Statewide Stats: Greensboro QB throws 6 TDs; Catawba enjoys two 100-yard rushers

Greensboro College’s Alec Williams-Carr threw six touchdown passes on Saturday, helping the Pride pick up their first win of the season, 47-7. The Greensboro signal caller headlines our top offensive statistical performers from Week 9. Here’s a recap, plus lists of the most prolific passers, rushers, receivers and team offenses in spreadsheet form.

Top Passers

Williams-Carr was the only quarterback of the week to fire six touchdown throws. The junior from Miami, Fla., finished the day 24-of-32 for 285 yards. He did not throw an interception. The Pride had been 0-8 before unleashing their best offensive performance of the season.

Two quarterbacks from the Old North State threw five TD passes in Week 9, one in a winning effort and one in losing cause.

North Carolina Central’s Davius Richard threw for 352 yards and recorded five scoring strikes (and rushed for two more TDs) in the Eagles’ dismantling of conference foe South Carolina State. Western Carolina’s Cole Gonzales had a five-touchdown, 388-yard day against Mercer but also was picked off three times as the Catamounts fell behind early and lost a shootout by a touchdown.

Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar had the most passing yardage of the week, completing 23 throws for 391 yards against Southern Miss.

In all, eight QBs from North Carolina crossed the 300-yard passing plateau. Five won, while three fell short.

Brooks Bentley from Wingate earned South Atlantic Conference offensive player of the week honors after leading the Bulldogs to a 34-30 upset of Lenoir-Rhyne. Bentley completed 24 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns, none bigger than his 75-yard strike to Evan McCray late in the game to provide the winning points.

Brevard’s Ethan Beamish became his school’s single-season passing leader over the weekend. Beamish had a 315-yard, two touchdown showing in a win over LaGrange, giving him 2,176 yards – and counting – during the 2023 campaign.

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Top Rushers

Louisburg College’s Christian Franklin had a monster day for the JUCO Hurricanes on Saturday. He was the only collegiate back from the state to cross the 200-yard plateau in rushing. He finished with 205 yards on 10 totes, scoring one touchdown.

Catawba, known for its passing attack much of the season, stuck to the ground game in a win over Barton on Saturday. The Indians had two backs over 100 yards — Malcolm Wilson (173 yards, 1 TD) and Marquece Williams (104 yards, 3 TDs). JR Martin of Mars Hill also score three TDs on the ground.

Davidson did Davidson things in running over Presbyterian for its sixth straight win. Mason Sheron paced a diverse Wildcats ground game with 139 yards and a score. Mari Adams didn’t pile up the yardage (41 yards on 12 carries) but found the end zone twice.

Anthony Byrd of suddenly streaking NC Wesleyan (four wins in a row after an 0-4 start) had the longest run of the day among our top ground-gainers, going 80 yards.

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Top Receivers

Joey Aguilar was slinging it for App State. Christian Horn was one of his favorite targets. Horn hauled in eight catches for 165 yards, the top receiving numbers this week in the state. Horn turned two receptions into touchdowns and averaged 20.6 yards per catch.

Malik Tobias (UNC Pembroke) was the only player from the state to make three TD receptions. His longest covered 52 yards.

Jon Gullette continues to get it done for Mars Hill. He caught three passes, covered 106 yards and scored twice.

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Most Prolific Offensive Units

We tracked all of the North Carolina teams who hit 400 yards or better in total offense. This week, 12 schools reached that mark.

Surging UNC Pembroke, which has routed its past three foes (including 49-0 over Glenville State on Saturday), put up 619 total yards in its latest outing. The Braves remained pretty balanced: 336 through the air and 283 on the ground.

North Carolina had its offense rolling in Atlanta but just couldn’t stop the Yellow Jackets’ ground attack in the second half. UNC finished with 577 total yards, including a 310-yard passing effort from Drake Maye.

App State dropped 571 yards of offense on a bottom team in the Sun Belt. Louisburg College recorded 493.

Davidson missed 400 total yards (by 35). But the Wildcats continue to impress running the football, with a bevy of backs picking up 296 rushing yards.

Kudos to Fayetteville State. The Broncos had been relying heavily on their defense to win games in the CIAA (ranking 11th in total offense and scoring heading into Saturday’s game against Shaw). FSU broke out with a 410-yard offensive effort and slipped past the Bears 21-14. One drive covered more than 90 yards. The Broncos’ final play was a game-winning 60-yard pass from Joe Owens Jr. to Nigel Fitzgerald with 20 seconds left.

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