SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Cam Beasley passed for 226 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 132 yards,
Barton Mixon scored three rushing TDs and the Sewanee defense allowed just 168 total yards in a season-opening 41-6 victory over Bethany College on Saturday in Bethany, W.Va.
The win marked the first season-opening road triumph since a 43-10 victory at Kenyon College on Sept. 1, 2018.
The Tigers (1-0) scored three times in the third quarter, including TD passes of six and 25 yards to
AJ McLemore and
Dyer Barnes, respectively and a one-yard run from
Barton Mixon, taking a 14-6 halftime edge and extending it to 34-6.
Dallas Grooms picked off a pass for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter for the final Sewanee TD.
Sean Johnson finished with seven catches for 73 yards while McLemore and Barnes both posted 58 receiving yards and one score. Beasley carried 10 times for 132 yards, including a 51-yard run on the first scoring drive of the game, and Mixon collected 51 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns.
The Tigers rushed eight straight plays on their opening drive, marching 96 yards for a touchdown.
Walker Robinson gained 10 yards for a first down before a 51-yard scamper by Beasley.
AJ McLemore picked up 16 yards and Beasley got another 13 before a two-yard TD run from Mixon gave Sewanee a 7-0 advantage.
Bethany's Brett Phillips ripped off a 46-yard run near the end of the first quarter and gained another eight on a fourth-down play in Sewanee territory. He then hit Jkobe Jones for a 21-yard touchdown pass but the PAT was missed for a 7-6 Tigers edge.
Beasley connected with McLemore for a 43-yard completion down the middle on 3
rd-and-long on the ensuing Sewanee possession and Mixon posted an 11-yard scoring run two plays later, pushing the Tigers advantage to 14-6.
Sewanee drove 67 yards on 11 plays on their next possession, with Beasley rushing 10 yards for a first down and completing a 10-yard pass to Robinson before a 19-yard completion to Johnson. Beasley gained 11 more yards on the ground but the drive stalled inside the 10 and
Levi Dorsey missed a 21-yard field goal.
Jaylen Mack intercepted a Phillips pass on the following drive for the Bison but the Tigers turned the ball over on downs at the Bethany 35-yard line.
Dorsey pinned the Bison inside their own five-yard line early in the third quarter and Sewanee got the ball back after a punt on the Bethany 45. Beasley rushed for 15 yards and Mixon gained 12 yards on three straight carries. Beasley picked up nine yards on the ground to the one and after a false start, connected with McLemore for a six-yard TD. The PAT was blocked and Sewanee led 20-6.
The Tigers drove 70 yards on 12 plays on their next drive, adding another TD.
Mixon rushed for 10 yards and Beasley completed a 17-yard pass to Johnson and a 13-yarder to
Trevon Garden. Mixon picked up the final three yards, the TD run from a yard out, and the PAT pushed the lead to 27-6 with 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Logan McGinnis recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and after a holding call, Beasley tossed a 25-yard TD pass to Barnes, stretching the advantage to 34-6.
Grooms' INT and touchdown with 6:21 remaining in the game sealed the win for the Tigers, who take on Brevard College next Saturday in the home opener at 1 p.m. at McGee Field-Harris Stadium.
