Sullins runs wild, No. 25/21 Eagles best Bulldogs 28-17
October 5, 2024

Sullins runs wild, No. 25/21 Eagles best Bulldogs 28-17

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - There were fireworks early as Barton took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a score, but No. 25/21 Carson-Newman rode its defense and an explosive running game to a 28-17 victory Saturday inside Burke-Tarr Stadium.

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VIDEO: Jayden Sullins Interview

VIDEO: Garrett Rice Interview

VIDEO: Don Bradley Interview

VIDEO: Kendall Williams Interview

VIDEO: Jacorey Long Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - There were fireworks early as Barton took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a score, but No. 25/21 Carson-Newman rode its defense and an explosive running game to a 28-17 victory Saturday inside Burke-Tarr Stadium.

For the Eagles (5-0, 3-0 South Atlantic Conference), the victory gave them their first 5-0 start since 2007 and their first five-game winning streak since the 2019 season. It is the 13th 5-0 opening to a football campaign in C-N history.

While the final score looked comfortable, the game didn't come without its headaches for head coach Ashley Ingram who saw his team give up a kickoff return for a score on the opening kickoff and surrender a scoop and score fumble return for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Those two would be the only trips into the paint for the Bulldogs (2-3, 1-2) all day. Carson-Newman miscues were the only true black marks on the day.

"We had two very emotional games and tight games the weeks before," Ingram said. "I'm not going to make excuses for them. We didn't have it this week in practice. We warned them, we were screaming from the mountaintops. We start the game (giving up) a kickoff return for a touchdown. In the first half we're going into score and (quarterback) Zane (Whitson) was very careless with the ball. He just drops it and they scoop and score. We had a chance at the end with Jayden (Sullins) to score another touchdown (and turned the ball over). … We gave points away on our end."

After Barton's Khavarie Hightower opened the game with a bang, the Eagles answered back on their first play from scrimmage as wide receiver Jeremiah Carroll took the ball on an end-around and weaved through the Bulldogs defense for a 64-yard score.

It was the first, but not final highlight play for the C-N run game. Taking over after a Barton punt, the Eagles unleashed Jayden Sullins up the middle of the defense and 78 yards later he was pushed out at the two yard-line. Tyler Curtis would take it the rest of the way to put Carson-Newman up 14-7.

The Eagles had run three offensive plays and scored on two of them.

"As you see it more, game-to-game, you start adjusting to what you need to do to get through the holes and make the right cuts and reads," Sullins said. "I've got to finish and get into the end zone. Shout to TC (Curtis) for finishing the job."

Sullins would have plenty of opportunities to finish the job before his day was done, carrying the ball 31 times for 261 yards and a touchdown before the final whistle.

"Barton was trying to keep the ball in front of them and try to make us go the long hard way," Ingram said. "We were content with giving it to him (Sullins). They were going to keep giving us a few things there. I always thought he'd have a chance to be a really good 'B' Back, just with what people were doing against us and giving us an opportunity to give it to him. We're developing some of our inside running game, we can take advantage of him now."

Sullins day was good for the seventh-highest single-game rushing total in C-N history. It was the first 200-yard rushing day for a Carson-Newman back since Troy Dendy did it against Limestone in 2021 and the first 30-plus carry day since Harlon Hill Trophy finalist Andy Hibbitt hit the mark in 2014 against North Greenville.  Sullins 31 carries are tied for the eighth-most in a game in school history. It also registers as the 39th, 200-yard rushing day all-time and the eighth 250-yard day all-time.   

"I got more comfortable," Sullins said. "You get used to getting hit. And then figure out how to get away from guys, bounce off of guys. You almost go into a beast mode. Instead of people bringing you down, you just throw them off of you and keep going. …I'm sure later I'll feel it more, but right now I'm just excited about the win. Throughout the game I was getting tired, but TC would replace me and do what he needed to do until I got back in there."

The Bulldogs got their lone offensive scoring drive in their next possession, with a five-play, 46-yard push down the field ending in a 46-yard field goal from Andrew Bontekoe. Carson-Newman's defense held Barton to just 13 first downs and 197 yards of offense in the game. The Bulldogs were just 4-of-12 on third down conversions, with three of those conversions coming on one lengthy third-quarter possession. Defensive end Jacory Long co-led the Eagles with five tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit.

"We wanted to commit to the run and get them in positions we want and then chase the passer after that," Long said. "It started with Coach (Larry) Slade, he scripted up a lot of great plays for us. We've got guys like Major (Williams) and Mekhi (Brown) coming off the edge so when they relieve the defensive line to make some plays, I was able to come across the end and over to the 'A' gap and make some plays."

Brown finished with five tackles. Chirstian Hicks had four tackles and a tackle for a loss. Major Williams recorded four tackles, half a sack and half a tackle for a loss. Jimi Olarinde had three tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss.

With a chance to put some distance on the scoreboard, C-N again had a disastrous mistake as quarterback Zane Whitson fumbled the ball on his own 15 yard-line and the Bulldogs' Matthew Leach scooped it up, returning it 80 yards for the score. It was the first scoop-and-score surrendered by the Eagles' offense since 2022 against UVA-Wise.

"You're (11 of 14) on third down conversions but had a nailbiter," Ingram said. "We have to be a culture of discipline, staying high and tight with the ball and sprinting to the football. We're getting there, but we're not there. We're excited to win, but we've got to play better."

Carson-Newman re-took the lead on the ensuing possession, with Sullins again doing most of the work on the ground, powering into the endzone from 13 yards out for the 21-17 lead. The Eagles would take that lead into the half and would only add to it in the second half.

"I'm not going to be content with it," Ingram said. "We're not going to be satisfied with it. We were trying to guard against it. The way the game unfolded, I'm an O-line guy and it was just beauty. We grinded it out and grinded it out. It would have been as beautiful a game as we've played, if you take away two or three plays. I thought that was the first time that we ran the football and controlled the flow of the game."

On the opening drive of the third quarter, Sullins, Curtis, Cam Ferguson and Don Bradley all had a chance to tote the rock, but it was Whitson who called his own number from the one yard-line to put C-N up 28-17. 

Whitson finished 5-of-7 passing for 59 yards, adding eight carries for 26 yards and a score on the ground to cap the best offensive yardage output of the season as the Eagles piled up 509 total yards.

"It's understanding, it's development," Ingram said. "We're getting crisper running plays. I was excited to see that. They didn't give us anything in the passing game. They were much less aggressive than what we've seen. …We showed a lot of improvement running the fullback and Zane made some great reads."

The score didn't move the rest of the game and while Carson-Newman moved the ball, it was mistakes again that would cost them points with a fumble in Barton territory in the fourth quarter. The Eagles pushed the ball down to the Bulldogs' two yard-line in the game's final minute, but took a knee to run out the clock and claim the victory.

Carson-Newman tallied 450 yards on the ground as a team, a season high.  The Eagles had 509 yards of total offense, a season high and its first 500-yard day since going for 529 in the season finale in 2022 at Catawba. 

C-N hits the road next Saturday, Oct. 12, for a SAC match-up with Mars Hill (1-2, 1-1) inside Mars Hills, N.C.  with kickoff set for 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network will begin at noon. with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM Knoxville), Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.

 

 

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