Red Raiders fall to QB Euverard, Big Red

NASHVILLE — Montgomery Bell Academy quarterback Cole Euverard made one big play after another to help the Big Red hold off visiting Baylor 28-14 in Division II-AA football Friday night.

Even after Euverard ran for one touchdown and threw for two, MBA (2-0) was not able to put the Red Raiders (1-1) away and found itself clinging to a 21-14 lead late in the fourth quarter.

Faced with a third-and-10 at his team’s own 32, Euverard took a quick drop and hurled the ball to Austin Rolfe, who had gotten open on the right sideline and raced 38 yards to the Baylor 32.

Two plays later, Ty Chandler went around left end for a 4-yard touchdown run that put the game on ice at 28-14 for MBA with 3:02 left to play.

“It was the biggest play of the night,” said MBA coach Marty Euverard, Cole’s father. “Rolfe made a great catch and then a great move to go with it.”

Baylor, which had swiped the momentum in the second half after falling behind 14-0, got back in scoring position by moving the ball to the MBA 2 yard-line, but the Big Red defense held.

After Baylor was penalized 4 yards, Red Raiders quarterback Nick Tiano threw four consecutive incomplete passes.

“Our offensive line moved the ball on them pretty well in the second half, and I thought we played really well in the second half both offensively and defensively,” Baylor acting coach Bubba Burr said. “We just didn’t have enough there at the end to get something done. We had a chance on their third-and-10 to knock the ball down, and then couldn’t make a catch in the end zone.”

MBA’s balanced attack gave Baylor fits through the first half and then at the end.

The Big Red had 356 total offensive yards with 185 rushing and 171 passing. Cole Euverard, a junior, completed eight of his first nine passes and finished 9-of-11. Chandler, a freshman, led MBA in rushing with 106 yards on 15 carries.

“We didn’t score enough points when we had chances; we have to execute better,” Cole Euverard said. “We’re going to have to put in some more work this week and correct that as we get ready for the next game.”

Baylor running back George Porter helped to get the Red Raiders offense in gear in the second half.

After being held to 32 yards on 12 carries in the first half, Porter finished with 145 yards on 27 carries.

He set up Baylor’s first TD with a 63-yard run on the Red Raiders first possession of the second half. Two plays later, Tiano scored from 2 yards out on a busted play.

After Cole Euverard’s second TD pass, a 17-yard strike to Grey Reames that gave the Big Red a 21-7 lead, Tiano scored on a 1-yard sneak.