Fayetteville, NC - In the first USA South Conference game of the season, Greensboro football lost on the road to Methodist 17-14 in a tight defensive battle that came down to the very end.

The Monarchs got out to a 10-0 lead by the second quarter after a 12 yard touchdown pass and then a 33 yard field goal. The Pride got on the board with 6:11 to play in the first half when Jayden Morrison threw a 19 yard touchdown pass to Ja'Shawn Harris to make the score 10-7. Harris' touchdown was his second receiving touchdown of the season.

With 2:49 to play in the second quarter, Methodist extended their lead to 17-7 after a short 7 yard touchdown pass. The Monarchs would take this 17-7 lead into the halftime break.

Neither team could score until midway through the fourth quarter, when Greensboro's Ben Mangungu blocked a Monarchs punt and returned it for a touchdown to bring the score to 17-14.

Despite getting two more drives to try and tie the game or take the lead, the Pride couldn't score on either possession and Methodist would hang on for their first win of the season. 

At quarterback, Jayden Morrison got the start and went 7-16 for 142 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. De'Yon Cannon would come in the game and go 13-24 for 135 yards. The Greensboro quarterbacks were sacked a combined 7 times.

On the ground, Greensboro was led by Tareek Smith, who had 10 carries for 49 yards. Smith, Deaven Hawkins, and Shamar Privette all had 4 receptions each. 

Defensively, JaJuan Givens and Dejuan Robinson led the Pride with 7 tackles, while Robinson had 2.5 tackles for loss. Larry Jones and Jaden James each had an interception.

Next Saturday, Greensboro hosts their homecoming game against Southern Virginia at Pride Field. Kick-off is set for 12:00 pm.