#4 Eagles Set for #3 North Alabama
Sept. 3, 2008
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Mossy Creek takes the national spotlight Thursday night.
The 4th-ranked Carson-Newman Eagles play host to 3rd-ranked North Alabama in a non-conference showdown with playoff implications, even in the first week of September.
Neither team figures to fall out of playoff contention with a loss, (C-N was not invited to the `07 playoffs after a 10-1 season, passed over by the NCAA for an 8-3 team) but the winner does take a step toward a postseason berth and makes a potential claim for home field advantage.
Still, not even a week into September, two of D-II's traditional powers square off for, at the very least, an upper hand come November, a fact that isn't even on the radar of C-N Head Coach Ken Sparks.
"It is way too early in the season to talk about anything other than our next 60 minutes," Sparks said. "We play a complete, talented, and well-coached football team on Thursday night, and we'll have to play well on every snap."
The Eagles and Lions meet for the first time since 2003. UNA rolled over C-N 41-9 in the quarterfinals of the D-II playoffs. Harlon Hill Trophy winner Will Hall completed 25-of-31 passes, throwing for four touchdowns. C-N rolled up over 400 yards of offense, including over 300 yards on the ground, but committed five turnovers, two in the red zone.
Thursday night's game will be memorable in a number of ways.
C-N will dedicate the football operations building in the south end zone as The Ken Sparks Athletic Complex at halftime of the game. The Eagles moved into the building, which houses new football locker rooms, offices, meeting rooms, and a state-of-the art weight training facility, in late July. Thursday will be Carson-Newman's first home game in the building.
"I'm grateful to so many people," said Sparks, who seeks career win number 270 (fourth among active coaches at all-levels) Thursday night. "There are 100 people whose name should be on that building ahead of the one that's on it. Its honor to be recognized, but this building represents much more than football or a football coach."
The showdown with North Alabama will also mark the first time since the Eagles' epic 1999 National Championship Game (58-52 loss to Northwest Missouri State in 4 OTs) that the Carson-Newman football team will play in a nationally televised game. CBS-College Sports Network and SportSouth will both televise Thursday's matchup with the Lions.
Carson-Newman enters the game fresh off a 77-14 thumping of Concord University in Athens, W. Va. last Thursday. The Eagles needed just four offensive plays to score their first three touchdowns of the contest, before Sparks pulled his starters for the remainder of the night.
"One of my concerns with last week's game was that it was too easy and it happened too quick," Sparks said. " The second thing was that I'm not sure if we were getting guys the game conditioning that they need." Carson-Newman racked up 722 yards of total offense in the season opener ¬- nine shy of a school record.
North Alabama also cruised to victory last week, piling up 624 yards of offense in a 57-14 rout of Southern Arkansas. It was the fifth highest offensive output by the Lions in school history.
"The thing that jumps out to you (about North Alabama) is their explosiveness, offensively," said Sparks. "They have, I think, nine seniors on that side of the ball, so there is a lot of experience there."
"The other thing that is impressive is their offensive and defensive fronts," he added. "I was impressed by the speed and quality of their guys up front."
North Alabama went 10-2 a year ago, including 7-1 in the Gulf South Conference.
The Lions fell to conference foe and eventual national champion Valdosta State 37-23 in the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs.
"They are a great football team and a quality program," Sparks said. "We are going into this game knowing it will be a 60-minute ball game. It will be a tremendous challenge, and we just need to make sure that we play like we need to. (UNA) is one of those teams that doesn't need any help."
The showdown of top-five teams Thursday night will feature two of the top quarterbacks in NCAA Division II in Carson-Newman's Alex Good and North Alabama's A.J. Milwee. Both players were impressive in the limited action they saw last week.
Good, the All-South Atlantic Conference First Team quarterback in 2007, was in for only four plays against Concord, yet still managed a 45-yard touchdown run and a 67-yard scoring strike to tight end Mo Whitten.
A three-year starter for the Lions, Milwee was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy last year - an award that goes to the Division II Player of the Year. He threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns against Southern Arkansas.
"He's lined up so much, you aren't going to show him anything he hasn't seen before," Sparks said of Milwee. "He makes (UNA) go. He is a very good football player, there is no question about that."
Carson-Newman will receive a much-needed boost in the defensive secondary this week as it prepares to face North Alabama's prolific passer. Senior safety Denares Waites and sophomore cornerback Revel Coffey - both preseason All-SAC selections - return after missing the Concord game.
"That certainly doesn't hurt," Sparks grinned.
RADIO/WEBCAST: The game will be broadcast on WRJZ (AM-620, Knoxville). Pregame coverage on the Eagle Radio Network begins at 6:30 with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Kickoff. Join The Voice of the Eagles, Zeke Beam and Jeremy Ball (Color) for the play-by-play. The game can also be heard via the internet. Just follow the Listen Live link at www.carsonnewmaneagles.com .
