Appalachian State 49, Wofford 17
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Appalachian State, ranked 16th in the nation, compiled 566 yards of total offense in posting a 49-17 win over Wofford on Saturday at Gibbs Stadium.
ASU quarterback Richie Williams completed 19 of 26 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown and added 73 yards rushing and a score as the Mountaineers improved to 5-2, 3-1 in the Southern Conference. Wofford fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
The Terriers were led by quarterback Josh Collier who rushed for 88 yards including a 57-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
Appalachian State scored on its opening possession, methodically driving the ball 80 yards with running back Kevin Richardson hurdling over from 2 yards out for a 7-0 lead.
After the teams exchanged punts, Wofford’s Brandon Berry returned an Appalachian punt 36 yards to the ASU 35. Seven players later, Wofford tied the game on a 6-yard run by Gabriel Jackson with 20.3 seconds left in the first quarter.
Appalachian started play at its own 27 following the kickoff and on the first play, Williams hit Jermane Little for 62 yards to the Wofford 11. Richard scored his second touchdown from the 2 to cap a 4-play, 73-yard drive that put the Mountaineers in front 14-7 with 13:41 to play in the half.
ASU extended its lead to 21-7 when Williams hit tight end Daniel Bettis on a 25-yard scoring pass with 2:45 to play in the half. The 42-yard drive started when John Hunter sacked Collier on a fourth down attempt near midfield.
The Terriers’ Nick Robinson knocked a line drive 35-yard field goal through the uprights just 4 seconds before the half to cut the deficit to 21-10 at intermission.
ASU went up 28-10 with 9:34 to play in the third quarter when Williams ran it in from 11 yards out.
The Mountaineers went up 35-10 when Jermane Little scored on a 10 yard reverse with 3:48 to play in the third.
Williams’ replacement, Trey Elder, provided another score for the Mountaineers when he threw 9 yards to Bettis to give Appalachian a 42-10 lead with 11:34 to play in the game. Elder also threw a 1 yard TD pass to William Mayfield with 5:49 to play in the game for a 49-10 advantage.
Wofford tallied its final touchdown with 3:06 to play in the game when Collier kept the ball around left end on an option play, broke a tackle, and raced 57 yards to the end zone.
Wofford will play its final four games on the road starting at The Citadel on Oct. 29. Appalachian State will host Chattanooga next Saturday.
NOTES
Brandon Berry’s 36-yard punt return in the first quarter was the longest of the year for Wofford.
Gabe Jackson’s first quarter touchdown run was his second of the year and the 15th of his career.
Appalachian State’s 62-yard completion on the final play of the first quarter was the longest allowed by Wofford this season.
Brian Ford’s second quarter interception was his team-leading fourth of the year.
Nick Robinson’s second quarter 35-yard field goal was his longest of the year, his second of the year and the 11th of his career.
The 49 points allowed by Wofford were the most it had allowed since Georgia Southern scored a 58-14 win over the Terriers in Statesboro on Sept. 18, 2004.
The 49 points scored by Appalachian is the most an opponent has scored in Gibbs Stadium since Georgia Southern posted a 55-14 win over the Terriers on Sept.
11, 1999.
The 32-point loss was the worst absorbed by Wofford since suffering a 44-point loss to Georgia Southern
(58-14) on Sept. 18, 2004.
The 342 yards passing by ASU were the most allowed by Wofford since ASU passed for 458 yards last year on Oct. 23, 2004.
Western Carolina 38, Chattanooga 20
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Western Carolina returned two blocked punts for touchdowns and ran back an interception for another score to snap the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's three-game win streak Saturday with a 38-20 Southern Conference victory.
The Catamounts, 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the SoCon, broke the game open early in the third quarter. After the Mocs failed to convert a first down on their first possession of the second half, WCUs Nicholas Wishart blocked Jonathan Wright's punt at around the UTC 20-yard line, and Marcus Nelums recovered it in the end zone to extend the Cats lead to 24-7 just over two minutes into the third quarter.
The same thing happened on the next series with the same results. This time, Michael Hines broke through, blocked the punt at about the 25-yard line and returned the ball himself for a quick score.
"We gave them 21 points, two punts blocked and an interception for a touchdown," UTC Head Coach Rodney Allison said. "We went to a totally different scheme (on punt protection). Obviously we didn't coach it well enough. Obviously it didn't work."
Statistically, the game was nearly even on offense. WCU collected 349 total yards while UTC registered 321. The Mocs, 5-3 and 2-2, had a 19-17 edge on first downs. The Cats won the time of possession battle 31:04 to 28:56. UTC threw two interceptions, and WCU gave away four fumbles.
Jonathan Parsons booted a 38-yard field goal at 8:25 of the first quarter to give the Cats an early 3-0 lead.
The Mocs took their first and only lead of the night on Levonte Barbers one-yard plunge at 14:40 of the second period. The score was set up after UTCs Terry Lindley returned Francis Browns fumbled punt return 48 yards to the two-yard line.
WCU took the lead for good two minutes later. Carlton Bailey intercepted an Antonio Miller pass and ran it back 28 yards for a touchdown and a 10-7 edge. The Cats padded their lead right before halftime as Lamont Reid raced 63 yards with a Justin Clark screen pass to make it 17-7.
UTC responded after the two blocked punts in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Matt Lopez replaced Miller and drove the team 66 yards in five plays, capping the drive with a 15-yard scoring pass to tight end Brian Arnold. The touchdown, the first career touchdown pass for Lopez, trimmed the deficit to 31-14 at 9:53 of the third quarter.
WCU scored for the final time with 6:36 left in the third quarter. Reed ran up the middle for a three-yard score and a 38-14 lead. Lopez found wideout Michael Gilmore for a 27-yard touchdown pass with one minute left in the third quarter. The extra point kick deflected off the upright.
Tailback Eldra Buckley led the Mocs rushing attack with 85 yards on 20 carries. Miller completed 10-of-18 passes for 112 yards and two interceptions. Lopez was 11-of-28 passing for 98 yards and two scores. Gilmore recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with a career-best 120 yards on seven catches.
Reid led the Cats with his first 100-yard effort, gaining 108 yards on 18 carries. Clark threw for 144 yards connecting on 13-of-18 passes. J.C. Brown led the receiving corps with four catches for 32 yards.
Outside linebacker Jeff Phillips led UTCs defense with nine tackles and a sack. Bailey led WCU with 10 stops.
The Mocs travel to Appalachian State Saturday with kickoff in Boone, N.C., set for 3:30 p.m. WCU hosts Elon at 2 p.m.
Furman 45, Elon 6
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Ingle Martin passed for 220 yards and a touchdown to lead NCAA I-AA second-ranked Furman to a 45-6 Southern Conference homecoming victory over Elon Saturday at Paladin Stadium.
The win marks the sixth straight triumph for Furman (7-1, 3-1 SoCon), which matched its best eight-game record since 1999, and sixth consecutive victory over Elon (3-5, 0-4 SoCon).
“I’m very proud of the way we played today, on both sides of the football,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb, whose program notched its 11th win in its last 12 homes games. “We made the big play before the half and then finished the game off the way we wanted. Our offense produced today against a stingy Elon defense, and we kept them out of the end zone on defense.”
“We got whipped today, there’s no two ways about it,” said Elon head coach Paul Hamilton. “We just ran into a much better football team. Furman has a great offensive football team with a lot of weapons. Our defense fought hard, but their offense was just too much for us.”
Martin, who was sidelined last week with lower body cramps in the Paladins’ eventual 39-31 triple overtime triumph over The Citadel, completed 12-of-19 passes in the contest, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Justin Stepp with 13 seconds before intermission to give the Paladins a 24-3 lead. Martin’s late second quarter strike capped a lightning quick two-play, 81-yard drive that included a 55-yard completion to Ryan McKie to the Elon 26 and roughing the passer penalty on the Phoenix that gave Furman the ball at the Elon 13.
After a third quarter Andrew Wilcox 32-yard field goal made it 24-6, Furman put the game away with three consecutive touchdowns, including a 6-yard run by Daric Carter, a 22-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Renaldo Gray, and an 8-yard scoring run around right end by Gray.
Furman, which entered the contest with the SoCon’s top offense, rolled up
486 yards, rushing for 216 and passing for 270. Elon managed 183 yards in total offense, but just one first down and 37 total yards in the second half.
Fullback Jerome Felton paced the Paladin ground game that featured 12 ballcarriers, rushing for 56 yards and two touchdowns in just two quarters of action. His 1-yard plunge gave Furman a 7-0 on its second possession, and he later scored on a 27-yard run in the second quarter to stake the Paladins to a 21-0 advantage.
Elon’s Joe Baptiste led all runners with 19 rushes for 95 yards, but the Phoenix managed only 122 yards rushing in the contest.
Nine Paladins caught passes, including Grant Brigham, who led the way with four receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Gary Nelson topped Furman’s defensive effort with 12 tackles, including a tackle-for-loss. William Freeman had nine stops, including three-for-loss, and two pass deflections.
Elon’s Zach MaAlister from nearby Anderson led the Phoenix with 11 tackles.
Furman’s next game is against Georgia Southern in two weeks in Statesboro, with kickoff set for 4:00 p.m. Elon plays at Western Carolina next Saturday in a 2:00 p.m. game.
Georgia Southern 49, The Citadel 14
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Jayson Foster passed for a career-high 123 yards and Jason Earwood returned an interception for a touchdown, leading Georgia Southern to a 49-14 Homecoming victory over Southern Conference rival The Citadel.
In front of a Homecoming crowd of 17,292 the Eagles (5-3 overall, 4-2 SoCon) won for the fourth time in their last five games. Seven different Eagles scored a touchdown as they equaled a season-high point total.
The Bulldogs’ Blake Vandiver sent the opening kickoff out of the endzone, but they were flagged for offsides. A short re-kick went to A.J. Bryant who returned it near midfield. However, for the second straight game Georgia Southern failed to score on the opening drive as Dan Jordan’s punt into a strong wind netted just 14 yards.
Taking advantage of that short punt, a 37-yard touchdown run by Nuru Goodrum capped a five play drive that put The Citadel (2-5, 1-3) ahead 7-0 five minutes in.
The Eagles drove 80 yards in six plays, capped by Brandon Andrews’ 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
Earwood intercepted Justin Knox’s pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter. It was the first time in nine games that the Eagles hit paydirt after a pick (Bryant at Florida International in 2004 and 25th time in GSU history). Those 14 points were the most The Citadel had given up in the first quarter all year.
Lynon Jefferson took the pitch and scored from five yards out on the first play of the second quarter, extending the lead to 21-7. It was his second career rushing TD. Nearly 10 minutes later, Marquice Maynard converted on 4th-and-goal from the four, his first rushing touchdown this season.
Foster recorded his first career 100-yard passing game during the Eagles’ drive late in the first half. He connected with Chris Dickerson on a 23-yard TD pass as the Eagles covered 52 yards in 36 seconds. It was Dickerson’s first career reception and Foster’s fourth TD through the air this season as the Eagles took a 35-7 lead into the locker room.
Knox threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Kelly, capping an eight minute drive by The Citadel to start the third quarter. Southern responded when Foster scored from three yards out. Darius Smiley scored from 15 yards early in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
“I feel like we played better and executed better. We ran the football so effectively today and we had the numbers to prove it,” said head coach Mike Sewak. “There was a lot of frustration in this team this week for what they saw last week. All week long they were very physical in practice and showed it on the field today. Our guys took the game to heart and know that their destiny is in their hands.”
Jermaine Austin had a game-high 137 yards on 18 carries as the Eagles out-rushed the Bulldogs 385-131.
Foster completed 6-of-7 for 123 yards, all in the first half. Teddy Craft caught three passes for 46 yards. Bryant and John Mohring led the defense with nine tackles apiece.
Goodrum rushed for 118 yards on 18 attempts. Knox was 14-of-21 for 115 yards with the interception and TD pass. Joshua Lawson recorded a game-high 12 tackles.
The Eagles step out of Southern Conference play next Saturday (Oct. 29), traveling to South Dakota State for a 2 p.m. EDT kickoff. The Citadel hosts Wofford next weekend.
GAME NOTES: Georgia Southern turned the ball over on consecutive possessions in the first half but The Citadel did not score any points (fumble, interception)... Austin moved into 14th place among the NCAA career rushing leaders, jumping four spots with 4,858 yards. He left the game seven yards shy of 1,000 for the season... Georgia Southern improved to 21-3 all-time in Homecoming games... Dedrick Bynam recovered the Eagles’ onsides kick attempt in the first quarter but they failed to score... Neither punter averaged better than 25 yards on their kicks and did not have one longer than 33 yards.