Wofford 55, Chattanooga 0
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Wofford was able to take advantage of six Chattanooga turnovers and turned five of them into touchdowns in posting a 55-0 win Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium. The win was Wofford’s fourth straight.
Chattanooga turned the ball over on four of its first five possessions and Wofford converted each one into a touchdown. A total of 16 Terriers carried the ball as Wofford rushed for 326 yards.
The win marked the final home game for 13 Wofford seniors. The victory also assured Wofford of no worse than a third place finish in the Southern Conference race.
The Terriers improved to 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the Southern Conference. Chattanooga concluded its season 3-8, 2-5. Wofford’s four-game winning streak is its longest since the 2004 season.
Wofford did not take long to get on the scoreboard. After the Terriers kicked off, Chattanooga fumbled on its first play of the game and James Gonsoulin recovered at the UTC 17. Terrance Ware carried the ball to the 3 and Josh Collier scored two plays later for a 7-0 Terrier advantage.
Wofford quickly made it 14-0 when Chattanooga quarterback Antonio Miller overthrew his target on a screen pass and Brandon Berry intercepted and returned it 12 yards for a score.
After Chattanooga lost its next possession on downs, the Terriers needed just four plays to move 69 yards with quarterback Josh Collier hitting Andy Strickland on a 32-yard pass for a 21-0 lead.
After picking up two first downs on its next drive, Chattanooga fumbled and Brian Kemp recovered at the Wofford 27. Wofford’s Terrance Ware finished off the drive with a 22-yard scoring run as the Terriers went ahead 28-0 with 2:00 left in the first quarter.
Chattanooga fumbled four plays into its first drive of the second quarter with Bryan Blair recovering at the Wofford 7. Collier drove the Terriers 90 yards, completing three passes en route, before calling his own number from the 3 as Wofford went up 35-0.
The teams traded punts on each of their next possessions before freshman safety Buck Brown intercepted a Matt Lopez pass and returned it 44 yards for a Terrier touchdown and a 42-0 advantage with 36 second left before halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter as they traded punts throughout the period. On Wofford’s final drive of the quarter started at its own 38 following a Moc punt, quarterback Ben Widmyer ripped off a 35-yard run and freshman Brian Whitehurst concluded the drive with a 7-yard scoring run.
Jeremy Marshall concluded Wofford’s scoring with a 7-yard rush with 7:56 remaining in the game.
Placekicker Nick Robinson converted each of his first seven PAT attempts before having his final try blocked.
The 55 points marked the most by the Terriers this season. The shutout was the first by a Wofford defense since it blanked Johnson C. Smith 56-0 on Sept. 25, 2004. Wofford’s last shutout against a SoCon opponent was a 13-0 victory at The Citadel on Oct. 27, 2001.
Chattanooga was shutout for the first time since suffering a 31-0 loss to East Carolina on Sept. 12, 1998. The Mocs were last blanked by a SoCon team in 1996 when Marshall posted a 45-0 win.
Wofford will play its final regular season game of the season next Saturday when the Terriers visit Gardner-Webb.
NOTES
With an interception for a touchdown, Brandon Berry is the first player in Wofford history to score on a kickoff return, punt return and interception return in a career. In previous seasons playing as a wide receiver, Berry has also scored both rushing and receiving.
Wofford returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
Nick Robinson’s streak of 38 consecutive PATs ended with 7:56 to play in the game when his attempt was blocked.
Brian Whitehurst and Jeremy Marshall each scored their first career touchdowns. Terrance Ware’s touchdown run was his first since his freshman season in 2003.
Wofford used 16 different ballcarriers.
Wofford has ensured itself of a winning season for the fifth straight season. Wofford has now won 5 or more SoCon games in a season for the fourth time in eight years.
The home team won the Wofford-Chattanooga game for the third straight season.
Wofford’s last shutout: vs. Johnson C. Smith, 56-0, Sept. 25, 2004
Wofford’s last SoCon shutout: 13-0 at The Citadel, Oct. 27, 2001.
It was Wofford’s first home shutout against a SoCon opponent.
Chattanooga was last shutout by East Carolina, 31-0, on Sept. 12, 1998.
The last time UTC was shutout by a SoCon opponent was on Oct. 5, 1996 by Marshall, 45-0.
Wofford’s attendance of 6,155 brought the 11-year attendance in Gibbs Stadium to over 450,000.
Appalachian State 31, Western Carolina 9
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Freshman quarterback Armanti Edwards rushed for 119 yards, with Kevin Richardson adding 96 to eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier for the season, to lead top-ranked Appalachian State to a 31-9 victory over Western Carolina before a sell-out crowd of 13,742 Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field. With the victory, the Mountaineers sealed their second straight Southern Conference championship, going 10-1 overall and 7-0 in the league, and allowed them to retain the Old Mountain Jug.
Edwards carried the ball 18 times, scoring on runs of 14 yards and 1 yard, while completing 13-of-20 passes for 85 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Richardson had 19 rushing attempts, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, with a one-yard TD.
For the Catamounts (2-8, 0-7 SoCon), senior tailback Darius Fudge was looking to join Richardson in the 1,000-yard club for the season. Needing just 96 prior to the game, he only managed 53 on 22 carries. However, he had a career day as a receiver, catching three passes for 84 yards, including a WCU season-long 48 yarder.
Heavy rain and the emotions of a rivalry game kept the game close with Appalachian’s high-powered offense managing just a 33-yard Julian Rauch field goal. Western answered with an impressive drive, but would turn the ball over on downs on the ASU 30 as the first quarter drew to a close.
Early in the second quarter, Edwards got the Mountaineers in gear as he had four rushes for 59 yards, including his 14-yard TD, during a nine-play drive, 81-yard drive to give the Apps a 10-0 lead. On the Mountaineers’ next possession, Edwards capped a 10-play drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Dexter Jackson and ASU took a 17-0 lead at the break.
Western looked to wrestle the momentum to start the second half. Thanks to a 48-yard screen pass from Bennett Swygert to Fudge, the Catamounts would have first and goal on the ASU one. However, the Mountaineer defense stiffened and would keep Western out of the endzone on each of the Cats’ four chances.
The Catamounts would get points on the next play as the ASU snap from center went over Edwards’ head for a WCU safety, Western’s first since Jeff Chambers was credited with one in the 2001 season opener versus Mars Hill.
Western would not capitalize and be forced to punt. On the ensuing drive, which started on the WCU 40, Appalachian would face first and 30 thanks to three straight penalties. However, Edwards would convert a third and 11 on a 13-yard pass to Jackson, followed by a 27-yard pass to William Mayfield to get to the WCU one. Edwards gave the Apps a 24-2 lead with a one-yard run.
The end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth featured some sloppy play by both teams. Western’s Antoine George had two interceptions, ASU’s Justin Woazeah had one and ASU’s Pierre Banks, who led the Mountaineers with eight tackles, forced a fumble, which was recovered by Daniel Orlebar.
After Orlebar’s recover, Richardson did most of the work on the 23-yard drive, including a one-yard plung to put his Apps up 31-2.
Western responded with its lone scoring drive of the game. Swygert found senior J.C. Brown for a 25-yard pass across the middle, then completed a 16-yard pass to Eddie Cohen. Four plays later, Swygert hit Cohen with a fade route to the right corner of the endzone for a 15-yard score to provide the final 31-9 score.
Swygert, who completed 7-of-16 passes for 126 yards, entered the game in the second quarter when WCU starter Todd Spitzer (5-of-10 for 60 yards) left the game with an injury. Defensively for the Catamounts, senior Shelton Gaffney tallied 12 stops, one shy of a career high, while Bruce Lee and Kadeem Morgan each had six.
Western Carolina will conclude the 2006 season facing Florida, who is currently ranked sixth in the nation and coming off a 17-16 victory over South Carolina. Kickoff has been moved up to Noon at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium/Florida Field.
Furman 13, Georgia Southern 10
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Scott Beckler kicked two second half field goals and NCAA I-AA 10th-ranked Furman survived a last minute game tying field goal attempt to edge Georgia Southern 13-10 in Southern Conference football action Saturday at Paladin Stadium.
Beckler’s 21-yard field goal tied the game at 10-10 early in the third quarter, and later in the period he connected from 37 yards in what proved to be the game winner.
Georgia Southern drove 67 yards to the Furman 15 on its final possesson, but the Eagles’ bid to tie the game failed when Bo Galvin’s 32-yard field goal with 51 seconds remaining went wide left.
The victory marked the 13th consecutive home triumph for Furman (8-3, 6-1
SoCon) and positioned the Paladins to gain an at large bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs, which get underway in two weeks.
Georgia Southern (3-7, 2-5 SoCon) will wrap up its regular season next Saturday against Central Arkansas in Statesboro.
“We fought and fought to win this game, and our seniors refused to lose,”
said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “With this rivalry, we knew this was going to a tough game, and it was certainly that. I’m very proud of our defense. They stepped up time and time again and made some very big plays.”
“It was a tough football game with a lot of good defensive play in this game,” said Georgia Southern head coach Brian VanGorder. “We had some opportunities but just couldn’t deliver. That’s been the story of our season for us, but I’m really proud of these guys. They continue to show their character, their sense of perseverance, and they work hard every week. To come in here and play the kind of defense we played tonight says a lot about them.”
Furman managed a slight 296-278 advantage in total offense despite gaining only seven total yards in the fourth quarter. The 10 points by Georgia Southern matched their season low output.
Furman opened the scoring by moving 74 yards in nine plays for a 19-yard touchdown pass from quaterback Renaldo Gray to Brantley Kendall with 12:48 left in the first half.
Georgia Southern answered immediately with a Jayson Foster 83-yard touchdown run off an option keeper on the Eagles’ first play following the kickoff. Foster’s career long run and the longest by an opponent in Paladin Sadium history tied the game at 7-7 at the 12:15 mark.
Georgia Southern’s Brenden Daniel’s fumble recovery at the Furman 41 set up the Eagles’ next score. After advacing to the 23, Galvin delivered a 40-yard field goal at the 3:57 juncture to put Georgia Southern ahead 10-7.
Furman opened the second half by driving 57 yards to the Georgia Southern 3. On a third-and-1 play, Daniel broke through the left side of the Furman offensive line to tackle fullback Jerome Felton at the 4-yard line, forcing the Paladins to settle for a 21-yard Beckler field goal that tied the game at 10-10.
On the ensusing possession, Georgia Southern drove to the Furman 30, but the Eagles’ Lamar Lewis fumble was recovered by Jeremy Blocker at the Paladin 27.
On its first play following the fumble recovery, Furman tailback Cedrick Gipson bolted 48 yards to the Georgia Southern 25, and four plays later Beckler booted his second field goal of the contest from 37 yards out with 3:30 left in the third quarter to give the Paladins a 13-10 lead.
A 14-yard punt return by Foster gave Georgia Southern the ball at the Furman 44 to begin the fourth quarter. From there, the Eagles advanced to the Paladin 19, but Foster was tackled by Furman’s Clifton Dortch shy of the first down marker on a fourth-and-1 play.
The Eagles initiated their final drive of the contest from their own 18 with 5:10 to go. A 15-yard Travis Clark pass completion to Hal Scarborough on a fourth-and-2 play gave GSU a first down at the Furman 16.
Three plays, however, netted only one yard, and Galvin’s game tying 32-yard field goal missed wide left.
The Citadel 48, VMI 21
Charleston, S.C. ? The Citadel football team racked up 257 yards on the ground, 150 of those by junior running back Tory Cooper, as the Bulldogs retained the coveted Silver Shako and won the Miltary Classic of the South convincingly by a final of 48-21 on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Cooper’s 150 yards came on 20 carries, and he also found his way into the end zone three times. Junior running back Montrell Lee added 62 yards on 12 carries and two scores. Junior quarterback Duran Lawson finished 14-22 for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Running back
Sean Mizzer led the Keydets with 85 yards and two touchdowns in 16 carries on the ground.
After both teams went three-and-out on their opening offensive possessions, The Citadel took the ball on their second drive and went 62 yards in seven plays to get on the board first , thanks in part to a 30-yard reverse run by junior wide receiver Ta'Mar Jernigan. Cooper capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run for his eighth score of the season. Senior Blake Vandiver knocked the extra-point through to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 advantage with 8:30 left in the
opening quarter.
The Citadel continued to chew up yards on the ground in their next possession. This time, Lee did the majority of the damage, carrying the ball three times for 27 yards on the nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Lee ran it into the end zone from 12 yards out to add to the Bulldogs lead, and Vandiver converted on the point after to make it 14-0 with 3:30 left in the first quarter.
After another VMI three-and-out, the Bulldog offense continued to scorch the Keydet defense as they quickly added on to their advantage in two plays. After a 22-yard pass from Lawson to Cooper, Lawson hit senior wide receiver Gary Domanski from 24 yards out for his first touchdown catch of the season. Vandiver’s extra-point made it 21-0 with 59 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Keydets turned the ball over on their next offensive possession, as running back Sean Mizzer was stripped of the ball by sophomore safety Jonathan Vest and junior safety Josh Lawson recovered for The Citadel. The Bulldog offense again drove down the field with ease as Cooper capped off another scoring drive with a 26-yard gallop to the end zone. Vandiver nailed the extra-point to give the Bulldogs a commanding 28-0 lead with 11:22 left in the second quarter.
Another VMI turnover on the next offensive play gave The Citadel a chance to pour it on even more, as quarterback Jonathan Wilson had the ball knocked loose by junior defensive end Trevar Broughton and senior defensive end James Wilson fell on it for the Dogs. The Bulldogs took advantage on the first play of the drive as Lawson found senior running back Nuru Goodrum on a swing pass from nine yards out. Vandiver’s extra-point gave The Citadel a 35-0 lead.
The Keydets were able to get on the board on an 80-yard, 10-play scoring drive on their next offensive possession. On a fourth-and-five play, running back Nat Jackson ran it in from 39 yards out. Barrett Way hit the extra-point to make it 35-7 with 4:26 left in the first half, and that was the score as both teams headed into the locker room. The 35 points were the most first-half points for a Bulldogs team in five seasons. The Citadel racked up 314 yards of total offense, 96 of which came on the ground from Cooper in 13 carries. Lawson went 13-20 for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
VMI took the second half kick-off and drove 80 yards again, this time in nine plays, to cut the Bulldog lead to 21. Mizzer capped the drive with a 24-yard touchdown run. Way’s extra-point made it 35-14 with 11:05 left in the third quarter.
Cooper scored his third touchdown of the day with 2:23 left in the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a little more breathing room between themselves and the Keydets. After freshman wide receiver Andre Roberts gave The Citadel good field position with a 30-yard punt return to the 35 of VMI, Cooper ran it in from 14 yards out five plays later to extend the Bulldog lead. Vandiver drilled the extra-point to give the Cadets a comfortable 42-14 lead.
Lee added on another score for the Bulldogs with 9:39 left in the fourth quarter, running it into the end zone from two yards out to cap an 11-play, 45-yard scoring drive. Vandiver’s extra-point was blocked by the Keydets, so the score remained 48-14. Lee’s two touchdowns were his first two of the season and the second and third of his Bulldog career. Mizzer added another score late for VMI as he dashed into the end zone from 25 yards out with 6:48 remaining in the contest. Way knocked the extra-point through to make it 48-21 and score the final point of the contest.
The Bulldogs have a chance next week to record their first winning record in the Southern Conference since 1992 when they travel to Elon for a 5 p.m. kick-off. The Keydets will close out their season by hosting Liberty at 1 p.m.