the two-minute time out in the fourth quarter.
C-N's defense held Wingate to 256 total yards of offense. It's the fourth time this season and third consecutive game the Eagles defense has held an opponent under 300 total yards. Kendall Williams and Cruz Temple both finished with seven tackles apiece, with Williams adding a pick and a pass breakup. Temple had half a sack and half a tackle for a loss. Major Williams recorded five tackles and two pass breakups. Jimi Olarinde, Champ Baker and Max Bryant all recorded half a sack each.
"We came here with an intent to win the SAC Championship," Ingram said. "Our guys laid it on the line. Our coaches did everything we could. But you've got to give them (Wingate) credit as well. …My whole mantra all this time has been when it's all said and done, we'll get time to reflect on all these things. My thought right now is that we're going to make the playoffs and on what do we need to do to get better."
The full NCAA Division II Playoff Field will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m. EST on NCAA.com. For all the latest news and information on Carson-Newman athletics, go to CNEagles.com.
