Sept. 21, 2007

Final Stats

ST. GEORGE , Utah-- The Carson-Newman Eagles defeated Dixie State, 35-13 Thursday night to remain undefeated in the 2007 season.

Carson-Newman (4-0) set the tone offensively and defensively. After the Eagle offense went three-and-out on their first offensive series, Otis Ballard gave the Eagles a boost. On third and 10, Ballard intercepted a Skyler Ence pass and returned it 52 yards for the first C-N touchdown of the night.

Andre Reese forced an incomplete pass on Dixie State's next drive and sacked Ence for a 15-yard loss on third and eight. The Eagle special teams blocked a 42-yard field goal to preserve the first quarter shutout.

From there, Buck Wakefield ignited the Eagle ground attack. With less than a minute remaining in the first quarter, Wakefield raced 84 yards to the end zone for a 14-0 Eagle lead. Wakefield had six carries on the night for 97 yards.

After the Eagle defense forced a Dixie State punt to start the second quarter, Alex Rouse found James Banks for a 46-yard TD catch to increase the C-N lead to 21-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Anthony Toribio and Elliott Tarplin had consecutive tackles for loss on third and fourth down, respectively, to set the Eagle offense at the Dixie State three-yard line. Two plays later, Tony Richardson scored from two yards out for a 28-0 Eagle advantage.

Later in the third quarter, Dixie State drove to the Carson-Newman 27 yard-line, but Ballard snuffed any hope of a comeback with his second interception of the night. From there, Alex Good directed a 13-play, 79-yard drive capped by Banks' second TD reception, a 36-yard catch, for the Eagles' final points of the night.

Dixie State added two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but failed to convert the extra point on their second score to make the final tally 35-13.

The Eagles now set their sights on South Atlantic Conference play by hosting defending SAC champion Newberry College at Burke-Tarr Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. on September 29.