No. 10 Elon 43, The Citadel 7
Final Stats
ELON, N.C. -- A dominating defensive performance and a few quick strikes early lifted the 10th-ranked Elon Phoenix to a 43-7 Southern Conference victory over the visiting Bulldogs of The Citadel from Rhodes Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Elon is now 5-1 overall and 3-0 in SoCon play and picked up its first-ever back-to-back wins over the Bulldogs. The Citadel dropped to 2-3, 0-2.
The Phoenix defense limited the Bulldogs to 120 total yards on 46 plays while recording four sacks and picking off two passes. The Citadel's All-American receiver Andre Roberts was held to just one catch for 13 yards.
Meanwhile, the Elon offense scored twice in the first five minutes of the game and saw Jamal Shuman rush for 167 yards on 25 carries. It was the fourth 100+ yard ground game of Shuman's career and third this season.
"I am very pleased with how focused we came out today," commented Elon head coach Pete Lembo. "I thought our coaches had a great plan for our kids and knew the plan and came out very focused. We talked a lot about what it would take to win this game and we talked about how we haven't always put our best foot forward against this team in previous years, win or lose. I think our guys came in with an understanding of how important this game was, but also taking a great deal of pride in playing well. We came a lot closer to playing 60 minutes of football today."
After forcing The Citadel into a three-and-out on its first drive of the game, Elon's Karlos Sullivan gave the Phoenix prime field position by returning the punt 28 yards to the Bulldog 22 yard line. On first and five following an offside call against The Citadel, Scott Riddle found Terrell Hudgins for a gain of 10 yards to the seven. On the next play, the record-setting duo connected again for a touchdown with 12:47 left to play in the first quarter.
The Phoenix quickly added to its total after taking over at its own 45 after a punt. On the first play of the drive, Riddle found a streaking Sean Jeffcoat for a 55-yard score. The PAT was blocked, but Elon owned a 13-0 lead with 10:20 still to play in the first period.
Elon took over after yet another three-and-out by The Citadel. The Phoenix methodically worked down the field for another touchdown which capped a 13-play, 73-yard drive over 4:54. On the drive, Riddle completed five passes, including a 21-yard gain to Lance Camp. Three of the final five plays of the drive were rushes by Brandon Newsome who picked up 12 yards on those carries, including a three-yard push for the score.
An Adam Shreiner 24-yard field goal in the second quarter increased the Phoenix lead to 23-0 and capped a 17-play, 81-yard drive which took 8:21 off the clock. The drive began in the first quarter. On the drive, Riddle completed five of his six passing attempts for 24 yards, while Phoenix running backs A.J. Harris and Newsome accounted for 47 yards.
Elon's lead improved to 26-0 when Shreiner added a 27-yard field goal to finish off a 13-play, 71-yard drive which ate 5:50 off the clock and left The Citadel just 24 seconds with the ball to end the half.
The Phoenix's monster defense turned in another outstanding first half performance, holding the Bulldog offense without a first down and just 26 total yards on 17 plays. By comparison, the Phoenix offense picked up 287 yards on 44 plays. Elon held nearly a two-to-one advantage in time of possession at 19:46 to 10:14.
Elon got the ball to open the second half and drove the ball 49 yards on nine plays before Shreiner drilled a career-long 43-yard field goal to extend the Phoenix's advantage to 29-0.
The Citadel picked up its first first down of the game with 7:32 remaining in the third quarter on a 13-yard completion to Andre Roberts, but would later have to punt on the drive.
With 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Karlos Sullivan picked off Bulldog quarterback Bart Blanchard and returned the ball for a 14-yard score to push the Elon lead to 36-0.
The Bulldogs erased the shutout when Blanchard found Kevin Hardy in the corner of the end zone with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. The score capped a 12-play, 64-yard drive that lasted 4:18.
Elon closed out the game with a one-yard touchdown plunge by back-up quarterback Thomas Wilson with under a minute remaining on the clock. The drive covered 15 plays for 81 yards over 7:04.
Riddle completed 18 of his 33 pass attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Phoenix offense. Hudgins snared six balls for 65 yards and a score while Camp finished with six catches for 62 yards.
The Elon defense saw Joshua Jones lead the team with six tackles. Jones also picked off one pass. Sullivan's interception was the eighth of his career, the second-most career picks for an Elon player since the move to NCAA Division I play for the 1999 season.
Blanchard threw for 102 yards while completing 14 of his 25 attempts. Van Dyke Jones led the Bulldog rushing attack, gaining 29 yards on four carries. Rod Harland led all players with 13 total tackles.
Elon will return to the field following a bye week by hosting Chattanooga in a Homecoming contest on October 24 at 1:30 p.m.
The Citadel visits Western Carolina next Saturday at 4 p.m.
Chattanooga 14, Samford 7
Final Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.?The Samford football team fell at home for the first time in the 2009 season in a 14-7 setback to Chattanooga in a Southern Conference showdown Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
With the loss, Samford drops to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in SoCon play. Chattanooga improves to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.
“We turned it over twice inside the five-yard line, and we’re not good enough to do that,” Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. “Give them credit, they forced some things and did some good things. I thought they played awfully well. Their quarterback played well and made some clutch throws.”
Chattanooga’s B.J. Coleman completed 18-of-31 passes for 249 yards in the Mocs’ win. Chris Pritchford caught five passes for 135 yards. Joseph Thornton led the Mocs’ defense with 10 tackles. Jordan Tippit had an interception and Ryan Consiglio had a fumble recovery.
For Samford, Dustin Taliaferro completed 25-of-31 passes for 165 yards and one interception. Riley Hawkins, playing for the first time in three weeks, caught five passes for 50 yards. Chris Evans rushed 21 times for 64 yards.
Samford’s Bryce Smith led all tacklers with 11 stops, including 10 solo tackles. Punter Bob Hooper set a Samford record by averaging 54.2 yards on five punts. The previous record was 49.6 by Scott Holmes against Central Florida in 1995.
Chattanooga jumped on top first when Coleman scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak. Craig Camay added the extra point to give the Mocs a 7-0 lead with 6:31 to go in the first quarter.
Chattanooga added another touchdown when Chris Awuah scored on another one-yard run with 9:40 to go in the second quarter. Camay’s extra-point made the score 14-0.
Samford had a chance to score late in the second quarter when the Bulldogs drove to the Mocs’ five-yard line. However, an Evans fumble, recovered by Consiglio ended the threat, and Chattanooga took a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Samford drove to the Chattanooga six-yard line late in the third quarter, but a Taliaferro pass was intercepted by Tippit to keep the Bulldogs scoreless.
Samford got on the scoreboard when Taliaferro scored on a one-yard sneak with 9:59 to go in the game. Cameron Yaw’s extra point made the score 14-7. The Samford scoring drive was 14 plays, 66 yards and lasted 5:40.
The Samford defense did not allow a second-half point for the fifth-straight game. The only team that has scored on the Bulldogs in the second half was UCF in the team’s season-opening game.
As a team, Chattanooga totaled 300 yards of total offense, while Samford piled up 208 yards. Samford had the ball for 31:30, while Chattanooga controlled the ball for 28:30.
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Bulldogs travel to Greenville, S.C., to take on the Furman Paladins. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (CT) kickoff.
Chattanooga heads to Statesboro, Ga., to face Georgia Southern next Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
No. 9 Appalachian State 55, North Carolina Central 21
Final Stats
BOONE, N.C. - No. 9/10 Appalachian State University football racked up 644 yards of total offense and 34 first downs and held a 407-5 advantage in rushing yardage en route to a 55-21 homecoming rout over North Carolina Central on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Appalachian (3-2) dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to claim the commanding triumph. Led by 124 yards from Devon Moore (Mebane, N.C./Cedar Ridge), ASU rushed for more than 400 yards for the sixth time in its last 25 games while its defense held an opponent to fewer than 50 rushing yards for the third time since the beginning of the 2003 season and less than five rushing yards for the second time in the past eight games (ASU limited Western Carolina to minus-two yards on the ground in last year’s regular-season finale).
In all, Appalachian out-gained N.C. Central, 644-194. ASU’s 644 yards were the most NCCU has ever allowed in its 86-year football history.
Despite the eye-popping numbers, the Mountaineers had to overcome a sluggish start to post the dominating win. Thanks to a pair of turnovers deep in their own territory, the Apps trailed, 14-7, after one quarter.
ASU wasted little time in grabbing a 7-0 lead, as Moore scored on a 73-yard run on the Mountaineers’ fourth play from scrimmage but turnovers on their next two possessions ? Armanti Edwards’ (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) first interception in 85 attempts this season and a fumble by Moore ? led to NCCU touchdown drives of 11 and 24 yards and a 14-7 deficit.
From the second quarter on, however, it was all Appalachian. The Apps scored on eight of their final nine possessions, driving at least 53 yards on all nine series, and out-gained the Eagles, 574-130, over the final three periods. The Mountaineers scored 17 points in the second quarter, 10 in the third and 21 in the fourth to turn the early scare into a comfortable victory.
The Mountaineers didn’t punt in 12 possessions on the afternoon (seven touchdowns, two field goals, an interception, fumble and one turnover on downs) while forcing NCCU to kick the ball away seven times, including five three-and-outs.
Moore led the way with his third 100-yard rushing performance of the season. Thanks in large part to his 73-yard touchdown scamper, which surpassed the previous longest run of his career by 27 yards, the junior needed only 11 carries to amass his 124 yards, good for an 11.3-yards-per-rush average. In addition to the 73-yarder, Moore also scored from three yards out, giving him two touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career.
Edwards turned in his usual terrific day with 334 yards of total offense, including 237 on 17-of-29 passing and 97 on 10 rushes. His favorite target was junior Matt Cline (Thomasville, N.C./Glenn), who set career highs with eight catches for 107 yards. It was the first 100-yard performance of his career.
Linebackers Jacque Roman (Kingsland, Ga./Camden County) and D.J. Smith (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) combined for 15 tackles (eight and seven, respectively) to pace the Mountaineers’ stout defensive effort. Smith recorded two of the Apps’ nine stops behind the line of scrimmage while Malcolm Bennett (College Park, Ga./Banneker) and Lanston Tanyi (Shelby, N.C./Shelby) each registered one of ASU’s three sacks.
Quarterback Michael Johnson starred for N.C. Central with 186 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing. Will Scott and Geovonie Irvine each had three catches for the Eagles.
With its non-conference slate now behind it, Appalachian embarks on six-consecutive Southern Conference duels to close out the regular season, beginning with next Saturday’s tilt at Wofford. The 3 p.m. affair at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. will be televised live on SportSouth.
North Carolina 42, Georgia Southern 12
Final Stats
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Georgia Southern Football out-scored North Carolina in the second half but first half turnovers proved too costly to overcome in a 42-12 loss Saturday (Oct. 10) at Kenan Stadium. The Eagles drop to .500 at 3-3 overall while UNC (4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak.
In the first half, Georgia Southern committed four turnovers, two that directly led to a touchdown and another that resulted in a TD. However, the defense blanked the BCS member during the final 30 minutes holding the Tar Heels to 62 yards in the second half and 289 for the game.
"First of all I know the score didn't indicate it but our defense played outstanding. We gave up a 14-play drive and 12-play drive and that was kind of our game plan going in, to not give up the big play and make them work the ball down the field," said head coach Chris Hatcher. "They had some offensive struggles but they executed well. We missed a few tackles, and we were outmanned at a lot of positions. Other than that our defense shut them down the entire afternoon. We gave them a very short field on some of our turnovers, and it doesn't matter who you play, if you give up those types of turnovers you're not going to win the game."
The Eagles got a first down on the opening drive but was forced to punt. UNC took over on its own 11 and staged an 89-yard touchdown drive on 14 plays. Ryan Houston scored on a 1-yard run, the first TD by UNC on its opening possession this year, and the PAT was converted with 6:59 in the first quarter.
On the Eagles next drive Robert Quinn sacked Lee Chapple and forced a fumble which was recovered by UNC. Shaun Draughn took the ball on the very next play and scored from 16 yards out making it 14-0.
GS marched into Tar Heel territory again and this time found the endzone. Adam Urbano broke through the right side on a career-long 45-yard touchdown run. Adrian Mora's extra point cut the deficit in half with 3:03 remaining. The defense forced the home team to punt and the Eagles started gaining some momentum.
Facing 4th-and-1 from their own 39, Chapple was stopped at the line and bounced to the outside to gain the first down. Urbano gained another first down but on the play was stripped by Quan Sturdivant, and the junior linebacker returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. Casey Barth's extra point gave UNC a 21-7 lead with 8:29 left in the first half. More miscues led to UNC points.
Two plays later Chapple was intercepted by Zach Brown, giving the Tar Heels the ball on the Eagles' 22. Then just three plays later Houston scored from seven yards out with 6:29 left in the half. UNC was opportunistic again on defense during the next Eagle drive. Bruce Carter stepped in front of a Chapple pass at the GS 41 and raced into the endzone for a score. Right before halftime Houston set a career-high with a 1-yard touchdown run, his third rushing TD of the game to cap the 28-point quarter.
The 42 points allowed in the first half were the most in program history (surpassed 40 points scored by Texas State during second half of 2005 NCAA playoffs).
"Our goal was to win the game, but not doing that we wanted to win the second half. We did that," stated Hatcher.
In the third quarter Georgia Southern's defense forced a fumble of its own when Brent Russell sacked back-up quarterback A.J. Blue and recovered the loose ball. Two personal fouls along with runs by Urbano set up the Eagles 1st-and-goal. Mora kicked a 25-yard field goal with 9:01 left in the third.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Charlie Edwards launched a 40 yard punt which was downed on the 1-yard line. Blue tried running up the middle but Markeith Wylie and J.B. Shippy made the stop and Wylie was credited for the safety which would account for the final margin.
"I take a lot more positives out of the game. It doesn't feel good to get beat, but we knew we were up for a very tall task... Defensively we continued to play outstanding," said Hatcher. "Our offensive line pass pro(tected) pretty decent and we were able to run the ball a lot more effectively against those guys. They were the eighth-ranked defense in the country and their front seven is as good as I've ever seen, even in my days at Kentucky.
"We played hard for 60 minutes. But you don't turn the ball over, and it could have been a different game there at the end. I was real proud of our guys. We are not excited we got beat, but we were a lot better out there today than we were against Wofford last week," said Hatcher.
Urbano had set a career-high rushing total by halftime and finished with 93 yards on a career-high equaling 17 carries. His previous best was 83 yards last year at Western Carolina.
Chapple completed 14-of-27 passes but was held to 65 yards. Patrick Barker matched a season-high with five receptions totaling 35 yards. Edwards averaged 40 yards on eight punts, putting three inside the 20-yard line.
Dion DuBose recorded a game-high eight tackles. Scott recorded his second interception of the year, moving back into a share of the team-lead, and added six tackles. Derek Heyden recorded all six of his tackles in the first quarter. Russell and J.B. Shippy recorded two sacks each.
T.J. Yates completed 14-of-20 passes for 118 yards. Draughn rushed for 81 yards on 14 carries. Houston gained 56 yards on 15 carries.
The Eagles return to Southern Conference play next Saturday (Oct. 17), and to Paulson Stadium for the first time in a month, when they play host to Chattanooga. Kickoff on Family Weekend is scheduled for 6 p.m.