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Methodist University Athletics

The Official Athletics Site of The Methodist University monarchs Methodist University monarchs
FBvMaryville Howard run
38
Methodist MU 2-6 , 2-4
48
Winner LaGrange LCM 3-6 , 2-4
Methodist MU
2-6 , 2-4
38
Final
48
LaGrange LCM
3-6 , 2-4
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
MU Methodist 21 7 3 7 38
LCM LaGrange 21 7 13 7 48

Game Recap: Football |

Howard sets season mark on big-play Saturday



LaGRANGE, Ga.  Junior running back Vontre Howard blew past Methodist's single-season rushing mark with his 224 yards on 22 carries Saturday at LaGrange College, but the host Panthers would claim a 48-38 USA South Athletic Conference victory on a day in which the teams combined for 13 plays of 20 yards or longer.

Howard -- with one more game still left in the season -- pushed his season total to 1,213 yards, cruising past the previous mark of 1,054 set in 2005 by Michael Hill.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: LaGrange def. Methodist, 48-38
Records: Methodist 2-6 overall (2-4 USA South); LaGrange 3-6 (2-4)
Location: Callaway Stadium; LaGrange, Ga.
Attendance: 1,015

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The first quarter was played Xbox style with the teams scoring three touchdowns each, and the big plays hinting that the scoreboard might need an overhaul at the final horn.
  • Howard provided the game's first 20+ play, rolling 65 yards on a 2nd and 10 play to set up an eventual Steve Keoni to Victory Woods 7-yard touchdown pass.
  • LaGrange needed just one play to tie the score, though, as Caleb Speir tossed a medium-length pass to Brendon Scott who did the rest on a catch and run that spanned 63 yards to tie the score at 7-7 with less than three minutes elapsed in the quarter.
  • What followed in the hectic opening 15 minutes:
    • A Keoni to Woods connection for 32 yards led to a Keoni to Josh Carter 15-yard TD pass
    • A 45-yard kick-off return from Marcus Campbell led to a 3-yard TD pass from Speir
    • A mishandled snap by punter Bobby Haggerty on 4th and 31 led to a two play, 4-yard TD drive for the Panthers, and their first lead of the game
    • Keoni connected with Xzavier McNeil for a 43-yard play, leading to a Howard 5-yard TD rumble
    • Speir tossed a 30-yard TD strike to the back, left corner on a drive that had begun late in the first quarter
  • The scoring would back off from its frantic pace following that Spear to Campbell strike, but not the pace of the big plays.
  • Methodist tied the score at 28-28 with a drive that included a 23-yard scamper by Keoni, a 28-yard Keoni to Woods connection, and finished with a Nick Baker 15-yard TD run.
  • Howard would pick up a 22-yard run in a non-scoring drive, and Gerrod Nobles would come up with an interception of Speir as the Panthers were approaching the red zone.
  • Neither of those big plays evolved into scores, sending the teams into the halftime break looking for defensive answers while knotted at 28 apiece.
  • A pedestrian by comparison second half -- with just four TDs compared to the first half's eight -- still included impactful plays:
    • A 33-yard pass to the Methodist two yard line helped LaGrange break the deadlock on the third quarter's opening drive
    • And a 34-yard rush from Howard in the next series led to a Hunter Baldwin 23-yard field goal
  • Its lead whittled down to just four, 35-31, LaGrange closed out the third quarter with a TD drive that included completions of 30 and 46 yards, and culminated with a 14-yard scoring run.
  • Baker added a 5-yard TD run that trimmed the deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, but LaGrange engineered one of its only lengthy drives of the afternoon in response, cashing in with a 3-yard TD run that pumped the advantage back to 10 with only four minutes remaining in the game.
  • A Panthers pick of a Keoni pass on the ensuing possession effectively iced the game for the home team.

THOSE BIG PLAYS
  • Of the 13 plays going for 20 yards or more, 10 of them led to eventual touchdowns.
  • Of the three that did not, one led to Baldwin's field goal, leaving just two 20+ yard plays that failed to eventually move the scoreboard.
  • Though not yardage eaters like the other plays, the mishandled punt led to a touchdown, and the two interceptions -- one from each team -- eliminated scoring opportunities.

BOX NOTES
  • By halftime, Methodist had run up 354 yards of offense and averaged 8.8 yards per play. LaGrange averaged 8.4 per play, and its short field after the punt mishap seemed to be the only thing that stunted its 253 yards of offense from being greater.
  • The Monarchs finished the day with 567 yards on offense while the Panthers totaled 497 yards.
  • Keoni's 254 yards in the air were just two shy of a season high, but LaGrange bettered that with 379 passing yards.
  • Howard's 224 on the ground topped all runners and contributed much to Methodist's 313-yard rushing total, but Baker's 60 yards and two touchdowns and Keoni's 37 yards from scrambles were also impactful.
  • Carter totaled 74 yards and a TD on eight receptions, while Woods scored once on three catches that totaled 67 yards. McNeil had 66 yards from four catches.
  • Campbell bested all receivers in the game, however, scoring three times during his seven catch, 122-yard afternoon.
  • Nobles, Devonte White and Nathan Jones helped lead the Methodist defensive efforts, each finishing with six total tackles. All of Nobles' were solo tackles.
  • Both teams were perfect upon reaching the red zone: Methodist was 6-for-6, LaGrange was 5-for-5.

UP NEXT
  • Methodist hosts Averett University (5-2, 4-1 USA South) on Saturday at Monarch Stadium. The senior class will be honored in a brief pre-game ceremony.
  • LaGrange travels to Huntingdon College (3-5, 3-3 USA South) on Saturday.
    
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