DANVILLE, Va. — Averett shut down Ferrum for most of the first half, but the Panthers took advantage of several opportunities in the second half and came away with a 30-9 victory over the Cougars on Saturday at the Cougar Den.

Averett looked sharp in the first half of its USA South Conference opener, and the Cougars took a 2-0 lead when junior linebacker Mario Huffman (Danville, Va./Tunstall) brought down Ferrum quarterback Matt Dobson in the end zone for a safety at the start of the second quarter.

After a free kick, the Cougars (1-3, 0-1 USA South) put together a nine-play, 48-yard drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown run by junior running back Dontavious Watson (Tampa, Fla./Brandon).

Averett held Ferrum's offense in check for most of the half until the Panthers' final full drive before the break. Ferrum (4-1, 2-0 USA South) methodically moved down the field, and quarterback Marcus Mayo found Marques Wilson for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 25 seconds to play.

Averett attempted a 47-yard field goal attempt just before the half, but it sailed wide left and the Cougars settled for a 9-7 halftime lead.

Ferrum had only 81 total yards in the first half, with 65 of them coming on its scoring drive. That changed in the second half. The Panthers took a 14-9 lead after Mayo ran in a touchdown from 7 yards out with 8:58 left in the third quarter.

Averett's ensuing drive got the Cougars into the red zone with a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line. The Cougars came up short on third down and elected to go for the score on fourth down from the 1-yard line. Ferrum stopped Averett for no gain and took over on downs. It was the first of two red zone opportunities that the Cougars couldn't convert.

On its next possession, Averett senior quarterback Shan Fairbanks (Groveland, Fla./South Lake) hit junior wide receiver Anthony Squillini (Clayton, N.C./Clayton) for a 9-yard gain, which gave the Cougars a first-and-goal from the Ferrum 10-yard line. But Fairbanks' pass on third down was intercepted by Ferrum's Dennis Hardy, who returned the pick to the Averett 28-yard line. Two plays later, running back Mike Vann scored from 30 yards out to put the Panthers ahead 22-9.

Ferrum added another touchdown with 4:01 to play.

Squillini led the Averett offense with nine catches for 111 yards, while Fairbanks completed 17 of 30 passes for 161 yards. Senior defensive end Andre Garvin (Cheraw, S.C./Cheraw) led the defense with 10 total tackles.

Averett returns to action next Saturday at Methodist University at 1 p.m.