The statistics say that Maryville College defeated the University of the South 42-30, but the fans that traveled to Sewanee, Tennessee and Hardee-McGee Field as well as those following via live video would be hard pressed to tell you they saw the Scots victory due to heavy fog on the mountain.
Maryville used a 14 point final quarter to pull away for their second victory of the season.
Sewanee (1-2) got on the scoreboard first when they marched down the field on their first possession. The 12 play, 61 yard drive was capped when Callum Wishart connected on a 24 yard field goal.
Following a poor MC punt, the Tigers capitalized after getting the ball on the Scots' 45 yard line. On the fourth play, Devante Jones dashed 11 yards to score. Wishart's kick gave Sewanee a 10-0 lead.
Trailing by a pair of scores, Maryville utilized strong running by Travis Felder and a long reception by Ed Johnson to get into the red zone. Evan Pittenger called his own number and scampered eight yards for a touchdown run. Lucas Underwood's kick made the score 10-7.
The end of the first quarter saw Sewanee sustain a long drive via their ground attack converting four third down attempts. As the second quarter began, the Tigers finished off a 16 play scoring drive when Curtis Johnson dove into the end zone from one yard out. Sewanee's conversion failed making the score 16-7 in favor of Sewanee.
The Scots looked to answer trailing by nine. Hard running by Chad Brooks and a great catch by Ed Johnson helped MC march down the field for a 69 yard scoring drive. Pittenger once again found pay dirt from a yard out and Underwood's kick made the score 16-14 with eight minutes remaining before the intermission.
Sewanee's Powers Spencer answered on the next possession with a strong 83 yard kick-off return. On the doorstep, the Tigers' Devante Jones ran eight yards for a touchdown. Wishart's kick made the score 23-14 in less than ten seconds of possession.
MC's Ed Johnson emulated Spencer's run taking the following kick-off to midfield. Three plays later, Travis Felder dashed around the left side from 16 yards out to score. Underwood's PAT pulled the Scots to within one score with a 23-21 disadvantage at the break.
As visibility began wane due to the fog, MC made numerous defensive adjustments and the Scots offense pulled away.
The opening drive of the third quarter saw Maryville drive 88 yards on 11 plays eating up four minutes on the clock. Travis Felder found the end zone from three yards out for his second score of the game. The conversion gave MC their first lead at 28-23 with eleven minutes left in the third quarter.
Sewanee would once again pull into the lead with an eight play, 61 yard scoring drive. Charlie Powell scampered 27 yards for the touchdown to close out the third stanza. Entering the final quarter, Sewanee held a 30-28 advantage.
With eight minutes remaining, Maryville pulled a reverse out of the playbook and Blake Williams dashed 32 yards for the score. The kick gave MC a lead for good, 35-30.
The Scots' defense held the Tigers and forced a late turnover with four minutes remaining. Maryville finished off the scoring with a four-yard Felder touchdown run.
Sewanee (1-2) rushed for 254 yards on 60 carries. Devante Jones averaged 6.6 yards per carry after running for 105 yards. Defensively, the Tigers were led by Dave McKeithen with 11 solo tackles and 16 total stops.
Maryville (2-1) ran for 338 total yards on 54 attempts. Travis Felder finished with 176 yards on 34 attempts averaging over five yards a carry. Evan Pittenger ran 14 times for 110 yards. Pittenger was 7-for-9 for 78 yards. Ed Johnson was his favorite target hauling in three catches for 54 yards. Lucas Underwood converted six PAT's and Ed Johnson had six kickoff returns for 133 yards, averaging 22 yards a return. On defense, MC's Dylan Wolfenbarger tallied nine solo tackles with 13 total tackles. Jamie Owen and Zack Brown each added eight tackles.
The Scots will play their first home game of the season next weekend when they host Methodist University for MC's Homecoming. The USA South opener will begin at 2:00 on the Scots' legendary Honaker Field.