Eagles blank Pioneers on Senior Day
November 15, 2025

Eagles blank Pioneers on Senior Day

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — If Saturday’s South Atlantic Conference season finale against Tusculum turns out to be Carson-Newman’s curtain call for the 2025 season, then the Eagles went out in style. The Eagles finished a record-setting defensive season with a 26-0 shutout victory over the Pioneers at Burke-Tarr Stadium on Senior Day.

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VIDEO: Storm Livesay Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — If Saturday's South Atlantic Conference season finale against Tusculum turns out to be Carson-Newman's curtain call for the 2025 season, then the Eagles went out in style. The Eagles finished a record-setting defensive season with a 26-0 shutout victory over the Pioneers at Burke-Tarr Stadium on Senior Day.

The win is the first Carson-Newman (7-3, 5-3 SAC) shutout victory since 2022 and the first over Tusculum (1-9, 0-9) since 2005. C-N allowed just 145 points all season, the third-fewest points allowed in school history. Saturday, Tusculum managed just 189 yards of total offense in the entire game and turned the ball over once.

"Our guys finished it well," Carson-Newman head coach Ashley Iingram said. "We got everybody in the game. Every senior played. I think our defense will finish the season leading the SAC in defense, in points per game allowed and maybe total defense as well. It's great that they would get a shutout. We gave (defensive coordinator) Coach (Tyler) Almond a game ball after the game. What a great way to go out on Senior Day."

The victory is the 10th home win a row for C-N, good for eighth all time and the first double-digit home win streak since the 2008-2009 seasons. Ingram's 17th win in his first two seasons passes Mike Turner for the fastest two-year start to a coaching tenure at C-N. As good as the special teams and defense have been for the Eagles, 2025 is the first season the team did not score a special teams or defensive touchdown since 1995.

Carson-Newman bid farewell to 23 seniors Saturday, men who Ingram feels will help him define what the program will be for years to come.

"If you look at last year's senior class and this year's senior class, those are the guys that should be remembered for (helping) us turn the corner here," Ingram said. "We're 17-6 in two seasons. Lost the six games on the road. This is our second season in a row where we didn't lose a game at home. …I'm just proud of them. They're great young men that are going to do great things."

The defensive dominance for the Eagles started early. On the third play from scrimmage, C-N's Storm Livesay forced a fumble from Pioneers QB Richard Hunter and the ball found its way into the hands of linebacker Cruz Temple at the Tusculum 30. The offense would cash in with a 30-yard field goal from Bennet Smith to take a 3-0 lead. The Eagles would force Tusculum punts on their next three possessions.

"We honed in our keys, reading the 'A' backs on the option is kind of tricky, but we just made the right choices out there and got stops," Livesay said. "All our defensive staff are really good at preparing us for what they can throw at us throughout the week."

C-N got into the paint on their first possession of the second quarter. Jayden Sullins opened the drive with two consecutive rushes before Keithan Washington busted loose for an 18-yard scamper Two plays later Tedros Gleaton found Nic Hester wide open down the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown pass to go up 10-0.

The Pioneers finally got some offensive momentum on their next chance with the ball with a grinding 11-play drive that resulted in zero points after a missed 40-yard field goal as the horn sounded.

Isaac Bohleber would lead the Eagles with 10 tackles, and half a tackle for a loss. Brady Weatherly and Terry Lemon had eight tackles apiece, with Lemon adding a tackle for a loss. Martiavis Mason's sack in the second half kept Carson-Newman's sack per game streak alive, stretching it to 33 consecutive games. C-N has recorded at least one sack in 41 of its last 42 contests.

"Reading the pulling guards and the D-Line was cleaning up my reads for me, so I was coming clean for clean hits on the quarterback," Bohleber said. "Our offense runs the same offense they do and gave us good looks in all week in practice. That helped a ton."

With the defense shutting Tusculum down, the Eagles offense picked up the pace in the third quarter, opening with a 13-play scoring drive capped with a 23-yard Smith Field goal. C-N would get back into the end zone in their next chance with the ball, with Gleaton calling his own number on a QB keeper over the left side to take a 19-0 lead.

Gleaton wasn't done lighting up the scoreboard, hitting Galen Washington for a 69-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to produce the final margin of victory. Washington hauled in the pass at the Tusculum 49 yard-line and took it the rest of the way himself for the score. It was the longest touchdown pass for Carson-Newman this season.

"It felt amazing," Washington said. "We'd been waiting for it all game. The wind was blowing and it wasn't the best circumstances, but when the play was called, I made the play and I'm thankful to get it here on Senior Day."

Carson-Newman's offensive piled up 357 yards on the day. Cam Ferguson led the rushing attack with five carries for 44 yards. James Maddox had eight carries for 43 yards. Gleaton kept the ball 11 times for 43 yards and a touchdown. He was 3 of 9 passing for 133 yards and two scores.  

"They're all great young men. I'm blessed to be able to coach them," Ingram said. "Blessed to be at Carson-Newman.  What a great place. We've played really good football. …I think it'll be one of these seasons we'll look back and (think) what could have been. I'm certainly pleased with our efforts and see how far we've come in less than two years. Very proud of our guys. As a program, we need to take the next step, but I'm very proud of these seniors that are leaving us."

While the Eagles were mathematically alive as the day opened Saturday, by the final whistle it appeared they would likely just miss out on making the NCAA Division II Playoff bracket. If that's the case, Ingram and his crew are already making plans on getting ready for the 2026 campaign. The NCAA will announce the Division II playoff field Sunday at 6 p.m.

"We've got to get bigger, get stronger," Ingram said. "We've got to pay the price in the weight room. There's a few positions we need to recruit and get some guys in here. We redshirted every single freshmen. …They need a great offseason, a great spring ball and a great summer. The margins of winning and losing this game are so small. We've got to go to work."

For all the latest news and information about Carson-Newman athletics, go to CNEagles.com.

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