Eagles bounce Golden Bears 71-9

SEVIERVILLE - The Carson-Newman Eagles rolled up 440 offensive yards on their way to a 71-9 blowout of the West Virginia Tech Golden Bears in the Third Annual Smoky Mountain Classic at Burchfield Memorial Stadium Thursday. Deonte Bolden (Tampa, Fla.) pilfered a Joey Jude pass on the first play from scrimmage and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown with 14:50 remaining in the first quarter. Bolden’s score set the tone for a 34-0 first quarter advantage and the Eagles took a comfortable 37-7 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. J. J. Chatmon (Cartersville, Ga.) followed Bolden’s score with touchdown runs of three and two yards to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead with 9:48 remaining in the first quarter.Less than two minutes later Kevin Washington (Greenville, S.C.) blocked a West Virginia Tech punt and returned it 34 yards to pay dirt. Brandon Mott (Seminole, Fla.) connected on all four extra-point kicks of the night. With 4:44 left in the first quarter, Roniae Maye (Palm Bay, Fla) made the most of his only carry in the game with a 41-yard dash to the end zone. The Eagles opened the second quarter with a nine-play scoring drive resulting in a Barrett Hedges (Tullahoma, Tenn.) 22-yard field goal to increase the advantage to 37-0. After a Carson-Newman fumble, Tech’s Rashad Smith (Apopka, Fla.) punched in a two-yard run for the Golden Bears to finish up a five-play 21-yard drive. The Eagles opened the third quarter with a glimpse into the future. Freshman quarterback Alex Rouse (Maryville, Tenn.) hooked up with freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown (Jefferson City, TN) for a 50-yard touchdown, the first score in an Eagle uniform for both players. Caleb Sorrels (Greenville, SC) powered ahead for a two-yard touchdown, capping off a five-play 31-yard drive with 9:20 to play in the third quarter. Tyler Wynn (Rome, Ga.) wrapped up the third quarter scoring with a 23-yard dash less than four minutes later and Ingham’s kick pushed the tally to 57-7. Wynn punched in a one-yard score to start the fourth quarter and Clarence Goins (Chattanooga) added a 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Hedges and Ingham nailed point-after kicks to make the score 71-7. The Golden Bears blocked a punt at the five-yard line and the ball trickled out of the end zone for a safety, setting the final tally at 71-9. The Eagles return to the gridiron Sept. 24 as the open South Atlantic Conference play at Mars Hill at 1:30 p.m.