Buena Vista, Va. — The Southern Virginia University football team struggled to contain Brevard College's offense, falling 21-55 in their latest matchup.

Brevard opened the scoring with a field goal on their first drive, followed by a quick three-and-out from Southern Virginia. The Tornadoes capitalized with a 40-yard touchdown, making it 10-0 within the first five minutes. The Knights continued to face difficulties as Brevard's special teams returned a punt 88 yards for another touchdown, pushing the lead to 17-0. A 63-yard run early in the second quarter extended Brevard's lead to 34-0.

Southern Virginia's offense began to show signs of growth late in the second quarter when quarterback Devin Watson led a 13-play drive, culminating in a rushing touchdown. Watson faked a throw before diving into the end zone, bringing the score to 34-7 at halftime.

The Knights carried that momentum into the second half, with Watson connecting on a 34-yard pass to Alex Silvester to keep a drive alive. Tre Kelso finished it with a rushing touchdown, closing the gap to 14-41.

Southern Virginia looked poised to score again in the fourth quarter, but a deflected pass was intercepted by Brevard's defensive lineman Ernest Smith, halting their drive at the three-yard line. The defense fought back, with Tyrek Talley forcing a fumble recovered by Jemaar Robinson. Watson then found Silvester on a short pass, and Silvester broke several tackles en route to a 36-yard touchdown, bringing the Knights to 21-48.

With just three minutes remaining, Brevard sealed the game with five straight rushes followed by a 43-yard touchdown pass, ending the game at 21-55.

Brevard's rushing attack was highly effective, accumulating 281 yards with a 7.0 yards per rush average compared to Southern Virginia's 77 rushing yards at 3.2 yards per carry. For the Knights, Jay McGruder and Tre Kelso led the ground game, averaging 6.8 and 7.5 yards per carry, respectively. Silvester and Jalen Lackey each tallied four receptions.

In the air, Southern Virginia nearly matched Brevard with 296 passing yards and 8.7 yards per attempt, compared to Brevard's 315 passing yards and 11.3 yards per attempt.

On defense, CJ Williams recorded an interception, while Robinson and Blake Taylor both recovered fumbles.

Southern Virginia will look to bounce back as they continue conference play on Saturday, October 12th, traveling to Jackson, Mississippi, to face Belhaven University (1-4) at 1:00 PM EST.

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_ftbl on Instagram.