SALISBURY, N.C. – Sophomore running back Mario Anderson (Summerville, S.C.) posted the third-highest rushing mark in program history to help lead the No. 17 Newberry College football team to a 34-27 victory over the Indians of Catawba College on the road on Saturday, October 15.
Anderson alone accounted for 246 yards on the ground as he scampered for four scores on the evening as well. For the second straight week he averaged nearly a first-down on every touch, averaging 9.8 yards per rush tonight while ripping off a pair of 50+ yard touchdowns. Graduate wide receiver Bryson Woodruff (Roebuck, S.C.) had a great day split wide for the Wolves as he hauled in six receptions for 126 yards and a score. Junior quarterback Brayden Phillips (Lancaster, S.C.) made his second straight start for the Scarlet and Gray, throwing for 228 yards on nine receptions.
Junior Luke Taylor (Summerville, S.C.) led the Wolves on the defensive side of the ball with eight solo tackles in the contest, including three for loss. Graduate Chico Onyekwere (Washington, D.C.) tied for the lead on sacks on the day with one as junior Carson Smith (Abbeville, S.C.) was also able to record a sack in the contest. Junior Melvin Lundy (Sumter, S.C.) recorded the lone interception of the contest and returned it 10-yards to set up a score for the Wolves.
The Wolves would start the contest with the ball and would use two long passes from Phillips to Woodruff and graduate Deshun Kitchings (Aiken, S.C.), including the 18-yard toss to Woodruff that would score the only touchdown of the contest not by Anderson to give Newberry the early 6-0 lead. Catawba would have their drive cut short and Newberry would further extend their lead on their next drive as a 68-yard strike up the middle to Woodruff would set up a 12-yard run from Anders to bring the advantage to 13-0.
Catawba would kick off the second quarter with a methodical drive to pull back to within six, but Newberry would string together a methodical drive of their own on the next possession, capped off by a two-yard rush by Anderson to put the Wolves up 20-7. The Wolves were able to draw the final Catawba drive of the opening half to a close with a timely sack by junior Malik Devine-Brown (St. Petersburg, Fla.), bringing the halftime advantage to 20-7.
After the teams traded scoreless drives to open the third quarter the Wolves were able to stop a rolling Indians drive with an interception in the hands of Lundy that would set the Wolves up just on their own side of the 50. That's when Anderson would take one play and bust out a 56-yard rush for the score to further extend the Wolves lead out to 27-7. Catawba would score on their next possession, but Anderson would again go to work once again, this time breaking off a 57-yard score to bring the Newberry advantage back to 34-13.
The Indians were able to post two touchdowns on the board in the fourth quarter, but a timely sack by senior Craig Barksdale (Easley, S.C.) and senior Devante Gambrell (Anderson, S.C.) on a last-ditch fourth down effort by Catawba would allow the Wolves to spend most of their next drive in victory formation and take home the 34-27 win.
The Wolves hit the road again next week as they look to defend the Bishop's Trophy as they travel to Hickory, N.C. to take on the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University, in what will be a likely match-up between a pair of nationally ranked teams. Kick-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
