No. 7 Elon 45, Chattanooga 10
Final Stats
ELON, N.C. -- The Elon defense did not allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter for the third consecutive outing while Scott Riddle hooked up with Terrell Hudgins for three aerial scores as the seventh-ranked Phoenix routed the Chattanooga Mocs by a 45-10 margin on Homecoming on Saturday afternoon. The victory improved Elon to 6-1 overall and a perfect 4-0 in Southern Conference play. UTC fell to 4-3, 2-3.
The three TD receptions by Hudgins tie the most ever allowed by the Mocs to one receiver and were the most by the senior since a three-TD game at The Citadel on November 10, 2007.
"It's great to get another SoCon win and do it in convincing fashion," stated Elon head coach Pete Lembo. "I think we did a lot of good things today in all three phases of the game. There were times when we were inconsistent and a little bit out of synch. It's one of those good wins where I think we can enjoy it and go back tomorrow and see some things on film that we can tweak and improve on."
After an Elon interception on its first play from scrimmage, Chattanooga marched 37 yards on eight plays before Craig Camay put the Mocs on top 3-0 with a 27-yard field goal. The points were the first allowed by the Phoenix on an opponent's opening drive this season.
On its third possession of the game, the Phoenix took over at its own 50 and went down the field on 10 plays for the go-ahead score. Jamal Shuman accounted for 24 of the yards on the drive while the score was a two-yard completion from Riddle to Hudgins.
After forcing UTC to punt, Elon took over at its own 35 yard line. The Phoenix struck quickly with another Riddle to Hudgins connection accounting for 41 of the club's 65 yards on the drive which took just 1:44 off the clock. The TD pass followed three rushes by Brandon Newsome.
Later in the half, facing a third-and-15 from its own 42 yard line, Riddle found a wide open Lance Camp in the middle of the field. Camp took the ball and made multiple UTC defenders miss before finally being brought down at the Mocs' 11 yard line. A facemask penalty moved the ball to the five before Riddle and Hudgins teamed up again for a score. The Phoenix drive was seven plays and went 86 yards over 2:28 as Elon built a 21-3 advantage.
Chattanooga was moving the ball down the field and had reached the Elon 34 thanks primarily to 26 receiving yards by Blue Cooper. UTC's Jare Gault carried the ball to the Phoenix 28 where he was met by Elon's Nolan Ward who separated Gault from the ball. Karlos Sullivan fell on the ball at the 26 yard line to give the Phoenix the ball with 10:18 remaining in the first half.
On the ensuing possession, Elon drove the ball down to the Mocs' 19 before Adam Shreiner extended the Phoenix lead to 24-3 with a 36-yard field goal. The drive used 4:45 off the clock.
Elon added another seven to its score when Darrius McQueen knifed through and blocked a Mike Hammons punt. A.J. Harris then scooped the ball up at the 35 yard line and raced in for the Phoenix score as Elon led 31-3 at the half.
On its first drive of the second half, the Phoenix marched 56 yards on seven plays to tack on another seven points. The scoring play was a Riddle rush of five yards.
Chattanooga finally found the end zone early in the fourth quarter when B.J. Coleman connected with Cooper on a 12-yard touchdown. The drive went 50 yards on 14 plays and ate 6:29 off the clock as the Mocs closed its deficit to 38-10.
The final tally of the game came in the fourth quarter when Thomas Wilson threw to Jeremy Peterson for a seven-yard touchdown with 1:45 remaining in the game. Shuman accounted for 32 yards on the drive.
Elon's top-ranked defense surrendered 261 total yards while its third-rated offense compiled 388 yards of total offense.
The Phoenix recovered three fumbles and picked off one Coleman pass. Both Brandon Wiggins and Cameron McGlenn tallied a team-high seven tackles while Joey Hall recorded Elon's lone sack of the afternoon.
Riddle completed 13 of a career-low 18 pass attempts for 196 yards and three scores while also rushing for 20 yards and a touchdown. Hudgins finished the day with six grabs for 74 yards and three TDs. The senior now sits just 188 yards away from eclipsing Jerry Rice's career FCS record of 4,693 receiving yards. Rice played at Mississippi Valley State from 1981-84.
Chattanooga's offense was paced by Coleman's 14-of-30, 122-yard performance and Cooper's seven-catch, 72-yard, one-touchdown day. Led by Chris Awuah's 49 yards, the Mocs rushed for 112 yards – only the second time in seven games that the Phoenix has allowed a squad to rush for 100 or more yards.
Ryan Consiglio recorded a game-high 10 tackles for UTC while Josh Beard added two sacks to his SoCon leading total and now has 9.5 sacks.
The Phoenix will begin a two-game road swing with a 1:30 p.m. game at Wofford next Saturday afternoon.
Chattanooga returns home to host Western Carolina next Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Citadel 38, Furman 28
Final Stats
Charleston, S.C. - Quarterback Miguel Starks led the Bulldogs to a 38-28 Parents Day victory over rival Furman in his first collegiate start at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday before a crowd of 14,403. Starks was responsible for 327 yards of offense and four rushing touchdowns, while the Bulldogs totaled a season-high 296 yards on the ground.
Furman won the toss but deferred to the second half, giving the Bulldogs the ball first. The Citadel quickly took advantage, moving the ball at a steady pace from its own 25-yard line. A series of runs by Starks put the Bulldogs in scoring position. On third down, running back Van Dyke Jones rushed for eight yards to the Furman 11 for The Citadel first down. Starks capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run at 7:11 in the first quarter to put the Bulldogs up, 7-0.
Jordan Panter then kicked a 47-yard kickoff but the ball went through the Paladin returner's hands making it a live ball and recovered by Bulldog Biron Nabritt on the Furman 23-yard line. Four plays later, Starks rushed to the one-yard line and fumbled the ball into the end zone. Starks fell on the ball for the touchdown and the Bulldogs went up, 14-0, with 5:47 left in the quarter.
Furman's Mike Brown returned the next Panter kickoff for 15 yards to start the Paladin drive on the Furman 26-yard line. The Paladins recorded three first downs and had the ball within the Bulldog 30-yard line when quarterback Jordan Sorrells found David Hendrix for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 1:47 in the first quarter, making the score 14-7.
Three plays into the next Bulldog drive, Starks found running back Terrell Dallas for a seven-yard slant pass and the first down on the Bulldog 33-yard line. However, a roughing the passer penalty on Furman gave The Citadel 15 more yards, putting them on the 48. A couple of first downs later, the Bulldogs found themselves on the Paladin 17-yard line on first-and-10. Starks threw an incomplete pass on the next play, but then rushed for 17 yards for the touchdown at 12:23 in the second quarter. The extra point by Keeler put the Bulldogs up, 21-7.
The Paladins were quick to respond, scoring again on their next drive. After Panter booted the ball 70 yards on the kickoff, Brown returned it 18 yards, but a holding penalty backed Furman to the nine-yard line. The Paladins then drove the ball 91 yards in 6:46, ending with a 15-yard touchdown pass at 5:23 in the second quarter. The Matthew Cesari extra point was good to make the score, 21-14.
The Citadel quickly moved the ball down the field looking to get another score in before the end of the half. Five consecutive short-yard rushes, followed by a Starks 17-yard pass to All-America wide receiver Andre Roberts, gave the Bulldogs a first down on the Furman 32.The Citadel, unable to get into the end zone, brought out the field goal unit on fourth-and-one on the Furman seven-yard line. Sam Keeler attempted a 25-yard field goal that was good with 47 seconds left on the clock, extending The Citadel lead, 24-14.
The Bulldogs kept the lead going into halftime with 226 yards of offense. Starks completed 8-of-12 passes for 64 yards. He carried the ball 12 times for 88 yards and three touchdowns. Roberts caught three passes for 30 yards, while Jeremy Buncum and Ryan Jones led the defense with five total tackles each.
Furman totaled 150 yards of offense, of which 112 were in the air as Sorrells went 12-of-13 with no interceptions and two touchdowns. Brown rushed five times for 31 yards, while Adam Mims made six receptions for 51 yards. Kadarron Anderson led the Furman defense with nine total tackles.
Furman opened the second half with another scoring drive. Moving the ball 72 yards in six plays, the Paladins scored when wide receiver Sederrik Cunningham threw a pass to Hendrix for 29 yards and the score at 11:49 in the third. Cesari's extra point made the score 24-21.
The Bulldogs would not allow Furman to get any closer for the rest of the game, after driving the ball 71 yards on seven plays and 3:43, The Citadel capped off the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Scott Harward at 8:06 in the third. The Citadel extended their lead once again, 31-21.
Both teams punted for the first time in the game on their next two drives to end the third quarter. Opening the fourth quarter, Furman drove the ball to The Citadel seven-yard line, but a Sorrells' touchdown pass attempt was intercepted in the end zone by Erik Clanton for the touchback.
The Bulldogs turned over the ball on the next drive when Starks fumbled on the Furman 31-yard line. However, after forcing Furman to punt on their next possession, the Bulldogs came back and scored again on a 23-yard rush by Starks with 2:51 left in the game. The score extended the Bulldog lead to 38-21. Furman scored on their final possession with 15 seconds left in the game when Sorrells found Tyler Maples for a six-yard touchdown pass. Cesari's extra point was good, making the final score, 38-28.
The Citadel (3-4 overall; 1-3 SoCon) totaled 479 yards of offense, 296 on the ground and 183 in the air. Starks connected on 14-of-19 passes with no interceptions for 183 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 144 yards on 23 carries and four touchdowns, tying a school single-game scoring record. Jones carried the ball 11 times for 102 yards for his first 100-yard performance of the season. Roberts caught six passes for 92 yards. Jones led the defense with eight total tackles, five solo and three assisted. Joseph Boateng and Clanton recorded one interception each.
Furman (4-3 overall; 3-2 SoCon) totaled 408 yards of offense, 279 passing and 129 rushing. Sorrells ended the game 27-of-42 with two interceptions for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Jerry Williams carried the ball nine times for 83 yards, while Mims caught eight passes for 67 yards. Anderson led the game with 14 total tackles, six solo and eight assisted.
The Bulldogs will return to Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31 to take on the Samford Bulldogs for a SoCon Halloween matchup at 1 p.m.
Furman entertains Appalachian State next Saturday at Noon ET in a game that will be televised by WLOS-TV ABC 13 in Western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina.
No. 8 Appalachian State 52, Georgia Southern 16
Final Stats
BOONE, N.C. — No. 8/9 Appalachian State University outgained Georgia Southern, 712-171, in a 52-16 defeat of its rival on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Appalachian (5-2, 4-0 SoCon) put together the elusive “complete game” that its faithful have clamored for all season and did it against perhaps its most fierce rival. In the process, the Mountaineers scored the most points that Georgia Southern (4-4, 3-2 SoCon) has ever allowed to an NCAA Division I FCS opponent in the regular-season and, as they now have in three of the last four seasons, likely dealt the knockout blow to the Eagles’ hopes for a return to the postseason.
ASU dominated from the beginning, scoring on four of its first five possessions and racking up 411 yards of offense in the first half alone, en route to a 35-10 halftime lead. The domination came on both sides of the ball; in addition to their 413 yards and 35 points, the Apps limited GSU to minus-three yards on the ground and forced two turnovers and three three-and-outs in the first half.
The rout continued in the second half, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Georgia Southern managed double-digit yardage on just one of its five second-half possessions while ASU continued to roll offensively with at least 50 yards on four of its five full series after halftime (not including three plays as time expired).
Quarterback Armanti Edwards (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) led the assault with 381 yards of total offense, despite being removed from the game after just two second-half series. Three-hundred and twenty of the yards came through the air on 26-of-34 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 61 yards on six carries, including a 31-yard run on the final play of the first quarter that made him the second player in Division I history (FCS or FBS) with 8,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career (Missouri’s Brad Smith is the other with 8,799 passing yards and 4,289 rushing yards from 2002-05).
For the first time since 2004, ASU featured two 100-yard receivers in a game in CoCo Hillary (Edgefield, S.C./Strom Thurmond), who notched his first-career 100-yard game with seven catches for 104 yards, and Matt Cline (Thomasville, N.C./Glenn), who hauled in a career-high 10 receptions for 102 yards.
Backup quarterback Travaris Cadet (Miami, Fla./Central) added 131 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and 64 yards on 4-of-7 passing while engineering a pair of scoring drives following Edwards’ departure from the game while running back Devon Moore (Mebane, N.C./Cedar Ridge) scored a career-high three touchdowns despite toting the ball only nine times in the rout.
The Mountaineers’ 712-yard output was its most since it racked up 743 in a 79-35 win over Western Carolina in 2007 and just 76 yards shy of the school record of 788, amassed in a 115-0 shellacking of Piedmont in 1936.
Defensively, Appalachian notched six sacks, its most since it had seven in last year’s 56-7 win over Jacksonville and its most against a SoCon opponent since its six at The Citadel in 2005. Jabari Fletcher (Atlanta, Ga./Grady) led the way with two sacks and two-and-a-half tackles for loss. Cortez Gilbert (Goldsboro, N.C./Charles B. Aycock) led ASU with nine tackles while linebacker D.J. Smith (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) chipped in with eight stops, including two for loss and a sack.
After the last three games in the series were decided by a total of just 11 points, the Mountaineers notched their biggest win in the series since it blanked the Eagles, 59-0, in 1939. Since that 59-point pasting 70 years ago, the Apps’ largest margin of victory over GSU had been just 19 points.
Georgia Southern, which managed just 15 rushing yards on 27 carries, was led by quarterback Lee Chapple, who completed 20-of-34 passes for 156 yards. Dion Dubose and Tavaris Williams led three Eagles in double-digit tackles with 11 apiece.
Standing at 4-0 in SoCon play for the third time in the past four years and in the midst of a 16-game winning streak in conference games, the SoCon’s longest since 1974, Appalachian continues league play next week against another longtime rival in Furman. Kickoff is set for noon at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, S.C.
The Eagles are idle next week before visiting Samford at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Wofford 35, Western Carolina 26
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina nearly erased all of 21-point first quarter deficit, clawing to within two, 28-26, in the second half. However, Wofford held off the Catamount rally to pick up its first conference victory of the season, 35-26, in Southern Conference action Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
WCU recorded four rushing touchdowns in front of the largest home crowd of the season (10,017), but a late 42-yard punt return by Wofford's Justice Joslin set up what proved to be the game-winning score for the Terriers.
"Tonight was real disappointing. We blew an opportunity. We had many chances to win this football game," said second-year head coach Dennis Wagner during post-game comments with the media. "We couldn't stop the fullback all day. When we got some momentum, when we needed a big drive, we didn't get it. We wasted an opportunity today."
Defending SoCon Freshman of the Week, red-shirt running back Dion Wilson, accounted for 122 total yards including a career-best 65 on the ground with two scores and 57 receiving yards. True freshman Michael Johnson equaled Wilson's two rushing tallies, accounting for 57 yards on the ground as WCU rushed for a season-high 175 yards and four TDs.
"We continue to get better. These freshmen running backs and this offensive line get better every week," said Wagner of his one-two rushing punch on Saturday.
Wofford (2-5, 1-3 SoCon) rushed its way to an early 21-0 advantage in the first quarter. Quarterback Mitch Allen opened scoring as the Terriers, who scored on four of their first five possessions, with a 23-yard scamper on the quarterback keeper for the early, 7-0, advantage.
Capitalizing on the first of two WCU turnovers on the day, Wofford drove a short field following an interception to go up by two scores. But the play was not without drama, though. On a first and goal play from the one-yard line, Terrier running back Michael Scott plunged forward towards the purple end zone, but had the ball jarred loose by the Catamount defense at the goal line. The ball was pounced on by Wofford offensive lineman, Ben Wilmoth, in the end zone for the score.
On its third possession, Wofford drove 81 yards in just seven plays, capped by a 12-yard run by quarterback Stev Davitte for the 21-point cushion in the waning moments of the first quarter.
Western Carolina (1-6, 1-4 SoCon) posted its first, first half touchdown of the season, reaching pay-dirt early in the second quarter. Freshman wide receiver George Richardson opened the second frame with a 21-yard scamper to the one-yard line where Johnson capped the scoring drive three plays later from a yard out, closing the gap to 14, 21-7.
Wofford countered with a 17 yard scoring run by Scott in the final five and a half minutes of the third quarter to regain the 21-point margin, which it appeared to be heading to the locker room with. However, on a third and seven play from their own 36 yard line, red-shirt sophomore quarterback Zack Jaynes found Wilson for a 50-yard run-and-catch on a screen pass.
Two plays later, Wilson slashed into the end zone for the rushing score to provide the halftime score, 28-14.
Jaynes finished the game 16-of-31 for 159 yards, but tossed a pair of interceptions and was held without a passing touchdown for the fifth-straight game. Wilson was WCU's top receiver with four catches for 57 yards while Marquel Pittman, who left the game injured in the fourth quarter, also caught four passes for 22 yards. Freshman D.J. McLendon had three receptions for 44 yards.
If the Terriers owned the opening rounds of Saturday's four-round prize fight, then the third decidedly belonged to the Catamounts. Controlling the ball for over 12 minutes of the 15-minute third quarter, the Catamounts limited the grind-it-out Terrier offense to six plays from scrimmage, scoring one touchdown and setting up another for the start of the fourth quarter.
After being forced to punt on its opening possession of the second half, Western Carolina came away with its first turnover of the game to breathe new life into the sidelines. Terrier QB Allen rushed right where junior Angelo Brown streaked through the line of scrimmage to pop the ball loose before classmate C.J. Johnson corralled the bouncing ball giving the Catamounts possession at the Terrier 24 yard line.
Three plays later, including an 11-yard scramble for Jaynes, Johnson rumbled for 13 yards for his second score of the day, closing to within a touchdown. However, the extra point attempt missed wide right, keeping the deficit at eight, 28-20.
On the ensuing possession, the Catamount defense again stiffened, forcing the lone Wofford punt of the game after just four plays. WCU then drove 80 yards in 16 plays, consuming the final 7:07 of the third quarter clock and six seconds of the fourth quarter as Wilson capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown rush. Trailing by two, 28-26, the Catamounts went for a two-point conversion, but Jaynes' fell incomplete.
Similar to a week prior, the Catamount defense delivered a stop on Wofford's next possession to give the ball back to the offense midway through the fourth quarter. The Terriers drove to WCU's 19-yard line before senior Antoine George broke up a would-be fourth-down pass play.
With the ball at their own 19, Western Carolina was only able to move to its own 38 before being forced to punt and play the field-position game. However, it was Joslin's 42-yard punt return that gave Wofford the ball in Catamount territory at the 42. The Terriers were able to drive the remaining 42 yards in just four plays, including runs of 22 and three yards by Mike Rucker, with the latter lighting the scoreboard for the game-winning score that put it out of reach for WCU.
Wofford edged Western Carolina in total offense, piling up 426 yards on 63 plays including 374 on the ground led by Scott with 92 yards and a touchdown. WCU tallied a season-best 175 rushing yards with 159 through the air for 334 yards of total offense.
Western Carolina returns to action next Saturday, Oct. 31, as it travels to Chattanooga to face the Mocs. Kickoff from Finley Stadium is set for 2:00 p.m.
Wofford hosts nationally-ranked Elon next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.