Better Know the Opponent, Week 8: Wingate
August 13, 2015

Better Know the Opponent, Week 8: Wingate

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - This is the eighth part in an 11-part series breaking down each of Carson-Newman football's opponents for the 2015 season. This feature breaks down the Eagles' final SAC road game of 2015, a matchup at Wingate.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - This is the eighth part in an 11-part series breaking down each of Carson-Newman football's opponents for the 2015 season.  This feature breaks down the Eagles' final SAC road game of 2015, a matchup at Wingate.

Point one for Wingate in 2015 is improving on an offense that struggled to move the football in 2014.   The Bulldogs ranked in the bottom 25 nationally in total offense and the bottom 40 nationally in scoring offense. 

The Bulldogs should be improved across the board with nine starters returning from that group.  Gone are offensive lineman Will Poteat and first team all-conference tight end Brandon Ellington. 

Quarterback Kyle Johnson returns for his junior season after throwing for 2,074 yards as a sophomore.  Johnson's primary issue last year was throwing the pigskin to the wrong team. He had a near 1:1 touchdown to interception ratio with 15 scores against 14 picks. 

Johnson will at least have a talented corps of pass catchers to work with, and the Bulldogs head coach feels that position group could be the best on the team. 

"I think we will be very explosive with good speed this group will make a jump," Wingate head coach Joe Reich said during the SAC's Digital Media Day. "We need them to make a significant jump. Jordan Berry has the potential to be one of our all-time greats. Jiwan Funderburk has been very consistent; he will do great things." 

Berry snagged 50 passes for 586 yards with six touchdowns last year while Funderburk had 25 catches for 279 yards. 

Wingate has been a team known more for its aerial assault than its ground game in recent years, but the Bulldogs do have depth at tailback.  Nestor Lantigua graduated, but Mycah Gaylord and Lawrence Pittman each tallied at least 60 carries last year and both gained more than 200 yards. 

Wingate's defense was its strong suit in 2014, keeping the Bulldogs in most games.  Their hallmark was turning turnovers into touchdowns.  WU found the endzone defensively on four occasions last year, the 11th most in the country. 

The Bulldogs' defense was hit harder by graduation than the offense with six starters returning.  Chief among the losses are all-everything defensive end Nick Napolitano and defensive backs Jon Jimenez and Jakeem Polk. 

Yet the Bulldogs have a stalwart linebacker to turn to in Eric Mapoles who turned in 72 stops last season, as well as a solid defensive back in Brandon Hathaway, who picked off six passes last year.

Carson-Newman's Better Know The Opponent series returns Saturday with a preview of week nine opponent Limestone.