Appalachian State 35, Chattanooga 25
BOONE, N.C. ? Walter Payton Award candidate Richie Williams threw for 256 yards to become Appalachian State University’s all-time leading passer and lead the 12th-ranked Mountaineers to a 35-25 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Williams’ 256 yards on the afternoon pushed him to 6,725 for his illustrious career, surpassing the previous school record of 6,609 set by Joe Burchette from 1999-2002.
The senior from Camden, S.C. also accounted for four touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground, completed 17-of-23 passes and ran 13 times for 70 yards in the triumph. With his 326 total yards, Williams topped 300 yards of total offense for the fifth time in eight games this season and 12th time in his career.
Despite the banner day for Williams, things did not start out as planned for Appalachian, as it found itself trailing for the first time at home this season when Esteban Lopez kicked a pair of first-quarter field goals to give Chattanooga a 6-0 lead.
ASU took its first advantage of the game early in the second period when Williams found tight end Daniel Bettis for a six-yard scoring strike. The touchdown reception was Bettis’ third in the past two games and the 10th of his career. One quarter of the junior’s 40 career catches have been for six points.
Trailing 13-7 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, Appalachian took advantage of a UTC fumble to march 32 yards in three plays and take a 14-13 lead on an 11-yard scamper by Williams with 1:20 to go before halftime.
The Mountaineer offense started to hit on all cylinders after the break, as it put together touchdown drives of 70-plus yards on three of its first four possessions of the second half. However, the Mocs answered each of ASU’s first two scoring drives with touchdowns of their own to keep the contest close until Kevin Richardson’s three-yard touchdown plunge gave the Apps a 35-25 lead with 11:15 to go in the ballgame.
From there, Appalachian’s defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs to put the game away.
In addition to Williams’ heroics, Richardson ran for 109 yards on 20 carries and Jermane Little caught seven passes for 90 yards to pace the Mountaineers offensively.
Showing no ill effects from a minor injury that held him to limited action in last week’s rout over Wofford, ASU linebacker Zodd Kelly posted a game-high 13 tackles. Defensive end Jason Hunter kept up his torrid pace with three tackles for loss, including his conference-leading eighth sack of the season, while defensive back Jeremy Wiggins added eight tackles, a quarterback hurry and his first interception of the season to also help lead Appalachian's defensive effort.
Chattanooga running back Eldra Buckley became the first player in seven seasons to gain 200 yards on the ground against ASU, as he ran for a career-high 210 yards in the losing effort. Appalachian hadn’t allowed anyone to rush for 200 yards since Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson posted 216 yards against the Apps on Oct. 17, 1998.
However, for the third-straight game, Appalachian allowed less than 100 passing yards, as the Mocs managed just 89 yards through the air against the Mountaineers’ stingy pass defense.
With the victory, Appalachian (6-2, 4-1 SoCon) took sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference, a half-game ahead of idle Furman (7-1, 3-1 SoCon). The Mountaineers also extended their school-record winning streaks to 15-consecutive regular-season games and 14-straight overall.
Chattanooga fell to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in SoCon play.
Appalachian faces its final non-conference matchup of the season next Saturday when it travels to Baton Rouge, La. to face national-power LSU. Kickoff between the Mountaineers and Tigers is slated for 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST) at LSU’s Tiger Stadium.
Georgia Southern 55, South Dakota State 42
BROOKINGS, S.D. - Georgia Southern broke a 21-all tie in the second half, scoring three unanswered touchdowns during a 55-42 win over South Dakota State Saturday at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Jermaine Austin scored a career-high four touchdowns while Jayson Foster equaled his personal-best scoring three times as the duo each rushed for 100 yards.
Foster rushed for a personal-best 178 yards on 27 attempts while Austin gained 146 yards on 29 carries. Austin (1,139) and Foster (1,091) also both surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, becoming the sixth set of teammates in Southern Conference history to accomplish the feat.
Improving to 6-3 overall, the Eagles guaranteed their ninth straight winning season and 23 in 24 years.
After both teams punted on their first possession, the 19th-ranked Eagles struck first driving 99 yards * equaling a GSU record * in 12 plays. Austin broke through the middle for 33 yards late in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
On the Jackrabbits’ next drive, John Mohring hit quarterback Ryan Berry (making his first collegiate start) while he was throwing and A.J. Bryant picked off the pass, his second interception this year and eighth of his career.
Neal Bainbridge netted 15 yards on a punt into the 28 mph wind, giving the Eagles great field position on SDSU’s 40. Southern capitalized when Austin had a 10-yard touchdown run.
Dusty Snyders caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Berry, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with four minutes left in the first half.
On the first play of the Eagles’ next drive, Foster hit a wide-open Reggie McCutchen for 60 yards but he was tripped up at the five yard line. That marked the longest completion of Foster’s career and McCutchen longest reception. On the next play, Austin surpassed his previous personal-high scoring his third touchdown.
In the final minute of the half, Josh Davis made a diving catch on Berry’s pass in the endzone making it 21-14 at the break.
On 3rd-and-2 during SDSU’s first drive of the half, Snyders lined up at quarterback but on his run was stripped by Charrod Taylor who also recovered the fumble. But the Eagles could not convert the turnover when Jonathan Dudley missed right on a 46-yard field goal attempt.
Anthony Watson tied the game when he broke five tackles on a 52-yard scoring run five minutes into the third. After that is when the Eagles took control.
The Eagles marched 75 yards in nine plays, regaining the lead when Foster broke loose for a 21-yard touchdown. Southern’s defense held the Jackrabbits to 3-and-out, taking possession on SDSU’s 42. Foster completed a pass to Marquice Maynard but was stripped from behind during the run and the Jackrabbits eventually recovered the ball on their own five yard line.
Again the defense held SDSU to 3-and-out. A second consecutive punt from the endzone resulted in the Eagles taking over on the Jackrabbits’ 43. Foster broke through the left side and got down to the two. He scored on the next play and Dudley converted the extra point to extend the lead to 35-21.
Terence McBride picked off Berry, his first interception this season and fourth of his career, giving the Eagles the ball in great field position again on their on 46. Austin converted a short fourth down then Foster punched it in from four yards out.
Berry connected with Davis on a 6-yard touchdown with nine minutes remaining, the first time Georgia Southern’s defense allowed more than one touchdown during the second half this season. The redshirt-freshman quarterback threw two touchdown passes during the final 3:43, five in all.
Foster was 4-of-7 passing for a career-best 131 yards. Raja Andrews’ 5-yard TD run in the final minute gave GSU a season-high point total.
Mohring led the defense with 11 tackles and recorded his third interception this season, picking Berry off in the fourth quarter. Tariq Muhammad and Bryant added eight tackles each.
The 615 yards of total offense is the 11th highest total in GSU history, one yard behind what the Eagles accumulated in last year’s meeting with SDSU. The Eagles also doubled up the Jackrabbits on the ground, 484-234.
Berry finished 17-of-27 for 289 yards but had three interceptions to go with his five touchdown throws. Davis caught nine passes for 177 yards and three scores. Watson accounted for 204 of their rushing yards on 16 carries.
The Eagles return to Paulson Stadium next Saturday (Nov. 5) to host Southern Conference rival Furman. Kickoff against the Paladins, who could be the top-ranked team in I-AA when the polls are released Monday, is scheduled for 4 p.m. and to be televised live on Fox Sports South.
Western Carolina 31, Elon 26
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina (4-3, 3-2 Southern Conference) used some big plays to race out to a 31-10 lead, but needed a pass breakup in the endzone on the final play of the game to hold on for a 31-26 Homecoming victory over Elon (3-6, 0-5 SoCon) Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field.
Western’s Mike Malone, the Southern Conference 100 and 200-meter track champion, took the opening kickoff 80 yards, setting up a 25-yard Jonathan Parsons field goal. Elon was forced to punt on its first possession. On the Catamounts first play from scrimmage after the Phoenix punt, Darius Fudge broke one tackle and out-ran Elon’s defense for a 66-yard touchdown, giving Western an early 10-0 lead.
With just over two minutes left in the first quarter, the Cats stretched their advantage to 17 as Justin Clark floated a pass to the right corner of the endzone, hitting fullback John Bush on stride for a 19-yard score. Overall, Clark completed 5-of-7 passes during the drive, including a 33-yarder to Nicholas Wishart prior to the TD.
From that point, Elon began to move the ball. After getting the ball on a muffed punt return, the Phoenix started the second quarter with a seven-play, 35-yard drive, which was capped by a 36-yard Andrew Wilcox field goal. Elon took advantage of another change of possession, when Western failed to get a first down on a fourth-and-two. Elon’s sophomore quarterback Kye Hamilton used a 17-yard completion to setup a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mayers down the left sideline, making the score 17-10.
Malone snatched the momentum from the Phoenix, returning the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a Catamount touchdown. The kick return for a TD was Malone’s first and the 15th time in WCU history Western had returned a kick at least 90 yards for a TD. Neither team scored over the final 8:15 and Western took a 24-10 lead at the break.
On the first drive of the third quarter, Elon was forced to punt, giving the Cats the ball on the Elon 29. After a pass interference and a few short runs by Lamont Reid, Western was staring at a third-and-goal on the one. Bush plowed his way across the goal line and Western was up 31-10.
As the fourth quarter began, Elon started its push towards an upset. The Phoenix, backed up to their own one after a 52-yard Tim Mayse punt, put together an impressive 14-play, 74-yard drive. While Western’s defense stiffened, to force a field goal. Wilcox came on to drill a career-long 42-yarder, making the score 31-13.
On Western’s ensuing possession, which ended in a punt, Elon’s Daronce Daniels broke through the line to block a Catamount punt, the first punt WCU has had blocked this season. Chris Bland scooped the ball up on the 10 and found his way to the endzone to make cut Western’s lead to 11 (31-20).
With 4:58 left in the game, Hamilton attempted a pass on eight of the nine-play drive, completing six. The last completion was a jump ball in the left corner of the endzone between a pair of Elon players, which Casey Hall came down with for a 12-yard touchdown. Western’s Francis Brown broke up the Phoenix’ two-point attempt on a Hamilton pass to keep the score 31-26.
Elon attempted an on-side kick, which was recovered by the Phoenix. However, a penalty forced Elon to kickoff once again. The Phoenix blooped the kick and Western took over near midfield with 2:38 left. Elon did not have any timeouts and Western was able to run clock down inside 30 seconds. A poor WCU punt gave the Phoenix the ball on their own 40 and some hope with 28 seconds left. Hamilton completed one pass, a 15-yarder to Mayers on the first play. After spiking the ball and two incompletions, the game came down to one final play. Hamilton’s “Hail Mary” was knocked down in the endzone by Western’s Mitchell Dukes to preserve the WCU win.
Offensively for the Catamounts, Fudge just missed 100 yards for the second consecutive game. After getting 95 in a win at Chattanooga last week, the junior tallied 99 yards on 14 attempts versus the Phoenix. Clark completed 10-of-18 passes foe 108 yards. Michael Hines was his top target, hauling in four passes for 35 yards. On defense, James Conklin led the way, collecting a career-high 12 tackles, followed by Felipe Foster (8) and Rico Reese (7). Reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week Carlton Bailed added six stops and an interception.
Elon was led offensively by Reggie Hall’s 91 rushing yards. Hamilton finished the day completing 15-of-32 passes for 156 yards and two scores. Mayers was the Phoenix’ leading receiver, catching five passes for 78 yards. The nation’s leading tackler, Chad Nkang, paced Elon’s defense with 12 stops, including three for losses.
Western Carolina will return to action next Saturday (Nov. 5), hosting Wofford at 2:00 pm. Prior to the game, Western will have Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on the Ramsey Center concourse, starting at 10:00 am. Elon will be off next week, return to action Nov. 12 at The Citadel. Kickoff in Charleston is set for 2:00 pm.
Wofford 28, The Citadel 10
Charleston, SC?The Wofford ground game, which rolled up 291 yards and was led by running back Adrian Young who ran for 72 yards and a touchdown, proved to be the difference as the Terriers defeated The Citadel, 28-10, in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
It was Wofford’s seventh straight win against the Bulldogs (2-6 overall, 1-4 in the Southern Conference) and their fourth consecutive victory in Charleston. The Terriers (5-3, 3-2) have now won three of their last four contests while The Citadel dropped its fourth consecutive game.
Wofford jumped on the board first with 6:52 left in the opening quarter as wide receiver Brandon Berry took a reverse 27 yards for a touchdown, capping off a 51-yard scoring drive. Berry’s touchdown followed a conversion by running back Adrian Young on fourth and one from the Bulldog 29.
The defense helped the Terriers add to their lead early in the second quarter as nose tackle Katon Bethay intercepted a tipped Justin Knox pass at the Bulldog 21. Young capitalized on the opportunity as he raced to the end zone from 12 yards out to make the score 14-0 with 13:39 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs would get back in the contest with some ingenuity on offense.
With 7:34 left in the half, first year head coach Kevin Higgins reached into his bag of tricks and called for a wide receiver screen pass from Kinta Palmer to T’Mar Jernigan for a 41-yard yard touchdown that put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard, cutting the lead to 14-7.
The Citadel missed an opportunity to tie the contest early in the second half as Justin Matherson recovered a Berry fumble to put the Bulldogs at the Terriers’ 20. Knox later coughed up the ball at the Wofford one-yard line and linebacker Derek Newberry recovered for the Terriers killing the drive.
The Bulldogs’ defense held Wofford to a three-and-out series following the fumble and forced the Terriers to punt from their own end zone. The Citadel took advantage of the good field position as kicker Blake Vandiver nailed a 36-yard field goal to make it 14-10 with 7:22 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs would get no closer as the Terriers took control of the contest with an eight-play, 70-yard scoring drive. With 12:07 left in the game, quarterback Josh Collier went around left guard for a one-yard touchdown run and Robinson’s point after made it 21-10.
The Terriers put the game out of reach when defensive end Layton Baker intercepted another tipped Knox pass and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown with 11:19 left in the game.
Halfback Gabriel Jackson added 17 carriers for 69 yards for the Terriers while quarterback Josh Collier ran for 61 yards on 17 attempts. Citadel tailback Nuru Goodrum led the Bulldogs as he rushed for 76 yards on 17 carries.
Southern Conference play continues for both schools Saturday as The Citadel heads to Chattanooga while the Terriers visit Western Carolina.