DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University football celebrated Homecoming by crushing Greensboro College 54-0 in its conference opener Saturday evening on Daly Field at Frank R. Campbell Stadium.

Averett (2-1, 1-0 USA South) jumped ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter and never looked back in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 2,300. The Cougars marched down the field on their first possession for a nine-play, 62-yard drive that culminated with junior quarterback Jacob Wright finding senior receiver Oran Davis for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Wright and Davis connected again on Averett's next drive for a 7-yard touchdown to give the Cougars a 14-0 advantage with 3:14 left in the first quarter.

With the Averett defense continuing to shut Greensboro (1-3, 0-1 USA South) down, the Cougars' offense continued to thrive in the second quarter. Junior Cole Westberry's 49-yard field goal started the scoring on the first play of the period. Less than two minutes later, the Cougars struck again. Wright found freshman Jarrod Mosby on a bubble screen for a 33-yard touchdown catch on the first play of the drive which put Averett ahead 24-0.

Averett added a 4-yard touchdown run by junior Joshua Tapscott and a 44-yard field goal by Westberry as time expired to give the Cougars a 34-0 lead entering halftime.

The Cougars tacked on three more scores in the second half. Senior running back Sean Bowman ran in a 10-yard touchdown midway through the third, and senior quarterback C.J. Filipkowski scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run up the middle late in the third to give Averett a 48-0 advantage entering the final frame. Senior running back Paul Wiles added his first career touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Averett's defense shut out Greensboro for the second consecutive meeting, and the Cougars have outscored the Pride 160-6 over the past three times they've squared off. Under the lights on Saturday, Averett held Greensboro to just 85 total yards of offense on 57 plays.

The Cougars totaled 424 yards of offense, including Wright's 208 through the air for three touchdowns. Davis caught five passes for 51 yards and two scores, while senior Rayvon Johnson had three receptions for 76 yards.

The defense was led by freshman Joseph Ledbetter, who had a team-high seven tackles, including two sacks, and a forced fumble.
 
Averett returns to action on the road against LaGrange College on Oct. 6 for its first conference road test.