BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College Football team (1-1) is set to host the first home football game on the Brevard College campus in the modern era on Saturday, as the Tornados take on Huntingdon College (1-0) in a conference rematch at Ives-Lemel Family Field in a 1 p.m. kickoff.
The Tornados will honor its 2021 graduating football senior class, alongside the BC cheerleading team, at 12:30 p.m. in a special ceremony on the turf at Ives-Lemel Family Field.
All action from Saturday afternoon will be broadcast free-of-charge on the Brevard College Athletics YouTube Channel (youtube.com/
The Presidents of the USA South Athletic Conference have agreed to adjust the Conference's policy on spectators attending any outdoor sporting event hosted by a USA South institution regardless of opponent.
The amended policy limits spectators to two per participating student-athlete, plus students, faculty and staff of the host institution while abiding with all local and state social distancing and capacity directives. No spectators of visiting teams will be permitted to attend. This adjusted policy went into effect for all events beginning on Friday, February 26th.
For further information on the Brevard College Spring Outdoor Spectator Policy, please click here.
The Tornados are fresh off a come-from-behind triumph last Saturday in Danville, Virginia, as Brevard took down fellow USA South member Averett University, 19-10, in a non-conference battle.
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.
Sophomore 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 the way with a career-high nine-tackle performance that included two tackles-for-loss. Steffon Canady added 10 tackles and 2.5 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.
Joc Pledger, who was named to D3Football.com's Team of the Week following his impressive week one performance at Huntingdon, hauled in an interception, while Logan Akins recovered a fumble that was forced by freshman linebacker Bryce Easter.
Following last Saturday’s victory, BC’s Carr was selected as the USA South Football Offensive Rookie of the Week, while Jackson and Naylor were selected to the D3Football.com’s Team of the Week.
The Tornados will be facing off with Huntingdon in a rematch of BC’s season opener, a narrow 26-18 defeat in Montgomery, Alabama.
Trailing 26-7 with less than three minutes remaining 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 five-yard line with less than 40 seconds to play.
Despite a couple of early Huntingdon touchdowns, Brevard's defense impressed in the latter stages of the contest, forcing the Hawks into six punts and holding Huntingdon to a 4-of-16 mark on third-down efficiency. The Tornado defense forced a pair of fumbles (one recovered) in addition to their drive-stalling efforts that included 11 tackles-for-loss and a pair of quarterback sacks.
Senior defensive back Dante Anderson led all players with an 11-tackle performance (seven solo, four assist) in addition to 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Sophomore defensive back Joc Pledger added eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss, a pass breakup, and a pivotal forced fumble late in the fourth quarter that gave the Tornados new life.
Steffon Canady, Toby Naylor, and Andreas Wyatt added seven tackles each, while Chris Diaz posted a six-tackle performance. Wesley Ross added four tackles, while Jerome Bass, Canady, Diaz, Derek Frazier, Tyler Harrison, Quentin Jackson, and Antonio Williams Jr. all logged tackles-for-losses. Bass and Williams Jr. each recorded a sack as well.
Junior quarterback Dalton Cole got the start under center for the Tornados, completing 12-of-26 passing attempts for 192 yards and a 30-yard touchdown pass, while also punching the ball in on a two-point conversion. Brevard's rushing attack was well-balanced, with Mitchell Yoder leading the charge with 11 carries for 45 yards. DJ Taylor added an efficient four carries for 44 yards, while Damon Rouse scored BC's first touchdown of the 2021 season – a 20-yard scamper into the end zone. Senior receiver Jamerial Parks caught three passes for 46 yards, while Jonatan Woods and Cedric Brooks each had multi-catch games in their Tornado debuts. Brooks hauled in Cole's 30-yard touchdown strike late in the fourth quarter to help kick-start BC's comeback effort.
Junior kicker Stamati Damalos knocked in a 26-yard field goal and the only extra point that the Tarpon Springs, Florida native attempted on the afternoon.
Huntingdon's Landon Cotney totaled 165 yards through the air on 25-of-31 passing and a touchdown while rushing for 84 yards on 13 attempts. Four Hawks enjoyed multi-reception games, while Casey Peppers led their defensive efforts with 10 tackles, one sack, two tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble, and a pair of fumble recoveries. Huntingdon's kicker Cole Starr went a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals and two-of-two on extra points for a grand total of 14 points scored off his right foot.
Following Saturday’s festivities at home, the Tornados enjoy a bye week before returning to the gridiron on Saturday, March 27 at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee at 2 p.m.
To follow the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, follow the Tornados on Twitter Instagram @BCTornados, subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados' on YouTube and SoundCloud, and follow 'Brevard College Tornado Athletics' on Facebook. In addition, follow 'brevardcollege' on Flickr for photos from BC events.
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