No. 2/2 Appalachian State 37, No. 25/- Georgia Southern 36
Final Stats
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern had two opportunities late in the game at a chance for the win but fell short, losing to second-ranked Appalachian State 37-36 at Paulson Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 18). The Eagles dropped to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Southern Conference (all three losses by a combined four points).
Appalachian (5-2, 3-0) took a three-point lead with 2:36 remaining when Armanti Edwards stuck the ball across the goal line on 4th-and-goal from the one. The Eagles moved quickly down the field.
On the ensuing drive, Antonio Henton connected with Tim Camp across the middle and was off to the races. Mark LeGree made what could have been a game-saving tackle on the ASU 18. After two rushes by Henton, the Eagles faced 3rd-and-8. Henton's throw was intercepted by Travis Dowda at the half-yard line with 1:33 remaining.
On the first play, Edwards set up in the shotgun and was quickly swarmed by the defense as Larry Beard was credited with the safety, making it a one-point game. On the kick the Eagles regained possession when Andrews returned it to the GS 42.
Henton had two incomplete passes before rushing 10 yards for a first down. The sophomore quarterback found Camp again, this time for 26 yards down to the ASU 27. However, a sack and intentional grounding penalty pushed the Eagles back to the 39. Two passes fell incomplete setting up fourth down. Henton tried going for Andrews, but LeGree intercepted the pass in the endzone and the Mountaineers were able to escape with the win.
"Somehow we just have to find a way to win these close ones. It's just a play here or there that comes back to get us. Sooner or later our luck has to change," said Georgia Southern head coach Chris Hatcher. "We played hard and went toe to toe with the No. 2 team in the country. They have a fine football team but we're not very far behind. This is going to be tough to come back from but our guys need to do that to get ready for next week. We had our chances but we just didn't make the plays. We just have to do a better job of executing for the entire game."
Patrick Bolen sent the opening kickoff into the endzone as Appalachian took over on its own 20. Nine plays later Edwards found B.J. Frazier on an 11-yard touchdown pass in the back corner of the endzone for a 7-0 lead.
The Eagles responded with a 13-play drive to get into the red-zone. Adrian Mora converted a 24-yard field goal making it 7-3 with 6:16 left in the first quarter.
Georgia Southern held the Mountaineers to a 3-and-out, including two sacks on Edwards, to force a punt. Andrews tied a GS individual career record, and helped the team tie a season record, when he caught Neil Young's punt on his own 16 and raced 84 yards for a touchdown. Thanks to his second career punt return for a TD (and second by the Eagles in as many games) he became the fourth Eagle to equal that career record, giving the Eagles a 10-7 lead.
On the first play of the second quarter Adam Urbano broke through on a 21-yard run, getting inside the Mountaineers' 10. Mora nailed a 37-yard field goal to make it 13-7.
Edwards scored from five yards out on 3rd-and-goal, and Jason Vitaris' extra point gave Appalachian a 14-13 lead with 10:16 left in the second quarter.
The Eagles staged a 10-play drive from their own 20 right before halftime. Henton found Marcus Russ on 3rd-and-10 for a 21-yard gain. Later in the drive, Henton connected with Michael McIntosh for 40 yards, down to the ASU seven. Three plays later Henton scored from four yards out, making it 20-14 at the half.
On 3rd-and-13 from the Eagles' 14, Edwards lofted a pass for Brian Quick in the endzone. Ronnie Wiggins went up for the deflection, but it was just over his reach as the Mountaineers took a 21-20 lead with 9:22 left in the third. Later in the quarter ASU put together a 13-play drive, getting inside the Eagles' 10, but settled for a Vitaris 22-yard field goal for a 24-20 lead.
Once again, the lead would change hands. On the Eagles' ensuing drive Henton and Andrews connected on a 55-yard reception (the longest reception of Andrews' career), getting down to the 11. Three plays later Henton scored from a yard out, and Mora's extra point made it 27-24 GS.
Early in the fourth quarter Appalachian marched 60 yards in 10 plays, capped by Edwards' 1-yard run for a 31-27 lead.
Henton and the Eagles took possession on their own 34. After two rushes by Henton to gain a first down, the Mountaineers were flagged for consecutive 15-yard penalties after the play, setting up the Eagles on the ASU 26. Henton rushed for 11 yards, then hit McIntosh for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Mora made it 34-31 with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Henton completed 16-of-38 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown, six yards shy of his season-high and the sixth-highest passing yardage total in program history. He also rushed for 99 yards on 25 carries and scored twice.
Andrews caught a game-high six passes totaling 97 yards. With 91 career receptions, the senior wide receiver is now two away from tying Monty Sharpe's all-time record.
Camp caught three passes for a career-high 99 yards. McIntosh caught two passes for 55 yards and a score.
Chris Covington had only two sacks in his career entering the game. He matched that total Saturday, recording 11 tackles in all and 3.5 for a loss (24 yards). Covington and the defense sacked Edwards four times in all.
Quentin Taylor recorded 12 stops, including 1.5 for a loss. Terrione Benefield, Wiggins, Evan Mattingly, Chris Rogers and Damon Suggs recorded seven tackles each.
Edwards finished with 157 yards rushing and three scores while completing 12-of-22 passes for 176 yards and two more TDs.
Jacque Roman led the App defense with 11 tackles.
The Eagles travel to Western Carolina next Saturday (Oct. 25), for a 1 p.m. Southern Conference game. ASU hosts Furman next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
No. 6/4 Wofford 42, Western Carolina 14
Final Stats
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Wofford College defeated Western Carolina 42-14 on Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium. The Terriers took advantage of three first half Catamount turnovers, including two inside the Wofford 10-yard line, to take a 35-7 lead at the half.
The Terriers are 5-1 on the season (3-0 SoCon) and Western Carolina is 2-6 (0-4 SoCon). Wofford was led by Mike Rucker with 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Ben Widmyer was 7-of-7 passing for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Andy Strickland had two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. Western Carolina was led by quarterback Zack Jaynes with 126 passing yards and 44 rushing yards.
“They had a great football team and a great first drive,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “We just did not do what we were supposed to do. Their quarterback was able to get out of the pocket and they were winning the battle on the line of scrimmage early and creating problems for us. The true test of a team is when you get challenged, what do you do? I think we came back and fought hard and played better defense in the second half. Offensively we did some good things.
“We are still not where we need to be. We had poor clock management at the end of the first half, and that is on me. Each week, the bar is being raised. Each week you have to play better. We can’t make foolish mistakes and we can’t hurt ourselves with penalties. We are trying to play a lot of guys. Overall I saw a great effort from our kids. I think we are doing some good things and if we can keep hanging together, working hard and getting better each week, I think we have a chance.”
The Catamounts had the ball to open the game and drove 86 yards in 16 plays to take an early 7-0 lead when Zack Jaynes found Marquel Pittman in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. Wofford was forced three-and-out on their first drive of the game, however the punt return was fumbled by the Catamounts and recovered by Mike Niam. The Terriers took advantage of the turnover and three plays later Mike Rucker scored on a two-yard run to tie the game at 7-7 at 5:40 in the first quarter.
With the ball back, the Catamounts again put together an impressive drive. But once again, a turnover ended the drive when a completed pass was fumbled at the three-yard line. The fumble was forced by Tommy Irvin and recovered by Mychael Johnson. Wofford did not waste time turning the fumble into points as Andy Strickland went 74 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown. The Terries had a 14-7 lead at 13:21 in the second quarter.
After picking up a first down, the Catamounts were forced to punt and it was downed at the two-yard line. Wofford picked up 37-yards on a completion from Ben Widmyer to Jeremy Marshall. The 98-yard drive ended with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Andy Strickland for a 21-7 lead with 7:04 left in the second quarter.
Western Carolina then was able to put together a drive inside the Wofford 20-yard line, but Zack Jaynes pass was tipped at the line by Matt Norcia and intercepted by Alex Goltry. Goltry returned the ball 86-yards to the three-yard line. On the next play, Dane Romero took it in for a touchdown and a 28-7 lead with 1:48 left in the half.
Wofford forced a three-and-out on Western Carolina’s next possession and were able to go into the half with a 28-7 lead. At the half, Western was out-gaining Wofford 271 to 247 in total yards and had a 21:00 to 9:00 time of possession advantage. Three Catamount turnovers in the half helped Wofford gain the lead.
To start the second half, Wofford needed only three plays to score when Mike Rucker made a couple moves at the line and went 74-yards for a touchdown and a 35-7 lead just 1:12 into the third quarter.
The Terrier defense forced a three-and-out on the first Western Carolina series of second half. Back on offense, Wofford went 79 yards in ten plays with the drive capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ben Widmyer to Jeremy Marshall for a 42-7 lead at 7:31 in the third quarter.
Both teams then struggled getting the offense going and traded punts twice. Western Carolina then was able to pick up three first downs before punting again. With the ball back, Wofford turned it over when Mitch Allen threw the Terriers’ first interception of the season. The Catamounts picked up a key fourth-and-six during a nine-play drive in which Andy Horn found Andrew Rogers for a three yard touchdown pass.
The Terriers got the ball back with 4:43 left on the clock and were able to pick up two first downs to secure the 42-14 victory.
Wofford had a 506 to 381 advantage in total yards, but Western Carolina had a 35:49 to 24:11 time of possession edge. The Terriers were 3-of-7 on third down and Western Carolina was 7-of-16. The Wofford defense had five sacks, while the Terriers offensive line did not allow a sack.
The Terriers will begin a tough road stretch next weekend when Wofford travels to Elon for a 3:00 game on SportSouth. Elon is currently ranked eighth in the FCS Coaches Poll and third in the Sports Network poll. Western Carolina hosts Georgia Southern next Saturday at 1 p.m.
No. 19/19 Furman 34, No. -/25 The Citadel 20
Final Stats
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jordan Sorrells passed for 253 yards and three touchdowns to propel FCS 19th-ranked Furman to a 34-20 Southern Conference victory over 24th-ranked The Citadel Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium in the 88th meeting between the two oldest conference rivals.
Sorrells completed 21-of-29 passes, including touchdown strikes of 9, 24, and 7 yards, to help Furman (6-2, 3-1 SoCon) score on its first six possessions on the way to a 34-6 third quarter lead.
The victory marked Furman’s fifth straight triumph over The Citadel (3-4, 1-3 SoCon) in Greenville and eighth win in the last 10 games in the series, which dates to 1913.
“For three quarters I thought we played very well in all phases of the game,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “We got into a nice rhythm offensively and our defense stepped up with a strong effort, especially in the second quarter. It was an important victory, no doubt about it.”
“Obviously, it was a disappointing game for us,” commented The Citadel’s Kevin Higgins. “Like I told the guys after the game, it doesn’t get any easier from here. We didn’t execute as well as we should have and there weren’t enough plays by a number of positions on both sides of the ball.”
Two of Sorrells’ scoring tosses went to Adam Mims, who led caught seven passes for 89 yards in the contest, and David Hendrix collected five passes for 63 yards, including a 7-yard grab early in the second quarter to give Furman a 10-6 lead.
Behind the strength of its defense, which limited to The Citadel to just nine plays and one net yard in the second quarter, the Paladins extended their advantage to 20-6 by halftime with a 1-yard scoring run by Brantley Kendall and Matthew Cesari 27-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining.
Furman continued its scoring with a pair of third quarter touchdowns, with the first coming on a 24-yard strike from Sorrells to Mims at the 12:14 mark. Six minutes later the Paladins made it 34-6 after Sorrells and Mims connected again on a 7-yard scoring toss following an interception by Furman rover Max Lerner at the Bulldog 30.
Bart Blanchard completed 20-of-37 passes for 196 yards for The Citadel, including a pair of four quarter touchdowns, but he was sacked four times in the contest.
Furman cornerback William Middleton racked up a career high 16 tackles, including a sack and a pass deflection, to pace the Paladin defense, which limited The Citadel to just 216 total yards over the first three quarters.
Mike Brown paced Furman’s ground attack with 72 yards on 16 carries while also adding three receptions for 45 yards. Asheton Jordan topped all rushers with 11 rushes for 83 yards.
The Paladins claimed a 385-336 total offense advantage.
Furman continues its SoCon schedule next week against Appalachian State in Boone. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. The Citadel, meanwhile, plays Samford next Saturday in Birmingham in a 3:00 p.m. ET game.
No. 8/3 Elon 42, Chattanooga 7
Final Stats
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--- On a bright, sunny autumn afternoon, No. 3 Elon (7-1/5-0) handed the Chattanooga Mocs (1-7/0-4) a 42-7 defeat at Finley Stadium.
After an Andrew Wilcox 37-yard field goal gave Elon a 3-0 lead, the Mocs answered with an impressive touchdown drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Jare Gault to Clint Woods to give Chattanooga a 7-3 advantage at 14:45 in the second quarter. The touchdown drive was 13 plays for 79 yards in 7:48.
Wilcox followed with another field goal from 38 yards out to cut the lead to 7-6 (9:37). The Phoenix tacked on two touchdowns to take a 20-7 lead into the break as it scored on all three of its second quarter possessions. The touchdowns came on a Brandon Newsome two-yard rush and Terrell Hudgins nine-yard reception from Scott Riddle which came with 52 seconds left in the half.
The Elon defense was the story of the second half as the Phoenix held the Mocs to minus-three yards of total offense during the game’s final two quarters. Elon was also able to add 22 more points in the half as the Phoenix pulled away with the victory.
Junior Erroll Wynn was the bright spot for the Chattanooga offense with 88 yards on 22 carries. Woods caught six passes including his touchdown snare. On the defensive side of the ball, Joseph Thornton led all players with 10 tackles while Jarvis Newson had the team’s lone sack along with a forced fumble and nine tackles. Tony Swafford and Rodney Beamon had fumble recoveries as well.
Jamal Shuman had a career day for Elon with 166 yards on 18 carries and a score as the Phoenix racked up 295 yards on the ground. Brandon Newsome fell just shy of the century mark rushing for 97 yards on 23 carries. Through the air, Scott Riddle went 13-20 for 162 yards and three touchdowns for the high octane Elon offense. Two of Riddle’s touchdown passes went to Terrell Hudgins who finished with three catches for 39 yards.
The Mocs have a week off before traveling to Cullowhee, N.C., for a Nov. 1 meeting at Western Carolina. Elon hosts Wofford next Saturday in a battle of top 5 teams on SportSouth SoCon Saturday (3 p.m.).