Football | 11/9/2013 8:51:00 PM

Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Quarterback Max Reber tossed five touchdown passes, and the Methodist football team won its fifth straight game, 52-41, at Huntingdon College on Saturday afternoon.
 
Reber, who entered the game leading NCAA Divison III in total offense, completed 20-of-28 passes for 292 yards with the five touchdowns and rushed for 126 yards on 18 carries, accounting for 418 of MU's 520 total yards. Huntingdon actually outgained Methodist, 624-520, including 252 passing yards from Ryne Taylor and 229 passing yards from Taylor Hughes. Each HC (6-3) quarterback threw for three touchdowns on the day.
 
The Hawks began the day's scoring, taking the opening kick and marching 72 yards in 10 plays before Taylor found Brantly Carr for a 32-yard scoring strike and an early 7-0 lead following David Ballard's extra point just 3:40 into the contest. The Monarchs answered right back, going 68 yards in 11 plays and tying the game at 7-7 on a Reber to Vaughn Cross connection from 18 yards out at the 7:50 mark of the opening quarter.
 
Methodist took its first lead of the game, 14-7, as Marquies Hall plunged in from two yards out, and Jordan Rieling converted the point after. The lead was short-lived, however, as on the Hawks' next play from scrimmage, Carr reeled in a 70-yard touchdown reception to knot the game at 14-14.
 
Midway through the second quarter, HC took a 21-14 lead on Taylor's third touchdown pass of the game, this one going to Jamichael Bibb and covering 21 yards. The Monarchs needed just 1:25 on their next drive to tie the score at 21-21 as Reber found Cross from 43 yards out with 3:41 left in the half.
 
In the third quarter, the Monarchs gained a lead they would not relinquish as they opened the stanza with a pair of scores to go up, 35-21. Darius Page made it 28-21 with a one-yard scoring run, and Cross caught his third touchdown of the game, a five-yard reception, to push MU's lead to 35-21 with 8:48 left in the period.
 
Taylor Hughes tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass that capped a 13-play, 76-yard drive that ate up 6:25 of clock and put the score at 35-27 in favor of MU after the Monarchs blocked Ballard's PAT attempt.
 
Just 10 seconds into the fourth quarter, Anthony Radke hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Reber to push the Methodist advantage to 15 points (42-27), and the two teams traded scores down the stretch, including Cody Ausherman's 38-yard field goal with 38 seconds to play that sealed the contest.
 
The Monarchs' five-game win streak matches the team's five game stretch from the end of last season through the first two games of this season, and the seven wins mark the most in a season since MU won eight games in 2005 en route to the USA South Co-Championship.
 
Hall finished with 61 yards rushing on eight carries (7.6 ypc), and Cross had 66 yards receiving on three receptions, all going for scores. Patrick Jacobs led MU in catches (6) and yards receiving (81), while Radke finshed with 72 yards on five grabs and a pair of scores.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Navahri Holden led the Monarchs with 10 total tackles, including seven solo stops. Tyler Mitchell added eight tackles, and D.J. Payne contributed eight as well, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack.
 
For the Hawks, Taylor finished 17-of-28 for 252 yards with three touchdowns and Hughes was 13-of-22 for 229 yards with three scores. Garrett Fletcher led the ground game with 61 yards on 13 carries, and Carr had 202 yards receiving on six catches with three touchdowns. Bibb added 96 yards on four grabs and scored twice.
 
Zach Brownell had 13 tackles, including 0.5 for loss, and John-David Swiger added 10 stops in the loss.
 
The Monarchs will look to secure their eighth win of the season for just the third time in program history when they host N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday at 1:00 pm.