JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The University of West Alabama football team dropped its NCAA Division II Super Region contest 59-41 at Carson-Newman on Saturday afternoon. UWA (8-5) trailed 49-20 at the half, but rallied behind a 21-0 scoring output in the third quarter before falling to the Eagles (10-2) in the Second Round matchup.
“I didn't say much to our guys at the half except we have to stick together,” head coach Bobby Wallace said. “This team gave our university and community something to be proud of this season. They have done a lot of good things and I couldn't be more proud of a bunch of guys. They came out in the second half and gave our fans, band and cheerleaders, who were behind them the entire time, something to cheer about.”
The Tigers, who were making their second appearance in the NCAA Playoffs, posted 488 yards of total offense in the loss. The total yards ranks eighth under head coach Bobby Wallace and is the fourth highest total in the 2009 season. The Red and White gathered 323 of its yards through the air, which is second most this season.
Junior quarterback Deon Williams hit five different receivers on the day for touchdowns. Junior running back Roosevelt Ross registered his second 100-yard rushing day, setting a career-high of 139 yards vs. the Eagles. Eric McDonald tallied a 109 yards receiving, his second career 100 yard receiving game. Dwayne Perryman led the Tiger defense with 16 total tackles, a game-high.
C-N struck first as Alex Good hit Reggie Hubbard for a 57 yard touchdown pass. The pass was set up by a Williams fumble on the Tigers' first possession of the game. Good and Hubbard hooked up again with just over four minutes to play in the first quarter, this time from 35 yards out, capping a seven-play, 70 yard drive. The drive took 3:21 off the clock.
The Eagles picked up their third score of the game, this time by the run, as Ricky Harris scooted in from two yards out with 11:48 remaining in the first half of the contest. UWA posted its first points of the game as Randy Lowery hauled in a 51 yard pass from Williams to pull the Tigers within 21-7, ending a four-play, 67 yard drive that erased 1:12 off the clock.
Good added his third TD, the Eagles fourth, of the game as he pushed the ball across the goal line from one yard out. The score ended a nine-play, 80 yard drive.
UWA turned an Eagle fumble into a TD as Williams found Michael Townsend from seven yards out. The score pulled the Red and White within 14, but a Nate Inman rushing score from 67 yards out put C-N back up by 21 with 5:34 left in the opening half. The Blue and Orange capitalized off two UWA turnovers. Good ended a four-play, 33 yard drive with a 17 yard rush after a Williams' interception. The Eagles added their final score of the opening half, following a Gerald Worsham fumble, as Good connected with Hubbard for the third time in the game.
Jason Hawkins closed out the scoring in the first half as he pulled in a 16 yard pass from Williams with 10 seconds remaining before the intermission.
UWA drove 36 yards on two plays to open the second half with a Williams 36 yard pass to McDonald. The score was set up by a 56 yard kickoff return by Terry Allen. Ross pulled UWA within 15 points as he dashed for 67 yards and his first TD of the game. Worsham caught Williams' fifth touchdown pass of the game, a 17 yard reception, drawing the Red and White within 49-41.
C-N got its first score of the second half with 13:58 remaining in the contest as Buck Wakefield rushed from two yards out to extend the Eagles lead to 56-41. The score covered 78 yards on 12 plays. After UWA turned the ball over on downs, the Orange and Blue marched 56 yards to close out the scoring as Carlos Lopez kicked a 31 yard field goal.
West Alabama concludes a season with eight wins, the most since the 1975 team recorded 10 wins and the university's first appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Carson-Newman advances to the Super Region Two title game at North Alabama on Saturday, Nov. 28.
