FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Noah Shuler tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns, and the Methodist football team scored a season-high 63 points in a 63-35 win over Greensboro at Monarch Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Shuler upped his season total to nine touchdowns on the ground with his four scores, becoming the first Monarch to score four rushing touchdowns in a game since Michael Hill accomplished the feat twice in 2007. Shuler scored on runs of one, four, nine and seven yards. He finished with 61 yards rushing on 14 carries.
 
The Pride (1-4, 1-2 USA South) actually opened the day's scoring and took a 7-0 lead at the 11:33 mark of the first quarter with Ryan Throndset hooked up with Gregory Clifton on a 10-yard scoring pass. Shuler scored the first of his four scores with 6:49 left in the first period to knot the game at 7-7 following Jordan Rieling's successful PAT.
 
Just over two minutes later, Shuler gave MU (3-2, 2-1 USA South) a 14-7 lead with a four-yard plunge. Greensboro answered and tied the game at 14-14 on another Throndset-to-Clifton connection, this one from 20 yards out with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.
 
The second quarter was all Methodist as the Monarchs outscored GC, 28-7, to take a 42-21 lead into halftime. Shuler started the barrage when he capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a nine-yard scamper just 58 seconds into the quarter for a 21-14 lead. After Greensboro drove all the way to the MU 18 yard line on its next possession, the Monarchs turned GC away on fourth-and-8 to regain possession. John seven plays later, Papillion scored on a 35-yard scoring run at the 9:16 mark for a 28-14 advantage.
 
Methodist extended its lead to 42-14 as Pat Jacobs caught a pair of touchdown passes from Max Reber, covering 23 and 41 yards, respectively. The Pride capped the first-half scoring with a Warren Scott one-yard plunge, again with 44 seconds left in the period, to make it a 42-21 MU lead at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Papillion and Shuler sandwiched touchdown runs around a Scott scoring reception for a 56-28 score entering the fourth quarter. Mac Graham scored on a five-yard run for Greensboro late in the fourth quarter, and MU's Justin Martin capped the day's scoring with a 15-yard reception from Jordan Vann at the 3:27 mark.
 
Greensboro actually outgained Methodist, 490-474, including 406-265 through the air, held a nearly 10-minute advantage in time of possession, and gained 26 first downs to MU's 25.
 
Papillion supplemented Shuler's day with 116 yards on just 11 carries and scored two touchdowns. Jacobs finished with 133 yards receiving on seven receptions with his two scores, and Reber completed 20-of-33 passes for 250 yards with two interceptions and two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, D.J. Payne led the Monarchs with 10 tackles and a pair of pass breakups. Bryan Bing had seven tackles, and Mike Jones chipped in seven as well, including 3.0 for loss and a sack. Brandon Boyd had two interceptions to go with five tackles.
 
For Greensboro, Throndset was 27-of-49 passing for 332 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Clifton had 10 receptions for 147 yards with a pair of scores, and Raymond Bridges had 85 yards on six receptions. Scott led GC's ground attack with 32 yards on 18 carries.
 
Micah McMaster had 11 tackles and an interception to lead the Pride defense. Trey Daniels had nine tackles, including 1.0 for loss, and Herbert Bridges added eight tackles.
 
Methodist hits the road next week to take on LaGrange on Saturday at 1:00 pm.