Furman 34, Appalachian State 31
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Ingle Martin tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Sprague with 31 seconds remaining in the game to lift NCAA I-AA sixth-ranked Furman to a 34-31 Southern Conference win over 16th-ranked Appalachian State in front of 14,138 fans at Paladin Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The victory marked the fourth straight triumph for Furman (5-1, 1-1 SoCon) and snaps a three-game series losing skid to Appalachian State (3-2, 1-1 SoCon).
Martin’s game winning strike capped a 14-play, 74-yard drive that included a critical fourth-down conversion on an offsides penalty on Appalachian State at the Mountaineer 38. The Paladin senior signal caller completed his final five passes on the drive, including the game winner to Sprague in the back of the end zone to give Furman a 32-31 lead. Fullback Jerome Felton bulled off right guard for the two-point conversion to make it 34-31.
Appalachian State almost forced overtime after Jermane Little returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to the Mountaineer 46 with 23 seconds left. A 17-yard run by quarterback Richie Williams to the Furman 37 and two Williams completions moved ASU to the Furman 23 with three seconds remaining, but Julian Ruach’s 41-yard field goal try to tie the game was deflected by William Freeman and fell short of the cross bar as time expired.
“I told (ASU) coach Moore that we ought to play four times a year, because we could sell a lot of tickets,” said fourth-year head coach Bobby Lamb, who earned his first victory over Appalachian State after a trio of heartbreaking late game losses to the Mountaineers. “I was proud of our guys for the way they fought back at the end. It was a total team effort, and that’s what it takes to beat a team the quality of Appalachian State.”
“Our guys played as hard as they could for 60 minutes and fought the whole way,” said ASU head coach Jerry Moore. “We’re a good football team, and they know that.”
Furman led 19-17 in the third quarter before Cedrick Gipson took an option pitch from Martin and raced around right end for a 14-yard touchdown run at 26-17 lead with just 14 seconds left in the period.
Appalachian State, however, battled back and appeared set to earn its fourth straight series victory after Williams threw a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, including a 20-yard strike to Daniel Bettis at the
11:58 mark and 31-yard go-ahead score to Hans Batichon with 5:02 remaining for a 31-26 lead. But Furman, which last year saw Williams score the game winning touchdown with 35 seconds to go in a 30-29 Mountaineer victory, turned to Martin, who already this season has engineered final drive wins over Jacksonville State (37-35) and Hofstra (44-41), to methodically cover the 74 yards for the game winning score.
Martin completed 15-of-26 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. Williams, meanwhile, was even more effective, completing
23-of-31 passes for 272 yards and two scores while also rushing for 124 yards.
Appalachian State outgained Furman 468-428 in total offense.
William Freeman paced all tacklers with 11 stops, including two-for-loss, and the key blocked field goal attempt on the game’s final play. Gary Nelson added 10 stops and a tackle-for-loss for Furman.
Appalachian State was paced by Jeremy Wiggins’ nine tackles and Omar Byrom’s eight stops.
Furman returns to action next Saturday when it takes on The Citadel in Charleston in a 2:00 p.m. game. Appalachian State will entertain Georgia Southern in Boone next Saturday begining at 3:30 p.m.
Georgia Southern 45, Western Carolina 7
STATESBORO, Ga. -- Jayson Foster recorded career-highs of 149 rushing yards and two touchdown passes while the defensive unit turned in their third straight second half shutout, leading Georgia Southern past Western Carolina 45-7 at Paulson Stadium. Saturday’s win was the Eagles’ third straight in league play.
The 21st-ranked Eagles (4-2 overall, 3-1 SoCon) tried to set the tone of the game right off the bat. Teddy Craft returned the opening kickoff 40 yards. Later on 4th-and-1 from the Western 22 yard line, Foster ran a bootleg to his right and found a wide-open Reggie McCutchen for a 23-yard touchdown pass.
That TD also marked the fifth time in six games that the Eagles scored a touchdown on their opening drive.
Justin Clark hit Darius Fudge on a screen pass that went for a 15-yard touchdown to tie the game with 6:45 left in the first. From there Southern’s defense blanked the Catamounts (2-3, 1-2). Western entered the game ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense, allowing 13 points per game.
In fact that was the third straight game the Eagles shutout their opponent during the second half, allowing just two scores over the past 157 minutes (Chattanooga, Elon and Western). Georgia Southern has outscored the opposition 142-24 during its winning streak.
Foster found McCutchen, again wide-open, for a 22-yard touchdown pass, regaining the lead for good at 14-7. Early in the second quarter Foster and the Eagles caught a break. Primus Glover dropped an apparent interception, thrown by Foster, in the endzone. On the next play Foster scrambled for an 18-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 21-7.
Late in the quarter, the Eagles converted three fourth down attempts during their 15-play, 79-yard drive, including one that made it by the nose of the football at the Western eight yard line. Darius Smiley rolled left and hit Lynon Jefferson for an 8-yard TD pass.
The Eagle defense started the third quarter holding the Catamounts on a three-and-out. Foster capped a 9-play, 62-yard drive scoring from 21 yards out. He also converted another fourth down during that possession, extending the Eagles’ streak to 5-for-5 in the game. Southern finished the game 7-for-7 in fourth down conversions.
Jonathan Dudley hit a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter, extending his career streak to 13-for-13 all-time. Senior Steve Steele scored his first collegiate touchdown, a 4-yard run late in the fourth for the final margin.
“Western Carolina was a very physical team but we played a very physical game as well. This is a tribute to our kids, they worked really hard,” said head coach Mike Sewak. “I think that during practice and during the game they are playing a lot better. We are executing on offense and we kept putting on the pressure today. Reggie (McCutchen) had a heck of a game. He’s been blocking really well and if he continues to improve his blocking, he’s going to get a lot more passes.”
Foster ran 15 times for 149 yards and the two scores. He hit 3-of-4 passes totaling 67 yards, a career-high four touchdowns accounted for. The sophomore quarterback registered his sixth straight 100-yard rushing game.
Jermaine Austin tied Furman’s Louis Ivory for second place all-time in Southern Conference history, getting his 28th career 100-yard game. The senior fullback finished with 117 yards on 24 carries. He also moved past Chris Parker of Marshall into fourth place among the SoCon career rushing leaders with 4,649 yards.
Brandon Andrews’ 30 yards on 10 carries surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards (1,024). McCutchen also set a personal-high with the two TD receptions. He finished with 45 receiving yards. The Eagles out-gained Western 448-239 in total yards.
For the fifth time this year, John Mohring led the defense in tackles. The junior linebacker registered eight, including one that went for a loss.
Justin Clark finished 13-of-22 for 149 yards and a touchdown for the Catamounts. Fudge gained 68 yards on 11 carries. Western converted only 4-of-13 third down attempts.
Next Saturday (Oct. 15) the Eagles travel to Appalachian State for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, televised live on Fox Sports Net South. Western Carolina takes next weekend off before returning to action on October 22 at Chattanooga.
Mississippi 27, The Citadel 7
Oxford, Miss?The Mississippi defense held The Citadel to only 81 offensive yards in route to a 27-7 victory over the Bulldogs in non-conference action Saturday afternoon. Rebel running back Mico McSwain hit the century mark with 105 yards on the ground to help lead Ole Miss in front of 50,272 fans at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium.
Ole Miss reached the board first on a 44-yard Will Moseley field goal with
1:56 remaining in the first quarter. The Rebels then extended their lead to 10-0 on the first drive of the second half as Travis Johnson picked up a fumble by Citadel quarterback Justin Knox and carried it 16 yards for the score.
The hard-nosed defense put the Bulldogs on the board when senior safety Avery Dingle returned an interception for a 44-yard touchdown at the 12:02 mark in the third quarter. Dingle’s pick was his third career interception and second of the season, with his last coming at Florida State in the season’s second game.
Ole Miss then scored 20 unanswered points to solidify the victory for the Rebels, their second against three losses. Senior quarterback Michael Spurlock rushed a yard for a score and Spurlock then connected with Mike Espy three minutes later for a four-yard touchdown to give Ole Miss a 24-7 advantage. A second field goal by Moseley in the fourth made the final 27-7.
In his collegiate debut, Knox, a redshirt freshman from Union, threw for 21 yards completing five of 14 passes with one interception.
The Bulldogs fall to 2-3 on the season and host longtime Southern Conference rival Furman on Saturday at 2 p.m. in a Parents Day game. Ole Miss hosts Alabama.
Wofford 14, Elon 9
SPARTANBURG, SC ? On a day when Wofford’s offense struggled, the defense stepped up and helped propel the Terriers to a 14-9 Homecoming win over Elon at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday.
Wofford’s offense managed 337 yards including 307 on the ground but the Terrier defense held Elon to just 212 yards of total offense and provided numerous big plays that put the Wofford offense in scoring position.
Elon took a 2-0 lead with 5:31 to play in the first quarter. Following a Brandon Lane punt that was downed on the Wofford 1 yard line, Elon linebacker Chad Nkang tackled running back Gabriel Jackson in the end zone for a safety.
The Terriers took the lead shortly before halftime when Wofford linebacker Justin Franklin recovered an Elon fumble at the 12-yard line with 2:12 to play in the half. Two players later, Michael Hobbs rumbled in from the five to put the Terriers on top 7-2.
The Terrier offense managed just 74 yards rushing and 104 yards of total offense in the first half. Wofford’s defense limited Elon to 128 yards of offense in the first half.
Freshman Ben Widmyer replaced Josh Collier at quarterback on Wofford’s second possession of the second half and immediately sparked the Terriers to a touchdown. On Widmyer’s second play from scrimmage, he handed the ball to Gabriel Jackson who raced 80 yards for a score with 9:24 to play in the third quarter. The run was the longest of the year by a Terrier and gave Wofford a 14-2 lead.
Elon closed to within 14-9 with 2:11 to play in the third quarter when quarterback Kye Hamilton found Michael Mayers on a 20-yard touchdown pass.
The Wofford defense allowed only one first down in the fourth quarter and forced Elon to punt twice. Safety Dan Tavani ended Elon’s final possession with an interception with 2:06 to play in the game.
“We knew this could possibly be a defensive struggle,” said Wofford head coach Mike Ayers. “We punted more times today than we normally do in three ball games. Every time we needed the defense to stand tall, they did.”
Wofford returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 15 when it hosts VMI at 1:30 p.m. in a non-conference game. Elon will host Chattanooga at 6:00 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium.
Notes:
The 212 yards of total offense by Elon was a season-low by a Terrier opponent. It was the fewest yards allowed by the Terriers since Johnson C. Smith managed 90 yards on Sept. 25, 2004.
Elon’s safety in the first quarter was the first by a Wofford opponent since VMI on Nov. 20, 2004.
Brian Kemp’s interception was his second of the year and the fourth of his career.
Dan Tavani’s interception was his first of the year and the third of his career.
Josh Smith forced a first quarter fumble that was recovered by Derek Newberry.
Michael Hobbs has rushed for a touchdown in four straight games.
Gabriel Jackson’s 80 yard touchdown run was the longest by a Terrier since Jackson ripped off an 83-yard scoring run against The Citadel in 2004.
Corey Dunn’s 39-yard run was his longest of the year.
RB Ricky Bunton made his first carry of the year.
QB Ben Widmyer saw his most extensive action of the season.
Chattanooga 24, Liberty 21
LYNCHBURG, Va. --- Esteban Lopez kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired Saturday to lead the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team to a 24-21 non-conference victory over Liberty.
The Mocs improve to 4-2 overall, the most wins for the program since 2000.
While the UTC defense allowed 412 yards to the Flames and 300 on the ground, it was the defense which held Liberty on a third-down play with just over one minute to play to force a punt.
Quarterback Antonio Miller directed the offense from the Liberty 25-yard line with 1:00 to go. The big play came on a third-down 26-yard pass from Miller to Hassell to the Liberty 12-yard line to set up the field goal.
The winning field goal made up for, what UTC Head Coach Rodney Allison called an ugly win.
We had too many penalties, he said. We made too many mental errors. We did not play well on special teams. Liberty outplayed us. They deserved to win the game. Sometimes you deserve to lose and you win. Sometimes you deserve to win and you lose. Tonight we were lucky to go home with a victory.
The Mocs overcame an outstanding effort by Liberty freshman Zach Terrell. The tailback, who was originally a backup quarterback, ran for 241 yards on 32 carries. His rushing total was the fifth-best rushing performance in Liberty history.
The Flames took a 21-14 lead on an 11-yard scoring pass from quarterback Brock Farrel to tight end Chris Luck with 5:20 remaining in the game. The score capped an 83-yard march that took 5:46 off the fourth-quarter clock.
UTC tied the score with 2:13 left in regulation. Eldra Buckley bulled in from a yard away as the Mocs efficiently drove the ball 65 yards in nine plays and 3:00. Liberty helped the Mocs out on the march by kicking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff and gave UTC another 15 yards with a facemask penalty.
The Mocs took the second-half kickoff and put together an impressive scoring drive, the teams second-longest touchdown-scoring drive of the season concerning time of possession. Lironnie Davis took a pitch around left end, broke several tackles and crossed back across to the right, scoring standing up to give UTC a 14-7 lead. The march took 5:44 seconds and covered 80 yards in 13 plays.
Liberty wasted little time answering the Mocs score. Terrell scored on a three-yard run at 7:49 of the third quarter to tie the score at 14-14. The touchdown was set up on a 42-yard burst by Terrell down the right side.
Liberty took advantage of a fumbled punt return by UTC to take the first lead of the game. Zach Terrell scored on a three-yard run at 11:54 of the first quarter. Terrell ran for 104 yards in the first half on 14 carries. He had 189 yards on 24 carries after three quarters.
The Mocs answered on the next possession. They capped an eight-play, 60-yard drive on a nine-yard scoring pass from Miller to Davis at 9:02 of the opening quarter.
Buckley recorded his second 100-yard rushing game of the season. He picked up 111 yards on 21 carries. Davis collected 98 yards on 15 rushes before leaving the game with what appeared to be a leg injury early in the fourth quarter.
Miller threw for 179 yards, completing 21-of-35 passes. He had one touchdown and one interception.
Farrel had 112 yards on 13-of-25 passing.
The Mocs return to Southern Conference play next week at Elon with a 6 p.m. kickoff in Elon, N.C.