JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman jumped out to a 28-7 lead here Thursday night at Roy Harmon Field and held on for a wild 56-46 victory against visiting Glenville State as the Eagles gave head coach Ken Sparks career victory No. 300.
The Eagles actually built a 49-21 lead with 9:49 left in the third quarter when Brandon Baker tallied his third touchdown of the night from 30 yards out. However, GSC proceeded to score the next 25 points to cut the deficit to 49-46, but C-N quarterback Brandon Haywood put the game on ice when he scored from the 6 on a keeper with 1:51 remaining.
Costly penalties and turnovers turned out to be too costly for head coach David Hutchison's GSC squad, which plays the first of four home games this season come 7 p.m. next Thursday against rival Fairmont State inside Morris Stadium.
A Rahmann Lee fumble on the Pioneers' first drive allowed the hosts to take a quick 7-0 cushion just 4:20 into the contest when Solomon Duanah bulled in from the 4 and Curt Duncan drilled the first of his eight extra-point attempts.
GSC signal-caller Darold Hughes, who had five touchdown passes, tied the game just eight ticks into the second quarter when he hit Orlandus Harris on a 5-yard strike and Colston Bayless' point-after attempt was true.
The momentum of the affair changed quickly after that as a GSC interception by Terry Reese was taken off the books when the G-men were called for roughing the passer on the play. Two snaps later, Baker galloped 61 yards to paydirt and the Eagles led 14-7 with 12:43 left before intermission and never trailed again.
Fact Box
Carson-Newman 56, Glenville State 46
GSC (0-1) 0 14 13 19 - 56
C-N (1-0) 7 28 14 7 - 46
C-N: Solomon Duanah 4 run (Curt Duncan kick) 10:40, 1st
GSC: Orlandus Harris 5 pass from Darold Hughes (Colston Bayless kick) 14:52, 2nd
C-N: Brandon Baker 61 run (Duncan kick) 12:43, 2nd
C-N: Jaycob Coleman 65 fumble recovery (Duncan kick) 9:39, 2nd
C-N: Jason Brown 69 pass from Brandon Haywood (Duncan kick) 7:33, 2nd
GSC: Rahmann Lee 64 run (Bayless kick) 6:54, 2nd
C-N: Baker 2 run (Duncan kick) 1:49, 2nd
C-N: Haywood 4 run (Duncan kick) 13:17, 3rd
GSC: Robert Jiles 6 pass from Hughes (Bayless kick) 12:31, 3rd
C-N: Baker 30 run (Duncan kick) 9:49, 3rd
GSC: Harris 14 pass from Hughes (kick failed) 4:13, 3rd
GSC: Jiles 6 pass from Hughes (pass failed) 14:30, 4th
GSC: Harris 15 pass from Hughes (pass failed) 12:54, 4th
GSC: Hughes 6 run (Bayless kick) 4:59, 4th
C-N: Haywood 6 run (Duncan kick) 1:51, 4th
Notes: Eagle head coach Ken Sparks earned career win No. 300. Stats were not available due to Carson-Newman sports information problems.
Next game: Fairmont State at Glenville State 7 p.m. Thursday.
GSC tried to answer the score and was nearing midfield, but when Harris hauled in a pass from Hughes, he lost the ball and Jaycob Coleman scooped it up and raced 65 yards into the end zone for a 21-7 C-N advantage.
The Pioneers found themselves down 28-7 after Haywood hit Jason Brown on a 69-yard TD pass. Despite a 64-yard scoring burst by Lee, the G-men still trailed 35-14 at halftime because Baker plunged in from the 2 with 1:49 left in the second period.
Carson-Newman struck first in the second half via a Haywood TD run from the 4 as the visitors trailed by 28.
The two teams then traded scores with Robert Jiles snaring a 6-yard scoring strike from Hughes and Baker getting into the end zone on his 30-yard score.
After that, Hughes accounted for four consecutive GSC scores. He had TD passes of 14 and 15 yards to Harris, a 6-yard TD hook-up with Jiles sandwiched in between and then he scampered in from the 6 with 4:59 to go in the contest to make it 49-46. However, after the 14-yard touchdown pass to Harris, Bayless' extra point was off the mark and the G-men missed on their next pair of two-point conversion attempts.
Glenville State senior defensive lineman Ricky Booker had a pair of sacks in the setback.
