Miles gets first ever playoff win, beats Carson-Newman 14-13

^{title image via Nicholas G. Jackson}

Courtesy of Miles College Athletics

13

C-N

14

Winner MILES

In a season filled with firsts, Miles found a way to add another significant milestone to what continues to be the most historic year in program annuls.

Hosting its first-ever NCAA Division II playoff game, the Golden Bears leaned on a stifling defense that made two first-half scores them stand up in a 14-13 win over Carson-Newman (9-3) in the opening round of the NCAA Super Region Two playoffs Saturday at Sloan-Alumni Stadium. The win was the first in the postseason for No. 22 Miles (10-2), which set a school record for wins in a season and extended the single-season school mark with its 10th consecutive victory.

Next up for the Golden Bears is Valdosta State, the No. 1 team in Division II. But Miles nearly altered its course on this championship voyage with less than a minute to go.

Carson-Newman was out of timeouts and Miles was looking to run down the clock, The Golden Bears faced a third-and-7 at their own 45-yard line. Jonero Scott, who had already scored a touchdown and finished with a team-high 48 yards on the ground, was looking to get a first down to effectively end the game. Even if he didn’t make the line to gain, Miles could have pinned the Eagles deep with less than 10 seconds to go, making a victory seem inevitable.

Unfortunately, Scott coughed up the ball and the Eagles recovered at the Miles 41 with 1:01 to go. The celebratory mood on the sideline quickly changed. The defense had to get another stop and had little margin for error as Carson-Newman had a kicker that had range from nearly 50 yards and had just missed from that distance in the third quarter, hitting the cross bar.

But Miles stepped up to the challenge. After an incomplete pass on first down, the Golden Bears got pressure on Eagles quarterback Zane Whitson, who lofted a pass into the wind against double coverage. That’s trouble against any team, even more so against one that leads the nation in turnovers gained and second in interceptions. This time, Malachi Oglen got his first interception of the season, bringing a sense of relief to the Golden Bears sideline and reigniting the celebratory feelings that had temporarily been erased.

Miles never trailed in the contest. On their second drive, the Golden Bears used a methodical 13-play drive that chewed up more than six minutes off the clock. The team converted on four third down plays, one coming on a big pass interference penalty, the other coming when quarterback Kamren Ivory found Jaquel Fells in the end zone for an 11-yard scoring toss to give Miles a 7-0 lead.

The Eagles featured a triple-option offense that is rarely run in today’s game but they are extremely productive. Miles only began practicing against it this week but was able to contain one of the top rushing teams in Division II. C-N finished with 179 yards on the ground, almost 100 yards below its season average. Still, they were able to even the score when Jayden Sullins punched one in from two yards out on the third play of the second quarter.

The Golden Bears were hardly able to get their offense on track, mustering season lows in rushing yards (69), total yards (153), total offensive plays (53), and first downs (10). But the defense continued to do its thing, which led to an opportunistic second score.

Carson-Newman quarterback Justin Johnson appeared to have converted a first down on a 12-yard run on third-and-8. But Jeremiah Hudson-Davis (game-high nine tackles) popped the Eagles starting quarterback and defensive lineman Keith Green (four tackles, 1/2 sack) recovered it at the C-N 34. It was the Golden Bears’ 11th fumble recovery of the season – second in Division II – and Green’s third, which is tied for the national lead in Division II. He returned it to the Eagles 22 which set the Golden Bears up with a short field.

Miles leads Division II in turnover margin (plus-23) and that became the difference on the scoreboard  Ivory hit Travaunta Abner (game-high four catches, 36 yards) – a Carson-Newman transfer – with a 19-yard pass before Scott finished the drive with a 5-yard run for a 14-7 advantage with 4:09 left before halftime. The Eagles got a field goal at the horn but the Golden Bears went into the break ahead 14-10, making it 10 straight games that they have held a halftime lead.

The 10 game is also the length of the streak in which Miles had not trailed in the second half  But the Eagles had a couple of opportunities to end that stretch of success. On the opening drive of the second half, Carson-Newman attempted a 50-yard field goal but kicker Bennett Smith hit the crossbar and the attempt fell short. On the final drive of the third quarter, the Eagles traversed deep into Miles territory, setting up first-and-goal at the 5. But William Hardy (eight tackles, two tackles for loss) got a tackle for loss on the first play before a sack by JaMichael Rogers – his team-high eighth of the season – forced the Eagles to settle for a 29-yard field goal to preserve the lead.

Team Statistics

1ST QUARTER
04:23 – MILES – Jaquel Fells 11 yd pass from Kamren Ivory (Roderick Smith kick) 11 plays, 55 yards, TOP 6:01	0	7
2ND QUARTER
13:36 – C-N – Jayden Sullins 2 yd run (Bennett Smith kick), 9 plays, 60 yards, TOP 5:41	7	7
04:09 – MILES – Jonero Scott 5 yd run (Roderick Smith kick), 2 plays, 24 yards, TOP 0:53	7	14
00:00 – C-N – Bennett Smith 43 yd field goal 7 plays, 52 yards, TOP 1:37	10	14
4TH QUARTER
14:55 – C-N – Bennett Smith 29 yd field goal 10 plays, 68 yards, TOP 5:33	13	14