The Maryville College Fighting Scots used a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive effort to push their winning streak to six games following a 53-14 win over Ferrum College on MC's Honaker Field Saturday afternoon.
The Scots gained 257 yards on the ground while quarterback Evan Pittenger added an additional 289 yards via the air for a 546 yard offensive attack in only 59 plays.
Ferrum took an early lead on their first possession. On a 16 play drive that ate up over eight minutes of possession, the Panthers were stopped on a third and short by MC's Ronnie Wright and Gabe Johnson. Ferrum's Wesley Franklin connected on a 31-yard field goal for the 3-0 lead.
Maryville took the ensuing kickoff and marched 60-yrads in six plays to take the lead for good. Pittenger scrambled and hit Ed Johnson for a 43-yard TD strike. The conversion failed and MC led 6-3 as the first quarter came to a close.
Maryville fumbled following a potential TD reception giving Ferrum the ball on the goal line. Deep in their own territory, Ferrum could not gain any momentum. On MC's next possession they marched 42 yards on 10 plays for a score. With just over seven minutes remaining before the half, Evan Pittenger connected with Blake Williams for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Wes Bloeme's kick made the score 13-3.
The Scots' next possession began around mid-field as the defense put tremendous pressure on the Panther quarterback. An 18 yard pass to Blake Williams and hard running by Trenton Shuler set up Travis Felder for a 21 yard touchdown scamper. The PAT failed and MC extended their lead to 19-3.
As the Panthers drove on their next possession, MC's Kent Minor stripped Marty Haley and the Scots' Tyler Todd recovered the fumble. A 19 yard pass to Ed Johnson by Pittenger put Maryville into the end zone once again in less than 40 seconds. Lucas Underwood's kick made the score 26-3 with three minutes left before the intermission.
Ferrum would not go quietly before the half.
The Panthers used a 23 yard pass play to get into Mc territory before Tim Reyvolds hit Matthew Kennell in the back of the end zone with a 15 yard scoring strike. Reynolds ran the two-point conversion in and the score stood at 26-11.
On the following kick-off, MC's Trenton Shuler fumbled giving Ferrum an opportunity to score with 38 seconds left. They settled for a 22-yard field goal by Wesley Franklin. At the break, Maryville College led 26-14.
Behind the 18 tackle effort by Dylan Wolfenbarger, 12 tackles afternoon by Gabe Johnson, and constant pressure on the quarterback by Jamie Owen, Joshua Krebs, and Jonathan Clark, Maryville's defense pitched a shutout in the second half.
Maryville took the second half kick and quickly marched down the field in five plays. A 12-yard pass to Johnson and a 47 yard scramble and connection with Dalton Graumann put MC on the Ferrum 12-yard line. Travis Felder pushed the ball across the goal line for a two-yard score giving the Scots a 32-14 lead. A battle for field possess moved the game into the forth quarter with the Scots driving at mid-field.
Travis Felder took his fifth touch of the drive to the house, a 39 yard dash to the end zone. Bloeme's kick made the score 39-14 to begin the final period.
As the defense continued to pressure the Panther backfield, MC's offense had another quick strike score. Strong runs by Chad Brooks brought MC close to the mid-field. Pittenger connected with Ed Johnson for a 53 yard passing touchdown. Bloeme's kick gave the Scots a 46-14 advantage with nine minutes left in the game.
A fumble recovered by Kent Minor gave MC the ball. Quarterback Nick Myers dashed down the field 45 yards to put Maryville on the doorstep. Myers capped the six-play, 65 yard drive with a four-yard TD run. Bloeme's kick finished off the Scots' scoring giving Maryville the 53-14 victory.
Ferrum (2-5, 2-2 USA South) was led by Tae Gilbert's 74 yards on 17 carries. Tim Reynolds added 46 yards on the ground while throwing for 149 yards after going 11-for-25 via the air. BJ Jennings hauled down four passes for 67 reception yards. The Panthers finished with 210 rushing yards and 174 yards in the air. Defensively, Chris Ham totaled seven tackles. Spencer hall, Anthony Orton, and Shapiro Keeling added six stops.
Maryville (7-1, 5-0 USA South) was paced by Travis Felder's 137 rushing yards on 17 attempts while scoring three touchdowns. Nick Myers added 49 yards with Trenton Shuler finishing with 32. Evan Pittenger was 14-for-18 for 289 passing yards, connecting for four touchdown via the air. Ed Johnson was Pittenger's favorite target bringing down eight passes for 168 yards and three scores. Blake Williams added a touchdown and four receptions for 68 yards. MC's defense was led by Dylan Wolfenbarge (18 tackles), Gabe Johnson (12 tackles, sack, QB hurry), Josh Krebs (9 tackles, 4 QBH), Zane Quesenberry (7 tackles), and Zach Capehart (6 tackles, 4 QBH).
The 7-1 beginning to a season is the best MC football start since the 1978 season. The Scots will be idle next week and will return to action on November 9th when they host Greensboro College on Honaker Field for "Senior Day".