Jefferson City, Tenn.----The 16th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs held Carson-Newman University to 137 yards of offense, blanking the Eagles over the final three quarters en route to a 25-3 victory in South Atlantic Conference football action at Burke-Tarr Stadium. Wingate improves to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SAC, while Carson-Newman falls to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in league play. It's the first time the Eagles have been held to three points at home since the 2005 season. Wingate has held Carson-Newman to just three points over the last six quarters dating back to the 2019 meeting.

KEY STATS

- Wingate outgained Carson-Newman 369-137 on the day
- The 'Dogs had 238 passing yards and 131 rushing yards
- CN had just 87 rushing yards and 50 passing yards
- 38 of Carson-Newman's 87 rushing yards came on one play in the first quarter
- The Bulldogs held the Eagles to 2.9 yards per play
- Wingate held the ball for nearly 35 minutes on the day
- The 'Dogs were five-for-15 on third down and one-for-one on fourth down
- Carson-Newman was just two-for-12 on third down and zero-for-one on fourth down
- WU scored on three of four red zone trips; the Eagles were scoreless in their lone trip
- The 'Dogs forced the game's lone turnover while notching eight tackles for loss on the day
- Wingate registered 63 return yards on four punts; CN had zero yards on two punt returns

KEY BULLDOGS

- Shaw Crocker was 16-for-28 for 238 yards and a touchdown, adding 40 rushing yards
- Trevor Grant had seven catches for 78 yards
- RJ Mobley added two grabs for 57 yards, including a 40-yard TD reception
- Austin Cain and Ryder Martin added catches of 29 and 27 yards, respectively
- Kalen Clark ran for 39 yards; Alexander Wilson added 34 yards on four carries
- Nijere Peoples rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown
- Sirod Cook led the defensive efforts with seven tackles including two tackles for loss
- Jesiah Carlton added six stops, including half a tackle for loss
- Justin Rhodes and DJ Horne combined for 11 tackles and a sack
- McLean Robertson tied a school record with four field goals, adding a PAT
- Ethan Evans averaged 44.8 yards per punt, with a long of 51 and two inside the 20
- J Max Swaim had 63 yards on four punt returns, with a long of 31

NOTES

- Wingate moves to 8-25 all-time against Carson-Newman
- The Bulldogs are now 4-13 in Jefferson City
- Wingate has won seven of the last 11 in the series
- The 'Dogs have won four of the last six games at Carson-Newman
- The three points are the fewest WU has allowed in the series (previous low 16 in 2016)
- The 22-point win is Wingate's biggest ever margin of victory against the Eagles
- First time Carson-Newman has been held to three points since Sept. 22, 2018 (at Newberry)
- First time the Eagles have been held to three points at home since 2005 (vs. Presbyterian)
- Dating back to the 2019 meeting, CN has just three points against Wingate the last six quarters
- The vaunted Eagle running attack has just been held to exactly 87 yards the last two against WU
- Wingate improves to 41-13 overall since the start of 2016
- The Bulldogs lead the SAC in overall wins and league wins since the start of 2016
- 16th career 200-yard passing game for Crocker; 53rd career TD pass
- The 40 rushing yards are his second-most, only behind the play-off win at West Georgia (45)
- 27th career touchdown run for Peoples
- Grant has 12 receptions for 164 yards the last two weeks
- Second TD grab of the year for Mobley
- Robertson tied a school record with four field goals made, all coming in the first half
- The All-SAC kicker now has made 13 field goals from at least 40 yards out

FIRST QUARTER

- Wingate started its second possession of the game at its own 45
- A pair of completions to Grant got the 'Dogs into the red zone
- Crocker's 11-yard connection to Myles Dillon, followed by an eight-yard run got it to the CN 3
- Robertson connected from 21 yards out to put the Bulldogs on the board
- Christian Erwin capped a 38-yard CN drive with a 44-yard field goal to tie it with 3:44 left
- Wingate answered with a 52-yard scoring drive to take the lead for good
- Crocker's 13-yard run on third and 12 kept the drive alive
- He then hit Cain for 29 yards to get it to the Carson-Newman 27
- Robertson nailed a 40-yard field goal to give Wingate a 6-3 advantage

SECOND QUARTER

- Wingate sent the Eagles backwards on their next drive, while Swaim's 31-yard return setup WU at the CN 29
- Robertson's third field goal of the first half was from 28 yards out to make it 9-3
- The 'Dogs forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Jemare Meadows at the CN 7
- Robertson's 20-yard field goal pushed the advantage to nine

THIRD QUARTER

- Another WU defense three-and-out was followed by Swaim's 16-yard return to the Wingate 47
- Crocker's 11-yard run got the ball into Carson-Newman territory
- On third and 15, Crocker scrambled and found an open Mobley for a 40-yard touchdown to make it 16-3
- An hour and 26 minute weather delay came late in the third quarter
- Tre Morrison's hit in the backfield on CN's fourth-and-six attempt stopped the Eagle's lone red zone trip

FOURTH QUARTER

- The ensuing WU drive was halted, but a 47-yard Evans put pinned the Eagles inside their own five
- The Eagles got just one yard, and Swaim's 11-yard return set up the 'Dogs at the CN 35
- Crocker hit Martin for 27 yards to get it inside the Carson-Newman 10
- Peoples scored from four yards out to make it 25-3

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back home the next two weeks
- The Bulldogs host Catawba next Saturday at 6 p.m.
- The 'Dogs host Tusculum Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. on Homecoming
- That is followed by a three-game road trip