'Best game I ever played:' Jody Scruggs scores 5 TDs in Carter football win vs Austin-East

Carter football started the 2022 season 0-3. This year, the Green Hornets picked up their first win in Week 2.

It’s thanks to a sophomore Jody Scruggs, who said that Carter’s 41-20 win over Austin-East on Thursday was the “best game I ever played.”

It makes sense as the 5-foot-7 Scruggs carved up the Roadrunners’ defense for four rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

How does a sophomore running back score five touchdowns in his second game as a starter?

“Really just reading the field,” Scruggs said. “A lot of work in the offseason helps you read the field and my O-line man. My O-line is amazing.”

A motivating force for the young tailback was seeing some of his upperclassmen teammates down after allowing 14 points in the last 4:36 to trail 14-13 at halftime.

“I picked it up for the older guys,” Scruggs said.

Scruggs had 17 carries for 139 rushing yards and five catches for 47 receiving yards.

Carter coach Justin Pressley said that this year’s team has a lot of new players who haven’t seen “primetime action” until now. One of those players is Scruggs who got tougher when he was a freshman last season.

“Jody’s been through a lot with playing on scout team and taking beatings from those seniors last year and sticking with it and being tough,” Pressley said. “Getting the start this year is big for him and he took that and he ran with it.”

Pressley was enthusiastic with his praise of the performances of Scruggs and wide receiver Spencer Russell, who had about 150 receiving yards.

“If you don’t know Jody Scruggs and you don’t know Spencer Russell, now you do,” Pressley said. “Everybody needs to be watching for them … they stack the box on Jody. Jody went for five touchdowns. These two guys can play.”

Carter was in danger of letting the game slip away when Austin-East replaced quarterback Juwaan Troutman with starting wide receiver Shane Cherry, who is best known as a star basketball.

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Cherry took his first snap at quarterback with 4:36 remaining in the second quarter and scampered for a 16-yard run, the most explosive play up to that point for the Roadrunners.

The junior then marched down the field and used his legs to get a rushing touchdown in his first drive. After Carter turned the ball over in its kickoff return, Cherry flicked a 35-yard touchdown pass to De’Coriyeon Brown. After one successful two-point conversion after the first touchdown, the Roadrunners snatched a 14-13 lead.

Before the quarterback change, Pressley joked with his defensive coordinator that Cherry was going to be put in.

“That’s kind of a game changer,” Pressley said. “Once we made adjustments I think the kids did a great job of containing him.”

Cherry scored two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown.

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email [email protected]. Twitter @TJ3rd_.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA football: Carter beats Austin-East on Jody Scruggs' 5 TDs