CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College football team opened its home schedule in style on Saturday, running away from the visiting Brevard College Tornados for a 42-24 win at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
PC improves to 1-1 on the year and will next head to Furman for a Saturday, September 14 date at noon in Greenville. Brevard opens its campaign at 0-1 and plays College of Faith next Saturday.
Six different Blue Hose scored a touchdown on the afternoon—one coming from the arm of quarterback Kaleb Griffin (Florence, S.C.)—and PC outscored the visitors 14-3 in the second half. The Blue Hose broke a 21-21 second quarter tie with three unanswered touchdowns to pull away from the Tornados.
Each team ran for exactly 202 yards and neither side committed a turnover. The Blue Hose outgained the Tornados, 376 to 324, and picked up 22 first downs to Brevard's 18.
Griffin went 13-for-18 through the air for 174 yards and a touchdown. Demarcus Rouse (North Augusta, S.C.) led PC's potent rushing attack with 82 yards and a touchdown. LaQua Mayes (Rose Hill, Kan.) followed with 73 yards and a score while Arthur Williams (Baxley, Ga.) and Seth Moreland (Conway, S.C.) each ran one in as well. Tobi Antigha (Tampa, Fla.) led PC receivers with five catches for 83 yards and Jeremiah McKie (Mauldin, S.C.) returned a punt for a touchdown.
Defensively, four different Blue Hose registered five and a half tackles in Cory White (Anderson, S.C.), DaRon Dickey (Greenville, S.C.), Fred Marshal (Ocilla, Ga.) and Isaiah Lynn (Fort Lawn, S.C.). Freshman defensive lineman Curtis Bey (Columbia, S.C.) came through with a sack as well.
All knotted up at 21-21 and starting a drive with 3:05 before halftime, the Blue Hose moved methodically for 74 yards and capitalized. Facing third and nine, Griffin came out of a timeout and found Joey Gilkey (Woodstock, Ga.) wide open for a 22-yard score that put PC back in front, 28-21.
After halftime, a 10-play Brevard drive yielded no points and gave the ball back to PC. The two-headed rushing attack of Mayes and Rouse pushed the ball down the field before Acey Palmer (Atlanta, Ga.) hauled in a seven-yard pass to convert a fourth down deep in Tornado territory. PC continued to pound the ball and Rouse punched it in from five yards out, putting PC ahead 35-21 shortly before the fourth quarter.
Another lengthy drive in the fourth quarter added to the PC lead. The home side put together an 11-play series that ended in a three-yard Moreland rush, the senior's first score since November 19, 2011 and an injury-plagued 2012.
Brevard broke its scoring drought 18 seconds before the final whistle. With Brevard threatening, Kenyon Brown (Clinton, S.C.) made a diving pass breakup in the end zone to bring up the field goal unit. The Tornados converted to break the second-half shutout and PC sealed the win shortly after, 42-24.
The Tornados drew first blood, scoring on their eight-play, 76-yard opening drive with a three-yard Jordan Ollis rush. Ollis gained 62 yards on 18 carries, shy of leading rusher Kelvin Jeter's 102 yards on 19 attempts.
PC answered five minutes later. A Brevard punt landed in the arms of a waiting Jeremiah McKie, who scampered 50 yards for a touchdown to tie the game, 7-7.
Brevard went back ahead shortly before the end of the first, using four plays to move down the field and score on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Andre Overholt that gave the visitors a 14-7 lead.
The Blue Hose, true to the form of the game, tied the contest again early in the second quarter. On second down, Arthur Williams took the handoff an end-around, broke a tackle and sped 22 yards into the end zone for a PC touchdown.
The defense then held the Tornados to a three-and-out and a punt that put the Blue Hose on the 50-yard line. PC took advantage of the field position, beginning with a 22-yard completion to McKie and ending three plays later on a Mayes five-yard touchdown rush. The score marked Mayes's first touchdown at PC.
Punter Stephen Doar enjoyed a strong afternoon, booming three punts for an average of 42.3 yards and landed all three inside the 20-yard line. The Blue Hose offensive line also allowed only one sack on the day.
The result gave PC its second straight win over Brevard following last year's 45-10 season-opening victory.
