Mars Hill shut down the most prolific running back in the nation and improved to 3-0 with a 16-14 win over visiting Barton on Saturday.
The Lions held Barton junior Jordan Terrell to 47 yards and no touchdowns on 18 attempts – an average of 2.6 yards per carry. Terrell had been named the D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Week after his 256-yard performance on Sept. 16 against UVA Wise. He had been averaging 194 yards a game, a number that led the NCAA at all divisions after three weeks of games.
Barton dropped to 3-1, 1-1 against South Atlantic Conference foes. Mars Hill now holds a 2-0 mark versus SAC opponents (the win over Wingate in week two does not count in the league standings).
For all the well-deserved attention placed on Terrell, Mars Hill quarterback JR Adams and kicker Lon Teachey stole the show from an offensive perspective.
Adams, a senior, rushed for 167 yards on 14 attempts, including one 34-yard burst. He finished with 160 passing yards, connecting on a 60-yard touchdown to Laurent Malik to start the scoring in the first quarter.
Barton answered that big play with an explosive one of its own early in the second period. Jaquan Lynch hit Kameron Johnson for a 65-yard score. Barton took a 14-7 lead with 53 seconds left in the second quarter on a 1-yard TD run by Lynch.
But Mars Hill didn’t just try to run out the clock and go into the locker room down by a touchdown. Instead, the Lions quickly moved down the field to get into field goal position. Teachey booted a 36-yarder as time expired to make it a 14-10 game. Those would be crucial points.
The Lions held the ball for nearly seven minutes in their first series after halftime, getting another Teachey field goal (25 yards) to pull within 14-13.
Barton punted twice and then fumbled the ball back to Mars Hill at its own 22 with 10:34 left in the game. Tarshawn Reed sacked Lynch, forcing the ball loose, and Damipi Lamboni fell on it.
Mars Hill only moved the ball six yards but the Lions were close enough for Teachey to boot his third field goal of the afternoon with 9:19 on the clock. That kick would end up being the game-winner.
Barton punted on its ensuing possession, and Mars Hill held the ball for the rest of the game, grinding out the final 6:06 with runs by Jon Gullette, Joe Taylor Jr. and Adams.
Mars Hill outgained Barton 476-258. Gullette finished with 88 yards rushing. Laurent caught three passes for 99 yards. Johnson had a nice day receiving for Barton, making six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Daquan Carter had a sack, a QB hurry and six tackles for Mars Hill. Landon Honeycutt also had six tackles for the Lions. Octaveus Askew and Lamboni also had sacks for the Lions.
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TEAM 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q FINAL Barton 0 14 0 0 14 @ Mars Hill 7 3 3 3 16
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