Sept. 29, 2007

Final Stats

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.-- Carson-Newman wide receiver Reggie Hubbard returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and the Eagles used a strong second half to defeat Newberry, 49-19 in front of 4,179 fans at Burke-Tarr Stadium on Saturday.

Hubbard fielded the kickoff and raced through the middle of the field for the Eagles' first score just 14 seconds into the game. Newberry's Ryan Lukshis capped a seven-play, 42-yard drive with a 34-yard field goal to cut C-N's lead to 7-3. After the Eagles went three-and-out, Newberry produced a 10-play, 65-yard drive as Alex Haynes scored from two yards out to put the Indians in the lead at 10-7.

In the second quarter, Newberry got the ball back after Indian linebacker Mike Grase sacked Alex Rouse for a seven-yard loss. Lukshis made his second field goal of the afternoon, a 33-yarder for a 13-7 Newberry advantage.

From there, quarterback Alex Good directed the Eagle offense to another score when Ricky Harris rushed up the middle for a 23-yard TD and a one-point Eagle lead at 14-13.

Anthony Toribio sacked Newberry QB Brandon Gantt for a loss of nine yards to give C-N the ball back with 1:56 to play. After Good rushed for 32 yards to the Newberry 49-yard line, he connected with Hubbard for a 49-yard TD pass for a 21-13 lead.

Newberry struck quickly on a hook-and-ladder trick play which Haynes completed to the Eagle 12-yard line. From there, Gantt found Corey Seawell for a TD reception, but failed to complete the two-point conversion as Carson-Newman held a slim 21-19 lead at halftime.

The Eagles received a big break early in the third quarter. After Newberry stopped the Eagles on their first possession of the second half, punter Chris Jones kicked a 51-yarder that went out of bounds at the one-yard line. On the next play, Eric Rice forced a Gantt fumble that was recovered by Denares Waites at the one. Good snuck in from a yard out to give the Eagles a 28-19 lead.

Two possessions later, the Eagles mounted a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Good completed passes of 16 and 31 yards to Otis Miller during the drive. After Tony Richardson rushed for nine yards to the Newberry two-yard line, Buck Wakefield added his first score of the game for a 35-19 Carson-Newman lead.

Good then led the Eagles on a seven-play, 61 yard drive. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Good fired a 30-yard pass to James Banks to the Newberry six-yard line. Good capped the drive with a run to the left corner of the end zone to increase C-N's lead to 42-19. Ricky Harris' two-yard rush capped a 13-play, 71-yard drive to make the final score 49-19.

Good completed seven of 12 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown while Hubbard had four catches for 93 yards and a score. Combined with Hubbard's kickoff returns of 132 yards, the sophomore from Chattanooga had 225 all purpose yards. Wakefield led the Eagle rushing attack with 12 carries for 81 yards and one touchdown. Waites led the Eagle D with seven tackles and a fumble recovery while linebackers Brian Brown and Rice had six tackles apiece.

The Eagles continue their SAC schedule on October 6 at Mars Hill. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.