An eventful Homecoming weekend on the Brevard College campus was capped off with an instant classic Saturday night on the gridiron at Ives-Lemel Family Field, as the Brevard College football team (1-3, 1-0 USA South) won its first game of 2023 with a triple-overtime, 37-35 triumph over USA South Conference rival Maryville College (3-1, 0-1 USAS).
Sophomore quarterback Ethan Beamish connected with sophomore receiver Adam Douglas for a game-winning two-point conversion in the back of the end zone to give the Tornados a walk-off victory in the third overtime period, after Brevard's defense came up with a critical stop on Maryville's two-point attempt.
Playing the first modern-era football game on the campus of Brevard College, the Brevard College football team (2-1, 1-1 USAS) christened the newly-expanded Ives-Lemel Family Field with a crucial USA South Conference victory, 27-3, in emphatic fashion over Huntingdon College (1-1, 1-1 USAS) on Saturday afternoon.
In addition to opening up its new stadium for football play, the Tornados honored 11 football and two cheerleading seniors in a special pregame ceremony held prior to kickoff.
Reigning USA South Football Offensive Rookie of the Week Eli Carr threw for a career-high four touchdown passes, as the Asheville native completed 12-of-20 for 194 yards. One of Carr's favorite targets on the afternoon, Jonathan Woods, hauled down a pair of touchdowns for 69 receiving yards on just two catches. The first-year Tornado transfer student-athlete caught 38 and 31-yard touchdowns, both coming in the second quarter, to help the Tornados extend their lead out to three possessions.
Brevard's nationally-recognized defense flexed its muscles throughout the duration of the contest, led by senior Dante Anderson and sophomore Toby Naylor. Anderson and Naylor each tallied a career-high 13 tackles, with Anderson snagging an interception and returning it 38 yards in addition to a tackle-for-loss and two pass breakups, while Naylor – a D3Football.com Team of the Week recipient - logged three tackles-for-loss and a pair of quarterback hurries.
The Brevard College football team (1-1) came alive in the second half, scoring 19 unanswered points to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit, claiming a key 19-10 victory against fellow USA South Conference member Averett University in a non-conference contest on Saturday afternoon in Danville, Virginia.
Freshman quarterback Eli Carr threw for a game-high 212 passing yards, going 24-of-32 for a 75% completion percentage with a passing touchdown. Carr, a native of nearby Asheville, North Carolina, helped lead the Tornados to victory in his debut at the collegiate level.
Fellow freshman wide receiver Justin Pendergrass helped lead the charge offensively, grabbing a game and career-high nine catches and 104 receiving yards for an average of 11.6 yards-per-catch. Senior wideout Jamerial Parks added a pair of receptions for 45 yards, including a game-long 30-yard completion.
Brevard’s defense rose to the occasion on Saturday, forcing three big turnovers while allowing just 15 yards through the air. Toby Naylor led all Tornados with a career-high 10-tackle performance that included 1.5 sacks and two tackles-for-loss. Steffon Canady added nine tackles and a pair of TFL’s, while Dante Anderson and Quentin Jackson logged six tackles apiece. Jackson returned a pivotal 31-yard pick-six that pushed BC’s lead to a two-possession, 19-10 margin late in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 26-7 with less than three minutes to play, the Tornados scored 11 points in less than a minute to cut the deficit to an eight-point, 26-18 margin with 1:57 left to play. Huntingdon staved off Brevard's late comeback bid by killing 1:15 off the clock and pinning the Tornados inside their own 5 with less than 40 seconds to play.