EMORY, Va. – The Carson-Newman University Football Team (4-5, 3-4 SAC) scored 21 straight points on its way to a 21-7 road victory against Emory & Henry College (4-5, 3-4 SAC) Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action.
The Wasps honored their 18 seniors prior to kickoff as they celebrated Senior Day on the occasion of their final home game of the season.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Carson-Newman 21, Emory & Henry 7
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-5, 3-4 SAC); Carson-Newman (4-5, 3-4 SAC)
How It Happened
Emory & Henry took the opening kickoff and went 79 yards in 13 plays covering 6:36 to take a 7-0 lead. Senior running back Grayson Overstreet (Moneta, Va.) capped the drive with a five-yard plunge up the middle.
The two squads traded possessions for much of the opening quarter. Early in the second, the Eagles gained advantageous field position after a 50-yard punt return, setting up at the E&H 25 yardline. The Wasps' defense held strong, forcing a 42-yard field goal that Christian Erwin pushed to the left.
After forcing a punt on the next drive, Carson-Newman drove 84 plays in nine yards to score a touchdown and tie things up at 7-7 with 89 seconds to go be fore the intermission. Tyree Nelson provided the score with a 15-yard run.
The Eagles got the ball to start the second half and struck down the field, going ahead thanks to a 46-yard pass from Ivan Corbin to Braxton Westfield with 13:42 on the clock. Both squads had chances through the third and early in the fourth to put their name on the next line of the scoring column, but the defenses continued to hold strong and keep it a one-possession game.
Carson-Newman final broke through to put distance between it and Emory & Henry with 6:59 to go in the fourth. Corbin threw his second touchdown pass of the game, this time hitting Cade Meeks from 23 yards out.
E&H threatened late, but a turnover on downs put the ball back in the hands of C-N for them to run out the clock and take the 21-7 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Redshirt freshman quarterback Charles Mutter (King George, Va.) was 11-for-20 through the air in his first collegiate start for 106 yards. He was also the Wasps' second-leading rusher with 63 yards on 20 carries.
Overstreet ran for 83 yards while freshman running back Justin Hill (Dallas, N.C.) tacked on 36 yards. Four different players caught passes on the afternoon, led by junior wide receiver Jermawn Ford (District Heights, Md.) with three catches for 37 yards while freshman wideout Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) went for five catches for 33 yards.
Fifth-year linebacker Ivan Phillips (Kingsport, Tenn.) notched a team-high 12 tackles while sophomore linebacker A.J. Burgess (Roxboro, N.C.) went for seven stops. Redshirt freshman defensive back Nehemiah Scott (Richmond, Va.) posted five tackles and recovered a fumble that he returned seven yards while fifth-year defensive back Jaylyn Kreimes (Sharps, Va.) went for four tackles, and an interception.
Carson-Newman Individual Leaders
Corbin threw for 242 yards on 15-for-28 passing for two touchdowns and rushed for 37 yards as the Eagles' second-best performer on the ground. Nelson scored his touchdown on 10 carries for 40 yards.
Westfield caught four passes for 121 yards and a touchdown with Nelson adding four catches for 41 yards.
Defensively, Alonzo Houston had 12 tackles while Callum Clements posted nine stops. Frank Lee went for eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss while Kendall Williams had an interception and three passes defended.
A Deeper Look
C-N gained 338 yards of offense, with 242 coming through the air. E&H posted 302 yards on the afternoon with 196 rushing and 106 passing.
The Eagles were 6-for-14 (42.9%) percent on third down while the Wasps managed just a 28.6 percent (4-for-14) on their third down attempts.
Emory & Henry continued to be successful in controlling the ball, with nearly 36 and a half minutes of possession. Carson-Newman was the lesser penalized team in yardage, with five flags for 30 yards while the Wasps committed four infractions for 36 yards.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will visit Erskine College next Saturday for its final SAC Mountain Division game of the year. The Wasps and Flying Fleet will square off at Greenwood High School at 4:00 p.m. It will be the first-ever meeting between E&H and EC.
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