GREENSBORO – Brevard and Guilford had never met on the football field before Saturday night.
Their first meeting quickly became a showcase for the Tornados.
Brevard scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, forced four turnovers and never punted, overwhelming Guilford 59-0 at the Armfield Athletic Center to complete an undefeated run through non-conference play.
The Tornados improved to 3-0 while Guilford fell to 1-2 in the first football matchup between the two North Carolina Division III programs.
Brevard controlled virtually every phase.
The Tornados outgained Guilford 486-173, rushed for 298 yards and accumulated 26 first downs to Guilford's 10. Brevard possessed the football for nearly 37 minutes, while its defense kept the Quakers from reaching the red zone.
And Brevard never had to punt.
Messiah Ramseur opened the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run before Zion Fauntleroy-McDaniel's 21-yard score made it 14-0 less than seven minutes into the game.
Guilford responded with its best opportunity of the first half, driving 50 yards to the Brevard 25. But the Tornados stopped Shane Shapiro two yards short on fourth-and-seven, and the Quakers came away empty.
The game then unraveled rapidly for Guilford midway through the second quarter.
Christian Conley found Mason Miles for a 43-yard touchdown to make it 21-0 with 8:12 remaining.
Fifty-six seconds later, Abdulmalik Sholanke sacked Tristan Gabrels and forced a fumble. Brevard recovered at the Guilford 26, and Conley found Miles for another touchdown on the very next play.
Then came another Guilford fumble.
Brelon Martin forced the turnover, Isaiah Brown recovered and returned it to the 2, and a facemask penalty moved the football to the 1. Conley scored on the next snap.
In 69 seconds of game time, Brevard scored three touchdowns and turned a 14-0 game into a 35-0 rout.
The Tornados' defense made sure there would be no second-half comeback.
Guilford drove into Brevard territory to begin the third quarter, but DJ Stevenson intercepted Gabrels on fourth down and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown.
On Guilford's next possession, Sylas Scruggs intercepted Gabrels again.
Fauntleroy-McDaniel eventually converted that takeaway into an 11-yard touchdown run, and Chase Patalano's four-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Barnett made it 56-0 before the third quarter ended.
Brevard finished with four rushing touchdowns and three through the air. Conley threw for 137 yards and two scores, while Patalano completed all four of his attempts for 51 yards and another touchdown.
Williford and Reed each rushed for 73 yards, while Fauntleroy-McDaniel added 60 yards and two touchdowns. Miles caught only two passes, but both went for touchdowns totaling 69 yards.
There were few bright spots for Guilford, although Shapiro remained productive with eight catches for 93 yards — accounting for more than half of the Quakers' total offense. Evan Sullivan added 46 rushing yards.
But Brevard's defense dictated the night, recording three sacks and nine tackles for loss while forcing two fumbles and intercepting two passes. Guilford finished 2-of-10 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down.
Spencer Crum's 25-yard field goal provided the final points.
Brevard's 59 points were its most since 2017, while the 59-point margin was its largest since becoming an NCAA Division III program.
More importantly, the Tornados leave non-conference play at 3-0.
They didn't punt once. They didn't allow Guilford into the red zone. And in the first football meeting between the two North Carolina schools, Brevard left no doubt about which team controlled the night.
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