Elon 37, Western Carolina 19
ELON, N.C. ? Wes Pope threw for a career-high 296 yards and three touchdown passes as Elon topped Western Carolina in a 37-19 Southern Conference football victory Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium.
Pope tied his career best with the three scores while completing a career-high 24 of his 33 passes, including a career-long 62-yarder to Terrell Hudgins as the Phoenix (3-2 overall, 1-1 SoCon) rolled up a season-high 436 yards of total offense to 290 net yards for the Catamounts (2-3, 0-3).
The victory marked the first win for Elon against a Southern Conference opponent in nine league contests, dating back to a 24-7 Senior Day triumph over The Citadel on Nov. 13, 2004 at Rhodes Stadium. The Phoenix also snapped a four-game losing streak to Western Carolina.
Elon erupted to a 17-0 first-quarter advantage, following a 25-yard field goal by Andrew Wilcox, a nine-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Hall from Pope and four-yard touchdown toss to Michael Mayers from Pope.
Jonathan Parsons booted a 41-yard field goal to start the second stanza, putting the Catamounts on the scoreboard. Following a 24-yard field goal by Wilcox, Willie Harper returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown to pull Western Carolina within 20-10 with 9:57 to play before halftime.
T.J. Clegg hauled in an 18-yard pass from Pope to cap Elon’s longest drive of the game ? at 70 yards on seven plays in 2:16 ? to push the Phoenix advantage to 27-10 with 7:32 left before the break. Another 41-yard field goal by Parsons with 35 seconds remaining in the quarter brought the Catamounts within 27-13 for halftime.
Wilcox sank a 28-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, capping a 10-play, 66-yard drive that ate 5:15 off the clock and stretching the Elon edge to 30-13. Late in the third period, Reggie Hall scrambled for a five-yard touchdown run to fatten the Phoenix lead to 37-13.
Western Carolina recorded its only offensive touchdown when Michael Hines caught a five-yard TD pass from Todd Spitzer to decide the contest’s final margin. The touchdown capped a 13-play, 86-yard drive.
Hall rushed for a season-high 84 yards and rushed for another 38 yards while scoring twice. Hudgins hauled in seven receptions for a game-high 142 yards while Mayers caught seven passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Spitzer completed 22 of 38 passes for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Hines pulled down nine receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown and teammate Eddie Cohen snagged six catches for 68 yards.
For the Elon special teams, Karlos Sullivan returned four punts for 82 yards while Brandon Lane booted three punts for 136 yards.
Western Carolina’s Shelton Gaffney racked up a game-best 10 total tackles while Phoenix All-American Chad Nkang tallied a team-high nine tackles to go with one tackle for loss and one pass deflection.
Next Saturday, Elon visits No. 21 Georgia Southern at 1 p.m. while the Catamounts host Chattanooga at 3:30 p.m.
Wofford 28, The Citadel 20
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Michael Hobbs rushed for three touchdowns and Wofford’s defense made several sparkling goal-line stands as Wofford defeated The Citadel 28-20 Saturday afternoon on Homecoming at Gibbs Stadium. The contest also was tabbed as Beacon Iced Tea Bowl V.
The Terrier defense spent most of the day on the field as The Citadel (1-3, 1-1) ran 85 offensive plays to just 39 for Wofford. The Bulldogs had a 37:10 to 22:50 advantage in time of possession and Wofford (2-3, 1-1) made just seven first downs to The Citadel’s 24.
Holding a 28-20 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Wofford’s defense twice stymied the Bulldogs. Linebacker Seth Goldwire intercepted a Duran Lawson pass with 3:48 to play. After Wofford punted the ball away, The Citadel took over at the 47 and drove it to the Wofford seven. Lawson threw four consecutive incompletions, the last two were each broken up by freshman safety Buck Brown.
Brown saw his most extensive action of the season, filling in for starter Brian Ford who was sidelined for most of the second half with a concussion.
Wofford took a 7-0 lead on its first possession as fullback Michael Hobbs turned a third-and-five into a career-long 66-yard touchdown run.
The Bulldogs answered with a 27-yard field goal by Blake Vandiver.
Wofford went up 14-3 when Hobbs scored on a 3-yard carry. The Terriers had taken possession at the Citadel 20 after Brian Kemp intercepted a Lawson pass.
The Citadel narrowed the margin to 14-10 when Lawson hit Andre Roberts on a 4-yard scoring pass with 12:06 to play in the second quarter.
The Citadel threatened to score late after starting a drive at the Wofford 48 following a Chris Tommie punt. The Bulldogs drove the ball to the Wofford 1 and took a time out with 1.4 seconds to play in the half. Tory Cooper attempted to run around right end but was cut down for a 5-yard loss by safety Dan Tavani. Wofford led 14-10 at intermission.
Wofford head coach Mike Ayers was impressed the stand at the end of the first half. “I think that moment was definitely a difference-maker.”
The Citadel pulled within one at 14-13 when Vandiver connected on an 18-yard field goal with 7:25 to play in the third quarter.
Kevious Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to The Citadel 19. Two plays later, Hobbs scored his third touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run for a 21-13 lead.
After The Citadel punted on its next possession, the Terrier offense stalled at its own 40. Facing a fourth-and-three, punter Chris Tommie ran a fake punt and completed a 21-yard pass to Geno Thompson for a first down. Terrier quarterback Josh Collier then hit wide receiver Colby Harris on a 39-yard scoring pass on the next play for a 28-13 lead.
Lawson threw his second touchdown pass of the afternoon with 6:16 to play in the game, hitting Tory Cooper on a 1-yard completion. That brought the Bulldogs to within 28-20.
“We’re nicked up but we’re still fighting,” said Ayers. “It’s great to get a win.”
Goldwire made a career-high 16 tackles to lead the Terrier defense. Hobbs finished with a game-high 86 yards rushing. Collier completed all four of his pass attempts for 61 yards. On the day, including Tommie’s fake punt pass, the Terriers were five-for-five through the air for 82 yards.
The Citadel’s Duran Lawson completed 26 of 42 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
North Dakota State 34, Georgia Southern 14
STATESBORO, Ga. ? North Dakota State scored the final 27 points of the game as the 11th-ranked Bison knocked off No. 21 Georgia Southern 34-14 Saturday afternoon (Oct. 7) at Paulson Stadium. The Eagles dropped to 2-3 overall while the Bison remained undefeated at 5-0.
Early in the second quarter, the Eagles marched 56 yards on 15 plays for the game’s first score. Patrick Bolen converted a 20-yard field goal; however, North Dakota State was flagged for a block in the back penalty which gave the Eagles 1st-and-Goal from the one. Chris Covington dove in over the right side, the fifth straight game he scored a rushing touchdown.
With 12 minutes left in the second quarter Steve Walker completed his first pass of the game, converting a 3rd-and-8 for 27 yards into Eagle territory. Later in the drive, the junior quarterback scrambled for a 2-yard touchdown run and the extra point tied the game.
During the Eagles’ next drive they marched 77 yards on 10 plays. Travis Clark completed a crucial fourth down pass (from the NDSU 30) to Reggie McCutchen, getting the Eagles to the five. On the next play, Lamar Lewis scored his third TD of the year and when Bolen converted the extra point GS took a 14-7 lead.
Georgia Southern scored more points in the second quarter (14) than the Bison had allowed all season in four games (10) during that quarter. However, the Bison staged a 15-play drive right before halftime to tie the game. Walker hit Travis White on 3rd-and-Goal for a 5-yard score with 9.4 seconds left.
Entering the game, Georgia Southern was 18th nationally holding opponents to a 30.8 success rate on third down. NDSU ended the first half 7-of-9 converting on third down and was 11-of-17 for the game. Eagles’ head coach Brian VanGorder noted that was a big key to North Dakota State’s success.
“They have a large offensive line. We had a hard time with our front four getting pressure. We were a little bit reluctant going into this game to pressure a lot because they’re a very good screen team. We didn’t want to give up a big play,” noted VanGorder. “Their big offensive line held us out and gave them time and coverage-wise we just weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be. We were a little bit passive, keeping the ball in front of us and we don’t want to play defense that way. So again, we have a long way to go there.”
The Bison took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 65 yards. On third down, Cole Heckendorf broke a tackle and scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Walker.
Raja Andrews caught a pass from Clark but fumbled during the next drive. The Bison recovered on the Eagles’ 35. However, the Eagle defense stepped up. Shawn Bibeau’s 50-yard field goal attempt fell short. Late in the third, Kyle Steffes scored from three yards out to extend the Bison lead to 28-14.
The Eagles could not take advantage of a key situation three plays into the fourth quarter. Walker fumbled the center exchange, and Branden Daniel recovered the loose ball on the Bison 20. However, the Eagles lost ground and Bolen’s 47-yard FG attempt fell short.
NDSU sealed the victory when Courtney Mitchell intercepted Chris Rogers’ pass and returned it 35 yards for a score.
The Bison accomplished a feat not done since December 1995, holding Georgia Southern to under 100 yards rushing. The Eagles accumulated 65 rushing yards, only four in the second half when they had to start playing catch-up.
Montana, during the second round of the 1995 playoffs, was the last team to hold GS under 100 yards rushing, a span of 137 games. However, the Eagles still managed to get more rushing yards than the Bison had allowed per game heading into the contest (Division I-AA leading 29 ypg).
“There were a number of issues to the game. The rhythm of our offense changed from the first half to the secondght have something to do with that ? they kept the offense off the field for a long time,” said Eagles’ head coach Brian VanGorder. “It was a game where we had to do a lot of things to create a running game because they’re very good against the rush. I thought we were doing that early on then we tried to force the rush a little bit.”
Lewis and Covington both recorded 12 carries as Lewis netted 35 yards and Covington 22. Clark finished 15-of-27 for 164 yards. His streak of four consecutive games with a touchdown pass came to and end.
Rogers finished 6-of-10 for 57 yards in his first collegiate action. Jayson Foster caught a career-high six passes for 69 yards, returned four punts for 49 yards and had 75 kickoff return yards on three attempts.
John Mohring recorded a game- and season-high 12 tackles, of which two were for a loss and he sacked Walker once. Terrione Benefield added nine tackles.
Steffes rushed for a game-high 128 yards and a score as the Bison held a 178-65 edge in rushing. Walker completed 14-of-26 for 171 yards and two scores.
The Eagles return to Southern Conference play next Saturday, hosting Elon during Family Weekend festivities. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Midway through the first, Brandon Jackson intercepted Steve Walker. It was Jackson’s team-leading third interception and the first thrown by Walker in 116 attempts... Six of Covington’s seven touchdowns this year have been from a yard out.
Appalachian State 56, Chattanooga 21
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Defending NCAA champion Appalachian State had five consecutive touchdown drives in the first half to race to a 35-0 halftime lead over Chattanooga and cruised to a 56-21 win at Finley Stadium Saturday night.
The Mountaineers (5-1, 2-0 Southern Conference) got 296 passing yards from freshman quarterback Armanti Edwards in the first half including touchdowns of seven and 79 yards. Edwards established new career-marks finished with 311 yards and 3 TD passes, both career-highs. Edwards’ previous high was 203 passing yards against Mars Hill on September 16.
The first half quieted the crowd of 8,887 which came to take in the homecoming festivities.
“I’m as disappointed as I have been in three years” said UTC head coach Rodney Allison. “I’m sure they (Appalachian State) had a lot to do with that.”
Chattanooga running back Eldra Buckley had his streak of 100 yard rushing performances stopped at eight games. Buckley had 58 yards on 18 carries. He added three catches for 70 yards, including a 53 yarder on a screen pass.
Senior quarterback Matt Lopez came off the Mocs’ bench to lead two second-half scoring drives. Lopez put the Mocs on the board with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Hassell with 4:34 remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown, which capped an eight-play, 80 yard drive, was Hassell’s first of the season.
Quintez Smith put Chattanooga on the board again with 1:08 remaining in the third, with a 59 yard interception return for a touchdown to cut the Appalachian lead to 49-14. The interception return was the Mocs’ first for a touchdown since Jeff Phillips’ against Tennessee Tech in September of 2005.
Lopez closed out the scoring with a 14-play, 86 yard drive punctuated with a 5-yard TD toss to Michael Johnson with 4:16 remaining in the contest. Lopez was 15-24 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
Freshman Errol Wynn spelled Buckley late and gained 47 yards on eight carries.
Appalachian outgained Chattanooga 594 yards to 358. Kevin Richardson had 101 yards rushing for the Mountaineers on 10 carries.
Chattanooga (2-4, 1-2 SoCon) will travel to Western Carolina next Saturday.
Coastal Carolina 29, Furman 27
CONWAY, S.C. -- Tyler Thigpen passed for 274 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth score to lift Coastal Carolina to a 29-27 upset win over NCAA I-AA nationally third-ranked Furman Saturday night in the first meeting in football between the two schools.
Thigpen, a senior and the nation's second leading passer entering the game, completed 21-of-33 passes and threw scoring strikes of 4, 3, and 8 yards to pace the Chanticleers (4-2) to the win. His 8-yard strike to Jerome Simpson with 5:41 left in the game program proved to be the winner. Simpson caught nine passes for 151 yards and two scores in the contest.
Furman (4-2) moved to midfield on the game's final possession, but backup quarterback Jordan Sorrells was sacked by Ronnie Mason at the Furman 41 and time expired before the Paladins could run another play.
"I was concerned all week about their offense and their ability to throw and catch the football," said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. "You have to give them credit, they made the plays down the stretch and we didn't. That was the difference in the game."
Furman was forced to turn to Sorrells after starting quarterback Renaldo Gray exited the game early in the second quarter with an ankle sprain. Sorrells, a redshirt freshman who came off the bench to toss the game winning touchdown in the Paladins' season opening, 17-13 win over Jacksonville State, completed 14-of-27 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.
His 19-yard scoring strike to Justin Stepp with 9:35 left in the game put Furman ahead 27-21, but Coastal Carolina's Quinton Teal blocked the PAT and Sean Lundy scooped up the ball and returned it 90 yards for a two-point defensive extra point to make it 27-23.
After Furman's Scott Beckler's kickoff went out of bounds, Coastal moved 65 yards in 12 plays for what proved to be the game winning score when Thigen, on a fourth-and-goal play from the Furman 8, lofted a pass to Simpson in the back of the end zone with 5:41 to go for a 29-27 lead.
The Paladins threatened on the ensuing possession, moving to the Chanticleer 40, but three straight Sorrells incompletions turned the ball over on downs with 2:43 left.
Furman forced a CCU punt and took over possession at its own 23 with 54 seconds remaining. Three pass completions advanced the ball to the 50 before Sorrells was sacked at the 41 by Mason on the game's final play.
Coastal Carolina grabbed the early lead, taking the opening kickoff and covering 83 yards in nine plays for a 4-yard touchdown pass from Thigpen to Perry Parks at the 9:56 mark of the first quarter.
Furman answered on its first possession, moving 72 yards in 12 plays for fullback Jerome Felton's 1-yard touchdown plunge with 3:54 to go in the opening period.
Coastal Carolina retook the lead on the final offensive play of the first quarter when Thigen rolled around right end for 12 yards into the end zone, capping an eight-play, 69-yard drive.
Furman quarterback Renaldo Gray exited the contest with a sprained left ankle early in the second period, and Sorrells came on to move the Paladins to the Coastal 6. But a fumble by Sorrells on first down was recovered by Ron Washington to end the scoring threat.
The Paladins atoned for their miscue by cashing in on a fumbled punt by Coastal's Quinton Teal at the Chanticleer 10. Julian Hick's fumble recovery was followed two plays later by a 13-yard touchdown run by Cedrick Gipson to knot the game at 14-14 with 5:08 left in the half.
The Chanticleers' bid to take a lead into the halftime locker room failed after Josh Hoke's 33-yard field goal on the final play of the half missed wide left.
Furman took the opening drive of the second half and moved 81 yards in nine plays for Jerome Felton's 12-yard touchdown run and a 21-14 lead.
A 3-yard touchdown strike from Thigpen to Simpson on the second play of the fourth quarter knotted he game at 21-21.
Gipson led all rushers with 23 carries or 133 yards and a touchdown. Felton added 85 yards on 14 carries and his 15th and 16th rushing touchdowns of the campaign.
Furman managed a slight 393-382 advantage in total offense.
The Paladins return to action next Saturday when they entertain Southern Conference arch-rival The Citadel at Paladin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m.