Scots Thwart Unbeaten Blazers, Then Explode in Overtime
MARYVILLE – Magnolia Bowl Redux turned out even better than the original.
Maryville made it 2-for-2 in late-season games against big bad Belhaven, winning a classic old-school football game 20-7 in overtime here Saturday.
You read that score correctly. After Bryson Rollins' 2-yard run put the Scots ahead 14-7 in the extra session, Maryville's Mike Bethea intercepted a fourth-down Blazers pass and took it 78 yards to the house to hand Belhaven its first loss of the season.
Bethea's pick was the only turnover of the afternoon.
"The game came down to the defensive line playing really well and controlling the game up front, and Bryson making enough plays offensively with him being special and magic and giving us a chance to win," Scots head coach Ben Fox said. "Our defensive front really rose to the challenge. We knew it was going to come down to them."
Maryville limited a Belhaven team averaging 40 points, 292 rushing yards and 475 yards of total offense to just 7, 96 and 211, respectively. The only Blazer points came with just 1:38 on the clock – in the fourth quarter!
Belhaven's previous season-low for points came in a 29-3 thumping of Huntingdon on Oct. 7, and the low since the Blazers joined the USA South was last year's 20-7 victory against Brevard. The Scots won 25-22 last year in Jackson in the debut of the Magnolia Bowl.
Scots Playing Stingy D
For the Scots, this was the third time in the last four games they limited an opponent to single-digit points, and the fourth time this season. A scoring defense average that was 22.0 through four games is down to 17.0 through eight. That's second in the USA South to Belhaven's 11.1.
Maryville went ahead 7-0 on the team's fourth possession of the game. The Scots marched 60 yards in 10 plays, with Rollins finding Steph Carter Jr., on a 3-yard pass in the back of the end zone with 9:13 remaining before halftime.
Rollins finished 20-of-37 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed 22 times (including six sacks) for 79 net yards. The passing total was a season-low for Rollins and the second-lowest for his career. He passed for 93 yards a year ago at Centre in his second game as a collegian.
Nine Quarterback Pressures
While the Scots didn't register a sack against Belhaven's Tim Johnson, they did pressure the Blazers quarterback nine times. Ryan Moog had three pressures and Jacob Berven two, with single QB hurries for Devon White, Jonathan Harris, Taylor Thomas and Tyler Barrett.
White was the game's tackle leader with 13, followed closely by Tyler Bost with 10. White for the season is up to 59 tackles, with Bost close behind at 50.
Fox said discipline and effort were the keys to Saturday's win.
"We didn't turn it over; we didn't have an insane number of penalties; we stayed in the game and possessed the ball," Fox said. "We had a plan that this was going to be a gross and ugly game with a lot of possessions. I told our guys, 'This is not going to be a track meet and back and forth. It's going to be what your grandparents like about football.
"We have the ability to play that way and play games like that. It went almost exactly the way I wanted it to go, and I was really happy for our guys."
"Hard to Play Against'
Corey Russell made six receptions for 61 yards, followed by Nick Dagel with four for 30.
"I've got a ton of respect for Coach (Blaine) McCorkle, their team and how they operate," Fox said of the Blazers. "Our league is probably misjudged a little bit in that the top of our league is really good and as good as anybody of comparable standing.
"Belhaven is certainly very talented; they play complementary football and they don't beat themselves. They are hard to play against."
Trip to Rocky Mount Awaits
Maryville's next opponent is a North Carolina Wesleyan team that won 27-3 at Methodist on Saturday for their fourth victory in a row to improve to 4-4 overall and 4-1 in the USA South. They are the team immediately in front of the Scots in the conference standings.
Maryville is now 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the USA South.
"Continuing to improve, trying to reach our full potential and be the best team we can be," Fox said of what lies ahead over the final two weeks of the season. "I don't know if we are there yet; we got closer today.
"The trip to North Carolina Wesleyan is going to be very difficult. I really respect Coach (Jeff) Filkovski and they are playing really well. We're going to have to play high-level football to come out with a win. We are going to enjoy the heck out of tonight and I hope our players have a blast being together. Then we will come back with a renewed sense of purpose and spirit on Monday."