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KENNESAW - In a tale of two halves, the Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs pulled away after the break to top visiting Pope 38-21 Friday night.

The teams fought to a 14-14 tie heading into halftime. The deadlock gave way not long after as the bigger and bruising Mustangs ultimately imposed their will.

"Both sides decided to take things in their own hands and then we went toe to toe there for a couple of quarters," Kennesaw head coach Scott Jones said, adding, "We challenged our kids at halftime to come out here and try to regain their composure.

"The kids came out and accepted that challenge and got back in it. Our offense kept clicking all night long. Somebody had to take the lead (Friday) and they did."

Clayton Whitlock was the lead horse in Kennesaw Mountain's stable of Wing T-certified running backs, rushing for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

His last score, a 2-yard scamper up the middle, put the Mustangs up 28-14 and Pope never recovered.

"It was anybody's ball game in the first half; we came out strong in the second half," said Whitlock. "The (offensive) line was blocking for me and I just hit the holes as hard as I could."

The Greyhounds, playing their first game under new coach Matt Kemper, made costly mistakes at inopportune times to contribute to their own undoing.

Kennesaw Mountain linebacker Diamond Stewart was the first to capitalize, baiting Pope quarterback Steve Wilkerson into an interception and 25-yard pick 6 on the Greyhounds' opening possession of the game.

The dynamic Wilkerson redeemed himself later in the first quarter when he hooked up with wideout Garrett Brown for a 62-yard touchdown pass with 2:18 left to play.

The Mustangs answered with a long drive lasting into the second quarter and culminating in a 7-yard run to pay dirt by Whitlock at the 7:34 mark.

Pope, hanging tough just the same, countered with an effective mix of roll-out pass plays and shifty running, including Marcorus Graham's 17-yard dash to the end zone with 4 minutes to play in the half.

The second half was a different story as Kennesaw Mountain eventually wore down the feisty Greyhounds.

"When you're playing a big, strong team like that that's what happens," Kemper said afterward. "After a while, strength and talent kind of overtakes enthusiasm, and, unfortunately, that's the case.

"We had a couple of plays that we just didn't make and a good team like that is just gonna roll you up when they get you on your heels..."

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