Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
SALISBURY, N.C. — Sophomore running back Mario Anderson (Summerville) 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 accounted for 246 yards on the ground as he scampered for four scores on the evening. For the second straight week, he averaged nearly a first-down on every touch, averaging 9.8 yards per rush while ripping off a pair of 50+ yard touchdowns. Graduate wide receiver Bryson Woodruff (Roebuck) hauled in six receptions for 126 yards and a score. Junior quarterback Brayden Phillips (Lancaster) made his second straight start for the Scarlet and Gray, throwing for 228 yards on nine receptions.
Junior Luke Taylor (Summerville) led the Wolves on the defensive side with eight solo tackles in the contest, including three for loss. Graduate Chico Onyekwere (Washington, D.C.) tied for the lead on sacks with one as junior Carson Smith (Abbeville) was also able to record a sack in the contest. Junior Melvin Lundy (Sumter) recorded the lone interception of the contest and returned it 10-yards to set up a score for the Wolves.
The Wolves started the contest with the ball and used two long passes from Phillips to Woodruff and graduate Deshun Kitchings (Aiken), including the 18-yard toss to Woodruff, to give Newberry the early 6-0 lead. Catawba had their drive cut short and Newberry further extended their lead on their next drive as a 68-yard strike up the middle to Woodruff set up a 12-yard run from Anderson to bring the advantage to 13-0.
Catawba kicked off the second quarter with a methodical drive to pull back to within six, but Newberry strung 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 set the Wolves up just on their own side of the 50. Anderson took one play and bust out a 56-yard rush for the score, further extending the Wolves lead out to 27-7. Catawba scored on their next possession, but Anderson went 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) and senior Devante Gambrell (Anderson) on a last-ditch fourth down effort by Catawba allowed the Wolves to spend most of their next drive in victory formation and take home the 34-27 win.