ATHENS — The scene couldn’t have been much worse — at least if you were wearing Cardinal red and white.

Trinity Valley Community College was down two scores, and it had turned the ball over on each of its first four possessions. Tyler, the beneficiary of the Cardinals’ horrible start, surely wasn’t feeling bad about it. The Apache band was blaring. The crowd at Rose Stadium, smelled blood and subsequently cheered like it.

And Tucker Carter, the TVCC quarterback, was on the sidelines playing it cool and waiting for his next chance to right a few wrongs.

Carter — with the help of backup quarterback Deric Davis — did just that, leading the Cardinals to a come-from-behind 35-28 win last week. The win, improbable as it may have seemed after one quarter of play, kept TVCC undefeated at 4-0 and left the Cardinals 2-0 in Southwest Junior College Football Conference play.

The Cardinals will have a break from conference this week when they host Arkansas Baptist for homecoming. Kickoff at Bruce Field is set for 3 p.m.

Carter and Davis competed for the starting quarterback job throughout the spring and into summer workouts. Carter emerged as the starter, but head coach Brad Smiley has continued to use both in games.

“They’re winners,” Smiley said. “As frustrated as they both were (against Tyler), they were not going to let themselves get down. We have two guys who understand what has to happen to for us to win.

“Look, we were down 14-0 and everything in the world was going wrong,” Smiley added, “and they didn’t get down.”

Through four games, Carter is 62 of 109 for 779 yards with 10 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. He has also rushed 26 times for 143 yards and a team-leading four touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers are a big reason why Carter is 5-0 as a starter dating back to last season.

Davis hasn’t had the snaps Carter has, but he has also been effective. For the season, Davis is 11 of 16 for 174 yards and three touchdowns. His lone interception of the season came last week.

Their value to the team was on display last Saturday, as Carter threw for two scores and ran for another and Davis added a touchdown pass of his own.

Smiley brought Carter and Davis to Trinity Valley in large part due to their pedigree. As a junior at Allen High School, Carter stepped in and led the team to a Class 5A state championship. Davis also came to The Valley with big-school experience, having quarterbacked at Arlington Bowie. After his senior season, he was named the Associated Press Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 3,100 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Playing at Allen — currently the No. 1-ranked team in 5A — Carter would often go under center with thousands upon thousands of fans watching. So when things got rowdy Saturday at Rose, he said he wasn’t shaken up.

“In high school, I’ve been in tight games with big crowds and loud bands,” Carter said. “I know you just have to stick together and everything will be all right. You’ve just got to make sure the guys stay behind you.”

Davis admits he can be a “little antsy” entering games as the backup. But he said the key for him is to stay poised regardless of what the game situation is when he steps into the huddle.

“When I get out there, I know I’ve got to make plays,” Davis said. “I know I’ve got to take advantage of whatever opportunities I’ve been given.”