Scots Complete Perfect Run Through Final USA South Campaign
MARYVILLE – Maryville completed a football coronation here Saturday at Honaker Field, polishing off its perfect final season in the USA South.
The Scots had already clinched the conference championship but left no doubt about their dominance in a 35-14 victory against a red-hot North Carolina Wesleyan team.
Maryville improved to 7-0 in the league and finished the regular season 8-1 for the first time since 1978. In seven conference games – MC wasn't able to play the Brevard game because of Hurricane Helene – Maryville outscored league foes by an average of 44 to 10.
"Today was the culmination of years of work and sweat equity from a lot of members of our program and people associated with our program," Maryville head coach Ben Fox said. "I am so appreciative of them and appreciative of our players for the work that they've done. Appreciative of their parents for believing in us, and appreciative of our administration for believing in how we were running the program.
"I am happy for our players. They were able to win, and they'll be known as champions. That's important, and I'm happy they could realize the rewards of a lot of demanding work."
More Than Double the Yards
Maryville outgained the Battling Bishops 447-214 and had a 36:41 to 23:19 advantage in time of possession.
Entering the game as the nation's No. 1 unit in team passing efficiency defense, Maryville allowed Wesleyan a 67-yard touchdown strike from Javier Rice to Rahmir Anderson in the second quarter that closed the MC lead to 14-7. But the Bishops could muster only 60 more passing yards for the game to finish with 127 on 10-of-18 completions.
The Scots also blocked another kick, giving them nine for the season to keep them atop the Division III rankings in that category as well. Tyler Barrett smothered a Bishops punt early in the third quarter and Kemmanuel Liggett grabbed the loose ball and raced 27 yards for his second touchdown of the season and a 28-14 Scots lead.
Barrett has four blocked punts this season, three of which have been returned for touchdowns. He is one of the 24 seniors who Fox will remember fondly when thinking back on this season and on Saturday's Senior Day.
24 Special Seniors
"We had 24 walk today, some guys who have been around for a long time and were true believers," Fox said. "They were the first group I recruited.
"I remember vividly having those guys on visits and meeting them when they moved in. I'm happy for them because there are some spectacular players in this group, guys who could have done anything. But they stayed through some difficult seasons, some tough times, and kept improving, kept believing what we were doing, didn't get frustrated, didn't give up and we just got better and better and better. And they played their best football this year, their senior year, which is all you could ask."
Maryville rushed 44 times for 225 yards, the team's second-best total of the season (254 vs. Methodist). Jermaine Abner led the way with 11 carries for 85 yards – both career highs – and a 25-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Mac McCovery IV had 10 carries for 57 yards, Bryson Rollins rushed nine times for 49 and Bryson Claiborne carried 13 times for 38.
Rollins through the air was 18-of-26 for 222 yards and two touchdowns against just one interception. He is up to 2,352 passing yards for the season on a 62.9 percent completion rate, with 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Rollins has thrown a touchdown pass in 15 consecutive games dating to his sophomore season.
Steph Carter Jr. was the top pass-catcher with four for 74 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown that opened the scoring. Claiborne added four catches for 42 yards, and Amare Redd hauled in a 7-yard TD in the second quarter.
Big Day for Big Jonathan
Barrett was the top Maryville tackler with nine, followed by Devon White with eight. Jonathan Harris posted a career-high seven tackles and matched his collegiate best with two sacks. Jordan Lacey also contributed two sacks as the Scots got to the Wesleyan quarterbacks seven times.
North Carolina Wesleyan saw its streak of three straight wins and four of the last five halted here Saturday. The Battling Bishops finish the season 4-6 overall and 4-4 in the USA South.
Maryville now represents the USA South in the NCAA playoffs in this final season before the Scots depart for the Southern Athletic Association. MC learns its postseason destination on Sunday at 5 p.m. via NCAA.com.
"To win a championship is hard, and I'm glad we were able to leave the league as a champion," Fox said. "We have a lot of great memories in the USA South. We won this league a couple of times, and this conference has produced some good rivalries for us.
"Hopefully, we're going to go roaring into the national playoffs to really represent this conference to the best of our ability. We want to put our best foot forward and showcase the conference on a national stage for the last time."