JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — There was little doubt early that Carson-Newman would win its game against South Carolina Central Christian College. The question was how lopsided the score would be. At the final whistle, the Eagles sent the Gladiators packing after a 59-0 beat down inside Burke-Tarr Stadium Thursday night.

C-N (1-0) pulled its starters early and even sat No. 1 quarterback Tedros Gleaton in the game, but it made little difference in the final stats. Carson-Newman put up 407 yards of total offense and held S4C (0-2) to just 89 offensive yards and six total first downs in the game.

And while the score was lopsided, it could have been much worse as Carson-Newman played 100-plus players, giving some valuable experience to men at every spot on the roster.

“What I didn’t want to do was make it a spectacle,” C-N coach Ashely Ingram said. “I didn’t want to embarrass South Carolina Central Christian. I thought their guys played their tails off. They’ve got a great young coach over there that’s doing some good things. But the way we behaved and carried ourselves, I was proud of that.”

With the bench emptied, the stat sheet grew. Eight different Carson-Newman players scored touchdowns and five different kickers converted extra points.

“I was super excited for all those guys to play,” Ingram said. “It was tough finding a game after everything happened at Limestone (it closed in spring 2025). I was thankful we came out of this game without any of our older guys, or really anybody on the team with a serious injury.”

C-N’s defense made its presence known from the opening snap, forcing a fumble on the Gladiators’ first play from scrimmage. Martavis Mason jumped on the ball and the Eagles were in business deep in SC Central Cristian territory.

It took Carson-Newman two plays to find the paint as Jaden Griffin took a handoff 13 yards for a touchdown.

“We wanted to start off fast,” Griffin said. “We wanted to get up on them. My receivers and running backs set up the blocks and I got into the end zone. It’s practice and preparation. Every day in practice we go hard. We want to get better and better each week as we go on.”

S4C kept the ball off the turf in their second possession but managed a single first down before sending the ball back into C-N’s hands with a punt. Three offensive plays later, Cade Meeks took a Mario Sanchez pass 61 yards into paydirt, weaving his way down the left sideline.

After a Gladiators three-and-out, Carson-Newman took just two plays to score, with Zane Whitson powering through the defense for a 29-yard touchdown run.

South Carolina Central Christian didn’t get a chance at another three-and-out, as Jimi Olarinde forced a fumble on first down and Ty Holliday recovered the ball. Two plays later, Cam Ferguson worked his way down the middle of the field for a 29-yard touchdown. With more than six minutes left in the first quarter, Carson-Newman led 28-0 and had ran just nine offensive plays.

“Coach Ingram tells us to go out and be the best we can be,” defensive back Boris Melton said. “We feed off each other. You’re only as strong as your weakest link. If one balls, we all ball. I love seeing my brothers eat. It’s fun watching your brothers have fun.”

Melton co-led the Eagles with five tackles along with Braylon Grayson. Grayson added two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. Melton had half a tackle for a loss.

After the early onslaught, Ingram began subbing players and for a time, the offense bogged down. Late in the second quarter, C-N got on track with a five-play, 38-yard scoring drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown run from Keithan Washington. The Eagles entered the locker room up 35-0 and had allowed just two first downs and 44 yards on offense in the first half. Still, Ingram wasn’t happy with the slowdown after the fast start.

“I was not real happy with the intensity level of our offensive line early on,” Ingram said. “When we put in the young guys, they need a lot of work. This was good for them. At some point, some of them are going to have to play. There’s a lot of work still to do. …I left the field at halftime with a bad taste in my mouth.”

With Gavin Gosnell seeing the field for the first time this season at quarterback, the Eagles got back to work and into the end zone to open the second half. Gosnell directed a five-play, 60-yard drive ended with a 30-yard Jaden Jones touchdown rush.

After another Gladiators three-and-out, C-N again made a quick trip into scoring range. Bennett Smith converted a 44-yard field goal to make the score 45-0. Two drives later the defense made a dent in the scoreboard, with Conrad Bryant hopping on a fumble in the end zone forced by Wendell Billingsly. Carson-Newman led 52-0.

“It’s the best experience that a redshirt freshman could have,” Bryant said. “I’m grateful to be here, grateful to play and grateful to be here. This gives us a lot of confidence. We put a lot of younger guys in. including myself. It allows us to try schemes and see what works best for us. I’m excited to move forward to the next game.”

The Eagles added a final touchdown with five minutes to go in the game with a two-yard run from Nolan Bissell. It was a special moment for the New Market, Tenn. native.

“It’s a great thing,” Bissell said. “I’ve grown up in this area my whole life. I’ve always watched Carson-Newman games so it’s a great experience to come here and play. I’ve been here for three years and finally got the opportunity.”

Story and image courtesy Carson-Newman Athletics