Appalachian State 30, Coastal Carolina 3
BOONE, N.C. ? Running back Kevin Richardson ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns to lead Appalachian State University to a dominant 30-3 victory over No. 17 Coastal Carolina on Saturday before a record crowd at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
A crowd of 23,267, the largest for a home opener in Appalachian history and nearly 7,000 more than Kidd Brewer Stadium’s listed capacity of 16,650, saw ASU out-gain Coastal 582-225 en route to the decisive triumph.
Richardson’s 79 yards in the first quarter alone bested his previous career high for a game, set with 67 yards last Saturday versus Kansas. The majority of his first-quarter yardage came on a 59-yard touchdown gallop that gave ASU a 7-0 lead 7:01 into the contest.
Appalachian’s next big play came from its defense, as preseason all-America safety Corey Lynch made the first of his two interceptions on the afternoon and returned it 41 yards, only to fumble. Thankfully for the Apps, defensive end Jason Hunter was on the spot to scoop up Lynch’s fumble at the Coastal 25 yard line and carry it into the end zone. Despite an unsuccessful PAT attempt, Appalachian took a 13-0 advantage into the second quarter.
The Mountaineers were even more successful in the second period, as they put 17 more points on the scoreboard to take a 30-point lead into the locker room. Richardson scored two more touchdowns in the quarter, from 18 and five yards out and Julian Rauch added a 19-yard field goal to account for the scoring.
Appalachian (2-1) dominated on both sides of the ball in the first half, as it out-gained the Chanticleers 346-107 and held a 225-43 advantage in rushing yardage. Richardson collected 129 of the Apps’ 225 yards on the ground in the first half, while quarterback Richie Williams chipped in with 86 rushing yards and 141 yards through the air before halftime.
Coastal Carolina (2-1) scored its only points of the contest on a 27-yard field goal by Josh Hoke on the first series of the second half.
Appalachian racked up another 216 yards of total offense in the second half, but didn’t put any more points on the board in cruising to the rout.
Richardson racked up his 178 yards on just 18 carries, good for a 9.9-yard average. He became the first Mountaineer to rush for three touchdowns in a game since quarterback Trey Elder ran for three scores in his debut versus Texas State in 2004. Richardson’s 179 yards are the most by an ASU runner since Alan Atwater tallied 207 yards versus Chattanooga in 2003.
Not to be overlooked, Williams compiled 270 yards of total offense, as he completed 13-of-25 passes for 185 yards and ran for 85 more on just nine attempts (9.4 yards per carry). The Walter Payton Award candidate still hasn’t thrown an interception this season and has not been picked off in his last 117 passes, dating back to the first quarter of last season’s finale at Western Carolina.
As a team, Appalachian posted 353 rushing yards, its most since also running for 353 yards in the first round of the 2001 I-AA playoffs versus William & Mary.
Despite the offensive fireworks, it was perhaps the ASU defense that stole the show, as the Mountaineers surrendered their fewest points since shutting out VMI, 52-0, in 2000. Lynch led the way with his two interceptions and five tackles, while linebackers Brad West and Zodd Kelly chipped in with eight tackles apiece and defensive end Marques Murrell added seven stops, including 2.5 for loss and a sack. Cornerback Jerome Touchstone also turned in an impressive performance, as he made four solo tackles, broke up a pass and blocked a field goal.
Perhaps the only negative that could be found for the Mountaineers were their 17 penalties for 183 yards, both school records.
Appalachian opens Southern Conference play next Saturday when it travels to Charleston, S.C. to face The Citadel. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Memphis 59, Chattanooga 14
MEMPHIS --- DeAngelo Williams showed why he is a Heisman Trophy candidate for the Memphis Tigers Saturday. The senior running back ran for over 100 yards in the first quarater alone, scored three touchdowns in the first half, and led the Tigers to a 59-14 victory over UTC.
Williams picked up 205 yards on 20 carries. He scored on runs of 15, nine and 27 yards.
"Our worst fears came true," UTC Head Coach Rodney Allison said. "We did not stop No. 20 (Williams). We did not stop the run, and we did not throw the ball well. We have to be able to find a balance."
UTC junior back Eldra Buckley showed he was a talented running back also. Buckley also surpassed the 100-yard mark in the first half, gaining 122 yards on 15 carries before halftime. He finished with a career-best 143 yards on 20 rushes.
Williams got the Tigers on the scoreboard first, dashing in from the 15-yard line at 8:58 of the first quarter.
The Mocs tied the score at 7-7 with 6:52 left in the first quarter. Buckley capped a six-play, 65-yard drive with a 48-yard touchdown run through the left side.
The Tigers added one more touchdown in the first quarter and three in the second and led 35-7 at halftime.
The teams traded scores after halftime. UTC tallied first as Buckley scored for the second time of the game, bulling over from two yards out with 8:15 left in the third quarter.
The Tigers stretched the margin to 42-14 with 6:21 on the third quarter clock as Maurice Avery scored on a four-yard reverse. It was 45-14 after a 30-yard field by Steven Gostkowski with four seconds remaining in the third quarter.
A 26-yard pass from Bill Barefield to Brett Russell with 12:36 to go, and an 11-yard run by JaMarcus Gaither at 4:06 rounded out the scoring in the game.
UTC quarterback Antonio Miller completed 9-of-15 passes for 72 yards and one interception. Tight end John Parkinson was the leading receiver with 33 yards on two catches. Tyrus Ward also had two receptions for 14 yards.
Hudgens threw for 139 yards on 10-of-15 passing. Joseph Doss added 85 rushing yards on 12 carries, and Ryan Scott led Memphis pass catchers with four receptions for 32 yards.
Cornerback Greg McConico led UTC tacklers with 11 total stops, all solos.
The Mocs travel to Statesboro, Ga., next Saturday to take on SoCon foe Georgia Southern.
Elon 34, Presbyterian 19
ELON, N.C. - Reggie Hall rushed for a career-high 136 yards with a career-high three touchdowns as Elon overcame Presbyterian 34-19 to highlight 2005 Phoenix Homecoming festivities Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium.
The Phoenix (2-1) won for the second time in as many weeks while the Blue Hose (3-1), ranked No. 25 in this week's American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II poll, fell for the first time this season.
Stuart Mull gave Presbyterian an early 3-0 advantage, converting a 22-yard field goal with 11:30 remaining in the opening quarter. Hall put Elon ahead 7-3, scoring on a one-yard run with 7:22 to play in the first stanza.
Hall's touchdown capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive that ate 4:08 off of the clock. It also represented the first deficit of the season for the Blue Hose, who had outscored their first three 2005 opponents by a 125-19 margin (41.7-6.3).
Zach Ellis, who entered the contest ranked 17th in the country at the NCAA-II level with a 157.7 rating, put Presbyterian back on top 9-7 with a three-yard touchdown run with 3:42 left in the first quarter. Ellis' score concluded a 12-play, 79-yard drive that consumed 3:34.
The Phoenix regained the lead at 10-9 with 10:17 to go in the third quarter when Andrew Wilcox booted a 25-yard field goal, capping a 10-play, 36-yard drive that took 3:49 off the clock for the first of Elon's 27 second-half points. Wilcox extended the Elon edge to 13-9 with a 41-yard field goal with 11:37 to play in the final period, igniting a 24-point fourth-quarter Phoenix eruption.
On a third-and-10 situation on the Presbyterian 31-yard line, Dwayne Ijames sacked Ellis for a loss of six yards. Ijames' sack forced a fumble recovered by Mark Jetton and returned 18 yards to the Blue Hose two-yard line, setting up Hall's second touchdown run of the afternoon to fatten the Elon advantage to 20-9 with 9:24 to play in the contest.
Wilcox then booted the kickoff 65 yards into the Presbyterian endzone, leading to a 20-yard return by Chetyuane Reeder and a forced fumble by Chris Bland, recovered by Elon's Greg Abbott on the 21-yard line. This series of events set the stage for Hall's third TD of the afternoon, capping a four-play, 21-yard, 1:50 drive and giving the Phoenix a 27-9 cushion with 7:25 remaining.
Mull broke Elon's string of 20 consecutive points with a 26-yard field goal to bring the Blue Hose within 27-12 with 4:41 left. The field goal completed a 10-play, 62-yard drive that lasted 2:43.
A mere minute later, Michael Mayers scored on a 39-yard pass from Kye Hamilton as the Phoenix stretched the lead to 34-12 at the 3:41 mark. Presbyterian tallied the game's final touchdown when Justin Durant scored on a 35-yard toss from Ellis with 24 ticks to go. Durant had entered the contest with 10.0 points per game to tie for 27th in the country in scoring.
"I knew that Presbyterian would complete some passes," said Elon coach Paul Hamilton. "Our defense did a great job of shutting down a very good offensive football team for much of the game."
The Phoenix nipped the Blue Hose in total offensive yards (369-337), rushing yards (161-34), penalties (2-3), lost fumbles (1-2) and possession time (33:04-26:56). Presbyterian ended up with edges in first downs (18-16) and passing yards (303-208) while each team succeeded on nine of 18 third-down conversion attempts.
"Our kids fought hard, played hard," said Blue Hose coach Tommy Spangler. "The score was not indicative of the game."
Kye Hamilton completed 16 of 27 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown while Mayers snagged six receptions for 114 yards. Meanwhile, Ellis connected on 24 of 47 passes with a pair of interceptions for 303 yards and a touchdown while Chris Pope hauled in 10 catches for 134 yards and Durant pulled down six balls for 90 yards and a score.
Phoenix all-league linebacker Chad Nkang amassed 12 tackles, including 1.5 stops for minus yardage and a sack to lead all defenders. Ijames finished with nine stops with a tackle for loss and a sack while teammate Cody Scoggins racked up a career-high eight tackles.
Antoine Carter, David Dunagan and Kevin Molony each tallied eight tackles for the Blue Hose while Antwan Thomas collected seven.
In next week's action, North Carolina A&T visits Elon for its Hall of Fame Game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Rhodes Stadium. Earlier that same day, Presbyterian begins South Atlantic Conference competition when it hosts Catawba at 1:30 p.m.
Furman 45, Samford 23
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Daric Carter rushed for 132 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead NCAA I-AA 10th-ranked Furman to a 45-23 win over Samford Saturday evening at Paladin Stadium.
Carter, a junior tailback from Fuquay-Varina, N.C., caught a 3-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and ripped off a 57-yard scoring run in the third period en route to the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career. Fullback Jerome Felton ran for a career high 121 yards and two touchdowns and tailback Cedrick Gipson added 100 yards ? also a career high ? and a touchdown to give Furman its first three 100-yard singe game rushing trio since 1985. The Paladins piled up 392 yards on the ground and finished the contest with 527 total yards.
“We probably got a little too cute in the first half throwing it, and our defense stayed on the field too long, but in the second half our offensive line did an unbelievable job and took control,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “I thought our running backs ran the ball very well. Our three tailbacks had super games, and then you throw Jerome Felton in there. That’s a pretty strong attack.”
“It’s a tough loss, but we’ll bounce back,” said Samford head coach Bill Gray. “These are tough guys. They’ll get after it next week.”
Samford rolled up 398 total yards in the contest, including a career high
351 yards passing by quarterback Jefferson Adcock, who completed 31-of-56 passes with a touchdown and two interceptions. But the Bulldogs managed only 149 yards in the second half.
Furman jumped out to an quick 14-0 lead, scoring on its first two possessions of the contest. Ryan Joyce capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive with a 9-yard run up the middle for the Paladins’ first score, and Carter nabbed a 3-yard scoring pass from Ingle Martin midway through the first quarter to make it 14-0 following a 33-yard interception return by linebacker William Freeman to the Samford 9.
Samford responded with two straight scores, including a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Jefferson Adcock and a 23-yard Shannon Fleming field goal to make it 14-10.
Furman stretched their advantage to 21-10 after Gipson took an option pitch from Martin and raced 52 yards for a touchdown, but the Bulldogs answered with the final score of the first half, covering 62 yards in only three plays for an 8-yard touchdown pass from Adcock to Ossie Buchannon to make it 21-16.
The Paladins opened the second half with an 11-play, 87 yard drive that culminated with Felton’s 2-yard scoring plunge, but again Samford answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Justin Ray with 2:44 remaining in the third quarter to make it 28-23.
Furman took control from that point, however, with three straight scores, including Carter’s 57-yard run, a 27-yard Scott Beckler field goal, and Felton’s second score of the game ? a 3-yard run with 3:51 remaining in the contest.
Andrew Jones topped Furman defensively with 13 tackles, two sacks, and a pass deflection. Calvin Hodge paced Samford with 12 tackles and a tackle-for-loss.
Furman returns to action next Saturday when it entertains Hofstra in a 2:00 p.m. game. Samford plays at Eastern Illinois next Saturday in a 1:30 p.m. contest.
Cincinnati 7, Western Carolina 3
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Bradley Glatthaar ran 7 yards for a touchdown late in the first half and Cincinnati's young defense made it hold up for a 7-3 win over Western Carolina on Saturday night.
Dominic Ross intercepted Western Carolina's Justin Clark twice to stop late drives. Stephen Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal with 1:33 left in the third quarter for the Division I-AA Catamounts (2-1).
After West Carolina had a 7-yard TD run by Lamont Reid negated because of a holding penalty, Ross intercepted a Clark pass at the Cincinnati 2 with 7:35 remaining.
The Bearcats (2-1) failed to run out the clock on their next two possessions, giving Western Carolina a final chance starting at its 41 with 1:25 remaining. Ross intercepted Clark at the Cincinnati 37 to end the threat.
Glatthaar had 107 of Cincinnati's 185 yards rushing. Dustin Grutza was 10-of-24 for 88 yards and an interception, and he was sacked three times.
Western Carolina held a 284-273 edge in total yards, but committed three turnovers.
Cincinnati, one of the least-experienced Division I-A teams with only eight returning starters and five senior starters, rebounded from a 42-24 loss at Penn State. The Bearcats have one more non-league game before they begin their first Big East schedule.
Western Carolina was coming off a 41-21 upset of Furman.
Since becoming a member of the Southern Conference in 1976, Western Carolina hasn't beaten a I-A team in 36 tries.
Wofford 21, Georgia Southern 17
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Wofford fullback Michael Hobbs rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns and the Terriers gained 354 yards on the ground in defeating Georgia Southern 21-17 Saturday night at Gibbs Stadium.
Wofford (2-1, 1-0) became the first team in 59 games, dating back to November, 2000, to rush for over 300 yards against the Eagle defense.
Wofford quarterback Josh Collier rushed for a career-high 91 yards and scored his first career touchdown. Georgia Southern (1-2, 0-1), which rushed for 292 yards, was led by quarterback Jayson Foster who carried 15 times for 121 yards and one touchdown. Jermaine Austin, Georgia Southern’s fullback, was held to 87 yards rushing, ending a streak of six straight 100-yard games dating back to last season. Austin also lost three fumbles on the night.
Georgia Southern scored on its first possession, taking the ball at the Wofford 32 following a minus-1 yard punt by the Terriers. GSU’s Lynon Jefferson scored on an 11-yard run to put the Eagles up 7-0.
Georgia Southern’s ensuing kickoff went out of bounds and the Terriers started at their own 35-yard line. The Terriers tied the game at 7 when Hobbs scored on a 4-yard run with 6:23 left in the half. The touchdown was the first of Hobbs’ career.
Georgia Southern’s Jayson Foster put the Eagles back in front 14-7 with 4:10 to play in the half when he scored on a 1-yard plunge.
Wofford tied the game early in the second half. Georgia Southern’s Jermaine Austin fumbled on the second play of the half and Wofford defensive end Erik Hutchinson recovered at the GSU 40. Wide receiver Brandon Berry carried for 37 yards down to the 3 before being knocked out of bounds. Two plays later, Collier pushed the ball over from the 1 to tie the game at 14 with 13:28 to play in the third quarter.
The Terriers took a 21-14 lead with 7:41 to play in the third. Hobbs scored his second touchdown of the game on a three-yard run. Collier had kept the drive alive when he raced 27 yards on a third and two from his own 38.
Georgia Southern’s Jonathan Dudley converted a 37-yard field goal with 7:50 to play in the game to pull the Eagles within four at 21-17.
With 6:03 left in the game, the Eagles appeared to have the Terriers stopped as Collier was dropped for a 1 yard loss on a 3rd and 3. But Georgia Southern was whistled for a personal foul that gave the Terriers a first down at the GSU 31. A.J. Bryant ended the drive when he intercepted a Collier pass with 4:50 to play, giving the Eagles the ball at their own 11. Georgia Southern advanced across midfield but Wofford’s Josh Smith forced a fumble from Austin with 2:04 left, giving the ball back to the Terriers.
Wofford drove to the GSU 34 before the Eagles stopped Collier on a fourth and inches and took over with 58 seconds left in the game. Foster completed one pass and took the Eagles to midfield but was sacked by Kyle Horne with 18 seconds left. Georgia Southern was able to get off one final pass that was incomplete.