Staff report
JEFFERSON CITY, Tn. — Carson-Newman rolled up nearly 600 yards of offense en route to a 55-21 win over visiting Catawba in South Atlantic Conference football action on Saturday afternoon at Burke-Tarr Stadium. The win snaps a three-game losing streak by the Eagles, who improve to 3-3 and 1-3 in the SAC. The Catawba Indians fall to 2-4 and 1-2.
Carson-Newman nearly had four 100-yard rushers in the win, led by Tyrone Douglas, who did crack the barrier with 117 yards on 13 carries. He scored three times. Quarterback Brandon Haywood also scored three times and ran for 99 yards. He also completed five-of-six passes for 125 yards. Nate Inman finished with 92 yards and Andy Hibbett 91. Each had one touchdown.
Jacob Charest (Charlotte, NC/Butler HS/Illinois) went 20-of-30 through the air for Catawba, accounting for 162 yards. He netted 49 yards on the ground and scored twice. Josh Wright (Raeford, NC/Hoke Co. HS/W. Carolina) had the other score for the Tribe and totaled 42 yards on the ground.
Haywood set up the opening score with 52-yard run on a third-and-13 play for the Eagles own eight-yard-line. He later scored from a yard out to cap a 12-play, 89-yard march. Catawba pulled even early in the second quarter when Charest broke his own long run on third down, scoring from 51 yards away. That would be all the Indians would get before the half while Carson-Newman four the end zone four more times to lead 34-7 at the break.
Douglas and Haywood had one-yard scoring runs to make the score 20-7. The Eagles capitalized on a blocked punt and Douglas went in from three-yards away to up the margin to 27-7. Inman capped the quarter with a 40-yard burst with just 38 seconds left to send Carson-Newman to the half with the 34-7 edge.
Each team scored in the third quarter. Douglas added another scored just two and half minutes in to up the margin to 41-7. Wright went in from two-yards out late in the quarter for Catawba. After Haywood scored early in the fourth, Charest ran in his second score, this time from 11-yards. Andy Hibbett capped the scoring for the Eagles.
Carson-Newman ran for 471 yards in the victory and added 125 in the air. Catawba finished with 117 yards on the ground and threw for another 172. The Eagles went 10-for-14 on third down conversions. Lakeem Perry (Louisburg, NC/Louisburg HS) led the Indian defense with 16 tackles.
For C-N, senior safety Blaine Ruttan (Ottowa, Ontario) had six tackles and a tackle for a loss. Free safety Antonio Koone (Asheville, N.C.) finished with five tackles.