Scots Blast Bishops 49-14; Pair of Pick-Sixes Pave Way as Rollins Tops 5,000
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Five was the number of the day after Maryville intercepted five passes and Bryson Rollins accounted for five touchdowns in a 49-14 thumping of North Carolina Wesleyan.
Rollins also went over the 5,000-yard passing mark for his career, becoming the first Scots quarterback to reach that milestone.
The Scots halted Wesleyan's four-game winning streak and won their third in a row to improve to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the USA South.
Tyler Barrett intercepted a pass for a 1-yard touchdown return and Jadon Smith ran one to the house from 70 yards to headline the Maryville defense. Both of those picks came in the second half after Maryville led 14-7 at intermission. Cameron Spivey added a pair of picks and Cayden Phillips had the other interception.
Defensively, we played well again," Maryville head coach Ben Fox said. "We put them in some bad spots early and held firm. Wesleyan has some players who are really good, and we did some things against them to limit their effectiveness for most of the game.
"Obviously, turnovers were a major part in allowing us to play so well."
Rollins finished 25-of-40 passing for 294 yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions. That's his third straight game without an interception after he threw 11 over the first six contests.
Rollins also led the Scots with 46 rushing yards on 11 carries and scored two more touchdowns. For the season, the sophomore quarterback is up to 16 passing touchdowns and 12 on the ground. His 28 TDs accounted for lead the USA South. Rollins also is up to 2,489 passing yards on a 63.5 percent completion rate, with both figures leading the conference. He needs just 185 yards next Saturday against Southern Virginia to tie the program season record set by Nick Myers in 2016.
For his brief career, Rollins stands at 5,044 passing yards.
The favorite targets for Rollins were Corey Russell and Steph Carter Jr. Russell hauled in 10 catches for 137 yards, while Carter had four for 70 and two touchdowns. Jaden Jones had the other TD on a 12-yarder late in the third quarter and push the Maryville advantage to 28-7.
Carter's TD receptions went for 34 yards in the first quarter and 13 yards in the fourth. Rollins ran one in from 37 yards to start the scoring and found pay dirt again early in the third quarter on a 3-yard dive.
"Bryson did a good job of valuing the ball and making plays," Fox said. "This is his second game in a row leading us in rushing. Our guys made plays and caught the ball. Steph and Corey were terrific. Corey is having an exceptional year."
The interceptions marked Spivey's first game with multiple picks, and Smith's interception return also was a career first. Barrett took one to the house for a second year in a row, while the Phillips interception was the first of his career.
Jonathan Harris was the Maryville tackle leader with five, while Amir Adams and Jacob Berven had four apiece. Adarian Cheek had a 7-yard sack and Matt Walker had one for 5 yards. Shared sacks went to Barrett, Mike Bethea, Alex Mase, Jordan Lacey and Taylor Thomas.
The Scots host Southern Virginia (1-8, 1-5 USA South) next Saturday for Senior Day. Kickoff is 1 p.m., with the Senior Day festivities beginning at approximately 12:30.
