August 28th, 2026 6:00am
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — With 43 seconds left in the game, junior kicker Bennett Smith sent a 42-yard kick through the uprights to give Carson-Newman its first lead of the contest, but it took a defensive stop on a Hail Mary pass attempt to secure the 41-38 victory over Tiffin in head coach Tyler Almond's Eagles debut Thursday night at Burk-Tarr Stadium.
"That's why we scheduled this game," Almond said. "That's a really good team and give them a lot of credit. I'm sure they think they should have won that game. I'm sure it'll help us in the long run. There's a lot to clean up. It was ugly at times, but I was so proud of our guys for how resilient they were, how focused they were and their never give up mentality."
Carson-Newman (1-0) overcame a 17-point second-quarter deficit to tie a 2024 win over Mars Hill as the second-largest comeback this century. The Eagles were outgained as the Dragons amassed 442 yards to C-N's 288. Carson-Newman had been 0-30 since 2000 when outgained by 125 yards. It marks just C-N's second win ever when being outgained by more than 100 yards.
Highlights from the Eagle Sports Network