Appalachian State 45, Elon 21
BOONE, N.C. ? A Kidd Brewer Stadium-record crowd of 26,620 witnessed No. 2 Appalachian State University football extend its home winning streak to 21 with a resounding 45-21 homecoming victory over Elon on Saturday afternoon.
William Mayfield set career highs with nine receptions for 182 yards to lead an Appalachian offense that amassed 569 yards of total offense. The 182-yard performance was the best by an ASU receiver since DaVon Fowlkes set school records with 280 yards on 17 catches versus Elon in 2004.
In all, Appalachian (4-1, 1-0 SoCon) out-gained Elon (2-2, 0-1 SoCon), 569-286, and held an 89-56 advantage in offensive plays and a 34:29-
25:31 edge in time of possession.
True freshman quarterback Armanti Edwards engineered ASU’s second 500- yard output in three weeks by completing 15-of-20 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown and adding 70 more yards and another score on 15 rushes. Walter Payton Award candidate Kevin Richardson scored three of Appalachian’s six touchdowns and racked up 130 all-purpose yards (100 rushing and 30 receiving). The 100-yard rushing performance was his first of the season.
While the ASU offense may have stolen the headlines, the Black and Gold defense continued its dominant ways. Appalachian limited Elon to just 19 yards rushing, the fewest allowed by ASU since it held West Virginia Tech to minus-14 yards on the ground in 2001.
Leading 10-7 midway through the second quarter, the Mountaineers scored three touchdowns in the final 5:44 of the period to take a commanding 31-7 halftime lead. Edwards got the ball rolling with his fourth rushing touchdown of the season from five yards out to stretch the Apps’ lead to 17-7.
On the very next series, Appalachian’s defense made it 24-7 when Buck Buchanan Award candidate Marques Murrell hit Elon quarterback Wes Pope as he threw a pass on third-and-12 that cornerback Jerome Touchstone intercepted and returned 28 yards for his first-career touchdown.
The Mountaineers completed the second-quarter onslaught by marching 85 yards in 1:29, culminating with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Richardson with just 13 seconds left to play in the half. Edwards accounted for all 85 yards on the drive, completing 4-of-5 passes for
66 yards and rushing twice for 19 yards.
Appalachian (4-1, 1-0 Southern Conference) extended the lead to 38-7 on the first possession of the second half when Richardson capped a 10- play, 70-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, his third score of the afternoon.
From there, the Mountaineers cruised to the victory. Mayfield closed the scoring for the Apps with a 50-yard catch-and-run from Trey Elder.
Elder was impressive in relief of Edwards with 110 yards on 10-of-14 passing to go along with 24 yards on the ground.
With the outcome already decided, Appalachian surrendered a pair of second-half touchdowns by Elon wide receiver Terrell Hudgins. Hudgins’ 43-yard score with 9:02 left to play in the third period was the first surrendered by ASU’s defense since the fourth quarter of a 21-10 win over No. 12 James Madison on Sept. 9. In all, the Appalachian defense went 164 minutes and 41 seconds between touchdowns allowed.
Murrell led the defensive performance with seven tackles, while his 1.5 sacks moved him back to the top of the Southern Conference rankings with six on the season. Defensive back Jeremy Wiggins and Omarr Byrom chipped in six tackles apiece for the Mountaineers.
Hudgins led the Phoenix (2-2, 0-1 SoCon) with eight catches for 148 yards and two second-half touchdowns. Pope completed 18-of-33 passes for 232 yards.
Defensively, Elon’s Corey Weaver led all players with 25 tackles.
Appalachian returns to the site of its greatest triumph next Saturday when it squares off with Chattanooga next Saturday at 6 p.m. In its last trip to Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium on Dec. 16, 2005, ASU defeated Northern Iowa, 21-16, to claim the NCAA Division I-AA national championship.
Elon hosts Western Carolina next Saturday at 2 p.m.
NOTES: The crowd of 26,620 surpassed the previous KBS record of 25,584 set last Nov. 12 versus Western Carolina ... the attendance was nearly 10,000 more than The Rock’s official seating capacity 16,650 ... eight of Appalachian’s 21 touchdown drives this season have lasted less than two minutes, including scoring drives of 1:03 and 1:29 on Saturday ... Murrell’s 1.5 sacks give him 29 for his career, just a half-sack shy of K.T. Stovall (2000-03) for second on ASU’s all-time list ... Richardson has touchdowns in 11-straight games, the longest streak by a Mountaineer since John Settle scored in 15-straight contests during the 1985-86 seasons ... prior to the contest, Appalachian retired the No. 71 worn by All-American Larry Hand from 1960-64.
The Citadel 24, Chattanooga 21
Charleston, S.C. -- Junior quarterback Duran Lawson threw for a career high 324 yards and two
touchdowns as The Citadel withstood a late Chattanooga rally to hold on for a 24-21 victory in
their Southern Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Lawson’s passing and the Bulldogs defense propelled The Citadel (1-3, 1-0 SoCon) to a 24-7
halftime lead, but the Mocs (2-3, 1-1 SoCon) made a furious comeback attempt and cut the lead
to three after two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Chattanooga place kicker Esteban Lopez had
a chance to tie the contest with 31 seconds left, but hooked a 39-yard field goal attempt to the left
and the Bulldogs ran out the clock to preserve the victory.
The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards, ignited by a 35-yard pass from
Lawson to junior wide receiver Ta’Mar Jernigan that put The Citadel at the Chattanooga fouryard
line. But the Bulldogs were unable to punch it in from there and settled for a 20-yard field
goal by senior Blake Vandiver to put The Citadel on top 3-0.
The Citadel picked right up where they left off on their next offensive possession as Lawson hit
another deep ball, this time a 62-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Andre Roberts that set the
Bulldogs up at the Mocs five-yard line. This time they were able to finish off the drive, however,
as senior running back Nuru Goodrum barreled into the end zone on the next play to finish off a
four-play, 90-yard drive. Vandiver’s extra-point put the Bulldogs on top 10-0 with 6:21 left in
the first quarter.
A Bulldog turnover gave Chattanooga a chance to cut into the Bulldog advantage in the second
quarter. After The Citadel drove down to the Moc 28-yard line, defensive back Chris Camacho
intercepted a Lawson pass and returned it to the Chattanooga 44. The Mocs drove the remaining
56 yards in five plays, as quarterback Antonio Miller scored from four yards out to put
Chattanooga on the scoreboard. The extra-point from Lopez made it 10-7.
The Citadel quickly squelched the Chattanooga momentum, however, as Lawson continued his
aerial assault on the next drive. Lawson found Roberts for a 24-yard touchdown to cap off a 9-
play, 76 yard drive. Vandiver’s extra-point gave the Bulldogs a 10-point lead once again at 17-7
with 6:09 left in the first half.
Lawson’s hot hand didn’t cool on the next drive either as he found senior wide receiver Rontreal
Tyler from 19 yards out for his second touchdown pass of the half to complete a 8-play, 52-yard
drive. Vandiver’s extra-point gave the Bulldogs a 24-7 lead with 39 seconds left until halftime.
The Citadel ended the first half with 356 total yards, including 269 through the air. Lawson
finished a sparkling half 18-21 for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
The Mocs drew closer in the fourth quarter as senior running back Eldra Buckley scampered in
from 14 yards out with 10:06 left in regulation. A six-play, 81-yard drive cut the Bulldogs lead
back to 10 at 24-14 after Lopez’s extra-point.
The Chattanooga defense created a turnover with 8:24 left as nose tackle Malachi McGee forced
and recovered a Lawson fumble at the Bulldog 48-yard line. The Mocs offense drove it the
remaining 48 yards in four plays as quarterback Matt Lopez found wide receiver Michael
Johnson from 24 yards out. Lopez’s extra-point pulled Chattanooga within three at 24-21.
The Mocs defense forced another turnover on the Bulldogs next possession as a Lawson pass
attempt was intercepted again by Camacho at the Chattanooga 43-yard line with 4:19 left in
regulation. Chattanooga drove down to the Bulldogs 22-yard line, but Lopez’s miss gave The
Citadel their first victory of the season and second over Chattanooga in three tries.
Lawson finished 24-32 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. Roberts also set a career high with 99
yards receiving on four catches.
Buckley, who came in as the second leading rusher in the Southern Conference, finished with
153 yards on 23 carries for his eighth straight 100-yard game.
The Bulldogs head to Wofford next Saturday to take on the Terriers in Spartanburg, S.C., for
another Southern Conference match-up. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.
Furman 35, Wofford 21
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Furman quarterback Renaldo Gray ran for one touchdown and threw for another while fullback Jerome Felton added a pair of scoring runs as third-ranked Furman defeated Wofford 35-21 Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium.
Furman improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Southern Conference. Wofford is now 1-3, 0-1.
Gray completed 10 of 12 passes for 106 yards and tossed a 33-yard pass to Patrick Sprague just before halftime to give the Paladins a 28-14 halftime lead. Gray added a 1-yard run midway through the third quarter that put Furman ahead 35-14.
Wofford scored two of its three touchdowns on kick returns. Brandon Berry returned a kickoff 96 yards that pulled the Terriers to within 7 at 21-14. Dan Tavani added a 22-yard return of a partially blocked punt in the final minute of play to account for the final score.
Felton, the nation’s leading scorer in NCAA Division I-AA, had 18 carries for 97 yards to lead all rushers.
Furman took a 7-0 lead with 3:00 left to play in the first quarter when Felton scored on a 2-yard run. It was the seventh consecutive touchdown that Felton had scored for the Paladins.
Wofford tied the game early in the second quarter. Furman’s Arthur Williams shanked a 21-yard punt giving the Terriers a first down at the Furman 40. Fullback Michael Hobbs scored on a 1-yard run to tie the game at 7 with 12:48 to play in the half.
Furman took a 14-7 lead on the next play as William Middleton returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
Felton gave the Paladins a 21-7 lead on their next possession as he bulled over from the 1.
Berry returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, pulling the Terriers within 21-14.
Furman extended its lead to 28-14 with 1:14 to play before the half when Gray hit Sprague on a 33-yard pass play.
Furman’s Andrew Thacker intercepted a Ben Widmyer pass early in the third quarter and returned it 48 yards to the Wofford 11. Five plays later, Gray bulled in from the 1 to put the Paladins ahead 35-14.
Wofford’s final score came with 45 seconds remaining in the game. The Terriers were able to get a hand on a Williams punt and Dan Tavani scooped up the loose ball downfield and returned it 22 yards for the score.
“They’re a good football team, there’s no doubt about it,” said Wofford head coach Mike Ayers. “We did some good things on special teams. I feel we’re a much better team than we showed. We made a lot of mistakes out there and you can’t do that against those guys.”
Wofford hosts The Citadel on Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m. at Gibbs Stadium. Furman travels to Coastal Carolina on Oct. 7 in a 7 p.m. start.
Georgia Southern 24, Western Carolina 14
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Travis Clark hit Darius Smiley on a 65-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game which led to the 25th-ranked Georgia Southern Eagles to a 24-14 victory over No. 24 Western Carolina Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field. The Catamounts (2-2, 0-2 Southern Conference) rallied to score twice in the fourth quarter, but failed to get an on-side kick after its final score and the Eagles (2-2, 1-1 SoCon) were able to hold on for the win.
In addition to Clark completing 12-of-22 passes for 195 yards, Chris Covington rushed for 106 yards on 18 attempts, while Lamar Lewis rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries. Georgia Southern, who committed no turnovers, was also able to take advantage of four Catamount turnovers ? including WCU’s first three interceptions of the season ? despite the fact that Western entered as one of the nation’s leaders in turnover margin.
With Western missing three defensive tackles due to injury, the Eagles were able to rush for 208 yards on 42 attempts. It was that game plan which led to the 65-yard score on the first play. Knowing GSU would want to run the ball, Western bit on a play action and Clark hit a streaking Smiley on stride for the score. Western’s Darren Curtis blocked the extra point to keep the score 6-0.
After a Western punt, Georgia Southern did start pounding the Catamount defense, rushing nine times during an 11-play, 62-yard drive. Covington, who rushed for 106 yards, capped the drive with a one-yard plunge. Clark then made the score 14-0 with by rushing for the two-point conversion.
Both teams were able to move the ball the rest of the first quarter and through the second half, but neither team could put points on the board until Georgia Southern’s Patrick Bolen connected on a 33-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the half to give the Eagles a 17-0 cushion at the break.
Late in the third, Western looked to gain the advantage as Stephen Brown’s pooch punt was downed on the GSU one yard line. However, the Eagles chipped methodically marched 99 yards on 11 plays, highlighted by Covington’s 33-yard TD run. Bolen’s extra point made the score 24-0 .
From that point, Western did come to life. With starting quarterback Bennett Swygert getting injured in the third quarter, backup Todd Spitzer came on to lead the Cats to their first points on the game. Darius Fudge, who later left the game with an injury and gained 97 yards on 22 carries, did most of the work, rushing six times during the 12-play drive. Spitzer capped the drive with a five-yard score to Michael Hines. The Cats came up short on the two-point conversion to make the score 24-6.
Western forced a punt on GSU’s next possession then made the game interesting. After Fudge gained eight yards and left the game with an injury, Spitzer hit Mike Malone for a 44-yard screen pass. Two plays later, Spitzer found Chris Jefferson for 11 yards and would finish the drive with a 19-yard pass to Hines. Malone converted the two-point play to cut the Catamount deficit to 10, 24-14.
The Cats attempted and recovered an on-side kick, but would touch the ball just shy of the 10-yard barrier to give the Eagles the ball on the WCU 44. While the Cats forced a punt, Dan Jordan’s punt would be downed on the Catamount three. Western would not be able to get a first down and the Eagles took a knee to run out the clock and preserve the victory.
Clark spread his 12 completions over nine receivers. Defensively for the Eagles, Dawayne Grace and John Mohring each had nine stops. Rico Zackery, Terrione Benefield and Dedrick Bynam recorded GSU’s interceptions.
For the Catamounts, Hines had five receptions for 57 yards. Swygert completed 9-of-21 passes for 98 yards and three interceptions. Spitzer completed 7-of-17 for 118 yards and two scores. Defensively, true freshman Kadeem Morgan recorded 10 tackles and Mitchell Duke contributed nine.
Western Carolina will hit the road next Saturday (Oct. 7) to face Elon at 2:00 pm. Georgia Southern will return to Statesboro to host North Dakota State at 1:00 pm.