Box Score Halftime Lead Gets Away in 20-14 Defeat
ROME, Ga. – Maryville gave five-time defending Southern Athletic Association champion Berry all it could handle before dropping a hard-fought 20-14 decision Saturday night.
The Scots led 14-7 at halftime and began the second half on offense. But 25th-ranked Berry limited Maryville to just 49 yards on 28 plays after intermission and put together just enough offense to escape.
"I'm very proud of how hard our players played tonight," Maryville head coach Ben Fox said. "Obviously, we had too many mistakes. If we can keep playing hard and playing together, we will get everything else figured out. We have a lot of to work on to give ourselves a chance, but this group will get there.
"Berry is a program with a championship pedigree. You must play well to win games against teams like that. We played hard and played well on defense, but we didn't play well enough as a team to win."
The Vikings took the lead with scores on each of their first two second-half possessions. They blocked a Maryville punt and needed just two plays for Brandon Cade to find the end zone from 4 yards out, making it 14-14 early in the quarter.
Then Berry drove into field goal range and Matt Syverson connected from 33 yards out with 4:18 left in the third for a 17-14 Vikings advantage.
Syverson connected again from 28 yards out early in the fourth, but his miss from 23 yards handed the Scots one last chance with 4:42 to play.
But it was one final four-and-out for Maryville and Berry was able to run out the clock.
More Plays, More Clock
Maryville finished with a 59-53 lead in offensive plays, and time of possession also went the Scots way by a 32:41 to 27:19 count. But Berry outgained the Scots 254-169 and finished with 4.8 yards per play to Maryville's 2.9.
Scots quarterback Nelson Smith finished 15-of-26 passing for 141 yards. He accounted for both Maryville TDs – one through the air to Mykel Santos and the other on the ground.
Braden Dunson led the Maryville ball-carriers with 27 yards on seven carries, and Santos caught five passes for 31 yards. Andrew Gentry added a pair of receptions for 44 total yards, including a long of 23.
On defense for the Scots, Caden Harbin was the tackle leader with five solo stops. Jamarcus Dunn and Grant Agnew added four tackles apiece, while Nate Gregory added a sack for 10 yards and Marique Lucas a sack for minus-5.
Fast Start to the First
Maryville led 14-7 at halftime, with all the points coming in the first quarter.
Berry scored first when Maryville mishandled a punt formation deep in its own territory. Two plays later, Vikings QB Gavin Gray found Jake Bretz for a 23-yard TD pass and it was 7-0.
Maryville answered on the ensuing drive. The Scots went 72 yards in 11 plays, culminating in Smith's 16-yard pass to Santos with 2:05 left in the quarter.
Berry returned the turnover favor on its next possession, botching its own punt snap. The Scots took over at the Viking 5 and Smith needed just one carry to push the visitors in front 14-7.
Maryville made the defensive highlight of the night in the second quarter, a goal line stand that preserved the lead. Berry had first-and-goal at the 4-yard line and then two plays inside the 1, only to be stoned by the Maryville defense on back-to-back carries.
First Responders Day
The Scots open their home schedule next Saturday against another SAA opponent in Centre. It's First Responders Day for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Honaker Field.
