No. 23 Furman 42, Colgate 21
Final Stats
HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Jordan Sorrells passed for 211 yards and three touchdowns to lead FCS 23rd-ranked Furman to a 42-21 victory over Patriot League member Colgate at Andy Kerr Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Sorrells, a junior from Greenville, completed 15-of-23 passes in the contest, and connected on touchdown strikes of 1, 6, and 23 yards for the Paladins, who rolled up 515 yards in total offense in the contest.
Tailback Mike Brown rushed for a game and career high 130 yards and a touchdown, and Adam Mims contributed 191 all-purpose yards, including two rushes for 39 yards, three receptions for 60 yards, and 92 yards on three punt returns.
“I’m very proud of our team for going out of conference to a place we’ve never played and getting a quality win,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “I thought our offensive execution was excellent, and our defense stepped up, particularly in the second half, with some solid play. Our special teams were also very good.”
Furman led 20-14 at the half but took command of the contest with a pair of third quarter touchdowns. A 59-yard Mims punt return to the Colgate 25 set up a 23-yard Sorrells scoring strike to tight end Larry Hedden six minutes into the third quarter.
After the Raiders cut the lead to 28-21 on a Jordan Scott 24-yard touchdown run, the Paladins regained their 14-point advantage on a 15-yard scoring run by freshman Tersoo Uhaa with 3:45 to go in the third quarter.
Furman finished off the scoring at the 12:03 mark of the fourth quarter when Sorrells floated a 1-yard pass into the end zone to freshman tight end Seth Skogen on a fourth-and-goal play.
Led by Brown, the Paladins rushed for 304 yards. Uhaa, making his first collegiate start in place of injured senior fullback Brantley Kendall, ran nine times for 43 yards, and Stephone LaFrance added 40 yards on eight carries. Mims’ 39 yards came on a pair of reverse plays.
Sorrells’ 15 completions were spread among seven receivers. Freshman David Hendrix led the way with three catches for 63 yards while Mims had 60 yards on three receptions. Sederrik Cunningham also caught three passes for 24 yards.
Scott led Colgate with 113 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Greg Sullivan completed 17-for-21 passes for 183 yards.
Colgate struck first in the game, covering 74 yards in seven plays for a 4-yard touchdown run by Scott less than four minutes into the game.
Furman tied it on its first possession on a 6-yard scoring strike from Sorrells to Uhaa after moving 65 yards in nine plays.
A Sorrells 34-yard completion to Hendrix to the Colgate 34 keyed Furman’s next scoring drive. Five plays later Brown burst into the end zone from eight yards out with 13:03 remaining in the first half for a 14-7 lead.
After stopping Colgate on downs at the Furman 36, the Paladins drove to the Raider 1, but LaFrance was tackled for a two-yard loss to the three. From there Matthew Cesari kicked his first of two field goals, a 23-yarder, to stretch the advantage to 17-7.
The Raiders made it 17-14 with an 8-yard touchdown run by Greg Sullivan with 43 seconds left in the first half, but Mike Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Colgate 36. Using a 26-yard pass from Sorrells to Mims to the Raider 10, the Paladins put a wrap on the first half with a Cesari 26-yard field goal for a 20-14 lead.
Furman entertains Delaware next Saturday at Paladin Stadium in a 2:00 p.m. game.
No. 15 Georgia Southern 34, Northeastern 27 (OT)
Final Stats
STATESBORO, Ga. - Antonio Henton scored a 25-yard touchdown run in the first overtime, then the defense held Northeastern on fourth down as Georgia Southern defeated the Huskies 34-27 Saturday night (Sept. 13) at Paulson Stadium. The Eagles (2-1 overall) snapped a four-game losing streak in overtime, last winning in extra periods three years ago at Northeastern.
In fact, it was the first career overtime win in six decisions for Eagles’ head coach Chris Hatcher. After some late minute heroics to force overtime, Henton took it upon himself to secure the win.
The Eagles tried a deep endzone pass to Raja Andrews on first down, but Northeastern (0-2) knocked the ball away. On the next play, Henton faked a handoff to Darell Norman, kept the ball and raced down the right sidelines for the eventual game-winning score. Jesse Hartley’s extra point made it a touchdown margin.
The defense gave up a three yard run, forced an incomplete pass then stopped quarterback Anthony Orio a yard shy of a first down. On a reverse running back Alex Broomfield tried a pass to tight end Brian Mandeville, but the ball fell incomplete and the Eagles won their second straight.
“All week what we’ve hammered to the guys is the tradition and the win streaks that have been here at Paulson Stadium, and how special playing at home is. We came out fired up tonight ? we played four-and-a-half quarters of really intense (football) the whole game, we played a good football team that executed well,” said Hatcher. “I’m proud of our guys. It’s the first overtime victory that I’ve ever been associated with.”
In order to force overtime, the Eagles needed more fourth quarter heroics, just like last week against Austin Peay. Leading 27-21 and starting a drive with 3:07 left in regulation, Northeastern drove into Georgia Southern territory. Facing 3rd-and-1 on the Eagles’ 26, Broomfield took an option pitch. Chris Rogers forced the fumble and J.B. Shippy recovered on the 15.
With 94 seconds to work with on the clock, Henton found freshman Leander Barney for 20 yards. On the very next snap, Henton connected with Tim Camp. The senior wide receiver shook loose of a couple tackles and raced 65 yards into the left corner of the endzone for his first collegiate receiving touchdown. However, the Huskies line broke through the middle and blocked Hartley’s extra point attempt, leaving the game tied.
Georgia Southern’s defense actually held Northeastern again, and took over on its own 34. Henton and Andrews connected for 39 yards. But with 14 seconds left, Hartley just missed a 43-yard attempt left, which brought on the Eagles’ sixth overtime game in the last three years.
Northeastern could not have scripted a better start to the game. The Eagles recovered a pooch kickoff by Northeastern on their own 41. Andrews fumbled Henton’s pass on the first play. Two plays later Broomfield scored from six yards out to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead in the first minute.
Georgia Southern quickly responded, marching 61 yards in eight plays. Henton found Demarcus Watts for 21 yards on third down, then later hit Andrews again. Andrews fumbled but Camp scooped up the loose ball on the seven yard line and scored. Hartley’s extra point tied the game.
NU moved down the field, helped by a third down pass play covering 17 yards and an offsides call to give the Huskies a first down. Broomfield’s 2-yard run put NU ahead 14-7 with 7:44 left in the first.
On the Eagles ensuing drive Henton found Andrews for 43 yards on the first play, down to the Northeastern 15. Henton took a run down to the one then punched it in on 3rd-and-goal. Hartley tied the score at 14-all with 5:57 remaining.
Orio found Conner Gilmartin-Donohue on a 3-yard touchdown pass at the start of the second quarter to take a touchdown lead. On the kickoff, GS could not recover the squib kick and NU recovered on the Eagles 31. Broomfield was stopped short of the goal line by E.J. Webb, who forced a fumble and Darrel Pasco recovered on the four.
Northeastern ate up nine minutes of the clock in the second quarter, needing 18 plays to cover 77 yards. With 2nd-and-goal from the one, the Eagle defense held twice and the Huskies settled for a 19-yard field goal by Mat Johnson to extend their lead to 10.
Thanks in large part to the nine minute drive, NU had twice as many first downs as Georgia Southern (16-8) and out-gained the Eagles 291-137 during the first half.
The Eagles held Northeastern to a 3-and-out to start the third quarter. On their drive, Henton picked up a first down on 4th-and-inches in NU territory. Henton and Andrews connected again, this time for 40 yards. Three plays later Henton scrambled and would score from five yards out, making it 24-21.
Johnson converted a 39-yard field goal near the end of the third quarter, making it 27-21.
“We are making silly mistakes and had opportunities to win in regulation and didn’t get it done. You can tell our youth sometimes ? we cut the lead down to three and had a really good drive going, we’ve got the ball on their side of the field and we get a personal foul penalty that thwarted a drive,” admitted Hatcher. “Like I told the team ?You gotta always expect to win and then you gotta find a way to get it done’. Tonight we kept coming up with big stops defensively. We just kept coming up with big plays and 34 is more than 27 and we’ll take 12 more just like it.”
Henton registered the fifth-highest passing yardage total in program history, going 16-of-27 for 298 yards and two touchdowns (Tracy Ham three times, Travis Clark in 2006). He also rushed for 43 yards and three more scores. The five touchdowns accounted for by a quarterback are the most since Jayson Foster had a GS-record six (all rushing TDs) last year at Coastal Carolina.
Andrews (123 yards) and Camp (77) both recorded career-high receiving totals. Barney finished with three receptions for 61 yards.
The defense allowed just three points in the second half and 161 total yards. Quentin Taylor registered a season-high 13 tackles, one off his career-high. Rogers matched his career-high of nine tackles and forced the third fumble of his career. Brandon Echols and Chris Covington had seven tackles each.
Orio completed 24-of-38 passes for a career-high 287 yards (but only 79 yards in the second half) and a touchdown. Broomfield rushed for 126 yards and two scores, in addition to his six receptions for 82 yards. Mandeville also caught six receptions, totaling 82 yards. Three Huskies tallied eight tackles each, including David Akinniyi who registered two sacks.
The Eagles begin Southern Conference play next Saturday (Sept. 20), playing host to Elon. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Paulson Stadium and the game will be televised live on CSS.
No. 18 Elon 66, Presbyterian 12
Final Stats
ELON, N.C. ? Bo Williamson hauled in six receptions for a career-high 167 yards and a career-high two touchdowns and A.J. Harris carried the ball seven times for a career-high 91 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as No. 18 Elon dispatched Presbyterian 66-12 Saturday evening in an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision nonconference contest at Rhodes Stadium.
Scott Riddle completed 23 of his 33 passes for a season-best 386 yards and three touchdowns without an interception as the Phoenix (2-1) rolled up a program-record 667 yards of total offense, eclipsing the previous plateau of 633 yards set in Elon’s 27-12 victory at Bowie State on Nov. 12, 1983.
The Phoenix’s total outburst and margin of victory marked the program’s highest in both categories since Elon posted a 66-12 triumph over Concord State on Sept. 21, 1968 at Burlington Memorial Stadium. The last time the Phoenix scored more than 66 points resulted in a 80-0 Elon victory over the Edenton Marines on Sept. 16, 1949.
Jamal Shuman rushed for 80 yards on 19 carries, Dontay Taylor scrambled for 58 yards and two touchdowns and Terrell Hudgins pulled down six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown for the Phoenix while Tim Webb connected on 20 of 35 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown with one interception for the Blue Hose (1-2), which was held to 185 net yards.
Williamson amassed a career-high 287 all-purpose yards, tallying 106 kick return yards and 14 punt return yards to go with his 167 receiving yards while teammate Andrew Wilcox averaged 57.3 yards per kickoff on 11 kickoffs. Wilcox finished 1-for-1 in field goals and 9-for-9 on extra markers on his way to scoring 12 points. Tyler Robbins returned seven kickoffs for 131 yards for Presbyterian.
Elon amassed five touchdowns ? on an eight-yard run by Taylor, a 37-yard pass to Hudgins from Riddle, a career-long 52-yard run by Harris, a 10-yard blocked punt return by Charles Ball and a 64-yard yard pass to Williamson from Riddle ? for a 35-0 cushion with 3:54 left to play in the first quarter.
The Phoenix pushed the advantage to 42-0 on a one-yard touchdown run by Taylor with 12:13 remaining in the second period. Terrance Butler reeled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Webb to put the Blue Hose on the scoreboard at 42-6 with 11:38 to play in second quarter. Wilcox converted a 36-yard field goal and Williamson snagged a 41-yard touchdown toss from Riddle to extend the Elon edge to 52-6 for halftime.
Harris scored twice in the second half ? on a three-yard run in the third stanza and an eight-yard run in the fourth ? to fatten the Phoenix lead to 66-6 before Bo Tribble recovered a fumble and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown to determine the final score.
The Blue Hose’s Chris Bowman (eight tackles, one sack, three TFL) and Justin Bethel (eight tackles) led all defenders while Joshua Jones (six tackles, one breakup), Corey Weaver (six tackles, one sack, two TFL) and Nolan Ward (six tackles, TFL) paced the Phoenix defense.
Presbyterian plays its third Southern Conference opponent in four weeks next Saturday when Western Carolina comes to Clinton, S.C., for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. Meanwhile, Elon opens Southern Conference action with a 7 p.m. visit to No. 15 Georgia Southern next Saturday in Statesboro, Ga.
Mississippi 34, Samford 10
Final Stats
OXFORD, Miss.?The Samford football team dropped a hard-fought 34-10 decision at Southeastern Conference opponent Ole Miss Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“First of all, Ole Miss has a good football team,” Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. “I didn’t know how we would be, but I was proud of our guys. We didn’t do what we came over here to do, which was win a football game, but we are growing.”
Samford’s Dustin Taliaferro completed 16-of-22 passes for 124 yards. Jonathan Lowery caught four passes for 55 yards. Riley Hawkins returned four kicks for 121 yards, including a 52-yard return. Hawkins also scored his first career touchdown on a 13-yard reverse late in the first quarter.
“It felt really good to score, but I knew it wasn’t all about me,” Hawkins said. “All of the other guys did a good job and they all did their part. We played well today, but it just wasn’t enough to win the game.”
Defensively, Jeremy Richardson and Ty Levie came up with an interception each. Richardson returned his for 36 yards to set up Samford’s touchdown. Richardson left the game after the play with a knee injury and did not return.
“Probably the most disappointing thing tonight was losing Jeremy Richardson,” Sullivan said. “Other than that we probably came out of it okay.”
For Ole Miss, Jevan Snead completed 13-of-24 passes for 222 yards and two interceptions. Mike Wallace caught four passes for 101 yards.
Ole Miss took the lead on its first drive of the game. The Rebels’ Joshua Shene kicked a 33-yard field goal with 4:15 to go in the first quarter to give Ole Miss a 3-0 lead.
Samford took the lead when Hawkins scored on a 13-yard reverse with 1:09 left in the opening quarter. John Paul Fraites added the extra point for a 7-3 Bulldog lead. The score was set up by an interception by Richardson that he returned 36 yards to the Ole Miss 13-yard line.
Ole Miss cut Samford’s lead to 7-6 when Shene kicked a 38-yard field goal with 13:03 to go in the second quarter.
The Rebels took the lead when Brandon Bolden scored on a six-yard run with 3:52 to go in the second quarter. Shene’s PAT made the score 13-7. Ole Miss made the score 20-7 when Cordera Eason scored on a 12-yard touchdown with 59 seconds remaining in the second quarter and Shene added the PAT.
Ole Miss added a touchdown in the third quarter and another in the fourth to push its lead to 34-7. Samford’s Fraites kicked a late 35-yard field goal to make the final score 34-10.
Samford will take the next week off from competition. The Bulldogs will return to action on Sept. 27, when they open Southern Conference play at Elon.
Florida State 46, Chattanooga 7
Final Stats
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.---The Chattanooga Mocs (1-2) dropped a 46-7 decision at Florida State (2-0) in front of an announced crowd of 71,596. Despite battling for 60 minutes, the Mocs could not match the Seminoles in the long run.
FSU scored on its first two possessions opening the scoring on a 44-yard from Christian Ponder to Corey Surrency with 8:33 left to play. With a 14-0 deficit, the Mocs responded with a quick strike three-play, 60?yard scoring drive in just one minute as Tony Pastore withstood a wicked shot as he released a perfect 62-yard toss down the right sideline to Jordan Hazard.
Florida State answered even quicker with a 23-second, two play drive as Ponder and Surrency hooked up again this time from 39 yards. The Mocs held the Seminoles on their fourth possession as FSU drove 67 yards only to miss a 44-yard Zach Hobby field goal attempt. A Hobby field goal (43 yards) at the halftime horn game the ?Noles a 30-7 halftime advantage.
Chattanooga was held to 164 yards of total offense with 135 coming in the air. Tony Pastore (5-8-0/106 yds) and Jare Gault (5-7-0/29 yds) combined to complete 10 of 15 passes, 66.7 percent, with one TD and zero interceptions.
Shaun Kermah led the rushing attack with 29 yards on seven carries. Chris Pitchford’s three receptions led the receivers with Hazard coming in with two catches for 66 yards and the score. Hazard had 174 all-purpose yards on the day.
Christian Ponder led the ?Noles with 180 yards in the air as three quarterbacks played for FSU amassing 297 passing yards with four TDs. Antone Smith led all rushers with 78 yards on 13 rushes. FSU had 494 yards of offense to Chattanooga’s 164.
The Mocs were without the services of a few key starters due to injury and illness. LG William Giles (tonsillitis), WR Blue Cooper (elbow), C Brian Heflin (back) and LB Joseph Thornton (hamstring) all missed the game.
Liberty 19, Western Carolina 16
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Trailing by a dozen entering the fourth quarter, Western Carolina scored nine unanswered points in the final frame ? including a 78-yard touchdown pass from senior Andy Horn to Marquel Pittman and the first career field goal from junior Blake Bostic. But it was not enough as the 25th-ranked Liberty Flames escaped with a three-point, 19-16, victory Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
Western (1-2) dropped its second-straight contest while Liberty extended the nation’s second-longest winning streak dating back to last season by winning its eighth straight, improving to 3-0 on the season. The loss also evened the all-time series between the two schools at three.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Horn and Pitman ignited the crowd of 7,289 on a 78-yard, pass-and-run to pull within six points, 19-13. After catching the pass roughly 12 yards from the line of scrimmage, Pittman ran through four arm tackles, juked his way past an additional would-be tackler and raced down the left sideline into the end zone.
The Catamount defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, taking over at its own 25-yard line after a touchback punt and procedure penalty. Western then drove 54-yards in 12 plays, including a 19-yard strike from Horn to red-shirt sophomore Adam Hearns ? listed as a wide receiver on the depth chart for the first-time this season ? on a fourth and five from the Liberty 26 yard line.
However, with WCU looking at a first and goal from the Liberty seven-yard line, consecutive losses on a nine-yard sack and a delay of game penalty pushed the Catamounts back to the 21. Back-to-back incomplete passes forced WCU into a 38-yard field goal, a career-long for Bostic to pull within three, 19-16.
Western’s defense only allowed the Flames to gain one first down on its next possession, with the Catamounts taking over at their own nine-yard line with 3:34 showing on the game clock.
Staring at the ball game on fourth and three, Horn found red-shirt freshman Quan Warley ? who tallied his first collegiate score in the loss ? for six yards to keep the drive alive. A pass interference call against Liberty gave the Catamounts the ball at their own 37. Yet, inside the final two minutes, three-consecutive incomplete passes, including the last on fourth and six, ended WCU’s quest to pull off the upset.
“This was a wasted opportunity tonight,” said first-year Catamount head coach Dennis Wagner during post-game comments. “Our efficiency on offense was not there at critical times. Don’t take anything away from Liberty, but we just did not get the job done.”
Western Carolina limited the Flames’ offense, which came in averaging 46.5 points per game through its first two wins, to three first-half field goal attempts. Liberty took an early, 3-0, lead after its drive stalled the WCU 19-yard line. Red-shirt freshman Ben Shipps’ 29-yard boot split the uprights for the 3-0 visitor lead.
The Catamounts countered, though, just before the end of the opening period. Taking over near midfield, Western moved 54-yards in five plays to take the lead. Warley, sprung by text book blocks on the left side and one thrown by Hearns on the edge, scampered in from 15 yards out. The two-time AP North Carolina Player of the Year from Thomasville finished with 58 yards rushing on 12 carries, gaining positive yards every time he touched the ball.
On the other two field goal attempts, WCU red-shirt freshman Chris Everett blocked one and Shipps connected on the second to provide the halftime tally, 7-6.
Liberty out-gained Western offensively, 338-to-247 ? numbers skewed by three sacks that reduced the Catamount rushing game to 19 total yards. Horn finished 18-of-33 for 228 yards and the 78-yard TD
Warley and senior wideout Donald James each recorded five passes apiece, James finishing with 49 yards including a long of 21. Hearns led all players with a game-high 173 all-purpose yards, including 114 on kickoff returns.
For Liberty, senior tailback Rashad Jennings rushed 28 times for 116 yards, while halfback Zach Terrell finished with eight carries for 51 yards, adding four catches for 27 in the win.
Defensively for Western, junior linebacker Quintin Phillips led all defenders with 16 tackles, while classmate Chris Collins recorded 11, including half a tackle for loss and forced a fumble.
Western hits the road for back-to-back road games in the Palmetto State beginning next week. The Catamounts venture to Clinton, S.C., for the first time since 1976 to face the Presbyterian Blue Hose ? 66- on Saturday, Sept. 20 before beginning Southern Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 27 at The Citadel.