Staff report
SALISBURY — Catawba College’s Bennett Galloway may have become the first player in football history to score four touchdowns — while being the No. 3 rusher on his team.
Catawba destroyed Southern Connecticut State 63-23 on Saturday at Shuford Stadium, piling up insane statistics in a non-conference mismatch and doing whatever it willed offensively.
The Indians (4-1) amassed 638 yards. Yes, 638.
The record book says that’s the most yards gained by Catawba in a game since 1962. It was the most points the Indians, who are coached by Tyler Haines, have scored since November 2007 when they put up 66 in a memorable wood-shedding of Albany State in the playoffs. That was one of the peaks of the Chip Hester Era.
Southern Connecticut didn’t get red-carded and didn’t experience a flu epidemic — the Owls played with 11 men on defense the entire game — but the Indians were 8-for-9 on third-down conversions and scored on their first nine possessions.
Proving that time of possession can be utterly meaningless, the SCSU Owls had the ball longer than the Indians did. That was because Catawba scored so quickly it rarely had the ball for more than a handful of plays.
Catawba rushed for 379 yards. Kevin Lalin had 140, while Marquece Williams turned five carries into a whopping 126 yards. Galloway chipped in with 87 yards. Williams scored two TDs, while Lalin made one trip to an end zone that stayed busy enough to need a traffic cop.
Catawba QB Preston Brown had time to read a novel every time he dropped back to throw and was 20-for-22 for 259 yards and two TDs. The TDs came on explosive plays made by the lightning legs of Bo Pryor and Amari McArthur.
McArthur, who starred at North Rowan, had three catches for 94 yards.
Southern Connecticut State racked up passing yards (319) but produced modest rushing yards (116). The Owls moved the ball, but Catawba got a stop whenever it needed to, including a big one late in the first half. SCSU was only 4-for-13 on third-down conversions.
Bryson Sims was 9-for-9 on PATs for the Indians.
Evan Simons, Jaylen Hinton, Braylon Baker and Rickey Jones recorded sacks.
Catawba returns to South Atlantic Conference action next Saturday, with Mars Hill visiting for a night game. It will be the most meaningful league game the Indians have played in quite a while. The SAC race is more entertaining than network television right now, with Mars Hill the only team that hasn’t lost yet in the league. Catawba is one of the five teams in the SAC with one conference loss.
