Shenandoah Snaps Streak
MARYVILLE, Tenn. - Shenandoah University earned its first football win in over a season Saturday afternoon with a 7-6 USA South Conference win at Maryville College.
The loss snaps a 13-game losing streak for the Hornets (1-4, 1-1 USA South) and is the squad's first-ever victory over Maryville (1-4, 0-2).
Trailing 3-0 after the Scots hit a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter, Shenandoah got all of the offense it would need on its opening drive of the second half.
Quarterback Daniel Wright, who struggled through the first half with a lost fumble and an interception, found junior Rico Wallace for a 55-yard strike at the 12:36 mark of the third.
Running a drag route, Wallace snagged the ball at about the MC 30 and then outraced his defender into the endzone for what proved to be the game-winning score.
Maryville kept matters interesting by getting another Andrew Noboa field goal, this one 24-yards with 9:16 left in the third, but the SU defense proved up to the task.
Keeping the Scots offense out of the endzone, the Hornet defense put Shenandoah in position to win by stuffing Maryville on a 4th and 1 from the SU 44 with just over four minutes to play.
From there, SU got three first downs and advanced the ball all the way to the Scots 1 with 1:45 remaining.
With Maryville out of time-outs, Shenandoah fell on the ball three times to clinch its first victory since a 21-3 win at Catholic on September 5, 2009.
SU, which had struggled with its ground game all season long, ran for a season-high 173 yards on 50 carries Saturday to help secure the win.
Senior Keone Kyle did most of this damage, running for 145 yards on 34 carries.
Shenandoah also possessed the ball for 32:04, the first time all season long that the Hornets have won the time-of-possession battle.
The Hornets host Methodist next Saturday at 7 in a homecoming night contest.
