Appalachian State 40, Furman 7
October 28, 2006 - BOONE, N.C. ? Top-ranked Appalachian State University erased a 7-0 first-quarter deficit with 40 unanswered points and took control of the Southern Conference race with a 40-7 win over No. 8 Furman on Saturday afternoon. The Black Saturday win in front of 24,447 at Kidd Brewer Stadium marked Appalachian’s largest margin of victory ever in the heated SoCon rivalry.
Appalachian (8-1, 5-0 SoCon) grabbed sole possession of first place in the conference from Furman (6-3, 4-1 SoCon) and leads the rest of the field by two games with two to play. ASU can clinch its second-straight conference title and the SoCon’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs with a win over The Citadel (3-5, 3-2 SoCon) next Saturday at The Rock.
The Mountaineers didn’t appear to be en route to an easy victory when it trailed 7-0 after one quarter of play. Kevin Richardson scored the first of his four touchdowns on the afternoon midway through the second period to knot the contest at 7-7, but the Paladins looked to be about to regain the lead just before halftime when they marched all the way down to the ASU 14 yard line.
However, the turning point came when Appalachian’s Corey Lynch blocked a 31-yard field-goal attempt by FU’s Scott Beckler and the ball bounced straight into Lynch’s hands. Seventy-nine yards later, ASU not only had a 14-7 lead, but also momentum firmly in its corner heading into the locker room. Lynch’s block was his third in four games and leaves him just one blocked kick shy of the school’s single-season record of four, set by Chuck Hill in 1987.
After halftime, it was all ASU. After Furman went three-and-out to start the second half, Appalachian drove 90 yards in just seven plays, capped by a 39-yard touchdown run down the left sideline by Richardson, to take a 21-7 advantage.
On the ensuing kickoff, FU’s William Middleton fielded the ball on the one yard line and retreated into the end zone looking for a touchback. However, the officials spotted the ball on the one and on Furman’s first play, ASU’s defense stuffed Cedrick Gipson in the end zone for a safety. Appalachian tacked on a 38-yard field goal by Julian Rauch later in the period to stretch its advantage to 26-7.
Richardson scored on runs of 27 and one yards in the final quarter to account for the 33-point triumph, surpassing the Mountaineers’ 24-point wins in 1974 and 1994 as their biggest ever over the Paladins. The loss was FU’s worst since dropping a 49-18 decision at Vanderbilt in the 2002 season opener and its biggest setback to a I-AA opponent since falling to Marshall, 54-0, in the 1996 playoffs.
In all, Appalachian out-gained Furman 219-32 in the second half en route to its fifth 40-point performance of the season, just one shy of the school record of six games with 40 points or more set in 1968. ASU has also held six opponents to 10 points or less for the just the second time since 1971.
Richardson was the star on offense with 173 rushing yards to go along with the career-high four touchdowns. He is the first Mountaineer to rush for four touchdowns in a game since Jimmy Watkins scored four versus William & Mary in the opening round of the 2001 playoffs.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Pierre Banks led the Apps in tackles for the fourth time this season with 10 and added the first sack of his career. Cornerback Jerome Touchstone notched the Mountaineers’ first takeaway in three games with an interception and registered three of the team’s four pass break-ups. Cam Speer led the pressure up front with three of the Mountaineers’ season-high seven quarterback hurries and Omarr Byrom added one-and-a-half tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Gipson managed just 30 rushing yards as Appalachian held Furman to a season-low 66 yards on the ground. FU’s 198 total yards also marked its lowest offensive output of the season.
Appalachian goes for at least a share of its seventh SoCon title next Saturday when it hosts The Citadel at 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Wofford 35, Western Carolina 7
SPARTANBURG, SC ?Kevious Johnson rushed for 103 yards and Wofford piled up 337 yards on the ground as the Terriers defeated Western Carolina 35-7 Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium.
It was Wofford’s largest margin of victory this year. The Terriers evened their record at 4-4, 3-2 in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina fell to 2-6, 0-6.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Wofford head coach Mike Ayers. “I thought our game plan was good on both sides of the ball. We knew Western Carolina was athletic and that they had a lot of weapons.”
The Terriers scored on their first possession of the game, driving 90 yards in six plays. Quarterback Josh Collier’s option pitch to halfback Dane Romero short-hopped him but he was able to scoop it up and carry it to the 3 where he was hit by a Western defender. Despite being lifted into the air by the impact, Romero was able to keep his feet and plunge the final 3 yards into the end zone.
Wofford extended its lead to 14-0 less than four minutes into the second quarter when Collier hit freshman receiver Justice Joslin on a 61-yard scoring pass on the first play after the Terrier defense held Western on a third-and-seven play.
Wofford’s defense forced Western Carolina to punt on each of its first four possessions.
Following another WCU punt, the Terriers made it 21-0 when Collier scored on a 3-yard run with 7:48 to play in the second quarter. The drive included a 40-yard run by Adrian Young and a 22-yard carry by Romero.
Western Carolina got onto the scoreboard just 45 seconds before halftime when Bennett Swygert hit Joe Clark on a 12-yard pass to close the halftime margin to 21-7.
On the final play of the third quarter, Wofford nose tackle Bryan Blair sacked Swygert and forced a fumble that was recovered by Kyle Horne at the Western 20. Three plays later Johnson scored on a 9-yard run for a 28-7 lead.
Wofford quarterback Ben Widmyer scored on a 3-yard run with 5:51 remaining to close out the scoring.
In addition to Johnson’s 103 yards rushing, Young added a career-high 86 yards. Collier completed two of four pass attempts for 83 yards without an interception.
Western Carolina was led by Darius Fudge who had 132 yards rushing on 26 carries. Fudge moved into Western Carolina’s top 10 in career rushing with 2,075 for his career. Swygert completed 14 of 23 passes for 108 yards.
Wofford’s defense produced five sacks on the day and held the Catamounts to 277 yards of total offense. It was the best defensive effort of the season by the Terriers.
Wofford’s Nick Robinson set the school record for career PATs. With five against WCU, Robinson now has 143, surpassing the previous mark of 141 set by Brian Porzio (1991-94).
Wofford will travel to Georgia Southern on Nov. 4 while the Catamounts will visit Liberty.
The Citadel 24, Georgia Southern 21
Charleston, S.C. ? The Citadel withstood a late Georgia Southern rally to outlast the Eagles 24-21 in Southern Conference action at Johnson Hagood Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The Citadel (3-5, 3-2 SoCon) is now off to their best start since 2003 when they started 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference. The Bulldogs finished 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the SoCon that season. It also marked the first win for The Citadel over Georgia Southern (3-5, 2-3 SoCon) since that 2003 season when they won in Statesboro, 28-24. It was also the first win for the Bulldogs over the Eagles in Charleston since a 35-20 victory in 1996.
The Bulldogs had good field position on their first drive as they began at midfield after holding the Georgia Southern offense to a three-and-out on their first possession. On a third-and-six play, Lawson found freshman wide receiver Derek Moore for a 36-yard gain. Two plays later, Lawson hit junior running back Tory Cooper from 10 yards out to put The Citadel on the board first. Senior Blake Vandiver knocked home the extra-point to make it 7-0 with 12:25 left in the first quarter. It marked the first time this season the Bulldogs have scored a touchdown on their opening offensive possession.
The Citadel offense again had good field position two possessions later after forcing another Eagle punt, starting at the Georgia Southern 47-yard line. The Bulldogs again took advantage with another big pass play as Lawson hit senior wide receiver Rontreal Tyler on a crossing route and Tyler outran the Georgia Southern defense down the sideline for a 46-yard touchdown, the longest scoring play of the season for The Citadel. Vandiver’s extra-point made it 14-0 with 5:50 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles gambled on their next drive, going for it on fourth-and-five from The Citadel 35-yard line. Georgia Southern converted on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Travis Clark to wide receiver Irving Campbell. Running back Lamar Lewis put Georgia Southern on the scoreboard two plays later as he ran it into the end zone from nine yards out. Patrick Bolen’s extra-point cut the Bulldog lead in half at 14-7 with 59 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Georgia Southern got the first turnover of the contest in the second quarter as freshman wide receiver Andre Roberts muffed a punt and linebacker John Mohring jumped on the loose ball to give the Eagles possession at the Bulldog 47-yard line. Georgia Southern again went for it on a fourth down at The Citadel 30, but Clark’s pass on fourth-and-five went in and out of the hands of wide receiver Darius Smiley.
After taking over on downs, the Bulldogs took it 70 yards in 13 plays to add to their lead. It was The Citadel’s turn to go for it on fourth down as Lawson sneaked it up the middle on fourth-and-inches from the Georgia Southern 39-yard line to keep the drive alive. Cooper again found the end zone for his fourth touchdown in two games to cap the drive as he took a pitch from Lawson on an option play and scored from eight yards out. Vandiver converted on the extra-point and the Bulldogs led 21-7 with 4:26 left in the first half.
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, the Eagles forced another turnover as defensive back Dawayne Grace intercepted a tipped Lawson pass and returned it to the Bulldog 30-yard line. Georgia Southern drove to the seven-yard line before the Bulldog defense appeared to force the Eagles to settle for a field goal. But Georgia Southern faked the field goal attempt as wide receiver and holder Jayson Foster received the snap and ran it into the end zone. Bolen’s extra-point made it a 21-14 deficit with 11:13 left in the third quarter.
At the end of the third quarter and into the fourth period, the Eagles tried to cut into the Bulldog lead further with a 10-play, 53-yard drive to The Citadel 18-yard line. However, Bolen pushed a 35-yard field goal attempt to the right and it remained a seven-point Bulldog lead with 13:29 left in regulation.
The Bulldogs got their first score of the second half in the fourth quarter on a 12-play, 74-yard drive, punctuated by a 33-yard reverse run by Roberts. The Citadel appeared ready to try for another fourth down conversion on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line of the Eagles, but a delay of game penalty pushed them back to the six. The Bulldogs settled for a 23-yard field goal by Vandiver with 6:54 left in the contest to make it a two-score game at 24-14.
The Eagles answered back quickly, however, as on the next play from scrimmage Foster took a pass from Clark and ran 85 yards to the end zone. The play was the longest touchdown in Georgia Southern history. Bolen converted the point after to make it 24-21 with 6:11 left in the final quarter.
After forcing the Bulldogs to punt, Georgia Southern continued their furious comeback attempt on their next possession with an improbable conversion on fourth-and-15 as Clark found Foster again for a 25-yard reception. But on fourth-and-six from the 32-yard line, Clark’s pass sailed out of bounds and The Citadel took over on downs and ran out the clock for their second consecutive Southern Conference home victory.
Cooper followed up his career-high 204-yard rushing performance and two touchdowns against Western Carolina last week with 82 yards on 24 carries on the ground and four catches for 21 yards and two more touchdowns. Lawson went 18-27 for 201 yards and two touchdowns, with Tyler being his favorite target as he caught five balls for 67 yards and a touchdown. Foster ended the day with 114 yards on three receptions and two touchdowns for the Eagles.
The Bulldogs travel to Boone, N.C., next Saturday to face defending national champion Appalachian State at 3:30 p.m. Georgia Southern will host Wofford next Saturday at 12:00 p.m
Elon 20, Chattanooga 17
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Elon outscored the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team 10-3 in the second half, and the Phoenix overcame a 187-yard performance from Mocs' running back Eldra Buckley, to defeat UTC 20-17 Saturday in a Southern Conference football game.
Trailing 14-10 in the third quarter, Elon, 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the SoCon, used a 29-yard field goal by Andrew Wilcox and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Terrell Hudgins to Johnie Blackwell to take a 20-14 lead with 8:34 left in the quarter.
The Mocs, now 3-6 and 2-4, responded with a 23-yard field goal by Esteban Lopez five seconds into the fourth quarter, but Lopez missed a 31-yard attempt with 1:43 which would have tied the game. The attempt would have been from 26 yards, but a delay-of-game penalty pushed the spot back five yards.
UTC forced an Elon punt and began a final offensive series at its own 40-yard line with 20-seconds left on the clock, but Matt Lopez's first pass attempt on the drive was intercepted by Elon's Nolan Ward on what proved to be the last play.
"We've lost several close games," Head Coach Rodney Allison said. "The positive thing is that we're in every game. The negative is we've go to figure out what it comes down to. It's usually something here or there, and that's football. Whatever it is, we're not quite doing it."
The Mocs generated 278 yards of offense in the first half and owned a 14-10 halftime lead. Buckley had 150 yards on 18 carries by halftime, and freshman back Erroll Wynn added 52 yards on six rushes.
Starting quarterback Antonio Miller directed a 14-play, 77-yard drive on the opening possession of the game. Miller lofted a four-yard pass to receiver Michael Johnson for a 7-0 score at 8:18 of the first quarter. It was Johnson's seventh touchdown catch of the season and Miller's fourth TD pass.
The Phoenix cut into the lead on a 37-yard Wilcox field goal with 2:01 left in the opening period.
Buckley's 11-yard touchdown with 12:49 remaining in the second quarter increased UTC's lead to 14-3. The senior notched his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season and surpassed 1,000 yards for the second straight year. He is the only UTC player to accomplish the feat twice in a career.
Elon scored on its first two possessions of the second half. Wilcox's field goal capped a seven-play, 55-yard drive to open the third quarter, and the Phoenix took the lead on the next series. Hudgins, a receiver, took a reverse pitch from quarterback Wes Pope and found Blackwell for the touchdown toss.
Pope was 19-for-30 passing for 185 yards and was not intercepted. He was sacked eight times, believed to be a school record for UTC.
“Offensively, it wasn’t one of our best performances of the year,” Elon Head Coach Pete Lembo said. “But we didn’t turn the ball over, and we move the chains when we needed to and made some plays when we needed to.”
Reggie Hall led Elon on the ground with 13 carries for 63 yards, and Michael Mayers had seven catches for 66 yards. All-America linebacker Chad Nkang led all defenders with 13 tackles.
Miller completed 8-of-9 passes for 54 yards, while senior Matt Lopez was 7-of-20 for 95 yards. Emanuel Hassell hauled in eight receptions for 82 yards. Tight end John Parkinson made two catches for 27 yards, and Johnson finished with 23 yards on two catches.
“I thought Antonio was the best thing for us in this game,” Allison said of starting the junior quarterback. “I thought we’d be able to run it fairly effectively. I wanted his play-action stuff in there, the runs we’ve been doing with him. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t. I wouldn’t change that now after looking back.”
Defensively, lineman Jason Vincent recorded three sacks, lineman Neil Brown and linebacker Chris Johnson were credited with two apiece, and linebacker Joseph Thornton had one. Brown paced the Mocs with a career-best 11 tackles in the game.
The Mocs host non-conference foe Jacksonville State Saturday at 6 p.m. in the final home game of the season.