Saturday, November 10, 2007

CARSON-NEWMAN DEFEATS TUSCULUM 63-24 TO CLAIM SHARE OF SAC FOOTBALL TITLE

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- Buck Wakefield rushed for 123 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, as No. 11 Carson-Newman defeated visiting Tusculum 63-24, Saturday afternoon at Burke-Tarr Stadium. It was the regular-season finale for both teams.

Carson-Newman claims a share of the South Atlantic Conference title as the Eagles improve to 10-1 overall and 5-1 in the league. Tusculum ends the year with a 6-5 mark and a 4-2 SAC worksheet, tying for third place in the league.

Both squads combined for almost 1,000 offensive yards as C-N posted 524 yards, while Tusculum tallied 454 yards. But the Eagles took advantage of four Tusculum turnovers, converting those into 28 points. Three of those miscues came on special teams.

C-N quarterback Alex Good went 13-for-19 for 230 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 45 yards and a TD.

Tusculum senior Patrick King ran for 107 yards on 10 attempts, including a 70-yard scoring run. Corey Russell went 24-for-44 for 246 yards and a touchdown. Senior Jamichael Caldwell made six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles struck first on their first possession as Wakefield took an option pitch from Good and scampered 83 yards up the sideline at the 10:55 mark of the first quarter. Aubrey Ingham added the extra point for a 7-0 C-N lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Tusculum fumbled the ball and was recovered by C-N Derrick Parker at the TC 41. The Eagles grounded out 12 plays, capped off by a one-yard plunge by Good at the 3:41 mark to move C-N up by two touchdowns.

Tusculum would put its first points on the board for the day when freshman Gareth Rowlands connected on a 23-yard field with 9:30 left before halftime. The field goal capped off a 12-play, 54-yard drive, including a 20-yard pass from Russell to Ryan Tallent on third down and 18.

Wakefield scored his second touchdown of the day, running in from 31 yards out at the 7:09 mark for a 21-3 advantage for Carson-Newman. TC would drive into C-N territory, but the drive stalled at the 17. Rowlands pulled his 35-yard field goal with 1:22 left.

C-N wasted little time as Good completed a 42-yard pass to Reggie Hubbard to the TC 43. Good went to the left far corner of the end zone where he found Otis Miller on a 28-yard TD toss with nine seconds remaining as the Eagles took a 28-3 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, it was Hubbard who came through on special teams as he returned the kickoff 53 yards to the TC 28. Good completed a 23-yard pass to Miller to the two-yard line, setting Clarence Goines on the touchdown at the 13:22 mark of the third quarter to go up 35-3.

Later in the third quarter, C-N went four and out and was forced to punt. The kick was deflected and rolled to the TC 40, but a Pioneer player touched the ball and C-N recovered. Two plays later, Good found Wakefield on a 40-yard pass for the score and a 42-3 lead.

Tusculum took advantage of a 45-yard kickoff return by Caldwell, moving the Pioneers into C-N territory at the 39. On fourth down, Russell connected with Calvin Britt on an eight-yard touchdown at the 6:27 mark. Rowlands' kick made the score 42-10.

Carson-Newman added three more touchdowns, while Tusculum got a 70-yard scoring run by King and Caldwell hauled in a 43-yard TD pass from Brandon Behenna.

C-N's Brian Brown led the Eagles with 11 tackles, while Eric Rice added nine stops. Justin Scott and Jarvis Littlejohn each tallied nine tackles each, while Jovon Miller, Jason Grove, Octavius Love and Jeremy Jones posted six stops apiece.

Russell ends the year establishing a pair of school single-season marks as he passed for 2,817 yards and 24 touchdowns. Russell's 3,141 total offensive yards in 2007 are also a new TC record.

- TC -