Rebels block out noise, beat Greenville 37-14

Byrnes QB Andrew Stevens threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns in the Rebels’ trouncing of Greenville.

Early last week, Byrnes quarterback Andrew Stevens decided to delete social media from his phone.

After Byrnes’ upset loss to Chapman, Stevens was hearing negative digital noise about his performance. People outside the program walls questioned his ability under center. It weighed on the senior signal-caller, who was trying to keep working and put the loss behind him.

Head coach Reggie Shaw pulled Stevens aside in practice.

“Coach Shaw told me not to listen to the noise, not to listen to the people who were talking,” said Stevens. “He told me just to listen to the Lord and to put all my faith in Him.”

Shaw’s advice carried Stevens all week. He silenced any potential critics Friday night against Greenville, putting together his best performance of the young season.

Against a talented Red Raider defense, Stevens went 22-of-36 passing for 319 yards and four touchdowns. After throwing three interceptions against Chapman, Stevens was turnover-free against Greenville.

He led Byrnes to a dominant 37-14 win.

“People finally got to see what we saw all offseason, and that’s the fact that [Andrew] has the potential to be a really good quarterback,” said Shaw. “I just challenged him this week to keep swinging and keep hammering, and eventually, that rock will crack. To bust a rock, you keep chipping away at it.”

Stevens chipped away at the Red Raider secondary all evening, connecting with seven different targets. All four of Stevens’ touchdown passes went to different receivers — Armoni Weaver, Chamarryus Bomar, Dreson Evans, and Caleb Williams each collected a score.

Weaver led the way statistically, hauling in seven receptions for 129 yards with his touchdown.

“I’m grateful for those guys,” Stevens said of his deep receiving unit. “We got athletes all around. I can’t say enough about how much I care for them and love them. They’re playmakers, all of them.”

As for the people who publicly doubted Stevens, his performance Friday night spoke volumes. And Stevens took the high road after the game, opting against leaving his critics a message of his own.

“Honestly, all I’d say is that I’m praying for them. That’s all I can really do.”

BIG PLAY DRE

Friday’s first quarter was repetitive. Three-and-out after three-and-out, punt after punt. Neither offense could get anything going. Both Byrnes and Greenville remained scoreless after the frame.

The game needed a jolt of life. That’s where junior wide receiver/defensive back Dreson Evans came in.

Evans put the game’s first points on the board via a pop pass from Stevens. He raced to the left corner of the end zone from five yards out, giving the Rebels a 7-0 lead.

Just three plays later, Evans made another game-changing play, this time on the defensive side of the ball.

Evans laid the boom on Greenville running back Jayvion Sherman, forcing a fumble. Sherman was operating out of the wildcat formation, and Evans met him at the line of scrimmage, jarring the ball loose with a huge hit.

Evans got right up and scooped his own forced fumble. The turnover gave the Rebels the ball back in Red Raider territory. Byrnes would score just two plays later, bumping the Rebel lead to 14-0 in the second quarter.

Byrnes WR/DB Dreson Evans scrambles for the ball after forcing a fumble in the second quarter against Greenville.

“Those two plays really helped us,” said Byrnes wide receivers coach Jamauri Davis. “Dreson’s a competitor on both sides of the ball. Him making those types of plays is something we’re used to, and we definitely needed it on Friday to kind of get us going.

“Those were huge plays that helped us take some of that momentum. It opened up the game for us.”

A JAMES OATES THEY’VE NEVER SEEN

When asked earlier this offseason about his goals heading into his final season, senior linebacker James Oates was clear.

“I want to show them a James Oates they’ve never seen before.”

Oates has gotten off to a good start. His final stat line against Greenville included a milestone: Oates put up his first-career multi-sack performance. He also led the Rebel defense in tackles with 10.

“I’ve just been making plays this season that I couldn’t make last season,” said Oates.

Oates flew around on defense all night, commanding his men well and making life difficult for Greenville quarterback Bryson Drummond.

Oates consistently kept Drummond honest in the pocket, rarely allowing him to escape and obtain yardage on the ground. Drummond — who’s often at his best when able to run — was sacked twice by Oates while trying to escape the pocket and make plays with his legs.

“It was important to not let [Drummond] get down the field. He can extend plays and run outside the pocket to give his receivers time to get open,” said Oates. “Not being able to do that sort of makes the quarterback panic a bit.”

UP NEXT

This Friday, Byrnes will travel just a few miles up the road to face perennial rival Greer at Dooley Field.

After the unexpected loss to Chapman, the Rebels won’t take anything for granted, especially against a Jacket squad hungry to build off of last week’s 51-0 dismantling of Blue Ridge.

“It’s a rivalry, just like Chapman was,” said Shaw. “They’re going to be ready. We’ve got to prepare just like we do every week. Our focus is on us. On our goals board, it says us. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, the process doesn’t change. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves.”