Presbyterian Blows By Brevard, 45-10

CLINTON, S.C. (PC SID) — The Presbyterian College football team kicked off its 2012 season in style on Saturday, cruising to a 45-10 win over visiting Brevard at Bailey Memorial Stadium. PC (1-0) exploded for 430 yards of offense and went 4-for-4 in the red zone while limiting Brevard (0-1) to scoring only the second quarter and 81 overall passing yards. The Blue Hose turned a 24-10 lead at the half into a 45-10 victory, the first season-opening win for PC since moving to Division I. Running back Lance Byrd (Jacksonville, Fla.) needed 51 yards to reach 2,000 career rushing yards and more than doubled that, going for 109 yards on the ground. The senior becomes the first Blue Hose in the Division I era to break the 2,000-yard barrier. Demarcus Rouse (North Augusta, S.C.) ran only eight times against the Tornados but made them all count, scampering for 83 yards and three touchdowns-all in the second half. Rouse first converted from 15 yards away midway through the third quarter and then scored from eight yards out early in the fourth. The sophomore running back put an exclamation point on the day with a seven-yard rush to ice the game late, 45-10. On the defensive side, Donelle Williams (Starke, Fla.) contributed six solo tackles and assisted on three more while Parrish Walker (Orlando, Fla.) and Bryson Brindle (Acworth, Ga.) each sacked Brevard quarterback Aaron Reese once. Brevard’s Aaron Reese went 9-for-15 for 81 yards passing and gained 34 on the ground. Running backs Kelvin Jeter and Andre Overholt each ran for 53 yards. The Blue Hose began the game with a bang as Michael Ruff (Whitmire, S.C.) took the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to give the home side a 7-0 lead just 16 seconds into the game. PC struck again with 8:01 left in the first quarter on a marathon drive. On the 14th play of a series that began on the team’s own four-yard line, fullback Shawn Armstrong (Sumter, S.C.) punched the ball in from 12 yards away to extend the Blue Hose lead, 14-0. Brevard’s offense continued to run into a tough Blue Hose defense as PC kept the Tornados off of the scoreboard throughout the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Aaron Mayes (Blythewood, S.C.) split the uprights on a 42-yard field goal and PC led, 17-0. The Tornados found their first points of the day on a Ben Noboa 40-yard field goal with 8:11 before halftime. The visitors moved to within seven with 1:13 left thanks to a short Aaron Reese touchdown pass to Eric Watts. PC retaliated quickly, however, and the Blue Hose marched 57 yards in 49 seconds for a score. Tamyn Garrick (Williston, S.C.) connected with Arthur Williams (Baxley, Ga.) on a short pass and the wide receiver did the rest, stiff-arming his way into the end zone to give PC a 24-10 lead heading into halftime. Garrick went 11-for-16 against the Tornados for 120 yards and left the game in the second half. Kaleb Griffin (Florence, S.C.) went a perfect 3-for-3 in relief and Chad Sanders (St. Simons Island, Ga.) completed his only pass late in the game. The Blue Hose defense stifled the Tornados in the second half in shutout fashion. The Tornados reached the 21-yard line on a long drive in third quarter, but a fourth-down pass breakup by Cedric Byrd (Tyrone, Ga.) in the end zone gave the ball back to PC. PC allowed only one first down and held the visitors to 19 total yards in the fourth quarter, despite Brevard holding the ball for 8:19 of play. The Blue Hose will next head to Georgia Tech for a Saturday night matchup on September 8. Kickoff in Atlanta, Ga., is slated for 7 p.m.