September 30, 2015

Baker brings home co-national offensive player of the week honor

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman running back Damian Baker (Columbus, Miss.) is having a fine week.

Wednesday's D2Football.com national co-offensive player of the week honor is the latest accolade for Baker after he was named conference player of the week Monday and Chick-Fil-A athlete of the week Tuesday.

Baker shares the honor with Bubba Jenkins of Southwest Baptist. Jenkins set the GLVC and Southwest Baptist record for rushing in a single-game in a 56-33 win over Quincy. He carried the ball 29 times for 258 yards while scoring five touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 14 yards.

Baker cemented himself in the Carson-Newman record books with his performance Saturday in the Eagles' 62-38 win over Mars Hill. Baker rushed for 249 yards and four scores, both career highs for Baker.

"Coach said we needed to execute this week," Baker said. "We just wanted to prove this week that we could be explosive again as an offense. I'm more pleased with the win overall for our team (than I am for this award). I just want the team to win. I'm not focused on myself or my personal goals, I want to accomplish goals with my team."

The 249 yards amounted to the seventh highest single game rushing tally in Carson-Newman football history and the four touchdown-day is the eighth time a C-N back has done that since 2004.

Baker reeled of rushing touchdowns of 64, 52, 42 and two yards. It's the first four touchdown day for an Eagle since Andy Hibbett went for four scores against Wayne State last year,

"We had a good time on the sidelines that game," Baker said. "Coach Turner had a good time. When you're having fun like that as a team, it's a very good feeling."

Baker credited his fellow running backs Montavious Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.) and Antonio Wimbush (Kingsland, Ga.) for helping to set him up for success.

"My touchdowns were because of Montavious blocking on the edge," Baker said. "I'm grateful to have Montavious and Antonio beside me. I'm thankful to lead them and have them encourage me all at the same time."

Baker ranks second in the nation in scoring and rushing touchdowns. He's averaging 15 points per game and has 10 scores. He is sixth in the nation in rushing yards with 646.

Baker is Carson-Newman's first D2Football.com national player of the week honoree in six years. Buck Wakefield shared the honor with Arkansas Tech quarterback Nick Graziano and Wayne State running back (and future Detroit Lion) Joique Bell, and set the Carson-Newman single-game record for rushing yards, gaining 303 yards on only 19 carries and leading the Eagles to a 45-7 win over Wingate in 2009 and the outright South Atlantic Conference title on a Saturday in Wingate, N.C.

He had touchdown runs of 68 and 64 yards as C-N racked up 496 yards, including 317 in the first half, on the ground. He also caught two passes for 36 yards.

Wakefield broke former running back and SAC Player of the Year Heath Hawkins' record of 299 yards rushing in a single game with the performance. Hawkins set his record in 1998 in C-N's national semifinal win over Slippery Rock.

Baker becomes Carson-Newman football's fourth D2football.com national player of the week honoree.

He joins Wakefield as the offensive honorees.

Mario Russell earned national defensive player of the week honors from the organization on Sept. 30, 2009 after Russell tied a NCAA Division II record with four forced fumbles in a 23-20 win over Newberry. He also had eight tackles and five pass breakups.

Deonte Bolden was the Eagles other national defensive player of the week, honored Oct. 13, 2003, following a school record four interceptions in a 35-18 win for the Eagles over Newberry.

Baker and the Eagles will be on display Saturday when they travel to Hickory, N.C. to face the 22^nd-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. Coverage for that game begins at 1 p.m. with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative Tailgate Show on the Eagle Sports Network on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.