Appalachian State 42, The Citadel 13
November 4, 2006 - BOONE, N.C. ? No. 1 Appalachian State University clinched at least a share of its second-straight Southern Conference championship and the nation’s first automatic bid to the 2006 NCAA Division I playoffs with a 42-13 victory over The Citadel on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
With its ninth-consecutive win, Appalachian (9-1, 6-0 SoCon) claimed its seventh SoCon title in 21 seasons and its first back-to-back crowns since 1986-87.
For the second-straight week, Walter Payton Award candidate Kevin Richardson was the star of the show. The junior from Elizabethtown, N.C. rolled up 148 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries, giving him 321 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two games. The 100-yard rushing performance was his fifth in six games and 11th of his career.
Richardson followed up his career-long 79-yard touchdown on the Mountaineers’ first possession with scores from 14 and one yard out to pace the Apps. The three-touchdown effort was his fourth of the season and sixth of his career.
However, holding just a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, it was the Appalachian defense that once again turned the tide of the game. On second-and-five from the Citadel 20, a vicious hit by Buck Buchanan Award candidate Marques Murrell forced Bulldog running back Tory Cooper to cough up the ball. All-America safety Corey Lynch scooped up the fumble and returned it 25 yards for his second touchdown in as many weeks to give ASU a 14-3 lead.
From there, The Citadel (3-6, 3-3 SoCon) managed just eight yards the rest of the half and redshirt freshman tight end Dominique Wilson’s first-career reception, a 24-yard touchdown strike from Armanti Edwards, gave Appalachian a comfortable 21-3 halftime advantage.
After Lynch fumbled on an interception return to give them new life, the Bulldogs managed another field goal early in the third quarter. But it was all Mountaineers from there, as they scored three touchdowns over the next 10 minutes to stretch their lead to 42-6.
The Citadel added a 59-yard touchdown pass from Duran Lawson to Andre Roberts early in the fourth period, but it wasn’t enough to derail the championship celebration at The Rock.
The only downer for the Apps came one play after Lynch’s miscue on the interception return, when he suffered a serious injury to the opposite elbow of the one that he similarly hurt in 2004. The junior from Cape Coral, Fla. was in surgery at Watauga Medical Center before the end of the game. His playing status for the upcoming playoffs will not be determined until following the surgery.
In all, Appalachian out-gained The Citadel, 454-286, en route to tying a school record with its sixth 40-point game of the season. The 1968 Apps were the only other team in school history to score 40 or more six times.
Murrell put together his best performance in a month with eight tackles, including one-and-a-half behind the line of scrimmage, a sack and two forced fumbles. The forced fumbles give the senior from Fayetteville, N.C. 15 for his career, moving him ahead of ASU legends Dexter Coakley and Dino Hackett for tops on the school’s all-time list.
One of 20 seniors honored before their last regular-season game at The Rock, defensive tackle Daniel Orlebar led the Mountaineers with nine tackles and two quarterback hurries. Linebackers Pierre Banks and Jacque Roman chipped in with seven and six stops, respectively.
Rounding out the offense, Edwards racked up 209 yards of total offense (174 passing and 35 rushing) and wide receivers Dexter Jackson and William Mayfield combined for nine catches for 140 yards.
Appalachian closes out the regular season next Saturday with the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug at archrival Western Carolina. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at E.J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, N.C.
NOTES: Appalachian extended its home winning streak to 24 games ... the senior class honored on Senior Day have never lost a home game (the streak dates back to the beginning of the 2003 season, when this year’s seniors were freshmen) ... ASU’s nine-game winning streak is its longest since coming out on top in 12-straight to open the 1995 season ... with the fumble recovery and interception on Saturday, Lynch now has 21 takeaways in 38 career games (15 INTs and six FR) ... he is fourth in school history in interceptions and tied for fifth in fumble recoveries ... Edwards’ touchdown pass was his 10th of the season, tying him with D.J. Campbell (1989) for the most-ever by a Mountaineer true freshman ... Saturday’s attendance of 17,547 marked the 10th-straight over-capacity regular-season crowd at 16,650-seat Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Wofford 28, Georgia Southern 10
STATESBORO, Ga. - Wofford set two Paulson Stadium records during the second half as Georgia Southern dropped a 28-10 decision Saturday afternoon (Nov. 4). The loss dropped the Eagles to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the Southern Conference.
Georgia Southern took a 10-7 lead into the locker room, but Brandon Berry set a punt return record and Michael Hobbs broke loose on a record 99-yard run during the decisive second half.
GS won the coin flip for the first time this year and deferred. On 4th-and-1, the Eagle defense stopped Josh Collier short of a first down as the offense took over on Wofford’s 35. The drive stalled and Patrick Bolen’s 35-yard field goal attempt went wide right.
The Terriers caught a break during their second possession. Collier fumbled, but Rico Zackery could not scoop up the loose ball and Wofford recovered for a 26-yard gain. Colby Harris ran 36 yards on a reverse, getting down to the four. Two plays later Kevious Johnson scored for a 7-0 lead with 3:10 left in the first.
On the ensuing kickoff Jayson Foster returned it 40 yards to the GS 45. Eagles converted 4th-and-3 from the Terrier 13 when Raja Andrews held onto Travis Clark’s pass getting inside the 10. The Eagles could not convert on 3rd-and-goal, settling for a 24-yard field goal.
After the Eagles forced another 3-and-out, they took over on their own 43. Chris Covington broke through the middle on the first play for a 57-yard touchdown. It was his eighth rushing TD of the season, and first in four games. Bolen’s PAT gave Georgia Southern a 10-7 lead midway through the second.
Wofford forced Georgia Southern to a 3-and-out on its first drive of the second half. In fact, the Terriers were able to record a rare sack on GS, just the fifth time this year the nation-leading Eagles allowed a QB sack. Collier capped an 8-play, 61-yard drive when he scored from 16 yards out, regaining a 14-10 lead.
When Dan Jordan went back to punt on the Eagles’ next drive, Berry caught the ball on the eight and raced 92 yards down the right sidelines for a touchdown. It was the second-longest punt return in Wofford history and first time in 32 games the Eagles allowed a score off a punt (at Georgia in 2004). The previous record was 87 yards by Anthony Williams in 2002 against VMI.
The Eagles’ defense came up with a huge stop on 4th-and-inches as Wofford went for it on its own 13. Shaheen Solomon stopped Harris for a 3-yard loss. But the Terriers dodged a bullet. The Eagles dropped a pass in the endzone on third down then Bolen missed a 28-yard attempt.
Early in the fourth quarter, Lance Turner downed Jordan’s punt on the 1-yard line. Hobbs set another Paulson record when, on the first play, he broke through for a 99-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 28-10 with 13 minutes left. Hobbs record run shattered former Eagle Mark Myers’ 92-yard run against Appalachian State in 2002.
The Eagles recovered a fumble on the Wofford 35. But for the third time in the game they could not put points on the board when taking over deep in Wofford territory. Chris Rogers, forced to scramble on 4th-and-long, threw his second interception of the year.
“We took a big step back today with our offense, and our special teams has not played well all year, particularly our kicking game. That came back to haunt us in the ball game,” said head coach Brian VanGorder. “Defensively we continue to get better, but we’re not good enough to win games with our ?D’ and our defense gave up a 99-yard run. We’ve got to keep fighting. We have a chance to build character with a lot of young players and a staff that’s together for the first time.
“You’ve got to give Wofford credit and they’ve been good this year. They are very fundamentally sound, they play hard and they’re well coached. They were a tough group today,” said VanGorder.
John Mohring paced the defense with 10 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. Dedrick Bynam equaled his career-high of nine stops, including a forced fumble. Save for the record TD run, the defense held Wofford to 99 total yards in the second half.
Covington netted 77 yards on 10 carries while Lewis gained 55 yards. Foster caught four passes for 39 yards while Andrews also hauled in four passes netting 27 yards.
Hobbs gained a game-high 111 yards on six carries for the Terriers (5-4, 4-2). Kevin Adleman made a game-high 11 tackles.
Georgia Southern travels to Furman next Saturday (Nov. 11). Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and televised live on CSS. Wofford hosts Chattanooga next weekend, a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
Furman 24, Elon 13
ELON, N.C. - The 11th-ranked Furman Paladins kept their playoff hopes alive by jumping out to a 24-6 lead in the first half en route to a 24-13 Southern Conference football victory over the Elon Phoenix on Homecoming at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
On the day, Elon's Wes Pope threw for 185 yards and established a new school record for passing yards in a season. Pope has now thrown for 2,114 yards this year and surpassed Burgin Beale's mark of 2,079 yards in 1968.
The Paladins (7-3, 5-1 SoCon) turned the ball over on downs after driving 34 yards to the Elon 29 on the game's opening drive. The drive ended when Chad Nkang and Robbie Goins brought down Furman quarterback Renaldo Gray at the 29 yard line, a yard shy of the first down marker.
On its very first play from scrimmage, Elon (4-5, 2-4) fumbled on a trick play and Furman's Gary Nelson recovered the ball at the Elon 27 yard line. From there, the Paladins drove the 27 yards on seven plays and grabbed a 7-0 lead after Jerome Felton rumbled in from two yards out with 6:58 to go in the first quarter.
After forcing Elon to punt and starting their next drive at their own 11 yard line, Furman went 57 yards in 10 plays before Scott Beckler booted a career-best 49-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining in the first period to put the Paladins on top 10-0.
The Furman lead grew to 17-0 in the second quarter when Furman went 75 yards on 11 plays in 5:07 capped by a one yard scoring run from Felton, his 22nd rushing touchdown of the year.
Elon finally cracked onto the scoreboard with 5:20 remaining in the first half when Andrew Wilcox connected on a 42-yard field goal, trimming the lead to 17-3. On the drive, the Phoenix went 44 yards on eight plays, including a 37-yard strike from Pope to Michael Mayers.
Furman immediately responded to the Phoenix attempt to claw back into the game. Beginning their next drive at their own 35 yard line thanks to a kickoff that went out of bounds, Furman moved the ball to the Elon 45 yard line. Cedrick Gipson received the hand off on a third and three plays and eluded Elon defenders to race in for the touchdown with 3:14 remaining in the first half.
Wilcox would add another 42-yarder with 25 seconds remaining in the stanza to provide the halftime margin of 24-6.
Elon continued a trend of recent weeks by making some key halftime adjustments and held the Paladins scoreless in the second half. Outside of six overtime points against Chattanooga two weeks ago, Furman has not scored a second half touchdown in its last four contests.
Following a scoreless third quarter, the Phoenix marched 80 yards in 11 plays on its first drive of the fourth quarter of play to trim the deficit to 24-13. During the drive, Pope hit Mayers for a 36-yard gain to break the school's single-season passing mark. Seven plays later, T.J. Clegg ran in from three yards out to cut into the Paladin advantage.
The Phoenix obtained the ball once more on the afternoon, beginning its final drive from its own one yard line. After Reggie Hall rushed for 12 yards on the first play of the drive, Elon was unable to move any farther and punted the ball away. At that point, Furman ran out the clock.
For the second straight week Pope threw for 185 yards. This week the junior connected on 20 of 35 passing attempts and was not picked off The Phoenix eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground for only the second time this season, running for 113 yards on 24 carries. Leading the way on the ground for Elon was Hall who carried the ball seven times for 43 yards. Clegg carried nine times for 39 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Nkang led all players with 16 total tackles (six solo), including two and a half tackles for a loss. Daronce Daniels (12 tackles) and Corey Weaver (10 tackles) also reached double figures in the tackles category.
Furman's Gray threw for 127 yards on 11-of-19 passing. He was sacked twice and intercepted once. Gipson led the Paladin rushing attack, carrying the ball 20 times for 122 yards and one score. Felton finished with two touchdowns and 25 yards rushing on 10 attempts. Andrew Jones (11 tackles) and Nelson (10 stops) led the Furman defense.
Elon head coach Pete Lembo stated, "I thought our players played extremely hard today; from the first whistle until the end. There's no such thing as a good loss. I can say I felt good about the way we prepared and battled."
Furman's Bobby Lamb added, "We've played really well in the first half of a bunch of games. We just can't finish the drill in the third and fourth quarters."
Liberty 21, Western Carolina 0
Lynchburg, Va. ? Some penalties at costly times and a pair of failed fourth down conversions in the red zone in the second half led to Western Carolina suffering a 21-0 setback to Liberty Saturday afternoon at Williams Stadium. Despite loss, the Catamounts had some positives, namely Darius Fudge gained 102 rushing yards on 23 attempts to get him closer to 1,000 for the season.
Fudge, who only needs 96 to become just the sixth Catamount to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, also only needs just under 140 yards to move up to seventh on the WCU all-time list. The Liberty game marked the fourth consecutive 100-yard game for the senior. It additionally was just the third time Liberty had allowed a 100-yard rusher in nine games, allowing just 115 rushing yards per game coming in to today’s game.
Liberty tailback Rashad Jennings, who only had 13 carries in the game, had seven attempts in a seven-play drive, including a two-yard touchdown carry, to give the Flames an 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Neither team could muster much offense over the rest of the first quarter and most of the second. However, with 3:27 left before the break, Liberty embarked on a drive from their own 33. The Flames would get down to the two, and have first and goal. The Cats kept the Flames out of the endzone twice, but a pass interference on third down game Liberty a new set of downs with 35 seconds left before the break. Zach Terrell, who rushed for 99 yards on the day, capped the drive with a two-yard TD run, giving Liberty a 14-0 cushion at the break.
The Flames built on that momentum to start the second half, taking a 21-0 lead after a 36-yard Brandon Turner to Brock Smith touchdown pass.
Down three scores, Western was able to move the ball on the ensuing drive thanks to a 26-yard Todd Spitzer to Nick Miller pass. However, facing a fourth and seven on the Liberty 20, the Cats went for it and came up short. Spitzer, who started and played the whole game for the injured Bennett Swygert, finished by completing 20-of-33 passes for 164 yards. Spitzer’s top target was Michael Hines as his seven receptions leaves him with 56 catches on the season, one shy of entering the WCU single-season top 10 for receptions.
On its next drive, Western once again got down inside the red zone, reaching the Liberty 18 late in the third quarter, but Spitzer would be sacked on a fourth down try to all put seal the outcome.
The Catamount defense would keep the score at 21-0 on the ensuing Liberty drive. The Flames worked their way down to the WCU 11. Liberty went for the knock-out blow, throwing a pass in the endzone, but Catamount freshman Darrell Gray came up with his first career interception.
In addition to Gray’s big play on defense, the Catamounts, as they have most of the season, were led by senior linebacker Shelton Gaffney and true freshman linebacker Kadeem Morgan, each with nine tackles. Bruce Lee added eight stops, while Jeff Bradley and Mordy Ornguze each had six.
The Catamount defense, who were allowing 209 rushing yards per game, held Liberty, who entered averaging 210 rushing yards per game, to just 135 rushing yards.
Western Carolina will return to action Nov. 11, hosting Apalachian State for the 31st Annual Battle for the Old Mountain Jug. Kickoff is set for 4:00 pm with WCU honoring its senior class prior to the game.
Jacksonville State 13, Chattanooga 10
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga receiver Emanuel Hassell was tackled three yards short of the goal line by Jacksonville State’s Craig Agee on what proved to be the game’s final play Saturday, allowing the Gamecocks to hold on to a 13-10 victory.
On third-down-and-goal from the JSU eight-yard line, quarterback Matt Lopez completed the pass to Hassell with less than five seconds to play. Agee made the tackle at the three-yard line, the officials spotted the ball, and the game-time elapsed.
With 29 seconds remaining in the game, UTC’s Esteban Lopez tied the score at 13-13 on a 40-yard field goal. But the Gamecocks were penalized for roughing the kicker, and the Mocs elected to take the automatic first down at the JSU 11-yard line.
“I was going to give the kids a chance to win,” UTC Head Coach Rodney Allison said. “I didn’t think twice about doing that. This is another close loss.”
JSU, 5-4, scored on its first possession of the game. Starting at the UTC 35-yard line after a short punt, kicker Gavin Hallford converted a 22-yard field goal attempt at 9:49 of the first quarter for a quick 3-0 Gamecocks lead.
The Mocs, 3-7, took their first lead of the game on the final play of the first quarter. Capping an 11-play, 50-yard march, Matt Lopez hit receiver Michael Johnson for a nine-yard scoring pass with eight seconds on the first-quarter clock. The score was Johnson’s eighth touchdown of the season.
“The player that hurt us the most was (Michael Johnson),” JSU Head Coach Jack Crowe said. “Wow. What a player. He scored a touchdown, and he was over there in that slot. We came on the blitz and gave him that whole field to run. He’s dangerous. He’s as fast a player that I’ve ever seen.”
On the series, Hassell became UTC’s all-time receptions leader, surpassing Cos DeMatteo who caught 166 balls from 1998-2001.
Esteban Lopez booted a career-long 40-yard field goal with 4:44 left in the third quarter to push the Mocs’ lead to 10-3.
Both teams missed two field goals apiece. JSU misfired on a 42-yard attempt and a 46-yarder in the second quarter, and UTC did not connect from 27 yards in the second and from 34 yards in the third.
The Gamecocks knotted the score at 10-all on Clay Green’s one-yard touchdown run with 1:28 remaining in the third period. Green ran the ball on each play on the drive, picking up the entire 58 yards. He went over 100 yards for the game on the march, and finished with 163 on 22 carries, his 13th career 100-yard game.
JSU took the lead for good on their next possession. Matt Lopez was intercepted by JSU’s Mike Johnson at the Gamecock 13-yard line. The Gamecocks marched 82 yards in nine plays, and Hallford’s 23-yard field goal with 10:18 to play made it a 13-10 game.
The Mocs took possession for the final time at their own 25-yard line with 1:54 remaining. A 42-yard pass from Matt Lopez to Michael Johnson took the ball to the JSU 23-yard line. From there, the Mocs had two penalties and were 1-for-5 passing. An Erroll Wynn three-yard rush got the ball to the eight-yard line before an incomplete pass and the final completion to Hassell.
“I can only assume that Rodney (Allison) didn’t want to go into overtime unless he absolutely had to,” Crowe said. “That’s the only thing I can say. That’s an old coaching clich?. I think you had to put it into context of what he felt like their best situation was.”
Wynn saw his most action of the season after the Southern Conference’s leading rusher, Eldra Buckley, left the game in the second quarter with an injury. Wynn set a career high with 131 yards on 23 carries. Buckley finished with 34 yards on 10 totes. He is 35 yards shy of breaking his own single-season rushing record of 1,233 yards set last year.
Matt Lopez started the game for the Mocs and completed 6-of-18 passes for 107 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Antonio Miller was 8-for-15 for 38 yards and gained 59 yards on the ground.
JSU quarterback Matt Hardin was 11-of-25 passing for 130 yards with one interception.
Defensively, JSU’s Drew Robinson led all tacklers with seven stops, including six solos. UTC safety Chris Camacho led the Mocs with six tackles, and tackle Nick Rivers and safety Greg McConico had five apiece. Cornerback Ronnie Jackson had an interception and broke up three passes, and end Jason Vincent registered a sack.
The Mocs close out the regular season next Saturday at Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., at 1:30 p.m.