DANVILLE, Va. – 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.
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.
Averett's offense was led by Chase Nixon and Jarrod Mosby, who each eclipsed the 60-yard receiving mark in the contest. Conner Showalter logged a game-high 11 tackles, while Isaiah Sharper and Tristin Quick each recorded eight tackles in the contest.
Brevard's defense forced a punt on Averett's first possession before BC's first drive stalled, giving the Cougars the ball near midfield. A 13-play, 55-yard scoring drive ensued, as Averett punched the ball in on fourth-and-goal to take the early advantage, 7-0, with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
After a second consecutive three-and-out by the Tornado offense, Averett used a nine-play, 54-yard offensive drive to get the ball inside the red zone, where Will Caviness connected on a 34-yard field goal attempt that extended the Cougar lead to a 10-0 margin.
Carr entered the contest under center for the Tornados, completing his first collegiate pass to Cedric Brooks. Carr went on to complete 9-of-11 passes on his first drive as a Tornado, setting Brevard up at the Averett 24-yard-line. A field goal attempt was blocked by Quick and recovered by Sharper, thwarting the BC scoring opportunity.
The Tornados forced a turnover-on-downs on the ensuing Averett drive before punting on their very next possession. Averett's last drive of the half ran out of clock, as the Cougars took their 10-0 margin into the locker rooms.
Both sides traded punts to start the third quarter, giving the Tornados the ball at their own 21-yard-line. Carr led his first touchdown drive, using a nine-play, 79-yard drive that included three receptions by Pendergrass and capped off by a 10-yard touchdown reception by Mitchell Yoder to cut Averett's lead to a 10-6 score.
BC's defense forced yet another Averett punt, giving the Tornados possession at their own 44-yard-line. A pair of Carr-to-Pendergrass connections set up a Damon Rouse four-yard touchdown rush that gave Brevard its first lead of the contest – a 12-10 advantage – following an unsuccessful extra point attempt.
Both sides traded punts on their ensuing drives, giving Averett the ball at the 6:42 mark. On the very first play from scrimmage, AU's Bryce Jackson threw a pass in the direction of Jackson that was intercepted and returned 31 yards in the opposite direction, handing BC a 19-10 lead with 6:35 remaining in the contest.
Back-to-back Averett turnovers on consecutive drives – an Akins fumble recovery followed by Pledger's second interception in as many games – effectively put the contest on ice. A last-ditch effort to score by Averett was thwarted when Naylor recorded back-to-back sacks, one alongside Lindin Gault, forcing a turnover-on-downs to hand Brevard its first victory of the Spring 2021 campaign.
The Tornados are scheduled to return to USA South West Division play on Saturday, March 13 when Brevard hosts its first modern-era football game on the physical campus of Brevard College, as BC welcomes Huntingdon College (1-0) to Ives-Lemel Family Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff in a rematch of the season-opener on February 20.
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-BC-