Carson-Newman 24, Saint Augustine's 14

September 16, 2006

RALEIGH, NC – The blowout that was expected never materialized at Broughton High School Stadium on Saturday (September 16, 2006).

Saint Augustine’s College battled valiantly before losing to national football power Carson-Newman 24-14. Carson-Newman, ranked eighth nationally, won their first two games by an average of 32 points but never pulled away from the Falcons.

The loss dropped the Falcons to 1-2 overall but they gained respect from veteran Carson-Newman Head Coach Ken Sparks.

“There were two good teams playing today,” said Sparks, one of nation’s winningest coaches. “Neither team wanted to lose. I am impressed with [Michael] Costa’s team. There were a lot of individual matchups where they whipped us.”

Had the Falcons committed fewer miscues, the outcome might have been different. But the significance of the 10-point defeat was not lost on Michael Costa, the Falcons’ Head Coach. Carson-Newman (3-0 overall) has a long tradition of winning while Saint Augustine’s College is in its fifth season of football after restarting the program in 2002.

“Everyone thought they would come in and blow us out but we were not going to allow that,” Costa said. “This showed we can play with anybody.”

Saint Augustine’s College cut Carson-Newman’s lead to 14-7 late in the second quarter when freshman wide receiver Richard Boone (Petersburg, Va.) streaked pass the Eagles’ secondary and caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brandon Franklin (Kannapolis, NC). Carlos Peoples (Bear Creek, NC) added the extra point.

The Eagles led 17-7 at halftime and extended the lead to 24-7 in the third quarter but the Falcons scored again on a 15-yard screen pass from Franklin to running back Nate Cunningham (Miami, Fla.) late in the fourth quarter. The extra point by Peoples made the final score 24-14.

Though they lost, the Falcons left the stadium knowing they pushed the nation’s No. 8 team to the limit.

“It gives us momentum,” said Costa, whose squad faces another touch opponent in Mars Hill on September 23. “A play here or there could have changed the outcome.”

Franklin, who led the Falcons’ to victory last week as a backup, threw two touchdown passes for the second consecutive week. Boone caught a touchdown pass for the second straight game and middle linebacker Kevin Jones (South Hill, Va.) recorded 21 tackles, the most by a Falcons’ player in a game since Jones and former standout Tyrone Pettaway collected 19 tackles each in 2004.

The Falcons’ defense held a potent Eagles’ option attack to 137 rushing yards. Only a rash of mistakes – 13 penalties, 2 interceptions  – prevented the Falcons from pulling off what would have been the season’s biggest Division II upset.

“Once we stop making mistakes, we can play with anybody,” Costa said.