Elon 23, Coastal Carolina 20
CONWAY, SC ? No. 18 Coastal Carolina had its 12-game home winning streak snapped in the 2006 football season opener for both schools, falling to Elon, 23-20, Sept. 2. This marks the first time in the Chanticleers' four-year history that they have lost a season opener, while the winning streak dated back to the loss in the home finale against VMI in 2003.
The visitors got on the board first, converting an interception into a short field at the Coastal 22. Two plays later, quarterback Wes Pope connected with wide receiver Michael Mayers for a 22-yard strike and after the missed extra point, Elon led 6-0 less than four minutes into the game.
CCU answered on its next two possessions, getting the ball into the Phoenix red zone each time. However, Coastal could only come away with a pair of Josh Hoke field goals to knot the game at six with 2:21 to go in the first quarter.
Elon posted the next two scores, first on a trick play on the next possession. Wide receiver Bo Williamson connected with fellow receiver Terrell Hudgins for a 42-yard touchdown to put the Phoenix back in the lead at 13-6 with 14:51 to go. Andrew Wilcox later connected on a 41-yard field goal to cap off an 11-play, 59-yard drive to give the visitors a 16-6 margin with just under five minutes to play in the first half.
Coastal trimmed it after driving to the red zone again, settling for another Hoke field goal, this time from 23 yards out, and Elon went into the halftime lockerroom with a 16-9 lead.
Another Coastal miscue gave Elon a short field and they converted again, starting at the Coastal 14. Pope ended the drive with a fourth-down plunge from the one-yard line, making it a 23-9 Phoenix lead with just under 11 minutes left in the first half.
The Chants came back and marched it down the field again, going 73 yards in eight plays. However again, they were denied the end zone, as Hoke hit a 24-yard chip shot and cut the lead to 23-12 with 1:09 to go in the third. CCU trimmed the lead to a field goal with 6:45 to go in the game. Quarterback Tyler Thigpen connected on his first touchdown pass of the season, hitting the fade route to wide receiver Jerome Simpson to make it 23-18. Thigpen then hit tight end Rodney Burgess for the two-point conversion and Coastal trailed 23-20 with 6:45 to play.
Elon marched the ball down the field, but missed a short field goal attempt to give CCU one last possession with 45 seconds to go. However, CCU's drive stalled in four plays and the clock ran out following the turnover on downs.
Coastal outgained Elon 415-331 and had 20 first downs to just 13 for the visiting Phoenix. However, turnovers were the downfall of the Chants, as CCU gave it up four times, two interceptions and two fumbles, and the Phoenix converted it into 16 points. Elon had two turnovers, which amounted to three Coastal points.
Thigpen posted a school-record 312 yards in the loss, going 23-for-43 with one touchdown and two interceptions. Pope was 16-for-27 for 203 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Phoenix. Running back Aundres Perkins led Coastal on the ground with 59 yards on 11 carries, while T.J. Clegg led Elon with 14 carries for 48 yards. Mayers led all receivers with 117 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions, while CCU's leader was Burgess with 89 yards on four receptions.
Coastal hits the road for the first of two consecutive road games against Southern Conference foes, traveling to Spartanburg to take on Wofford, Sat., Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. Elon returns home to host Towson next Saturday at 6 p.m.
Furman 17, Jacksonville State 13
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jordan Sorrells’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Brantley Kendall with 28 seconds remaining in the game lifted NCAA I-AA fifth-ranked Furman to a 17-13 win over Jacksonville State in the 2006 season opener for both schools Saturday at Paladin Stadium.
Sorrells, a redshirt freshman and the son of Furman offensive coordinator and standout former Furman quarterback Tim Sorrells, came off the bench in the third quarter in relief of ailing Paladin starting quarterback Renaldo Gray and directed Furman (1-0) on a pair of scoring drives, including the game winning six-play, 50-yard touchdown drive.
“Ryan McKie’s return on the pooch kickoff that allowed us to start our last drive from the 50 was big,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb, whose team won its eighth straight home game. “That gave us momentum, and we made several good runs to get into position for the game winning pass. I thought Jordan handled the offense very well, and he executed the touchdown pass to perfection.”
“It was a tough, hard fought football game,” said Jacksonville State head coach Jack Crowe following the game. “You have to give credit to Furman.
They made the plays on that final drive to earn the win, but I’m still very, very proud of this football team. I feel like this has the potential to be the best defensive football team we’ve had since I’ve been coaching here.”
Furman’s game winning score came after Jacksonville State (0-1) marched 60 yards to take a 13-10 lead on Gavin Hallford’s 29-yard field goal with
3:07 to go. The Gamecocks, however, decided to pooch the ensuing kickoff, which McKie returned to the 50. Five consecutive rushes moved the ball to the JSU 19, where Sorrells connected with Kendall at the goal line for the decisive score.
The final possession victory was the second for the Paladins in two years against the Gamecocks and seventh since 2004. A year ago Furman used a 9-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game to claim a 37-35 win at Jacksonville State.
Furman compiled a 314-250 advantage in total offense, but the Paladins’
inability to take advantage of scoring opportunities almost proved costly.
In the first quarter the Paladins drove to the JSU 1-yard line, but Gray’s attempted fourth-down sneak into the end zone was ruled down inches short of the goal line.
In the second half with the Paladins trailing 10-7, Furman covered 58 yards to the JSU 5, but Scott Beckler missed a short 23-yard field goal try.
The Gamecocks scored the game’s first points on Hallford’s 37-yard field goal with 4:06 left in the first half.
Furman answered on the first possession of the second half, using seven plays to move 70 yards for a two-yard touchdown run off left end by fullback Jerome Felton to take a 7-3 lead with 12:17 remaining in the third quarter.
On the Paladins’ next possession, a Gray fumble in the backfield was scooped up by JSU linebacker Lemarcus Rowell and returned 36 yards for a touchdown to put the Gamecocks up 10-7 with 8:26 to go. After the play, Gray hobbled off the field with leg cramps and did not return.
After misfiring on Beckler’s 23-yard game tying field goal try, the Paladins got another chance when cornerback Austin Holmes intercepted a pass by Gamecock quarterback Matt Hardin at the JSU and returned it 21
yards to the 19. Four plays later Beckler connected from 34 yards to
knot the game at 10-10.
Jerome Felton led all rushers with 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. Jacksonville State was paced by Clay Green with 19 rushes for 80 yards.
Gray connected on 8-of-16 passes for 101 yards before exiting the contest.
Sorrells, meanwhile, completed 2-of-4 passes for 34 yards.
Hardin completed 9-of-17 passes for 108 yards, but the Gamecock signal caller was picked off twice by Holmes.
Furman linebacker Gary Nelson led all defenders with nine tackles, and Andrew Jones had eight stops. Holmes had seven stops to go along with his two interceptions and pass deflection.
Jacksonville State was paced defensively by Craig Agee, Willie Swain, and George Summers with six tackles each.
Furman returns to action next Saturday when it entertains West Georgia in a 6:00 p.m. contest at Paladin Stadium.
Wofford 28, SC State 21
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Wofford’s defense limited South Carolina State to just two first downs and 71 yards of total offense in the second half as the Terriers opened the season with a 28-21 win over the Bulldogs.
A crowd of 11,738, the second-largest in Gibbs Stadium history, witnessed the win.
Wofford scored 14 unanswered points after falling behind 21-14 early in the second quarter. The Terriers cut the deficit to 21-16 when linebacker Derek Swindall sacked SCSU quarterback Cleveland McCoy for a safety with 4:13 to play in the second quarter.
The Terriers took their first lead of the game with 12:51 to play in the third quarter when Michael Hobbs rushed 13 yards for a touchdown and a 22-21 Wofford lead. The score was set up by a Bryan Blair fumble recovery and a 45-yard pass from Ben Widmyer to Kevious Johnson. Hobbs scored on the next play.
Wofford added a pair of third quarter field goals as Nick Robinson connected from 32 and 36 yards.
Wofford’s defense dominated play in the second half. Kevin Adleman intercepted a pass and Brian Ford sealed the win with an interception on SCSU’s final possession.
Johnson did not show any ill effects from a year off as he took his first carry 73 yards for a touchdown on Wofford’s second play of the game to stake the Terriers to a 7-0 lead. SCSU tied the game on the following possession as Jonathan Woods scored on a 2-yard run.
The Bulldogs then drove 92 yards with McCoy scoring on a 9-yard run to put SCSU up 14-7 with 1:16 left in the first quarter.
Dane Romero scored on a 7-yard run on Wofford’s first possession of the second quarter to knot the game at 14. Following the kickoff, William Ford rushed for a 14-yard gain for SCSU before McCoy hit a wide-open Terrance Smith on a 66-yard touchdown pass as the Bulldogs went ahead 21-14.
Johnson finished with a team-high 77 yards rushing for Wofford while Hobbs added 70 yards. SCSU’s DeShawn Baker led all rushers with 94 yards.
McCoy completed 12 of 19 passes for 170 yards but was picked off twice. Widmyer completed seven of nine passes for 101 yards while starter Josh Collier hit on two of four attempts for 23 yards.
“The second half, we made some adjustments,” said Wofford head coach Mike Ayers. “We had to play that good to win. Offensively we were scratching. We weren’t as consistent as we need to be. We let some opportunities to score some points slip away.”
Wofford will host Coastal Carolina next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The Bulldogs will visit Winston-Salem State on Sept. 9.
Texas A&M 35, The Citadel 3
College Station, Texas ? Although it was not the way The Citadel wanted to start off the season, the Bulldogs showed signs of improvement as Saturday’s offense, the best against any Division I-A opponent since their 2004 performance against Duke, led the Bulldogs against a shutout in Saturday’s
35-3 season-opening loss at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field.
Totaling 243 yards for the game, the Bulldogs racked more first-half yardage
(173) and first downs (nine) against the Aggies than against Florida State and Ole Miss totaled for both games in the 2005 season.
Leading the Bulldogs on offense was junior quarterback Duran Lawson who totaled 196 yards, including 68 to lead The Citadel in rushing yards. Lawson went 19-for-38 with no interceptions, while The Bulldogs played four receivers, totaling 128 passing yards. The Bulldogs held the ball for the majority of the game, racking up 30:36 in time of possession while the Aggies held the ball for 29:24.
However, TAMU’s size and strength, partnered with penalties and the Bulldogs’
loss of 2005 All-SoCon selection James Wilson, who left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury, kept the Bulldogs from any opportunity to close the gap.
Leading the Aggies to the 35-3 victory was sophomore quarterback Stephen McGee who totaled 218 yards, going 16-for-24 with one rushing touchdown and no interceptions. Senior running back Courtney Lewis led TAMU in scoring with two touchdowns and 46 yards on 11 carries.
Penalties hurt the Bulldogs as The Citadel was slapped with eight penalties for 65 yards. Meanwhile, the Aggies were called for four penalties for 30 yards.
The Citadel defense did perform well on the night, holding the Aggies to only
35 points, recovering all three of A&M’s fumbles. It is the first time in recent history that the Bulldogs recovered three fumbles against a Division I-A opponent.
The Bulldogs only scoring drive was early in the second quarter as The Citadel drove 77 yards in 18 plays. The drive was capped off with a 29-yard field goal by Blake Vandiver. That 77-yard drive was the longest for The Citadel since driving 80 yards at Chattanooga on Nov. 5, 2005 in a 31-21 loss to the Mocs.
The Citadel returns home to Charleston as they open the new West Side of Johnson Hagood Stadium, hosting the crosstown rival Charleston Southern Buccaneers in the “Chucktown Throwdown.” Kick-off for the Chucktown Throwdown is slated for 7 p.m.
NC State 23, Appalachian State 10
RALEIGH, N.C. ? Appalachian State University managed just 133 yards against a stingy NC State defense and squandered a pair of scoring opportunities inside the 10 yard line en route to a 23-10 loss on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Appalachian held NC State to 242 yards of total offense, including just 36 passing yards, marking the fourth time in its last 10 games that it has held the opponent to less than 50 yards through the air.
Field position was the story of the game, beginning with a botched snap on the game’s first play that resulted in a safety that gave NC State a quick 2-0 lead. In all, nine of ASU’s 16 possessions began inside its own 20 yard line and a 10th started on the 21.
The Mountaineers started inside the Wolfpack 50 three times, thanks to three of the four turnovers that they forced on the evening. However, on two series that began inside the NCSU 20, the Apps were only able to come away with 10 points.
Trailing 9-0 with under a minute to play in the first quarter, Appalachian got its first break when NC State’s J.C. Neal muffed a punt that Appalachian’s Titus Howard recovered at the NCSU 46. Following a 39-yard pitch and catch from Trey Elder to Dexter Jackson, Walter Payton Award candidate Kevin Richardson dove into the end zone from a yard out to cut the ASU deficit to 9-7.
After the Wolfpack stretched the lead back to nine points at 16-7, Mountaineer linebacker Cam Speer forced a fumble that was returned 31 yards by Jeremy Wiggins to the State 14. However, the Apps weren’t able to take advantage of the opportunity, as State’s Miguel Scott intercepted an Elder pass at the two yard line to squelch the ASU threat.
Appalachian still trailed by just nine points when linebacker Pierre Banks recovered a ball coughed up by NC State quarterback Marcus Stone at the 20 yard line on the first drive of the second half. But the Mountaineers could only move the ball two yards and settled for a 37-yard field goal by Julian Rauch to bring themselves within six at 16-10.
That would be it for the Apps offensively, as they didn’t move the ball past their own 34 following the field goal less than four minutes into the third quarter and put together just 35 yards of offense in the second half. A nine-yard touchdown run by State’s Toney Baker closed out the scoring with 5:14 to play in the third quarter.
Wiggins led Appalachian’s staunch defensive effort with six tackles, an interception and the 31-yard fumble return. Banks racked up nine tackles and Howard added eight for the Mountaineers, while Buck Buchanan Award candidate Marques Murrell had a sack and two quarterback hurries.
Offensively, true freshman Devon Moore racked up 35 rushing yards on just seven carries and Richardson added 34 yards on the ground. Jackson led all receivers with 39 yards, while William Mayfield caught three passes for 21 tough yards.
Appalachian, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division I-AA football, returns to Boone next Saturday to open its home season versus James Madison in a battle of the last two I-AA national champions. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
NOTES: Richardson’s touchdown was the 21st rushing score of his career, bringing him into a tie with Richie Melchor (1986-89) for seventh on ASU’s all-time rushing touchdown list ... in addition to holding opponents to under 50 yards passing four times in its last 10 games, ASU has kept foes under 100 yards through the air in five of its last 10 games ... the sellout crowd of 57,583 at Carter-Finley Stadium was the 10th-largest that Appalachian has ever played in front of and the biggest to ever see the Mountaineers play in the state of North Carolina ... the Apps fell to 0-6 all-time versus NC State ... ASU special teams stalwart Seth Breitenstein suffered a broken hand ... his playing status has yet to be determined.