No. 14/8 Elon 23, Samford 17
Final Stats
ELON, N.C. ? Scott Riddle threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns and Andrew Wilcox converted three field goals as No. 8 Elon held off Samford ? in its first Southern Conference football appearance ? for a 23-17 victory Saturday afternoon in front of 11,149 fans ? the second-largest crowd ever at Rhodes Stadium ? during the Phoenix’s Family Weekend.
In a matchup of the league’s two newest members, Elon (4-1 overall, 2-0 SoCon) received a game-high 14 tackles and a pass breakup from Walker White and nine tackles, one sack, one TFL, one forced fumble and one interception for a 68-yard return from Terell Wilson ? who now has four interceptions in his last four games ? en route to fashioning its best start in nine seasons. The Phoenix opened the 1999 campaign at 5-0.
Wilson’s four picks on the season matches Elon’s best since officially joining the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 1999 campaign. Dwayne Ijames (2003 and 2004), Anthony Harris (2004) and Chris Bland (2006) have each hauled in four interceptions in a season during the Phoenix’s FCS membership.
Wilcox put the Phoenix ? winner of seven of its last nine home games ? on the scoreboard first, sinking a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter. Jonathan Lowery hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Dustin Taliaferro to give the Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1) the early 7-3 edge in the second stanza.
Elon regained the lead at 10-7 in the second period when Lance Camp pulled down a six-yard TD toss from Scott Riddle for his first. The Phoenix stretched its advantage to 17-7 when Riddle connected with A.J. Harris on a 91-yard pass play for a touchdown ? the second longest such play in the 87-year history of Elon football, just shy of the 96-yard pass play for a touchdown to Jessie Jones from Sam Fromhart in a 38-7 victory at Guilford on Sept. 17, 1983.
With two seconds to play in the second quarter, J.P. Fraites drilled a 33-yard field goal to draw the Bulldogs to within 17-10 at halftime. Samford went on to tie the score at 17-17 in the third period when Chris Evans punched in a touchdown on a two-yard run. A 35-yard field goal by Wilcox gave the Phoenix the lead for good in the third quarter and his 45-yard field goal in the fourth stanza determined the final margin.
“I never really felt like we got in sync,” Elon coach Pete Lembo said. “It seemed like it was two steps forward and one step back. The turnovers and some of the dropped balls and those things were frustrating. It seemed like everybody took their turn making a miscue or losing focus. It was just one of those days.”
Despite surrendering three interceptions, the Phoenix amassed 409 yards of total offense ? 291 in the air and 118 on the ground ? while holding the Bulldogs to 357 net yards ? 183 in the air and 174 on the ground.
“First of all, Elon has a good football team,” Samford coach Pat Sullivan said. “I was proud of our guys. We had chances to make some plays, but we made too many mistakes we can't afford to make.”
No. 16 Furman visits Rhodes Stadium for a 1:30 p.m. meeting with the Phoenix next Saturday. The Bulldogs visit Western Carolina at 1 p.m. that same day.
No. 24/13 The Citadel 34, Western Carolina 14
Final Stats
Charleston, S.C. ? Andre Roberts’ record-breaking performance led the Bulldogs to a 34-14 victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts in their Southern Conference opener on Saturday at Sansom Field at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Bulldogs concluded the first half with 336 offensive yards of which 150 belonged to Roberts. The Citadel finished the game with a season-high 541 total yards.
The Bulldogs held the Catamounts scoreless for the first half as they put 24 points on the board. The first of The Citadel scores came on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Bart Blanchard to Andre Roberts on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the game at 9:22 in the first quarter.
The Citadel put three scores on the board in the second quarter. The first came at the conclusion of a successful 96-yard drive for the Bulldogs. In nine plays, the drive ended with a 5-yard run by running back Rickey Anderson at 11:21 putting The Citadel up, 14-0. The Bulldogs scored again on a 15-yard touchdown run by Blanchard at 3:24, taking only 1:42 off the game clock.
The Bulldog defense set up the final score of the first half forcing a turnover on downs for the Catamounts. With 48 seconds left in the half, The Citadel drove the ball 62 yards in seven plays to end the drive with a 24-yard field goal by Sam Keeler as the clock expired.
The Bulldogs were up 24-0 at the half. Roberts led The Citadel offense with eight catches for 126 yards and 150 all purpose yards, while Mel Capers totaled five unassisted tackles to lead the Bulldog defense.
Both teams got off to a slow start in the second half. The Bulldogs, however, put another touchdown on the board on a 9-yard run by Blanchard at 6:53 in the third, extending the lead, 31-0.
The Western Carolina offense would not be shutout as they put their first points on the board with 58.3 seconds left in the third quarter on a 8-yard touchdown pass from Andy Horn to Adam Hearns, making the score 31-7.
Keeler kicked a 27-yard field with 5:00 left in the game to extend the Bulldog lead to 34-7 before the Catamounts put seven more points on the board. The final score of the game was a 10-yard pass from Catamount backup quarterback Zack Jaynes to Nate Harris at 2:14 left for a final score of 34-14.
Blanchard recorded a career-high rushing performance with 85 yards. He completed 19-of 28 passes with two interceptions for 265 yards. Roberts’ fifth catch of the game broke the school’s record for career catches. The previous record was 133 by Victor Frazier (1982-85). Roberts finished the game with 10 catches for 135 yards and a career total of 139 receptions. Jordan also recorded his first 100-plus yard performance of the season with 110 rushing yards.
Western Carolina finished with 207 total yards. The Bulldog defense held the Catamounts to 76 rushing yards. Horn completed 15-of-28 passes on the game for 115 yards and one touchdown.
The Citadel extended their record to 3-1 on the season, winning their fifth straight against Western Carolina and their consecutive Southern Conference opener. They will travel to Boone, N.C. to take on the defending champions Appalachian State on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. The game will be televised regionally on SportSouth. Western Carolina returns home to host Samford next Saturday at 1 p.m.
No. 17/16 Furman 35, Chattanooga 10
Final Stats
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jordan Sorrells passed for 224 yards and three touchdowns to propel FCS 16th-ranked Furman to a 35-10 victory over Chattanooga in the Southern Conference season opener for both teams Saturday at Paladin Stadium.
Sorrells, a junior from Greenville, completed 12-of-20 passes, and hooked up with his tight end corps on all three scoring strikes in helping Furman (4-1, 1-0 SoCon) to its 14th consecutive victory over Chattanooga (1-4, 0-1 SoCon).
“We’re very pleased to win the ball game and get off to a good start in conference play,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “Our defense was solid all game and didn’t give up any big plays. They really stepped up for us in the first half when we were struggling a bit offensively, and the blocked punt was really key for us. We also got the running game going in the second half.”
“We’re obviously disappointed with the loss,” said Chattanooga head coach Rodney Allison. “Furman’s a good football team, but we turned them loose in man coverage and they connected on two long passing plays. Those were two really big plays in the game. We can’t afford to do that against anybody, especially against a team like Furman.”
Chris Truss caught three passes for a Furman single game tight end record 158 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. All-SoCon tight end Larry Hedden added a 19-yard touchdown catch in the second half, and Sorrells found redshirt freshmen Seth Skogen for a 5-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter.
Furman got its passing game going on its first play from scrimmage when Sorrells connected with Truss, who turned a catch in the flat into a 71-yard play to the Chattanooga 2. Mike Brown’s 2-yard run on the next play gave Furman a 7-0 lead.
The Paladins struck again early in the second quarter when Masharn Austin scooped up a blocked punt by teammate Ryan Steed and rambled 13 yards into the end zone to extend the lead to 14-0.
A 33-yard second quarter field goal by Chattanooga’s Craig Camay made it 14-3.
Furman opened the second half with another quick score. On its second play from scrimmage Sorrells found Truss open in the flat against man coverage, and the Paladin junior turned it upfield and outraced Chattanooga’s defense for a 69-yard touchdown play less than a minute into the third period.
The Paladins made it 28-3 on their next possession when Sorrells hooked up with Hedden on a 19-yard score, capping an 11-play, 72-yard drive.
Furman closed the scoring at the 11:18 mark of the fourth quarter on Sorrells’ third scoring strike of the game, a 5-yard toss to Skogen.
The Paladins compiled a 402-254 advantage in total offense and registered four sacks. Hunter Twitty paced Furman’s defense with 11 tackles and sacks. William Middleton added nine tackles, a sack, and an interception, and pass deflection.
Furman returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Elon for a 1:30 p.m. game. Chattanooga hosts Georgia Southern next Saturday at 6 p.m.
No. 14/11 Wofford 38, No. 22/24 Georgia Southern 37 (OT)
Final Stats
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern staged yet another fourth quarter comeback and eventually went for the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime, but the pass attempt fell incomplete and Wofford came away with a 38-37 Southern Conference win Saturday night at Paulson Stadium (Sept. 27). The Eagles fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the SoCon while Wofford improved to 3-1 and 1-0.
In order to get to overtime, the Eagles had to first make an impressive goal line stand against the nation's second-leading rushing team as Wofford had 2nd-and-goal from the one. Evan Mattingly stuffed Dane Romero on second down, Quentin Taylor stopped Ben Widmyer on third down then senior All-America Chris Covington held Romero for a 1-yard loss as the Eagles found themselves down three with 4:53 remaining.
Quarterbacks Antonio Henton and Lee Chapple took over on their own half-yard line and promptly marched the Eagles down the field. Henton rushed for nine yards on 3rd-and-2, Terence Hall gained 18 yards on 3rd-and-19 then Henton rushed for three yards to pick up the first down. Chapple hit Tim Camp for 14 yards, down to the Wofford 30. He scrambled for eight, then found Raja Andrews for six yards and a first down. Chapple gained nine yards on two passes, setting up 4th-and-1 from the nine with 9.8 seconds left. Adrian Mora nailed a 25-yard field goal to send it to overtime.
Wofford started with the ball in overtime but a penalty and incomplete pass would set up 4th-and-8 from the 23. Widmyer threaded the needle to Andy Strickland for 22 yards then Widmyer took it in himself for a 1-yard score.
On the Eagles' first play Adam Urbano took a pitch and raced 25 yards for a touchdown. Head coach Chris Hatcher and the team immediately decided to go for the win. Under pressure, Chapple scrambled around but his pass fell incomplete as the Eagles lost their second straight game.
"I'm disappointed we got beat. We played hard, we had a chance there to get beat bad with a couple of costly mistakes early," said Hatcher. "We bent a lot on defense but we didn't break. What a goal-line stand there in the fourth quarter and then what an awesome 89-yard drive to get it off our one-foot line to tie the game. The thing that disappoints me the most is after we scored I had a fake-field goal called that we practice all the time and we had a couple of boys not run out there. Then at the end I thought I had a good call for the two-point conversion."
Two key mistakes early on put the Eagles behind right off the bat. GS won the coin flip and elected to receive. Samair Baker ran the ball up to the 40, but fumbled and Wofford took over. Seven plays later Romero scored from seven yards out.
On the Eagles' next drive, Henton attempted a pass to Nick Bass, but the true-freshman making his first collegiate start had the ball bounce off him then Seth Goldwire caught it and ran it in from 35 yards giving Wofford a 14-0 lead three minutes into the game.
Wofford launched a punt into the endzone late in the first quarter and the Eagles took over on their own 20. Chapple entered the game, and promptly drove GS down the field in eight plays for a touchdown. Chapple went 4-for-5 passing for 69 yards, and rushed for eight yards, capping the drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tim Camp. Mora converted the extra point.
Patrick Mugan hit a 39-yard field goal midway through the second making it 17-7 Terriers.
The Eagles needed just two plays to respond. After a first down incompletion, Chapple hit Demarcus Watts on a screen and broke it for a 58-yard touchdown making it 17-14.
Wofford took the kickoff and thanks to a 31-yard return and facemask penalty started at midfield. The Terriers reached the endzone in four plays, capped by Romero's 2-yard touchdown run for a 24-14 lead. Romero also scored from a yard out in the final minute to make it 31-14 at the half.
However, much like the defense has done all season, the second half belonged to them allowing the offense to rally.
As the Terriers were marching towards another score, Chris Rogers forced a fumble on Michael Scott and Dakota Walker scooped up the loose ball and raced 78 yards for a touchdown. The senior defensive end's first collegiate touchdown set a Georgia Southern record for longest fumble return for a score to make it 31-21.
Near the start of the fourth quarter, the Eagles' defense held again and forced Wofford to attempt a 33-yard field goal. However, Patrick Mugan pushed it right for only his second miss of the year.
Henton and Chapple again combined to march the Eagles down the field. Henton connected with Bass for a 41-yard completion down to the one. On 3rd-and-goal Henton scrambled right and scored with 9:36 remaining to make it a three point game.
"I'm at a loss for words because this team has played hard every game and that's what you like to see. You like to see them fight like this with all of these young players that we have. Good things are going to happen to the Eagles. We got beat - I'm disappointed in that, but I don't know if I've ever been more proud of a group after a defeat than this football team tonight," stated Hatcher.
Covington finished with a career-high 19 tackles, the sixth-highest single-game total in program history. Taylor was right behind also posting a career-high of 18 stops.
Terrione Benefield registered a career-high making 13 tackles and Damon Suggs also recorded a career-high with 10 tackles.
Chapple, who entered the game with only 117 passing yards, completed 15-of-22 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. His one interception came on a desperation throw at the end of the first half. He also rushed for 14 yards. Chapple and Henton become the only set of GS quarterbacks to ever throw for 200 yards (in separate games) during the same season.
Henton threw for 56 yards and rushed for a team-high 61 yards. Watts set season-highs of three receptions for 119 yards - the third straight week an Eagle receiver recorded 100-plus receiving yards. Bass finished with 65 yards on three catches and Camp caught four passes for 60 yards. Barney not only completed a 45-yard pass he also caught four passes.
Romero tallied a game-high 118 rushing yards to go with his three scores. Mitch Allen came off the bench to complete 8-of-10 passes for 127 yards while rushing for another 63. Goldwire made 11 tackles, intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble. James Mitchell also recorded 11 stops.
The Eagles hit the road for the first time since the season-opener, traveling to Chattanooga next Saturday (Oct. 4). Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
No. 4/3 Appalachian State 48, Presbyterian 14
Final Stats
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University football returned to its winning ways with a 48-14 win over Presbyterian College in front of 28,405 fans at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday night.
The Blue Hose (1-4) jumped out to an early 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game before the Appalachian offense found its rhythm and tied the score six plays later with a Robert Welton three-yard touchdown run.
Running back Devin Radford then gave the Mountaineers (2-2) their first lead of the game with a 72-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Armanti Edwards. Edwards threw for a season-high 220 yards and a touchdown with 12 completions in 23 attempts.
Jason Vitaris knocked through a 37-yard field goal to bump the lead to 10 points before PC scored its second touchdown of the game to pull the score within 17-14 at halftime.
From there it was all Appalachian as Radford and reserve quarterback DeAndre Presley rushed for a pair of touchdowns each and Vitaris connected on a 46-yard field goal as the Apps kept PC off the scoreboard en route to the 48-14 victory.
The defense held up its end of the bargain with a season-high four interceptions as well. Cortez Gilbert picked the first two, followed by Jacque Roman and Mark LeGree in the second half.
Southern Conference play kicks off next weekend for ASU, as The Citadel visits the High Country for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.