October 6, 2012

Carson-Newman football hits the road for SAC showdown with league leaders in rush defense

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The road back to the win column will not be an easy one for Carson-Newman (2-2, 1-2 SAC). The Eagles take to the road and Salisbury, N.C., for a matchup with the Catawba Indians (3-2, 1-1) – the SAC leaders in rush defense with only 71 yards on the ground given up per game.

Carson-Newman

3-2

Catawba

3-3

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Carson-Newman (3-2)	14	7	7	14	42
Catawba (3-3)	0	7	0	0	7

Click here for Carson-Newman game notes

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The road back to the win column will not be an easy one for Carson-Newman (2-2, 1-2 SAC).

The Eagles take to the road and Salisbury, N.C., for a matchup with the Catawba Indians (3-2, 1-1) – the SAC leaders in rush defense with only 71 yards on the ground given up per game.

"They are very talented on the defensive side of the ball," Carson-Newman head coach Ken Sparks said. "They've got some really good looking athletes. When they don't turn the ball over they're almost impossible to beat."

In the Indians past two losses, they've turned the ball over nine times. In Catawba's last two victories, the Indians have coughed up the football just twice.

The Indians are led defensive by corner Jumal Rolle, who's four interceptions lead the SAC and are tied for sixth in the nation, and linebacker Cory Johnson – a 5-10, 240 pound senior who leads the Indians in tackles with 37.

Those two, as well as the rest of the Indians will try to slow a Carson-Newman offense that has the fourth best rushing attack in the nation and leads the SAC in scoring with 37 points a game.

Brandon Haywood (Rockmart, Ga.) and Brandon Baker (Miami, Fla.) have both found the end zone on thee ground as many times as the Indians have allowed teams to score on the run this season. Haywood leads the conference with five rushing touchdowns with Baker following closely behind with four. Catawba has allowed four rushing TDs all season – with three of them coming last week in a loss to UNC Pembroke.

"They play very good assignment football," Sparks said. "If their responsibility is to be in the B gap, they are going to be in the B gap. They are playing really disciplined football. There's about eight of them I'd like to kidnap and take home with me."

Redshirt freshman quarterback BJ Sherrill has guided Catawba's offense to at least 200 yards passing in every game this season with the exception of the Indians' opener against West Liberty.

"They've got an interesting package where Sherrill makes it hard for you to get pressure on him because he gets the ball out of his hand so quick," Sparks said. "He's complimented by some talented and speedy receivers."

The Eagles and Indians kickoff from Shuford Stadium at 1:30 p.m., Saturday. Coverage on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network begins at 12:30 p.m. on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), ESPN Radio 106.3 The Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com.