DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College football team (0-7, 0-5 SAC) was defeated by Carson-Newman University (3-4, 2-3 SAC) by a score of 14-10 at J.W. Babb Stadium on Homecoming for the Flying Fleet in 2023. Jamaar Moore's ridiculous one-handed catch gave Erskine an early lead, and the Fleet defense forced four turnovers, but Erskine came up just short.
 
THE BASICS
Final | Carson-Newman 14, Erskine 10
Records | Erskine 0-7 (0-5 SAC), Carson-Newman 3-4 (2-3 SAC)
Location | Greenwood, S.C. (J.W. Babb Stadium)
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Craig Pender completed 16 of his 27 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown as Erskine outgained the Eagles through the air, 123 to 91.
• Carson-Newman totaled 216 yards on the ground, but 71 of those came on one play, a long touchdown from Jayden Sullins that accounted for the only touchdown of the second half for either team.
• Jamaar Moore was the game's leading receiver, totaling 10 catches for 87 yards, including a special one-handed catch for a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
• Jakel Scott led the Fleet defense with 9 tackles, while Dameon Green, Andrew Melton, and Johnmond Howard each forced a fumble.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter:
Erskine got the ball to start the afternoon and embarked on a 12-play drive as the Fleet marched right into the redzone. However, the drive stalled out and Erskine came up empty after a missed field goal. The Fleet defense forced a punt, and Erskine got the ball right back and immediately regained its offensive rhythm from the opening possession. This drive spanned 13 plays, primarily on the ground, but capped through the air thanks to some fireworks from Jamaar Moore as he needed just one hand to haul in a 15-yard touchdown grab and open the scoring to take a 7-0 lead.

Second Quarter:
The Eagles responded with a long drive of their own, totaling 14 plays and going 70 yards for a touchdown to tie the game as possessions proved to be hard to come by on Saturday with both teams chewing away at the clock. The Carson-Newman drive took nearly 7 minutes off the clock and left the Fleet with less than a minute to work before the half. Erskine was optimistic despite the time crunch, but the drive stalled at midfield and the Fleet headed to the half tied at 7.

Third Quarter:
Carson-Newman started the second half with an 11-yard completion but were quickly forced to punt. And things went from bad to worse for the visitors after a botched snap on the punt led to an intentional grounding from the Eagles punter on 4th down and gave Erskine the ball at the Eagles' 7-yard line. The Fleet looked primed to regain the lead but were stuffed on their first three plays of the drive. Erskine elected to go for it on 4th-and-goal from the 5-yard line and Craig Pender hit Moore on a slant that looked to be enough, but Moore came up inches short of the goal line as Erskine turned it over on downs. Carson-Newman took over under the shadows of their own goalposts, but took advantage of the momentum, going 99 yards in a drive that ended with a 71-yard touchdown run from Jayden Sullins to put the visitors in front for the first time. The Fleet had an extensive drive toward the end of the quarter, but negative plays forced them to punt.

Fourth Quarter:
After both teams exchanged three-and-outs, Carson-Newman took back over on offense, but the Fleet defense made a play as Dameon Green forced and recovered a fumble near midfield. An Eagles penalty on third down moved the Fleet into scoring position, and Dylan Beauford nailed a season-long 48-yard field to make it a four-point game with 9:37 remaining. Then, Andrew Melton forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff that Myles Mayhorn recovered and the Erskine offense took right back over with another short field. The Fleet moved the ball inside the Carson-Newman 10-yard line, but were unable to convert on a 3rd-and-1 and then on a 4th-and-1 as the Eagles defense bailed out another turnover. The Eagles offense began to move the ball on the ground with chunk plays for the first time all game on their next drive and looked to be salting away the game, but the Erskine defense came up huge once again. Carson-Newman had the ball in the redzone, but on 3rd-and-2, the Eagles' RB coughed up the ball and Nolan Holloway was right there to fall on top of it, giving the Fleet one final chance with 2:58 remaining. However, Erskine turned it over on downs on four plays as the Fleet were just unable to cash in on opportunities in a hard-fought game.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine goes back on the road next weekend to take on UVA Wise (1-6, 0-5 SAC) at 2 p.m. Wise won the teams' first-ever meeting last season in Greenwood by a score of 28-13.
 
Follow the Flying Fleet all season long to get schedule updates, scores, highlights, photo galleries, game notes and more at www.erskinesports.com.
 
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