Anderson Leads Rushing Attack as Wolves Ground Fleet, 48-10

GREENWOOD, S.C. – Redshirt-sophomore Mario Anderson (Summerville, S.C.) led the Wolves offense with 167 yards and two scores as a balanced rushing attack led the Newberry College (7-2) football team to a 48-10 win over the Erskine College Flying Fleet (3-6) at J.W. Babb Stadium on Saturday, October 30.

Anderson averaged nearly first-down yardage on each of his 17 touches on the afternoon while senior ZeBrandon Gant (Springfield, Ga.) scampered for two touchdowns of his own as he ran for 64 yards on six rushes in the contest. Redshirt-senior Dre Harris (Greenville, S.C.) posted another impressive day through the air as he went 11-for-13 for 178 yards and a score while also staying balanced with a rushing touchdown as well.

Graduate student Bobby Irby (Irmo, S.C.) led the receiving core with 73 yards and the lone receiving touchdown on just two catches. Redshirt-senior Bryson Woodruff (Roebuck, S.C.) wrangled in four tosses for 48 yards. The defense was again led by graduate student Anthony Blue (Newton, N.C.) with five tackles while redshirt-sophomore Andre Amaker (Sumter, S.C.) was able to record the game’s lone interception.

Sophomore Trey Irby (Irmo, S.C.) was a menace on the defensive line as he was able to record a sack in the contest for a loss of eight yards. Redshirt-junior AJ Valentine (Johnston, S.C.) was able to force the only fumble for the Bulldogs on the evening.

The Fleet would win the opening kick-off and defer to the second half giving the Wolves the ball to open the contest. Thought the Wolves were only able to post a field goal from redshirt-junior Ray Cotton (Summerville, S.C.) from 32-yards out, the drive would start the day for Anderson as he highlighted the drive with a 50-yard scamper on the third play from scrimmage.

Erskine would drive deep into Newberry territory on their first possession, but a rush for a loss and a combo sack from sophomore Juwan Moye (Lilburn, Ga.) and graduate student Tyran Dixon (Columbia, S.C.) would bring the drive to a halt and force them to punt. The Wolves would be much more methodical down the field on their second drive of the contest as they nickel and dimed the Fleet defense, but a late sack would force the Wolves to send out the field goal unit again, but Cotton would convert from 41-yards out to give Newberry the 6-0 lead.

Newberry would get the ball after a short Fleet drive and would use two big chunk plays, both from Harris to Irby through the air, one for 43-yards and the other for 30-yards, which would in turn be the scoring play for the Wolves as they would score their first touchdown of the afternoon and take the 13-0 lead.

The Newberry defense would force another three-and-out and give the ball back to their offense on their own 20. Another methodical drive for the Wolves this time with two running back splitting the load with Anderson and Gant taking turns in the backfield but it would be Gant who would find paydirt for Newberry as he was able to punch it in from just two yards out and give the Wolves the 20-0 lead. Erskine would then put together their best drive of the first half as they drove down the field and were able to convert a field goal as the clock expired with Newberry taking the 20-3 lead into the locker room.

Erskine would start with the ball in the second half but would not hold onto it long as Valentine would force a fumble on just the third play from scrimmage and the Wolves would quickly turn that turnover into points as Anderson would take it to the house from 27-yards to extend the Newberry lead to 27-3. Erskine would again have a short drive as they were forced to punt after just four plays.

The Scarlet and Gray continued their scoring ways as Anderson would take the bulk of the carries on the drive, including a 21-yard rush that left the Wolves in the red zone and he would finish his own work just a few plays later as he would take it in from a yard out, giving Newberry the 34-3 advantage. Two plays would be ran by the Fleet before the ball found its way back into the hands of the Wolves offense as Amaker was able to pick off the Fleet’s pass.

Two plays later, Harris would take the ball himself from nine yards out and give the Wolves another score on the board, now leading 41-3. A nearly three-minute three-play drive by Erskine would bring the clock down to under two-minutes in the third quarter before giving possession back for Newberry. They would keep the ball on the ground and capped off a 13 play, 81-yard drive with a one-yard rush by Gant to score the final points of the game for Newberry.

Erskine would score a touchdown in the late minutes of the fourth quarter before Newberry would set up in the victory formation for the final drive, leaving Greenwood with the 48-10 win.

The Wolves return home next week as they take on the Bulldogs on Wingate University in a game that will have major South Atlantic Conference and regional implications. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. with senior-day festivities to take place during pre-game