Aug. 21, 2007

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.--The 15th-ranked (AFCA) Carson-Newman Eagles will kickoff the college football season on Thursday night when they play host Virginia State University.

Thursday night's college games will be the first "official" action of the 2007 season.

The Eagles, 8-3 in 2006, return 17 starters for '07. Once again, the expectations are high for head coach Ken Sparks' squad.

"We've spent a long time setting the bar very high," said Sparks. "Everyone is a year older and that shows, but we need to maximize our potential, and we're not doing that yet."

C-N, the preseason favortie to win the South Atlantic Conference, will heavily rely on a small group of seniors, led by All-SAC linebacker Eric Rice and defensive tackles Mike Forbs and Anthony Toribio. However, as experienced as the Eagles are in some places, its the talented underclassmen that stand out. Five Eagle sophomores were named to the preseason All-SAC teams and C-N could have as few as three seniors start on Thursday night.

"On paper, we're a very young football team," said Sparks. "I hope we took some lumps last year that have made us bigger, better men."

If the finish to the 2006 season is any indication, the sky will be the limit for the Eagles. C-N rallied from three losses in five games, to beat 22nd-ranked Wingate 52-14 in Jefferson City and rival Tusculum 23-3 in Greeneville to close the year.

Kickoff for Thursday's opener is set for 7:07 p.m. at Burke-Tarr Stadium. The game will be televised on Charter/Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS). Zeke Beam will have the play-by-play call for the telecast, while former Carson-Newman defensive back Jim Vines will provide the color commentary.

For tickets, call (865) 471-3396.