The Miles Golden Bears are moving on to the second round of the Division II Football Playoffs following a 14-13 win over Carson-Newman.
This marks the first Division II playoff win in Miles’ school history and the first for an SIAC school in the Division II playoffs since Tuskegee in 2016.
Miles will go on the road to face Valdosta State in the second round. They are looking to become the first SIAC school to advance to the regional final in the Division II playoffs since Tuskegee in 2015.
HISTORY!!!! @Miles_football earns 14-13 won over Carson-Newman for first @NCAADII playoff win EVER! Next up…Valdosta State! pic.twitter.com/qjjJAO3lMQ
— Miles Golden Bears (@GoldenBearsofMC) November 23, 2024
Miles defense was the backbone of win
Miles’ defense has been the team’s backbone all season, and it was a big reason why they won this contest.
With the game tied 7-7 with five minutes left in the second quarter, they produced a fumble recovery, giving the Golden Bears’ offense the ball outside the red zone.
The offense took advantage of the stop, scoring a touchdown 53 seconds later to take a 14-7 lead.
Although Carson-Newman had success running the football in the second half, the Miles defense did not break, holding them to just a field goal in five possessions.
Finally, Carson-Newman had a chance to win the game in the final minutes, and it was the Miles defense that again came through with a big stop.
Lobbing a pass in the air downfield, Malachi Oglen made a big play going up to force the interception, sealing the win for the Golden Bears.
Golden Bears made their own breaks
In a tightly contested fourth quarter, Miles dodged several bullets on the road to its eventual win that could have changed the trajectory of the final result.
Facing a 4th down and five with 1:25 remaining, Carson-Newman went for a pass and had a receiver spring open down the sideline.
With no defenders around and a for-sure first down should the ball be caught, the receiver was unable to haul in the pass, surrendering the ball back to Miles.
Despite the stop, Carson-Newman still had all of its timeouts and began using them as Miles looked to run out the clock.
On third down, Jonero Scott mishandled the handoff, fumbling the ball back to Carson-Newman, giving them another chance to score and win the game.
Thankfully, the Miles defense came through with a big stop to end Carson-Newman’s hopes for a win.