ANDERSON, S.C. – It only took two minutes and nine seconds for history to be made at Spero Financial Field at Melvin and Dollie Younts stadium as junior Wesley Beckett (Baltimore, Md.) went full stretch to push ball across the goal line and score the first touchdown in Anderson football history. History continued to favor the Trojans throughout the game as they were able to take home a victory in the opening contest by a 51-14 margin over Saint Andrews on Saturday, September 7.
Anderson was able to amass 353 yards of offense over the contest, with 182 coming through the air and 171 coming in the ground game. The air attack was led by junior Tyler Wesley (St. Cloud, Fla.) who went 9-for-12 in the game for 123 yards and three scores. His favorite target was split on the day with redshirt-freshman Kenneth Brown (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and redshirt-junior Jalon Warthen-Carr (Macon, Ga.) were each able to haul in a trio of receptions, each ending up in the end zone once as well.
Nine different Trojans touched the ball on the ground, with redshirt-junior Monz Campbell (Lake Waccamaw, N.C.) and redshirt-freshman Zaidon Gunn (Grovetown, Ga.) tallying touchdowns on the day, though it was redshirt-freshman Bryson James (Cross Hill, S.C.) who got the start in the backfield for the Trojans.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Trojans were well balanced but led on the day by redshirt-junior Jerrod Woods (Leesburg, Ga.) who tallied five total tackles in the contest. Redshirt freshman Tyrell Hughes (Statesboro, Ga.) turned in a pair of TFLs for a loss of seven yards while the Trojans tallied two sacks on the day, one from Hughes and the other for redshirt senior Ryan Richardson (Birmingham, Ala.). The Trojans forced a total of four turnovers on the day from the Knights, with a pair of interceptions and a pair of fumbles. Redshirt freshman Aaron Bryant (Goose Creek, S.C.) was part of history as well, providing the first defensive touchdown for the Black and Gold with a pick-six early in the second quarter.
As mentioned above, the Trojans were able to get on the board early as Wesley hit Beckett for a 28-yard diving touchdown to give them the early 7-0 lead. That lead carried deep into the opening quarter of action before Campbell was able to double it with a 33-yard scamper to give Anderson the 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
The offense came alive for the Black and Gold in the second quarter as they were able to post 21 points on the board, in addition to a defensive touchdown. Just one minute and 26 seconds into the second quarter the Trojans were able to find the back of the end zone as a rolling pass from Wesley found Warthen-Carr on the right side who scampered 15 yards into the end zone. Then, on just the third play of the next drive for the Knights, redshirt freshman Joshua Matusik (Summerville, S.C.) was able to leap up and knock down a pass right into the hands of Bryant, who was able to take the ball all the way across the goal line and put the Black and Gold up 28-0.
A methodical drive from the Trojans capitalized on a four-yard finishing run from Gunn to put them up by 35 points before a quick one-play drive after a stopping the Knights on fourth down extended their lead to 42 as Brown hauled in a 15-yard touchdown, and that margin stood at the half. The second half slowed down on the offensive side of the ball for the Black and Gold as they were only able to put three field goals on the board in the second half but held the Knights to just 14 points in the contest, taking the 51-14 win.
Anderson wastes no time trying to defend undefeated home record as they welcome in LaGrange to Younts Stadium for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, September 14.
