MARYVILLE, Tenn. After an hour and half lighting delay, Methodist held host Maryville College scoreless, in the second half, to propel themselves to a 38-21 victory, as the USA South Conference portion of the season begins. 

A 146 receiving yard, on seven catches, and two touchdown performance by Xzavier McNeil moved him up the ladder in Monarch football history. McNeil now sits fourth in career receiving yards, with 2,013, and moved into the top five for career touchdowns, with 13.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Methodist def. Maryville, 38-21
Records: Methodist 1-1 (1-0 USA South), Maryville 0-3 (0-1 USA South)
Location: Lloyd L. Thornton and Honaker Field; Maryville, Tennessee

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Methodist was able to find the end zone, on the opening drive of the game. A nine play 75 yard drive was capped off with an eight yard touchdown pass from Brandon Bullins to Keyshaun Pete.
• It did not take the Scots long to answer back, as they would score on their opening drive. In less than three minutes, Maryville tied the game 7-7.
• The next two drives saw each side getting points before the first quarter came to a close. A 42 yard field goal, by Trevor Hargett, broke the tie to give the Monarchs the lead again, before the Scots went up 14-10 after a rushing touchdown.
• After back-to-back three and outs, a bad punt by Maryville set Methodist up with a first and ten at the Scots 29-yard line. Four plays later, AJ Cooper caught a 17 yard pass from Bullins to put the Monarchs back in front 17-14.
• Maryville took their final lead, of the game, with six minutes and 48 seconds left until halftime. A one yard rush at the goal line gave them the 21-17 advantage.
• Methodist had one more chance to put points on the board before the break. They lined up for a 20-yard field goal, but was blocked by the Scots.
• Even though Maryville received the second half kickoff, it only took the Monarchs one play to get the ball back. A Bryce Jordan fumble recovery, forced by Nate Jones, gave Methodist the ball in Scots territory.
• The weather delay started to effect the teams, as both sides stalled out for half of the third quarter.
• A great punt return by Kobe Praylow put the Monarchs in tremendous field position. Praylow fielded the punt and brought it back 44 yards before being pushed out at Maryville's 10-yard line. Two plays later, Tyquan Eaddy punched it in on a two yard run to give Methodist a 24-21 lead.
• On the next Monarch drive, Bullins connected with McNeil for two big plays. The first was a 31-yard completion, on a 3rd-and-8, for a fresh set of downs. The very next play Bullins capped the drive off with a 44 touchdown pass to McNeil, to make it 31-21.
• The quarterback and wide receiver duo found each one last time, in the fourth quarter. A 38-yard strike gave Methodist a 38-21 advantage.
• The Monarch defense had a great showing in the final four Scot drives. As they would record two interceptions, recover a fumble, and force a punt.

MORE TO IT

• Pete registered his first career 100 yard rushing performance, by running for 113 yards.
• Methodist out rushed Maryville, in both attempts and yards. The Monarchs finished with 131 yards on 36 carries compared to the Scots 31 yards on 30 carries.
• Methodist had success in converting on third down. The Monarchs was able to get a fresh set of downs on 7 of 13 attempts, as the Scots only converted 3 of 11.
• Roderic Christian Jr. had a team-high six stops for the Methodist defense, followed by Nate Jones and Damian Harris, who each had five tackles.
• The Monarchs outgained Maryville, 378 yards to 253 yards.
• Time of possession was fairly even, but the Scots gets the slight edge -- 27:54 to 25:40.

UP NEXT
Methodist returns home to take on Southern Virginia University, who are in their first year with USA South. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., on Saturday, Sept. 25.