Wingate, N.C.----One of the nation's top defenses was up to the task when it mattered most, holding #19 Carson-Newman University to a season-low 84 yards of offense in a 28-13 victory in the 2024 South Atlantic Conference football championship game at Irwin Belk Stadium and Founders Field Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs win their seventh straight, moving to 9-1 on the season while claiming the third SAC title in program history and first since 2017. The Eagles fall to 9-2 on the year.

KEY STATS

- Wingate had 165 rushing yards and 91 passing yards for 256 yards of offense
- Carson-Newman had 54 rushing yards and 30 passing yards for 84 total yards
- The Eagles had just 10 yards of offense in the second half
- The Bulldogs held a 16-7 advantage in first downs
- The Eagles entered the game averaging 295 rushing yards and 386 total yards per contest
- C-N has only been held under 180 rushing yards twice this year, both times against Wingate
- The 'Dogs held the Eagles to just 99 rushing yards in two games on 79 total attempts
- The 84 total yards for C-N are a season low by over 150 yards, with the second-lowest also coming against Wingate
- The Bulldogs were four-for-16 on third down; the Eagles went three-for-11
- The 'Dogs scored in all four red zone trips; C-N scored on its lone trip to the red zone
- Wingate held the ball for nearly 34 minutes on the day
- C-N threw two interceptions and lost a fumble; Wingate had just one turnover

KEY BULLDOGS

- Caleb Bonesteel was named the MVP, making all five field goals and both PATs
- He hit from 43, 48, 48, 36 and 36 yards on the day
- Corey Siemer had 13 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown
- Brooks Bentley threw for 91 yards on the day
- O'Brien Barnett had 13 carries for 70 yards
- Evan McCray had five receptions for 49 yards
- Noah Bell added a touchdown run
- Joseph Reddish had a pair of interceptions
- Kai Russell had 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble
- Daniel Morrison added seven tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a sack
- Dontorian Best also had seven tackles, with Diego Aviles adding 6 tackles
- Marquise Fleming notched six tackles, two TFLs, a forced fumble and a QB hurry
- Mark Burks and Jonathen Cross each added 0.5 tackles for loss
- Rivers Teeter averaged 47.7 yards per punt on three punts

FIRST QUARTER

- Carson-Newman went three-and-out to start it
- The 'Dogs went  43 yards on 12 plays to get on the board
- A 10-yard Barnett run and 10-yard Carlos Estronza catch go the 'Dogs to the C-N 44
- Bentley went seven yards on third and five to get it inside the 30
- Bonesteel nailed a 43-yard field goal to make it 3-0 at the 7:30 mark
- Russell forced a fumble on C-N's second play of the ensuing drive
- Darius Randolph recovered it for the Bulldogs at the Carson-Newman 25
- Bonesteel's 38-yard field goal made it 6-0

SECOND QUARTER

- A Bennett Smith 41-yard field goal got C-N on the board, making it 6-3 at the 8:51 mark
- Smith added a 45-yard field goal with 2:25 remaining to tie it at six
- Wingate got a 33-yard return from Jake Snapp on the kickoff, setting the 'Dogs up at the C-N 35
- Bentley hit Siemer and Xavier Jackson for 17 yards to get it to Eagle territory
- Bentley found McCray for nine yards to get it to the C-N 31
- Bonesteel nailed a 48-yard field goal with 14 seconds left to put the 'Dogs on top 9-6

THIRD QUARTER

- Snapp took the opening kickoff of the second half back 49 yards to the C-N 44
- A seven-yard Barnett run and nine-yard McCray grab got it to the 28
- Bentley connected with McCray on fourth-and-four for 16 yards to get it to the six
- Bell ran it down to the one-yard line
- Bell then scored from one yard out on fourth down to make it 16-6
- Fleming forced a fumble on fourth and one at the C-N 34 to get the ball back to the Bulldogs
- A Siemer 10-yard run got the 'Dogs into the red zone, but penalties pushed WU back to the 22
- Bonesteel would connect on a 36-yard field goal, making it 19-6 with 2:51 remaining
- The Eagles picked off Bentley on Wingate's next drive
- A 57-yard interception return from Williams set the Eagles up at the Wingate 20

FOURTH QUARTER

- Carson-Newman took advantage of the turnover and made it a six-point game
- It was Zane Whitson scoring from a yard out on fourth-and-goal at the 12:12 mark
- Wingate had the emphatic response, going 81 yards in four plays on the ensuing possession
- Bentley started it with a 26-yard run, then hit McCray for 14 yards
- Siemer then broke free for a 38-yard TD run to make it 25-13 with 10:29 to go
- The defense was dominant on the next Carson-Newman drive
- Russell started it with a sack, followed by a Morrison sack to set up third and 25
- Fleming added a tackle for a three-yard loss on third down to set up fourth and 28 from the 17
- Siemer had runs of five, six and five yards to start the WU drive and get to the C-N 43
- Barnett followed with an 18-yard run to get it to the 25
- Another six-yard Barnett run got it to the red zone
- Bonesteel nailed a 36-yard field goal to make it 28-13 with 2:10 remaining
- Whitson was intercepted by Reddish on the first play of the ensuing drive
- His pick set the 'Dogs up at the WU 36
- Wingate punted it away, but Teeter was roughed on the punt, giving the 'Dogs a first down
- The Bulldogs then took a knee three times to run out the clock, but a personal foul stopped the clock on fourth down
- Wingate had to punt it away, setting C-N up on its own 38
- Reddish put the finishing touches on the victory with another pick on the first play of the drive to run out the clock

UP NEXT

- Wingate will learn its postseason future Sunday night when the NCAA D2 play-off field is announced
- The Bulldogs were the number two team in last week's NCAA Super Region 2 rankings
- The top four teams in the region get home games, with the number one team getting a first-round bye
- The bracket will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m. live on NCAA.com