MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Maryville College battled back from an early deficit and held a lead into the second half, but Hanover scored the final 17 points of the game to defeat the Scots 43-26 Saturday afternoon at Lloyd L. Thornton Stadium.
The loss drops Maryville to 0-2 on the season, while Hanover improves to 2-0. The game was played before a crowd of 6,487 on a very wet afternoon.
Hanover jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter, scoring touchdowns on its first two scoring drives. Eian Roudebush connected with DJ Grinter for a 64-yard touchdown before finding Scotty Johnson for a 38-yard score.
Maryville answered with a touchdown late in the first quarter. Freshman quarterback Jaxon Dabrowski capped a four-play, 20-yard drive with an eight-yard
touchdown pass to Jalen McCullough, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with 6:03 remaining in the opening period.
The Scots continued their surge in the second quarter.
Mushaba Zulu broke free for a 31-yard touchdown run with 11:43 remaining in the half, tying the game at 14-14. Dabrowski then gave Maryville its first lead of the afternoon, scoring on a 14-yard rushing touchdown with 7:57 left in the second quarter to put the Scots ahead 20-14.
Hanover answered before halftime, with Roudebush breaking loose for a 55-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds remaining. The two point conversion gave the Panthers a 22-20 advantage at the break.
Maryville reclaimed the lead early in the third quarter. Dabrowski scored his second rushing touchdown of the day, this time from five yards out, finishing a five-play, 48-yard drive and putting the Scots ahead 26-22 with 7:18 remaining in the period.
Hanover responded with a lengthy 13-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Don Dunning as time expired in the third quarter. The touchdown put the Panthers ahead 29-26 entering the final period.
The Panthers added two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away. Roudebush scored his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a one-yard run with 2:10 remaining, and Hosia Smith returned a fumble four yards for a defensive touchdown with 1:19 to play, sealing the 43-26 final.
Maryville finished with 355 yards of total offense, including 161 rushing yards and 194 passing yards. The Scots also converted three of four trips into the red zone into touchdowns.
Dabrowski led the Scots offensively, rushing 20 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns while completing 14 of 25 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. He also connected with Casey Cobble for a 41-yard completion late in the fourth quarter.
Zulu added 34 rushing yards and a touchdown on six carries while catching three passes for 30 yards. McCullough recorded two receptions for nine yards, including his eight-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
Defensively, Bryce Currie led Maryville with eight tackles, while Caden Walker recorded six tackles and Gaven Aldridge added six tackles, including a sack. The Scots finished with 80 total tackles and eight tackles for loss.
The Scots' defense also held Hanover to 126 rushing yards, but the Panthers' passing attack produced 242 yards through the air. Roudebush completed 15 of 23 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns while adding 59 rushing yards and three rushing scores.
