Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director

MARYVILLE, Tenn. – The Brevard College Football team (0-3, 0-1) suffered its first USA South Conference setback on Saturday as the Tornados fell to the Maryville Scots (1-2, 0-1) by a final score of 29-3. This matchup marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and also marked the first official USA South Conference game for the Tornados, as they were ineligible for regular season conference play last year due to NCAA Division III transition.

Maryville broke through first on the scoreboard, scoring at the 11:07 mark in the first quarter.  After a Brevard opening drive resulted in a punt, Maryville marched down the field and drilled a 35-yard field goal to put the Scots on top 3-0. The Tornados would promptly answer back, as a 13-play, 46-yard drive resulted in a 20-yard Jose Flores field goal to tie the score at 3-3.

Unfortunately for Head Coach Bill Khayat's squad, the scoring would end there for the afternoon. Maryville would go on to score 26 unanswered points en route to the 29-3 victory. The Scots had the Tornados' number on both sides of the ball throughout the contest, as Maryville tallied 454 yards of total offense while holding Brevard to only 106 yards of offense. The Scot's third-down efficiency played a key role in the outcome of this game, as Maryville converted 47% (8 of 17) of their third downs compared to Brevard's 18% (2 of 11).

A couple of Brevard newcomers continued to build on their impressive work donning the blue and white. All-around athlete Ralph Roman III was active in his duties as the team's punter, as he sent six balls into the stratosphere for 226 total yards, translating to an average of 37.7 yards per punt. His longest punt of the day was a 45-yard boot. He also added one reception for three yards in this game. Freshman speedster Jayveon love enjoyed a nice outing as well. Love exploded for a 41-yard kickoff return, while Brevard newcomer Devon edge added a 34-yard return that set Brevard up for its first score of the afternoon.

Senior wideout Bubba Craven led the Tornados' receiving core on what was a slow day gaining yards through the air. Craven snagged four passes for a team-leading 39 yards.

The Defensive Turnover Title Belt made an appearance on Saturday afternoon. Freshman Kaleb Woods snagged an interception to open up the third quarter for the Brevard defense.

Samuel Butikofer highlighted the defensive effort for Brevard by racking up 13 total tackles alongside one sack. Wesley Ross added ten tackles to the effort. JeQuan George also recorded a sack, the first one of his BC career. Kyle Fennell forced the lone Maryville fumble on the night, however, it was promptly recovered by the Scots.

The Tornados will have a chance to rebound at home. BC makes its long-awaited home debut of 2018 with a USA South Conference matchup against the Methodist Monarchs. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Brevard Memorial Stadium in Brevard, N.C.