Kansas 36, Appalachian State 8
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Running back Jon Cornish rushed for a career-high 104 yards and three touchdowns as Kansas overcame an early Appalachian State University threat to defeat the Mountaineers, 36-8, on Saturday evening before 37,070 fans at KU’s Memorial Stadium.
Appalachian appeared to be on its way to taking an early lead, as it drove 72 yards to the Kansas eight yard line on its very first series. However, sophomore running back Kevin Richardson coughed up the ball on first and goal, and KU linebacker Banks Floodman recovered it in the end zone for a touchback to stymie the Mountaineer threat.
After holding a 103-24 advantage in total yardage after their first two possessions, the Mountaineers were outgained 176-82 over the rest of the first half as Kansas opened up a 13-0 halftime lead.
Kansas started the scoring late in the first quarter, going 90 yards in six plays, capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Clark Green that gave the Jayhawks a 7-0 lead with just 32 seconds remaining in the opening period. A 59-yard completion from Brian Luke to Brian Murph and a 15-yard ASU personal foul following a third-down stop buoyed the KU scoring drive.
Kansas added to its advantage early in the second quarter, as Cornish scored from nine yards out to stretch the lead to 13-0. Kicker Scott Webb was wide on the PAT attempt.
Both teams squandered opportunities to score late in the first half, as Julian Rauch’s 36-yard field-goal attempt bounced off the right upright for the Mountaineers and Appalachian’s Brad West intercepted a Luke pass at the one yard line to stall a KU drive late and send the contest to halftime with the Jayhawks holding onto the 13-0 lead.
The third quarter was all Kansas, as it upped its advantage to 20-0 on the first series of the second half when Luke ran it in from one yard out on fourth and goal to cap a 14-play, 80-yard drive.
Staked to great field position by a 33-yard punt return by Charles Gordon, KU made it 26-0 on Cornish’s second touchdown of the evening, a one-yarder with 2:40 remaining in the third period. KU’s two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but the Jayhawks held a 10:15-4:45 advantage in time of possession to dominate the third quarter.
The Mountaineers got on the scoreboard on the first play of the final period, as first-team preseason all-Southern Conference honorees Richie Williams and Daniel Bettis hooked up for a six-yard touchdown pass. Williams found Bettis in the end zone again for the two-point conversion to cut the ASU deficit to 26-8.
However, KU needed just 33 seconds to answer the Apps’ score, as Cornish gained all 75 yards on a four-play drive and punched across his third touchdown of the contest to give the Jayhawks a 33-8 lead.
Webb added a 34-yard field goal with 9:15 left in the contest to close out the scoring.
Despite the early miscue, Richardson turned in his finest performance as a Mountaineer, notching career highs with 67 rushing yards and 46 receiving. Williams connected on 18-of-25 passes for 159 yards, while true freshman T.J. Courman enjoyed an impressive collegiate debut with three receptions for 58 yards, including a 44-yarder from Williams on his first-career play.
Cornish’s 104 yards came on just 10 rushes for Kansas (2-0). Luke went 17-for-26 for 212 yards and Murph hauled in four passes for 88 yards to help lead the Jayhawks’ offensive effort.
Appalachian (1-1) opens its home season next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. when it welcomes defending Big South-champion Coastal Carolina to Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Chanticleers (2-0) make their first-ever visit to the High Country fresh off a 31-29 victory over defending national-champion James Madison. Tickets are still available by calling 1-800-919-APPS.
Chattanooga 21, Jacksonville State 18
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. --- Antonio Miller scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds remaining to give UTC a 21-18 victory over No. 21 Jacksonville State Saturday night.
The Mocs got the ball with 2:51 to play in the game at their own 33-yard line and down by four points.
Miller drove the team down the field with his arm and his legs. He converted a third-and-five play with a 10-yard pass to Lironnie Davis. A Miller run took the ball to the two-yard line, and after a timeout, he scored on a sprint out around the right side.
“This was a big win,” UTC head coach Rodney Allison said. “To come on the road and beat a top-25 team who has been in the playoffs is huge for everyone involved in the program. We had a few kids show up on offense tonight.”
The Mocs improve to 2-0 on the season for the first time since 1997.
JSU, now 0-2, scored first on a two-yard run by Clay Green at 8:05 of the first quarter. The extra-point kick was missed, leaving the score at 6-0.
UTC responded with a 12-play, 78-yard march. Eldra Buckley capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, and the Lopez extra point gave the Mocs a 7-6 lead with 2:44 left in the first quarter.
The Gamecocks regained the lead late in the second quarter on a 41-yard field goal by Brett Rushing at 3:52. UTC had a chance to lead at halftime, but a 28-yard Lopez field goal attempt missed to the left.
The Mocs travel to Memphis next week to take on the Memphis Tigers with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET.
Florida State 62, The Citadel 10
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Drew Weatherford bounced back from after struggling in his first collegiate start to throw for 342 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as No. 11 Florida State beat Division I-AA The Citadel 62-10.
Trailing 10-3 with just over a minute left in the half, Florida State scored 45 straight points, including five third-quarter touchdowns, to take control of the game.
Weatherford completed 26 of 37 passes, a vast improvement from Monday's 7-of-24 showing for just 67 yards in a 10-7 win over Miami on Monday.
His backup, Xavier Lee, was yanked after a first-half interception, but passed for 143 yards and a touchdown in mop-up action.
Lee also ran 24 yards for another score as the Seminoles (2-0) stayed on the ground for most of the fourth quarter, finishing with 629 total yards.
Tailbacks Leon Washington, Lorenzo Booker and freshman Antone Smith each ran for scores in the third quarter and Weatherford finished off his night's work with a 40-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-6 freshman Greg Carr, who moments later grabbed a 10-yard scoring pass from Lee.
The outmanned Citadel (1-1) was dominated by Florida State's defense, managing just 91 yards total offense and five first downs.
Meanwhile, Florida State's two freshmen quarterbacks connected with 11 different receivers.
Chris Davis caught nine passes for 125 yards, De'Cody Fagg had seven receptions for 113 yards and Carr had 104 yards on three catches.
But a couple of mistakes by Weatherford and an interception thrown by Lee kept The Citadel in the game during the first half.
After Lee was intercepted, the Bulldogs tied the game 3-3 five minutes into the second quarter on Blake Vandiver's career-high 45 yard field goal. Vince Hill then picked up a fumble by Weatherford and went 70 to give the Bulldogs a short-lived 10-3 late in the first half.
Elon 48, Savannah State 14
SAVANNAH, Ga. ? Kye Hamilton passed for a career-high 293 yards and Michael Mayers hauled in a career-high 139 receiving yards as Elon came away from Savannah State with a 48-14 non-conference road win in NCAA-IAA football action Saturday night at T.A. Wright Stadium.
Hamilton connected on 19 of 28 passes (.689) ? including his first six in a row ? with one touchdown and no interceptions as the Phoenix (1-1) tamed the Tigers (0-2), stretching a 31-0 halftime advantage into a 41-0 cushion midway through the third quarter.
For the first points of the night, Hamilton hit Jarrett Meadors for a three-yard touchdown strike. Reggie Hall and Kevin Bailey accounted for five of the Phoenix six touchdowns while Elon kicker Andrew Wilcox connected on field goal attempts from 30 and 41 yards.
Hall finished with two scores, including a career-long 53-yard blast into the end zone that put Elon up 14-0 in the first quarter. Bailey had a game-high three touchdown runs, all for two yards apiece.
On a night of firsts, Bailey, Hall and Meadors all scored touchdowns for the first time in their young careers as the Phoenix avenged a 34-10 season-opening home loss to the Tigers ? the last meeting between the two programs ? back on Sept. 9, 1989.
SSU quarterback Clyde Tullis got the start, but it was rookie Garrett Williams that finished up. Tullis played the entire first half, but only completed five of 18 passes for 112 yards. In his collegiate debut, Williams looked like an up-and-coming star as he completed 12 of his 19 passes for 114 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown toss to Michael Hicks.
Tiger running back Myshun McAlpine turned in a solid performance with 11 carries for a team-high 37 rushing yards, including a three-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for SSU's first points.
Elon finished the contest with advantages in total offensive yards (398-269), first downs (22-13), rushing yards (105-43), passing yards (293-226), turnovers (0-2), penalties (4-13) and third-down conversions (9-3).
Next weekend, the Phoenix will host unbeaten Presbyterian (3-0) in the 2005 Elon University Homecoming Game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Rhodes Stadium.
Meanwhile, SSU will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio for the first of three classics this season. The Tigers will take on the Bears of Morgan State in the Procter and Gamble Ohio Classic at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
McNeese State 23, Georgia Southern 20
STATESBORO, Ga. * Penalties proved too costly to overcome for Georgia Southern football as the Eagles fell to McNeese State 23-20 Saturday night at Paulson Stadium. GSU dropped to 1-1 while the Cowboys won their season-opener.
Georgia Southern drew seven flags for 64 yards but none more costly than during its final drive. Facing a 2nd-and-7 from McNeese’s 17, Lynon Jefferson hit the right corner and scored what would have been the go-ahead touchdown with 1:08 remaining. However, the Eagles were called for holding, pushing the ball back to the 27.
Trey Bennett sacked Jayson Foster for a 17-yard loss, a costly sack that pushed the Eagles out of field goal range. Foster’s third-down pass to Teddy Craft was incomplete setting up a 4th-and-36 from the 46. Darius Smiley got flushed out of the pocket and lost a yard on the play. McNeese ran the final 43 seconds out.
The Eagles drew 20,607 fans to their season-opener, the ninth-largest attended game at Paulson Stadium. Georgia Southern also set a student-attendance record of 11,816.
“We drove down there and had a chance to win. For the game we had a lot of penalties. We had a (go-ahead) touchdown, but then we saw a yellow flag on the field. The good thing about our team is that they are able to make a comeback,” said head coach Mike Sewak. “Jermaine Austin showed a lot of heart in the ball game. McNeese is a good football team, we just missed some reads and blocks. Our kids put themselves in a place to win. We knew they were a tough team and that it was going to be a tough game, but overall I thought our team did a good job.”
McNeese took the opening kick down the field. The Cowboys’ drive stalled on third down, bringing Blake Bercegeay on for a 42-yard field goal attempt. However, the holder fumbled the snap and the Cowboys could not get the kick off.
The Eagles marched right down the field. Austin broke through on a 30-yard run, keying the 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Foster scored from two yards out putting the Eagles ahead 7-0.
On third down, Chris Jones hit Quinten Lawrence for an 11-yard touchdown pass that tied the game early in the second quarter.
Foster connected with Marquice Maynard for 30 yards on the ensuing drive. Brandon Andrews punched it in from six yards out on the next play. Jonathan Dudley hit the upright on the extra point, making it a 13-7 GSU lead.
Austin was stripped of the ball and the Cowboys recovered deep in Georgia Southern territory later in the second quarter. McNeese took advantage of two personal foul penalties on GSU during that drive.
The Eagles stopped MSU on third down but was flagged for roughing the passer. Later a late hit flag was called against the Eagles giving the Cowboys first and goal from the three. GSU held on three plays as McNeese settled for a 20-yard field goal.
The Cowboys held Georgia Southern to a 3-and-out with under two minutes left in the half. A 42-yard pass from Jones then an 11-yard touchdown run by Carlese Franklin gave MSU a 16-13 lead heading into the locker room. That marked the first occasion since game eight of the 2003 season in which Georgia Southern trailed at home at halftime.
Georgia Southern thought to have swung the momentum in its favor when Larry Beard intercepted Jones’ pass but on the next play Foster was hit and McNeese recovered the fumble. However, GSU dodged a bullet when the Cowboys dropped a touchdown pass on third down then Bercegeay missed a 30-yard attempt.
Teddy Craft took a reverse and ran for 28 yards then McNeese was flagged for a facemask at the end of the play putting the Eagles inside the 15. Austin shook off tacklers for an 18-yard touchdown run, giving GSU a 20-16 advantage with 12 minutes left in the game.
Jones and Lawrence hooked up for a 40-yard touchdown pass, capping a quick 5-play, 74-yard drive that put McNeese ahead for good.
Austin registered his 25th 100-yard rushing effort, a game-high 129 yards on 20 carries. Foster added 108 yards on 24 carries. Each scored a touchdown. That also marked the second straight game both surpassed 100 yards rushing.
Linebacker John Mohring had 11 tackles, equaling his career-high from last week at Northeastern. Jerry Barker added seven tackles, two that went for a loss.
Kris Bush finished with 105 rushing yards on 23 carries. Jones was 16-of-27 for 231 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception. Franklin caught four passes for 73 yards. Bennett registered a game-high 14 tackles.
Georgia Southern travels to Wofford next Saturday (Sept. 17) for its Southern Conference opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. McNeese State travels to Southern Miss.
Western Carolina 41, Furman 21
Cullowhee, N.C. ? With just under seven minutes left to play in the game, preseason All-Southern Conference defense end Rico Reese intercepted a pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown, marking one of five Catamount picks in the game and essentially sealing the game in Western Carolina’s 41-21 upset over #2 Furman Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field.
The game was the SoCon season opener for both teams with Western improving to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the league and the Paladins falling to 1-1, 0-1. The win for Western was also its first over a team ranked as high as number two since upsetting eventual national champion Marshall (who was ranked second at the time) 38-30 on Oct. 31, 1992.
After Western jumped out to a 27-0 lead midway through three quarters, Furman reeled off three unanswered touchdowns and had all the momentum with just over seven minutes left in the game. However, Reese read a screen pass in the flat, tipped it to himself and raced 18 yards for the score. On the Paladins ensuing drive, senior Francis Brown picked off a Paladin pass on the first play of the series. Then, with WCU facing third and 10 on Furman’s 36, Western ran its third “trick” play of the game as running back Lamont Reid completed a 36-yard pass to J.C. Brown. One play later, John Bush scored to provide the final margin.
After only gaining 227 yards of total offense over NCAA Division II Mars Hill in the season opener, Western Carolina had 363 yards versus Furman, thanks largely to 133 rushing yards by Darius Fudge. Fudge set the tone early, having a 26-yard run, followed by an eight-yard touchdown run on Western’s first series.
Furman missed a field goal on its first possession and the Catamounts responded by marching 69 yards in seven plays to take a 13-0 lead. The big play of the drive was a 38-yard run by Fudge on fourth-and-two on a fake punt. Reid capped the drive with a three-yard run. Furman had their second, third and fifth drives of the game end on interceptions, while Western threw an interception, had two punts and a fumble as the half ended the score 13-0 in the Cats’ favor.
Western started the second the same as it did the first, scoring on its first two possessions. First, with Fudge gaining 44 yards to the Furman two, Bush scored on fourth-and-goal from the one to put Western up 20-0. Then, the Cats’ pulled off their second “trick” play as freshman kicker Jonathan Parsons blooped a kickoff, which was recovered by Shelton Gaffney on the Furman 15. Three plays later, Reid scored from three yards out to make the score 27-0.
As the third quarter ended, Furman started to gain the momentum. Ingle Martin engineered a nine-play, 66-yard drive. The senior was 6-of-8 during the drive, including a six-yard scoring strike to John Rust. Western punted on its next drive and Furman only needed 2:18 to cover 88 yards in nine plays to trim the margin to 13 (27-14). Daric Carter had a 15-yard run early in the drive and, after Martin completed an eight-yard pass to Justin Stepp, capped the drive with a twenty-yard touchdown run.
The Paladins used some trickery was well on the ensuing kickoff as Scott Beckler squibbed the ball off a WCU front-line player, which was recovered by Furman’s Maurice Duncan. During that drive, Furman took advantage of back-to-back, 15-yard penalties by Western to get to the Catamount 13. Martin made it a six-point game (27-21) with 8:43 left by hitting Stepp for a 13-yard score.
After only keeping the ball for 1:07 and punting, Furman looked to have all the momentum. However, Martin threw back-to-back interceptions, one to Reese for his TD and one to F. Brown, and the Cats held on for the win.
In addition to Fudge averaging 10.2 yards per carry, Western was led on offense by Justin Clark, who completed 17-of-27 passes for 138 yards. Michael Hines was Clark’s top target, hauling in six passes for 29 yards, while J.C. Brown had 86 yards on four receptions. Defensively, Western had numerous standouts. Primus Glover recorded six tackles with a sack, an additional tackle for loss and a pass break up. Mitchell Dukes also had six stops. Reese added five tackles and a sack to go along with his interception, while F. Brown had five stops, a TFL and a pick. Bruce Lee, Andre Hemphill and Gaffney each registered interceptions as well.
For the Paladins, Carter had five carries for 43 yards and a score. Martin finished the night by completing 24-of-42 passes for 249 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions, while Rust had nine receptions for 109 yards. Defensively, Shelton Riley led the way with eight tackles, including seven solo stops, while reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year William Freeman had seven tackles on the night. Corner back Austin Holmes added three tackles, three pass break ups and an interception.
Western Carolina will take to the road next Saturday (Sept. 17) to face Big East member Cincinnati. Furman will return to Greenville to play its 2005 home opener next Saturday, hosting Samford.
West Virginia 35, Wofford 7
MORGANTOWN, W.V. ? West Virginia gained 511 yards of total offense while holding Wofford to 154 as the Mountaineers posted a 35-7 win Saturday night at Mountaineer Field.
The Terriers were held to 78 yards rushing, marking the first time they failed to hit the century mark in a game since Air Force limited Wofford to 88 net yards in the 2003 season opener.
West Virginia struck first with 6:53 to play in the first quarter when quarterback Adam Bednarik hit wide receiver Darius Reynaud on a 27-yard scoring. The Mountaineers extended their lead to 14-0 with 2:28 left when Pernell Williams rushed five yards for a score with 2:28 to play in the quarter..
The game was delayed for approximately 10 minutes in the first quarter when senior outside linebacker Derek Newberry was injured and taken off the field on a stretcher. Newberry received a grade three concussion and will remain in Morgantown overnight for observation.
A quick kick by quarterback Josh Collier gave West Virginia a first down at its own 5 yard line to start the second quarter. But the Mountaineers drove 95 yards in 14 plays with running back Jason Gwaltney carrying the final yard for the score. West Virginia led 21-0 with 7:22 to play in the half.
Collier fumbled after he was hit from the blind side with 38 seconds left in the half and WVU recovered on its own 25. But the Mountaineers missed a 32-yard field goal as the half expired.
Collier threw an interception on the Terriers’ first possession of the second half which led to a 3-yard scoring run by WVU quarterback Adam Bednarik that gave WVU a 28-0 lead.
Michael Hobbs scored Wofford’s first touchdown with
2:05 left in the third quarter when he scored on a 1-yard run. The drive was highlighted by a 48-yard pass from Collier to wide receiver Shiel Wood who made an over the shoulder catch before being dragged down at the Mountaineer 13. Five plays later, Hobbs scored to pull the Terriers within 28-7.
West Virginia’s final score was a five-yard run by backup quarterback Pat White to push WVU’s lead to 35-7.
Freshman punter Chris Tommie was a bright spot for the Terriers. Tommie averaged 4.3 yards on six punts including a long of 60.
Hobbs finished as Wofford’s leading rusher with 40 yards on 13 carries. Collier completed five of nine passes for 70 yards. Freshman Ben Widmyer saw his first college action and completed one of his two passes for six yards.
West Virginia was led by White who rushed for 107 yards. He also completed six of 10 passes for 82 yards. Starting quarterback Adam Bednarik completed all six of his pass attempts for 90 yards.
“We tried to keep their offense on the boundary and eat up the clock but we couldn’t do that,” said head coach Mike Ayers.
“From an offensive standpoint, we couldn’t do what we wanted to do. We had some opportunities and couldn’t make it happen.
“Our young punter, Chris Tommie, did a great job. He had one bad punt at the end (a 10-yarder) but I thought the special teams played pretty well.”
Wofford hosts Georgia Southern in the first Southern Conference game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 17 at
7 pm at Gibbs Stadium.