BREVARD, N.C. – After shutting out the high-powered Monarch offense in the first half, the Brevard College football team (2-3, 2-0 USA South) held off a late Methodist University (2-4, 1-2 USAS) rally and made a goal-line stand on a two-point conversion attempt with less than a minute remaining to seal a 22-20 victory to cap a festive Homecoming weekend on the campus of Brevard College.
Senior running back Mitchell Yoder led a revitalized rushing attack that amassed a season-high 202 yards on the ground, as the Columbus, North Carolina native scampered for 123 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown and a long run of 49 yards on the afternoon. The total marked the fourth time that Yoder has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in his Tornado career. Chancellor Lee-Parker eclipsed 40 yards on the ground for the second straight week, rushing six times for 49 yards with a 42-yard touchdown to find the endzone for the second contest in a row.
Jaden O'Leary led the Tornados in receptions (five) and yards (37), while Miles Hayes made his third start of the year under center, going 15-for-24 with 105 passing yards and an interception. Dalton Cole rushed twice, caught three passes for 16 yards, and threw a team-long 30-yard pass on a trick play to O'Leary.
Stamati Damalos went 3-for-5 on field goal attempts with a long of 39 yards, while also making an extra point as the senior from Tarpon Springs, Florida accounted for 10 of BC's 22 points. Joe Powell, a hometown native of Brevard and graduate of Brevard High School, handled the punting duties for the first time in his collegiate career, punting four times for 164 yards with a long of 61. Powell pinned three punts inside the 20-yard-line. Nicholas Acus handled the kicking duties for the first time in his collegiate career – an outing that included a rare 37-yard kick that spun back the Tornados way for an onside recovery late in the first quarter. Cooper Hogan paced the return game with a 45-yard kickoff return.
Senior linebacker Toby Naylor turned in yet another impressive performance to lead a Tornado defense that shut down one of the conference's most high-powered offenses, logging 13 tackles with a sack, four tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Fellow senior linebacker Jerome Bass added 10 tackles with ½ TFL, a forced fumble, and a QB hurry. Tyler Harrison and Wyatt Lankford each had six tackles, while Joc Pledger had four tackles and a team-high four pass breakups to lock down the Methodist passing attack. Grequenceo Coger Jr. made his first start as a Tornado with three tackles that included 1 ½ tackles-for-loss, while Ernest Smith II totaled a QB sack.
BC was able to control possession and outgain the Methodist offense 337-237 in total yards, as the Tornados held a sizeable 202-59 advantage on the ground. Brevard's defense forced nine Methodist punts, while its offense held the ball for over 35 minutes. The Tornado ground attack averaged 5.2 yards-per-rush compared to Methodist's 2.1. Methodist's defense was able to force a pair of turnovers – one on an interception in the third quarter and another on a bad snap fumble by the BC offense early in the fourth period.
Following a game-opening 45-yard kickoff return by Hogan, the Tornado offense used a seven-play drive to get in field goal range, as the Tornados took an early 3-0 lead after Damalos' 28-yard field goal.
BC forced a three-and-out on Methodist's first possession, but the Tornados came up empty on their next drive after a 47-yard field goal attempt was no good. Brevard's defense smothered the Monarchs on the next possession with another three-and-out before a lengthy eight-play, 51-yard drive resulted in Yoder's one-yard touchdown run, giving the Tornados a 10-0 advantage.
Acus put serious backspin on a 37-yard kickoff that landed in the hands of Jake Hage, giving the Tornados the ball back deep inside Monarch territory. However, the Tornados were derailed after personal foul and holding penalties forced BC to punt the ball away.
Brevard's defense held strong, forcing yet another three-and-out. BC was unable to capitalize after a 36-yard field goal attempt was missed, but the Tornado defense came through yet again with their fourth-straight three-and-out.
The Tornado offense took advantage of opportune field position, getting within Damalos' range as the senior hit from 28 yards out to extend the BC lead to a 13-0 margin.
Brevard remarkably forced its fifth punt in a row, as Methodist once again ran three plays with no success. The Tornados were forced to punt themselves, and the Monarchs put together a nine-play, 45-yard possession. After a third-and-two stand thanks to a pass breakup from Coger Jr., Methodist was forced to punt for the sixth time in the first half, as the Tornados ran the clock down to take their 13-0 lead to the halftime locker rooms.
The Tornados had held the Monarchs to just 37 yards total in the first half and forced five three-and-outs and six total punts while shutting out the highly-regarded Methodist offense.
Both sides opened the third period with three-and-out possessions. Powell flipped the field on the Monarchs with his 61-yard punt that rolled inside the 20-yard-line. BC's defense forced its eighth punt of the contest, but Hayes threw an interception that set Methodist up inside the Brevard red zone.
The Monarchs punched the ball in as Brandon Bullins found Tyquan Eaddy for a four-yard touchdown reception, cutting the Tornado lead to a six-point margin, 13-7.
Brevard's offense was able to answer right back, after a short kickoff and a 20-yard Hogan return gave the Tornados the ball on their own 40. After Devonte Murray picked up a first down on a reception from Hayes, Lee-Parker powered his way for a 42-yard touchdown run that pushed the BC lead back up to a 12-point margin, 19-7, after Damalos' extra point attempt was blocked.
Eaddy scored his second touchdown of the day – this time on the ground – as he capped an eight-play, 65-yard Monarch drive that leaked into the fourth quarter, making it a 19-14 affair in favor of the Tornados. BC had a costly wild snap fumble on its next possession that set up Methodist in prime real estate at the BC 26-yard-line.
The Tornado defense answered the call to action, as Naylor brought down Bullins on a QB sack on the first play of the ensuing drive. That play set the tone for Methodist's eight-play drive that went just 13 yards and ended with a missed 30-yard field goal attempt, leaving the score 19-14 in favor of Brevard.
After both teams traded punts on their next late-game drives, the Tornados were able to eat some clock and use a six-play, 67-yard drive to get into field goal range, as Damalos drilled his third field goal of the day – this one from 39-yards out – to extend the lead to an eight-point margin, 22-14.
The Monarchs, staring at a game clock that had just two minutes and 36 seconds remaining on it, used a game-long 15-play, 52-yard drive that ended with star receiver Kobe Praylow punching the ball in from one yard out as the visitors pulled to within two points, 22-20. Sophomore defensive back and former USA South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week James Woods made the game-saving tackle on the two-point conversion, drilling Bullins on a QB scramble that saved a potential game-tying scenario. The Monarchs were forced to attempt an onside kick that went out of bounds, as the Tornados kneeled the ball down to ice the important 22-20 victory on Homecoming Saturday, giving Brevard its first win over the Monarchs since the 2018 season.
Brevard returns to action next week for another pivotal USA South matchup, as it hits the road for the first time in conference play to take on defending USA South champion Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday, October 15 at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.
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