Oct. 25, 2007

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Now is no time to relax.

The 13th-ranked Carson-Newman Eagles return to action Saturday afternoon at Burke-Tarr Stadium with a potential South Atlantic Conference title and possible playoff berth hanging in the balance.

The Eagles face Brevard, a provisional South Atlantic Conference school. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

Carson-Newman can clinch a share of the South Atlantic Conference title if the Eagles can win their remaining three games, but head coach Ken Sparks expects his Eagles to continue to take their challenges one-by-one.

"We're focused on Brevard," Sparks said. "We've approached this season one game at a time, and if we want to accomplish some of our goals, that can not change."

The Eagles (7-1, 3-1 SAC) took off Monday and Tuesday for fall break. After full workouts on the last two days, Sparks expects his Eagles to be ready for the Tornados.

"We gave them time off for the break," Sparks said. "We got banged up Saturday, so it helped us heal, but our challenge will be to make sure we're not a step slow."

The Eagles face Brevard for the first time in school history. While the two schools have varying histories, Sparks takes just one look at the Brevard coaching roster and knows his team has its hands full.

"(Paul Hamilton) will make them competitive in the SAC," Sparks said. "Both Lenoir-Rhyne and Brevard hired well, those programs will be in the mix very soon."

Alex Good and Alex Rouse will continue to split time at quarterback. Both led a pair of scoring drives in the Eagles 56-13 win over Lenoir-Rhyne last Saturday. Good took only seven snaps, handing off to Ricky Harris and Clarence Goines for scores of 35 and 42 yards respectively.

Brevard (2-6) comes into the game off its second win of the season, a 38-21 win over Division III LaGrange.

RADIO: The game will be broadcast on WRJZ-AM 620 (Joy 620) in Knoxville. Zeke Beam will provide the play-by-play, and Jeremy Ball the color commentary. Eagle Radio Network pregame coverage begins at 12:30 p.m.

THE Ken Sparks SHOW: Join Carson-Newman Head Coach Ken Sparks and The Voice of the Eagles Zeke Beam on Sunday nights for the recap of the previous week's game on The Ken Sparks Show. The show airs at midnight, or immediately following Sunday Night Football and the news on WBIR-Channel 10 (NBC) in Knoxville. Replays can be seen on Tuesday nights at 9:30 p.m. on 10News2.