JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- Carson-Newman scored 35 unanswered points in the second half as the 25th-ranked Eagles defeated arch-rival Tusculum 65-32 Saturday afternoon at Burke-Tarr Stadium in South Atlantic Conference football action.
Carson-Newman (9-2, 5-2 SAC) solidified its spot in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, while the Pioneers (4-7, 2-5 SAC) end their season.
C-N racked up 679 total offensive yards, including 570 rushing as three players finished with over 100 yards rushing yards on the day. Quarterback De'Andre Thomas led the charge with 203 rushing yards and three touchdowns on his 21 carries. Damian Baker added 197 yards and a TD, while Antonio Wimbush finished with 108 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas also went 7-of-12 for 109 passing yards.
TC finished with 414 yards on the afternoon, including 294 passing and 120 rushing.
Tusculum sophomore quarterback Luke Lancaster pass for 276 yards and a touchdown as he went 25-of-42 through the air with zero interception.
Senior Justin Houston accounted for 12 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown in his collegiate finale. Houston finishes his TC career with a school and conference record 322 career receptions, which are the fourth-most in NCAA II history. He also ends his career with 3,182 receiving yards, which are the most by a Pioneer and sixth in the SAC record book.
Senior receiver Ken Funnye also capped his TC career posting six catches for 30 yards. He opened the second half with a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which is tied for the fourth longest in program history. Funnye finishes with 180 career receptions (6th in TC history) for 1,978 receiving yards (8th in TC history).
C-N took the opening kickoff and marched down the field as Carson Wise kicked a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Tusculum answered later in the quarter as freshman running back Josh Jackson, who was making his first collegiate start, rumbled in from three yards out to give the Pioneers a 7-3 lead with 4:43 remaining in the quarter.
The Eagles answered with touchdowns on its next two drives as Thomas scored on touchdown runs of one and 12 yards to a 17-7 lead.
Tusculum trimmed the deficit to 17-10 when freshman kicker Will Tommie kicked a 32-yard field at the 11:10 mark of the second period.
The Eagles answered with a field goal of their own when Wise was good again from 30 yards out to push the C-N back out to 10 at 20-10 with 5:10 remaining before halftime.
Just before halftime, Lancaster completed a two-yard a TD pass to Houston with 13 seconds remaining as Carson-Newman's lead was cut to 20-16. Tommie missed the extra point try and on the kickoff, squib kick was fielded by C-N's Jarvis Green at the TC 47. Thomas completed two passes to TraShaun Ward covering 16 and six yards to get to the TC 25. Wise came on and kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play of the half as the Eagles went into the locker room with a 23-16 lead.
Tusculum quickly answered with Funnye's 94-yard kickoff return to pull within one point at 23-22. But Tommie's kick was no good again as C-N held onto the one-point lead.
Carson-Newman went three-and-out on its first possession of the half and the Pioneers took over in great field positLuke Lancaster47. Tusculum marched seven plays and scored on Luke Lancaster's first collegiate touchdown run as he plunged into the end zone from one yard out. Tommie's successful kick gave Tusculum a 25-23 lead.
But the on the first play of the ensuing possession, Baker ran for a 75-yard touchdown as the Eagles snatched back the lead at 30-25.
Tusculum answered with a seven-play, 69-yard drive, highlighted by a 50-yard completion from Lancaster to sophomore Evan Altizer. Jackson capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, his second rushing TD of the game and team-leading ninth of the season as the Pioneers led 32-30 with 7:01 left in the third quarter.
But Carson-Newman would score on its next five possessions, while Tusculum could muster only 33 yards and two first downs for the remainder of the contest.
Jackson finished the game with 67 rushing yards on 13 carries, while also making a catch for five yards. Altizer posted five grabs for 128 yards. Senior quarterback Cameron Tallent went 3-of-6 for 14 yards in his collegiate finale for the Pioneers.
Tusculum linebacker L'Keith Brown led the Pioneers with nine tackles, while Brandyn Bartlett finished with eight stops. C-N's Jason Williams led all players with 12 tackles.
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