HICKORY, N.C. – Redshirt-sophomore Bryson James (Cross Hill, S.C.) nearly doubled his program-record rushing yards in a game with 221 yards, while posting the third and fourth longest plays from scrimmage, which are also the two longest rushes from scrimmage, with touchdown runs of 73 and 70 yards to help the Anderson University (5-2, 3-2 SAC) football team tot 35-28 win over the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne (3-4, 2-3 SAC) on Saturday, October 11.
James added to his day by scoring three total touchdowns, kicking off the scoring for the Trojans with a 20-yard scamper. Senior Tyler Wesley (St. Cloud, Fla.) threw for 188 yard through the air with a touchdown as well, while adding 28 on the ground. Redshirt-sophomore Kenneth Brown (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) was his favorite target on the day hauling in six catches for 102 yards. Graduate Jonathan Bowden (Palm Bay, Fla.) hauled in the one receiving touchdown, to add to his four catch, 46-yard day.
Defensively, the Trojans were led by redshirt-sophomore Carter Wit (John's Creek, Ga.) who posted 10 total tackles on the day. He also recorded an interception at the 1-yard line and a crucial touchdown saving pass breakup in the first half. Redshirt-sophomore Josiah Jeffrey (Greenwood, S.C.) was right behind him with eight tackles on the afternoon. Fellow redshirt-sophomore Chase Brightharp (Trenton, S.C.) led the team with one TFL on the afternoon while sophomore Zack Ramsey (Anderson, S.C.) recorded the lone sack in the contest for a loss of 12 yards. Junior Dre Goodman (Greenville, S.C.) was also able to haul in a touchdown saving interception at the 1-yard line for the Black and Gold.
The Bears were able to take the opening kickoff and take over eight minutes off the first quarter clock as they drove 15 plays to the end zone on their first drive. Little did they know the steamroller Bryson James was preparing on the sidelines, accounting for 33 yards of the Trojans opening drive, capped by a 20-yard scamper to level the score. A long pass by the Bears on their next drive saw them take the 14-7 lead heading into the second quarter.
An interception by Goodman at the 1-yard line set the Trojans up with a long field, but just three touches from Bryson James is all it would take as he broke off rushes of 2, 24 and 73 yards to take the ball the entire 99 yards and even the score up again at 14. Another goal line interception, this time by Wit, again set up the Trojans with a full field ahead of them. A more methodical 14-play 99-yard drive was capped off by a different rusher in redshirt-senior JB Seay Jr., who punched it in from one-yard out to give the Trojans the 21-14 lead heading into the halftime break.
Anderson turned to the air for their first drive of the second half, driving 75 yards and finishing the drive with a touchdown pass from Wesley to Bowden that gave them the 28-14 advantage. Lenoir-Rhyne scored on their next drive, but it was Anderson that carried the seven-point advantage into the final 15 minutes of play.
The first drive for each team in the fourth quarter proved to be fruitless, but the second drive the Trojans would turn their attention back to the ground game. Starting from their own 17, the Trojans used three plays to get a first down at their own 27. James then took the next snap for three yards up the middle to the 30-yard line. That's when he snuck through a hole on the offensive line and up the left side of the field, with none other than Tyler Wesley as his lead blocker, and took it 70 yards in for the score. Lenoir-Rhyne took the ensuing kick-off back for a touchdown, making the score 35-28 in favor of the Trojans.
Lenoir-Rhyne was on their heels in the final drive of the game, with Ramsey posting a huge sack on third down to force a 4th and 15 to decide the game. Redshirt-senior Jerrod Woods (Leesburg, Ga.) came flashing in from the backside of the throw to break up the Khmari Robinson pass that would have given them a first-down and secure the 35-28 win for the Black and Gold.
Anderson returns home for a three-game stretch starting next week as they welcome in the Eagles of Carson-Newman to Spero Financial field for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
