Carson-Newman Takes Down Newberry in SAC Opener, 23-20
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- After making just 1-of-4 field goal attempts all of last season, sophomore kicker Carlos Lopez (Seymour, Tenn.) displayed his much improved accuracy on Saturday by nailing all three of his field goal attempts against Newberry, with the last proving to be the most important.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- After making just 1-of-4 field goal
attempts all of last season, sophomore kicker Carlos Lopez
(Seymour, Tenn.) displayed his much improved accuracy on Saturday
by nailing all three of his field goal attempts against Newberry,
with the last proving to be the most important.
Lopez drilled a 35-yarder in heavy rain with 37 seconds left in
the fourth quarter to lift the Carson-Newman football team to a
23-20 victory over the scarlet and gray in the South Atlantic
Conference opener for both teams at Burke-Tarr Stadium.
With the win, C-N improves to 3-2 on the year and 1-0 in the SAC.
Newberry falls to 2-2 and 0-1 in conference play.
"(The win) was something to really be proud of," C-N head coach
Ken Sparks said. "We refused to let the old lady (momentum) take
over our minds."
Lopez, who also connected from 23 and 27 yards out, was the first
Eagle kicker to produce a game-winning field goal since Angel
Gonzalez accomplished the feat in a 24-21 win over Presbyterian in
2003.
"(The kicking game) was phenomenal," Sparks said. "It was the
difference in the game."
With heavy rain in the area for the entire game, both teams had
trouble holding onto the ball as they fumble 16 times. Newberry
lost five fumbles on the day, while C-N had four lost fumbles. The
teams turned six of the turnovers into 33 of the game's 43
points.
Junior safety Mario Russell (Columbus, Ohio) had a career day in
the Eagles defensive backfield. Russell tied the NCAA Division II
record for forced fumbles in a game with four. He also had a
team-high eight tackles and five pass breakups.
"It's been since maybe the days of Chuck Proffitt that I saw hits
from a safety that I saw today from (Russell)," Sparks said. "It
was very, very impressive."
The Eagles dominated the line of scrimmage as they amassed 356
yards on the ground. It was the fourth straight game C-N rushed for
300 yards or more. Senior quarterback Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.)
led the way with 203 yards and a score on 25 carries. C-N outgained
Newberry 367-355 in total offense.
Newberry did most of its damage through the air behind the arm of
quarterback Brandon Gantt (Lexington, S.C.). The senior signal
caller completed 14-of-33 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns.
He also rushed for 21 yards and a score.
Lopez gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead by nailing a 23-yarder at the
14:55 mark of the second quarter, and C-N regained possession less
than a minute later on Newberry's first fumble of the game.
The Eagles took advantage of the miscue, as Buck Wakefield
(Drummonds, Tenn.) capped a 3-play, 33-yard drive with an 8-yard
touchdown run. Lopez's extra point gave C-N a 10-0 lead.
Another Newberry fumble inside its own 35-yard line led to a C-N
touchdown with 6:59 left in the half. Good found the end zone from
six yards out to give the Eagles a 17-0 cushion, but the scarlet
and gray began to battle back as the half came to a close.
After a C-N fumble gave Newberry the ball at its own 30-yard line,
the scarlet and gray needed just three plays to score from there.
Gantt connected with Kelton Tindal (Sumter, S.C.) for a 56-yard
touchdown pass with 2:11 remaining to trim C-N's lead to 17-7
heading into the locker room. Tindal had four receptions for 103
yards on the day.
Newberry opened the second half with even more success through the
air. A 23-yard pass from Gantt to Brandon Bostick (Florence, S.C.)
gave the scarlet and gray the ball at the C-N 38. From there, Gantt
hooked up with Bostick for a 38-yard scoring strike to cut the
Eagles' lead to 17-14 with 11:08 remaining in the third stanza.
C-N turned the ball over at its own 38 on the ensuing possession,
and Newberry once again capitalized, as Gantt found the end zone
from one yard out to cap a six-play, 54-yard drive. Nick Toole
(Barnwell, S.C.) connected on the extra point to give Newberry a
20-17 lead.
The Eagles bounced back to tie the game at 20-20 on a 27-yard
field goal at the 11:38 mark of the fourth quarter.
C-N drove inside the Newberry 10 on its next possession but came
up short on fourth-and-one, but the scarlet and gray failed to take
advantage of the opportunity, as Russell forced a fumble at the
Newberry 37 to give the Eagles another chance.
C-N drove down to the Newberry 18, where Lopez nailed the
game-winning 35-yard field goal.
The Eagles return to the gridiron next Saturday in a SAC matchup
at Mars Hill. Kickoff is schedule for 1:30 p.m. in Mars Hill, N.C.
