GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Carson-Newman University football team scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to lead the 18th-ranked Eagles to a 55-35 South Atlantic Conference win at Tusculum College Saturday afternoon before a capacity homecoming crowd of 3,703 at Pioneer Field.

Carson-Newman (5-1, 4-0 SAC) remains tied atop the conference standings while recording its fourth consecutive victory. Tusculum falls to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the league.

Carson-Newman head coach Ken Sparks records his 323rd victory on Saturday, tying hall of famer Paul "Bear" Bryant for fifth place on the all-time coaching list.

The Eagles rallied from a 35-27 halftime deficit scoring four touchdowns in the final 16 minutes of the game, including three scoring runs by Andy Hibbett.

Carson-Newman finished the game with 573 offensive yards, including 471 on the ground, led by Hibbett's 221-yard performance. Quarterback De'Andre Thomas ran for 116 yards on 22 carries, while also passing for 102 yards on 4-of-5 passing and a pair of TD tosses. Jamal Jones eclipsed the century rushing mark with 103 yards and two touchdowns.

Tusculum junior receiver Justin Houston scored three touchdowns on the afternoon with his two TD catches and a 91-yard kickoff return to spark 21 straight points by the Pioneers at the end of the second quarter.

Tusculum redshirt freshman quarterback Malcolm Pendergrass passed for 230 yards and three touchdowns as he went 13-for-25. Houston finished the game with six receptions for 84 yards, including scoring catches of 20 and 32 yards. Senior Jonathan Diliberto added a season-high 111 receiving yards on three receptions, including a 68-yard TD strike from Pendergrass.

TC sophomore running back finished the game with 80 yards on 14 carries for the Pioneers.

The game looked to be a defensive battle in the opening quarter as C-N led 6-0 after 15 minutes of play. But in the second quarter, the two teams combined for 56 points, including a school- record 35 by the Pioneers, including 21 straight points in the final 5:27 of the half to take an eight-point lead into the locker room. The 35-point outburst surpasses the previous school mark of 33 points established against Union College (Ky.) on Nov. 13, 1993.

Tusculum's Caushaud Lyons and Brandyn Bartlett recorded career-highs with 15 tackles each to lead all players, while senior Rocky Jones also finished with a career-best 13 tackles. Senior Dominic James came one tackle shy of a career-high with his 11 tackles, including one for loss.

C-N's William Alderman led the Eagles with his team-best nine tackles, including four for loss and three sacks. Two of those sacks came in the fourth quarter as the Carson-Newman defense held Tusculum to minus-13 yards in the period and 14 total yards in the second half.

The Eagles drove down the field on their opening possession as C-N utilized a 13-play, 77-yard drive, capped off by Thomas' five-yard TD pass to James Phillips at the 6:30 mark of the first quarter. The extra-point try sailed wide right as the visitors led 6-0.

Tusculum was intercepted, but C-N turned the ball over on downs to wrap up the low scoring first quarter.

In the second quarter Pendergrass completed a 20-yard touchdown to Houston with 13:28 left before halftime. Logan Cornelius' kick was good, giving the Pioneers a 7-6 lead.

Carson-Newman answered four plays later when Thomas found Anthony Eubanks wide open on a 71-yard touchdown completion to give the Eagles back the lead at 13-7.

Tusculum responded with a five-play, 72-yard drive, including a 17-yard scoring run by Pendergrass.

The Eagles' Jamal Jones scored on a nine-yard TD scamper at the 7:28 mark. After a Tusculum fumble on its next possession, Jones and the Eagles used the short field, scoring on a four-yard TD run to give C-N a 27-14 lead.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Houston gave Tusculum new life with his 91-yard kickoff return for a score. It was Houston's second kickoff return for a TD of the season and third of his career. Houston's 91-yard return is also tied for the sixth longest in school history.

Now trailing 27-21, Tusculum held Carson-Newman to three plays and out, forcing the Eagles to punt for only the 11th time this season. On the second play of the Tusculum possession, Pendergrass completed a 68-yard TD pass to Diliberto as the Pioneers regained the lead at 28-27 with 2:54 left before halftime.

Carson-Newman drove the football into Tusculum territory down to the TC 38, but on the fourth-play of the drive, the Eagles fumbled and senior Darien Crank came up with the recovery with 1:27 left on the scoreboard.

Tusculum drove into Carson-Newman territory and with 11 seconds to go, Pendergrass found Houston on the left side as he sprinted down the near sideline and leaped for the pylon for his third TD of the quarter to increase the TC lead to 35-27 at the intermission.

In the third quarter, Damian Baker ran into end zone for a two-yard touchdown, ending a 17-play, 69-yard drive that took 6:36 off the clock. After a timeout and trailing 35-33, the Eagles elected to go for two and once again called Baker's number as he scampered home for game-tying two-point conversion.

Hibbett scored on touchdown runs of 12, 41 and three yards as the Eagles secured the South Atlantic Conference road win.

Tusculum will be on the road next weekend at Wingate for a 1:30 p.m. contest from Irwin Belk Stadium.

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