Citizen Tribune

8 / 17

CITIZEN TRIBUNE Sports
B-2 Tuesday, October 24, 2017
“Chemistry, we had a lot
of new guys last year,” Role’
said. “We have a year of
winning basketball under our
belts and I think we’re a lot
more comfortable this year
compared to last year with
each other.”
The Eagles will also be
able to rely on freshmanChris
Clayton, CameronAndre and
Brendan Coleman. Coleman
could also find himself
playing some guard for the
Eagles.
“We tell them every day,”
Role’ said. “Focus on the
90 percent of the time you
don’t have the ball compared
to the 10 percent of the
time that they do. We want
them to thrive in that while
thriving on the little things.
Then take advantage of the
opportunities that they have
to score when they do have
the ball.”
Clayton comes to Carson-
Newman after playing for
Andy Ray at Asheville
Christian where he averaged
17 points and nine rebounds
per game for the Titans. He
led his team on the glass
with those nine boards a
game. Andre averaged 13
points, 11 rebounds, two
blocks and two assists per
game for coach Travis James
at Gateway High School.
Coleman played for John
Good at David Crockett
High School, where he
helped the Pioneers to a pair
of district titles, a substate
championship and the first
state tournament berth in
school history. Coleman led
his team in rebounds as a
junior and senior.
“Brendan’s a really good
passer,” Role’ said. “Clayton
is bouncing and can help us
with putbacks. Cam is an
exceptional rebounder and
should be able to help us on
the boards.”
Preview
Tonight’s match will
feature the top two liberos
statistically in the league
this season as Ballard and
Whiteaker each average
7.03 digs per set. C-N’s
sophomore has posted the
top two dig tallies in the
nation this season with 58
and 53 while Whiteaker has
the third-best number of 51.
Holland is the top
offensive option ranking
fourth in the league with
3.51 kills per set. In her
career against C-N, the
outside hitter has 78 kills
including three matches
with at least 13.
Cash is out for the season
as the team’s setter after
posting almost 10 assists
per set through the first 10
matches of the year. Michael
has used the 5-2 with Olivia
Brock and Danielle Stachura
taking the place.
Rivalry
The Coleraine, Northern
Ireland product leads the
South Atlantic Conference
in points with 27. Her nine
assists on the year also lead
the league and are good for
fifth in all of D2.
With the Eagles win
over Tusculum last week
and the Wingate loss to
Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday,
C-N has marked their third
consecutive SAC Regular
Season Championship. It
is the sixth time in league-
history a team has won three
consecutive regular season
titles, including when
the Eagles accomplished
the feat from 2008-10.
No team has won three
straight regular season and
tournament titles in the 26-
year history of the league.
“It’s great to win the
conference again as a
program for the third year in
a row,” Wade added. “It felt
quite weird that we weren’t
playing on Saturday, but we
have to regroup and refocus
again for the upcoming
week.”
“We all know how
important it is to finish off
the season strong going into
the postseason. These next
two games are big for us.”
C-N wraps up their final
two games of the regular
season this week with road
trips to King and Coker.
Wade
NASHVILLE (AP) —
Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey
has rewarded his Titans for two
straight wins by giving them an
entire week off for their bye.
Well, most of the players. The
coach has made it mandatory for
any injured Titan to stick around
the facilities and continue treatment
and rehabilitation.
And there are a handful of Titans
needing to rest and recover.
At the top of the list is two-time
Pro Bowl tight end DelanieWalker.
He was carted to the locker room
during overtime after injuring his
right ankle following a 16-yard
catch in a 12-9 overtime victory
over Cleveland. Walker leads the
Titans with 32 catches this season,
and his 324 yards receiving rank
second.
Mularkey said Monday that
exams showed Walker more of a
bone bruise than a sprained ankle.
Whether or not Walker is available
Nov. 5 when the Titans (4-3) host
Baltimore (3-4) will depend on
how the veteran handles the pain.
Walker currently is in a walking
boot.
“It’s a painful injury,” Mularkey
said. “Any type of bone bruise,
whatever it is, is very painful.”
Left guard Quinton Spain also is
dealing with turf toe, and running
back DeMarco Murray has a
bruised shoulder. But Mularkey,
sounding congested and saying he
didn’t feel well, said the bye should
allow all the Titans who’ve been
limited by hamstring injuries to
fully heal.
That list is led by rookie Corey
Davis, the first wide receiver drafted
in April and the No. 5 pick overall,
who has missed five straight games
since aggravating a hamstring Sept.
17 in a 37-16 win at Jacksonville .
Starting safety Johnathan Cyprien,
who has missed six games, also is
expected back.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota,
who missed a 16-10 loss at Miami
on Oct. 8 , has played each of the
Titans’ last two games. Even with
his running limited by the Titans,
Mariota led the Titans to a 36-
22 win over Indianapolis on Oct.
16 and followed that with a 12-9
overtime win in Cleveland six days
later.
“It’s an opportunity to relax
and reflect on everything that’s
happened in the first seven weeks,
and get ready to go for the long
haul,” Mariota said after the game.
Getting Davis back could be the
boost the Titans’ passing offense
needs. Tennessee currently ranks
26th averaging 201.9 yards per
game without Davis who was
instantly installed as the No. 1
receiver. Davis has seven catches
for 73 yards at a 10.4-yard average
in very limited playing time.
“We should be better if we can
get him back,” Mularkey said.
Coaches are spending most of
the week breaking down every play
and player to crank up an offense
that hasn’t scored a touchdown
in the first quarter since the first
drive of the season. Kicker Ryan
Succop scored every point against
Cleveland, the first to do that in an
overtime win since Denver kicker
Jason Elam’s three field goals beat
Kansas City 9-6 on Sept. 17, 2006.
Not that Mularkey and the Titans
are nitpicking a victory.
“We wanted to come here and
get a W,” wide receiver Rishard
Matthews said. “It doesn’t matter
how we got it. We get to go into
the bye week with a W ... We’ll
come back and build off of this
momentum.”
The Titans find themselves
tied atop the AFC South with
Jacksonville holding a tiebreaker
over the Jaguars with nine games
remaining after the bye.
“I’ve never said it’s a bad win in
my life,” Mularkey said.
Mularkey giving Titans extra days off during bye week
AP
At left, in a June 15 file photo, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis (84)
leaves the field following an NFL football minicamp. At center, in an Oct. 16 file
photo, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) leaves the field after defeating the
Indianapolis Colts. At right, in an Aug. 27 file photo,Titans tight end DelanieWalker
(82) warms up before an NFL football preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
The Titans finally have reached their bye, and they need the week off to heal up
Mariota’s sore hamstring and maybe, finally, get rookie Corey Davis back on the
field. And tight end Delanie Walker’s right ankle might need more than a week.
“It’s one of those things where it’s an
execution-type deal,” Jones said. “You
just have to continue to work and work
and work, and eventually you’re going
to see that come into fruition.”
Tennessee averages just 289.7 yards
per game to rank 125th out of 129
Football Bowl Subdivision teams . The
Vols rank 122nd in red-zone efficiency .
The Vols also are last in the SEC in
scoring (19.6), yards passing (165.1),
passing efficiency (109.28) and third-
down conversion percentage (31.3).
“There’s no magic or secret potion
you’re going to pour on it or whatever,”
Scott said. “It’s still football. Let’s turn
on the video. Let’s look at it. What do
we need to do?”
Tennessee switched quarterbacks with
redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano
replacing junior Quinten Dormady. The
Vols continually have shuffled their
offensive line.
Nothing has worked.
Guarantano has been sacked 11 times
in two starts. Tennessee lost its most
reliable receiver when Jauan Jennings
suffered a season-ending wrist injury in
its opener. The offensive line has been a
major disappointment.
The line lost tackle Chance Hall to
a knee injury before the season and
suffered another blow Monday with the
announcement that guard Jack Jones is
ending his football career due to neck
and shoulder injuries. Guard Venzell
Boulware left the team three weeks ago.
Tennessee’s players still believe in this
offense. Running back John Kelly says
“our guys are still as confident as they
were (when) the season first started.”
“We’re always confident,” offensive
lineman Brett Kendrick said. “I wouldn’t
go out there if I wasn’t confident, and I
don’t think anyone else would either. We
know we’ve got playmakers.”
Tennessee’s top playmaker is Kelly,
who has run for 615 yards and ranks
fourth in the SEC in yards rushing per
game. Marquez Callaway looked like
a potential breakout performer when
he caught three touchdown passes in
Tennessee’s first two contests, but he has
just 10 receptions for 97 yards and no
touchdowns in five games since.
The good news for Tennessee is that
the schedule gets more manageable from
here. Tennessee next visits Kentucky (5-
2, 2-2), which has allowed a total of 79
points over its last two games.
“We know what Tennessee can do,”
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “I
know the way people pile on people
when they’re not doing so well, I know
how that goes. I’ve been there. We can’t
control any of that. We’ve got to control
how we’re going to play.”
The Vols believe they’ll turn things
around. Kendrick noted a third straight
8-4 finish to the regular season remains
possible.
“I don’t think the sky’s falling,”
Kendrick said. “It’s just raining a little
bit.”
Downfall
AP
Tennessee coach Butch Jones
reacts to a catch and run for
a first down by Alabama wide
receiver Calvin Ridley during
an NCAA college football game,
Saturday, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama won 45-7.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) —
Carson Wentz stood tall in a
collapsing pocket and kept
making plays with his arm
or legs.
Wentz tossed four
touchdown passes, and
the Philadelphia Eagles
overcame losing nine-time
Pro Bowl left tackle Jason
Peters in a 34-24 win over
the Washington Redskins on
Monday night.
“You step up and go
into make-a-play mode,”
Wentz said after making one
highlight play after another in
front of a national audience
while cementing his status as
a first-half MVP candidate.
The second-year
quarterback threw for 268
yards and ran for a career-
best 63 after a shaky start to
lead the NFL-best Eagles (6-
1) to their fifth straight win.
But the victory was costly
because Peters was carted off
the field with a knee injury in
the third quarter.
Kirk Cousins threw for
303 and three TDs for the
Redskins (3-3).
“Carson made some
unbelievable plays there
in crunch-time situations,”
Redskins coach Jay Gruden
said. “We lost and it wasn’t
good enough by anybody,
offensively. But Kirk
competed and made some
great throws, some great
plays.”
The Eagles went three-
and-out three times in their
first four drives and had only
57 total yards before Wentz
hit Mack Hollins in stride
with a perfect 64-yard TD
pass to tie it at 10.
That got the offense
rolling.
Wentz connected with
Zach Ertz for 46 yards on
the next series and found him
again for a 4-yard TD pass to
make it 17-10.
After getting the second-
half kickoff, the Eagles
drove 86 yards for another
touchdown. Peters was
injured during the series, and
fans chanted his name while
teammates surrounded the
cart.
Wentz finished the drive
off with a play that Peters
would appreciate.
While being hit by
two defenders and falling
forward, Wentz lofted a
9-yard TD pass to Corey
Clement.
Wentz tosses 4 TDs as
Eagles beat Redskins 34-24