C-N stings Yellowjackets to open season, 41-10

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VIDEO: Ashley Ingram Interview

VIDEO: Highlights

 


 


VIDEO: Teddy Gleaton Interview

VIDEO: Mario Sanchez Interview

VIDEO: Martavis Mason Interview

VIDEO: Cruz Temple Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — It was the first Saturday season opener for Carson-Newman University since 2010, but the final result still looked all too familiar. The Eagles rolled up 477 yards on offense in a 41-10 beat down over West Virginia State inside Burke-Tarr Stadium.

For the Eagles (1-0), the game continued their current sack streak, now sitting at 24 consecutive games. It was their sixth consecutive home win under head coach Ashley Ingram. He’s 2-0 now in season openers. C-N is also 2-0 against the Mountain East conference and 35-10-1 record since 1980 on opening day.

“I thought West Virginia State was a talented football team,” Ingram said. “I was impressed with them more on the field this year than I was last year or off the film. … We had to withstand a little bit and they were doing some things differently offensively that we prepared for. It took us a little while to get going.”

The Yellowjackets (0-1) took the early lead on their opening possession. Quarterback Kaleb Jackson kept some plays alive with his feet before the drive stalled out deep in Carson-Newman territory. WVSU settled for a 30-yard field goal from Joseph Shrader. They would not make another dent in the scoreboard until the final nine minutes of the game.

“The good thing was (that) we didn’t give up anything cheap,” Ingram said. “There were no big plays down the field. They nickeled and dimed us. The quarterback was crafty and stayed alive. They had two little backs that were dynamic and a slot receiver that was really good. They were doing some things that we hadn’t prepared for.”

The Eagles stalled out near midfield in their first chance with the ball, but more than made up for it in their second possession. After Jayden Sullins reset the down marker with a three-yard dive, quarterback Tedros Gleaton fired a dart down the seam to Jaden Griffen for a 66-yard touchdown. C-N took a 7-3 lead after a Grayson Campbell extra point.   

Carson-Newman’s defense kept the Yellowjackets out of the end zone for most of the day, forcing lengthy, but fruitless drives or manufacturing turnovers. With the ball on the C-N 31, Nesean Hill broke loose for a 16-yard gain only to get the ball stripped by Eagles edge rusher Martavis Mason. Isaiah Cane pounced on the free ball and Carson-Newman was back on offense. Mason led the Eagles with 1.5 sacks to go with four tackles, two for a loss and the forced fumble.

The Yellowjackets had six straight forays into Carson-Newman territory following the field goal all come up empty.   

“We had to settle in a little bit and get everybody together,” Mason said. “We had to communicate and talk right before the snap. It was just good play calling from Coach (Tyler) Almond and good film that he watches to get us ready for the game.”

Gleaton, seeing his first action since injuring his foot against West Virginia State last season, wasted no time working his team back down the field after the turnover. Gleaton hit Cade Meeks for an eight-yard pass to move the chains before Jayden Sullins and Jaden Jones did the heavy lifting on the ground. On a second and goal at the nine, Gleaton rolled to his right and found Cam Ferguson with a quick pass for the nine-yard touchdown.

“It felt great to get out there with the guys and play football again,” Gleaton said. “They threw a lot at us, different disguises and different defenses. I credit our O-Line for getting the calls down and blocking the right people. The ground game, running the ball, sets it up for us to take the shots over the top. If we’re running the ball good, the shots will be there all day.”

Gleaton took the ball into paydirt himself on the next C-N drive. After the defense forced a turnover on downs, Gleaton kept the ball on third-and-one and raced through the Yellowjackets defense, powering his way into the paint on a punishing 42-yard run. Gleaton was banged up on the play and finished the game in the sidelines on a sling on his right arm after coming out for one drive in the second half.

The Eagles defense again kept WVSU out of the end zone before the half. On a fourth-and-one at the C-N eight yard-line, Mason burst through the Yellowjackets pass protection to ride Jackson down in the backfield for another turnover on downs. Carson-Newman took a 21-3 lead into the locker room.

With Gleaton out in the second half, it was time for the other C-N quarterbacks to show their skills. Zane Whitson, in his first play from scrimmage, reeled off a 36-yard run. Losing his helmet on the play, Mario Sanchez ran the offense for the rest of the drive, taking it in for the final eight yards himself, to put the score at 28-3.

“It’s a deep quarterback room, thankfully,” Sanchez said. “We all push each other to be great. Especially in this offense, you’re one play away from being in and you’ve got to be ready for any situation. I think, skill-wise, we match up with anybody in the country. It starts with the O-Line up front. They came out and put their foot on the gas and created holes for us so we could do what we need to do.”

While the offense was rolling, Carson-Newman’s defense continued to shut WVSU down. The Yellowjackets opened the third quarter with two consecutive three-and-outs, followed by a fruitless five-down drive that ended in their third punt of the quarter.

The Eagles defense was led by Cruz Temple and Terry Lemon who each finished with seven tackles and half a sack.  Jet Jones and Dre’Von Hollis had five tackles apiece, with Hollis adding a pass breakup.   

“As a defense you want to fly around and get to the ball,” Temple said. “All orange jerseys to the ball, if we do that, we’re going to be happy with the ending. It was film study and preparation. Today’s the day to have fun from the work we put in throughout the week. Coach Almond does a great job preparing us so we can just come out here and let it loose.”

Whitson was back behind center when C-N took the field on offense, directing a quick scoring drive capped with a three-yard touchdown run from Sullins. Whitson and Sullins finished as the leading rushers on the day, with the quarterback carrying the ball four times for 73 yards. Sullins had 13 carries for 67 yards and a score.

Whitson, Gleaton and Sanchez combined for 166 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. They passed for 132 yards and two scores.

“Teddy, we hadn’t seen a lot of him,” Ingram said. “He played really well and can throw the football. Teddy’s 220 pounds and he can run. He’s physical. Mario ran and operated like we thought he would. Zane really played well too. Zane brought some energy and some juice with that run. I was trying to beg him to get out of bounds, but he was having none of that.”

West Virginia State broke its scoring drought midway through the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run from Justin Pessoa.

The Eagles’ final scoring drive was all from its new-look shotgun formation, with Sanchez directing a drive with his arm and legs down the field, before scampering into the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run to put C-N up 41-10 and end the scoring in the game.

The shotgun offensive package is new for the Eagles, but it’s a wrinkle Ingram wanted to add in his second campaign at Mossy Creek.

“We needed to commit to something and get really good at something (last season),” Ingram said. “We wanted to stay under center and get good at what we’re doing. Later in the season, we played Wingate and Miles in the playoffs. Emory & Henry at their place. I don’t know if we had enough juice to win those games when we needed to. There’s a lot more stuff we can do out of the gun. .., We’ve got a bigger (offensive) package and we can expand on it.”

It’s a short turnaround for the Eagles as they host South Carolina Central Christian (0-1) Thursday night, Sep. 4, at 6 p.m. inside Burke-Tarr Stadium.  Coverage on the Eagles Sports  Network begins at 5 p.m. with the AEC Countdown to kickoff on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to Flo Sports at cneagles.com/FloFB.

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