No. 13 Elon 19, Furman 12
Final Stats
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Adam Shreiner’s 37-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the game lifted Elon to an eventual 19-12 Southern Conference victory over Furman in football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
Shriener’s field goal put Elon ahead 13-12, and the Phoenix’s Travis Greene pounced on a fumble in the end zone on Furman’s ensuing kickoff return attempt for the game’s final points, helping Elon (4-1, 2-0) to only its second victory in Greenville in 10 games.
Furman (3-2, 2-1 SoCon) appeared poised for the upset after Tersoo Uhaa bulled into the end zone from a yard out to give the Paladins a 12-10 lead with 1:56 remaining, capping a seven-play, 73-yard drive, but a bad snap from center on the PAT cost Furman a chance for a 3-point lead.
Taking the kickoff Elon drove from its own 28 to the Furman 20. A 27-yard pass from quarterback Scott Riddle to A.J. Harris proved to the possession’s big play, giving the Phoenix the ball at the Furman 43. Riddle then reeled off a 14-yard run to the 29 and then connected with Sean Jeffcoat for a 9-yard gain to the Furman 20 to set up Shreiner’s game winning kick.
“We made plays down the stretch,” said Elon head coach Pete Lembo. “We knew coming in they weren’t going to give up big plays and we were going to have to earn everything we got. That certainly proved to be the case.”
“That was a tough one to lose, no doubt about it,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “We talked all week about how games oftentimes come down to only a few plays, and this one was true to that, except they made a couple of more plays than we did. It was hard to consistently establish anything against their defense, but to the credit of our defense I thought we hung in there and put ourselves in a position to win the game against a very fine Elon team.”
Riddle paced Elon’s offensive attack, completing 35-of-48 passes for 374 yards and a touchdown, but it was senior wide receiver Terrell Hudgins’ day in the spotlight as he matched a career high with 16 catches for 209 yards and a score, and, in the process, established a new Division I career receptions standard with 331 catches, surpassing Florida A&M’s Jacquay Nunnally (1997-00, 317 catches).
Both teams suffered turnovers in the red zone in the first half to keep the offenses out of the end zone. Furman rover Max Lerner picked off a Riddle pass at the goal line to halt a Phoenix scoring threat midway through the first quarter, and early in the second period the Paladins’ Walt Lenard fumbled a pitch, which was recovered by Brandon Wiggins at the Elon 6.
Shreiner’s 24-yard field goal late in the first quarter accounted for the only points in the first half.
Furman tied it at 3-3 on its first possession of the second half, using a career long 46-yard field goal by Matthew Cesari.
Cesari gave the Paladins a 6-3 advantage with 10:44 left in the game with a 22-yard field goal after quarterback Jordan Sorrells connected with Sederrick Cunningham on a 26-yard pass to the Elon 9.
Two possessions later Elon regained the lead, covering 69 yards in eight plays for Riddle’s 1-yard touchdown connection with Hudgins in the back of the end zone. Hudgins set up his own score two plays earlier with a 36-yard connection with Riddle on a third-and-four-play from, the Furman 38.
Converting a third-and-15 play from its own 22 with a 16-yard catch by Adam Mims, Furman answered on its final offensive possession, moving 73 yards in seven plays to take a 12-10 lead. A 39-yard pass from Sorrells to Cunningham to the Phoenix 2 set up Uhaa’s 1-yard scoring run with 1:56 to go.
Furman is idle next Saturday. Elon entertains The Citadel next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in a SoCon matchup.
No. 10 Appalachian State 30, The Citadel 27 (OT)
Final Stats
Charleston, S.C. ? Jason Vitaris booted a 30-yard field goal in overtime to give No. 10 Appalachian State a 30-27, overtime victory over The Citadel at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Appalachian State won the toss and chose to receive the ball in the second half. The Bulldogs opened the drive with a 25-yard kickoff return by Kevin Hardy, starting The Citadel possession on the 30-yard line. The Citadel quickly advanced the ball into ASU territory and a Miguel Starks 14-yard run put the Bulldogs on the Mountaineer 16-yard line for a first down. Two plays later, Blanchard found Roberts for 12 more yards, putting The Citadel on the five, but a holding penalty pushed the Bulldogs back to the 10-yard line.
On the next play, Blanchard's pass attempt to Roberts in the end zone was too high, bringing up second-and-goal. Roberts carried the ball for six yards for third-and-goal on the four-yard line before Blanchard found tight end Alex Sellars in the end zone for the four-yard touchdown pass at 8:28 in the first quarter. Sam Keeler's extra point attempt was good and the Bulldogs went up, 7-0.
Appalachian State's CoCo Hillary returned the kickoff for 28 yards to start the Mountaineers' first possession on the ASU 38-yard line. The first play of the drive was a 23-yard pass from Armanti Edwards to Ben Jorden for a Mountaineer first down and the ball on the Bulldogs' 39-yard line. A couple of plays later, Edwards connected with Brian Quick for another 17 yards and another Mountaineer first down. Edwards made a run for the end zone on third-and-goal but Bulldog defensive lineman Terrence Reese tackled the Mountaineer quarterback for a loss of two yards. ASU brought out their field goal unit but a bad snap kept the ball on the ground and the Mountaineers recorded a turnover on downs.
The Citadel took over on the 28-yard line and again found success at the end of the drive. Three plays into the possession, Blanchard threw a screen pass to freshman running back Van Dyke Jones for a gain of 21 yards to put the Bulldogs on the ASU 48-yard line. Two plays later, Blanchard found Roberts for 15 yards and another first down on the ASU 30. On third-and-three Blanchard was sacked for a loss of nine yards, bringing out their field goal unit for a 50-yard attempt. The kick was good and the career-long by Keeler extended The Citadel lead, 10-0, with 14:54 in the second quarter.
The next Mountaineer possession again ended scoreless. After driving the ball 59 yards and taking 5:05 off the clock, ASU got as close as The Citadel seven-yard line but was forced to bring out the field goal unit again. A 25-yard attempt by Jason Vitaris was wide right and the Bulldogs took over again on their own 20-yard line.
The Citadel punted for the first time on the next drive and the Mountaineers made another attempt to get on the board. Starting the drive on their own 28-yard line after a nine-yard punt return by Travaris Cadet, the Mountaineers moved all 72 yards in seven plays and 3:03. The scoring drive was capped by an Edwards' 15-yard rush with 3:00 left in the half to make the score 10-7.
The Bulldogs moved quickly on the next possession trying to score again before the half. Hardy's 21-yard kickoff return started The Citadel drive on the Bulldogs' 31-yard line. Dallas rushed for 15 yards on the first play, followed by two- and seven-yard rushes to make it third-and-one on the ASU 45-yard line. Starks rushed for two yards and the Bulldog first down on the next play, but a sack by Blanchard for a loss of six yards pushed The Citadel back and forced the coaches to call a timeout with 37 seconds left on the clock. A couple of plays after the timeout, Blanchard broke loose for a 21-yard rush to the ASU 28-yard line and another first down. However, three consecutive incomplete passes and time running out forced the Bulldogs to attempt another field goal, this time for 45 yards. Keeler's kick was good with five seconds left in the half, sending the Bulldogs into halftime with a 13-7 lead.
Coming out in the second half, the Mountaineers were anxious to gain the lead. Edwards threw back-to-back first down passes for 26 and 19 yards, respectively, to put them in Bulldog territory. After a five-yard rush by Cedric Baker, Edwards completed a 28-yard pass to Devon Moore to put the Mountaineers on the Bulldog two-yard line. On second-and-one, defensive linemen Dewitt Jones and Jordon Gilmore made a huge stop forcing third-and-one; however on the next play Edwards rushed to the left side for the one-yard touchdown run at 12:09 in the third. Vitaris' extra point attempt was good and ASU took the lead for the first time, 14-13.
The next Bulldog drive was a short one as The Citadel went three-and-out. The Bulldog defense continued to play hard and kept the Mountaineers out of the end zone on the next drive; however they did not keep them from scoring as Vitaris found success on a 44-yard field goal with 7:43 left in the third quarter to extend their lead, 17-13. Neither team scored again in the third quarter.
After the Bulldog defense forced ASU to punt on their next possession, The Citadel regained their momentum on the next drive. Starting out on their own 20-yard line, a Terrell Dallas rush for two yards was followed by a nine-yard run by Starks for the Bulldog first down. On the next play Van Dyke Jones rushed over the Mountaineer right tackle and ran for 69 yards for the score. Keeler's extra point was good and The Citadel regained the lead, 20-17.
But the battle did not stop there. Bulldog Jordan Panter's kickoff went 60 yards, out-of-bounds, to the ASU 10, so the Mountaineer drive started on their 40-yard line. A combination of plays by Edwards and Moore put ASU back in scoring position on second-and-five on the Bulldog 14-yard line. However, an ASU penalty pushed the Mountaineers back five yards and the Bulldog defense made the stop, forcing the field goal unit back on the field. Vitaris' 30-yard field goal attempt was good and the Mountaineers tied the game at 20.
The Citadel offense, determined to claim the win, started their next drive on the ASU 39-yard line after a 58-yard kickoff return by Kevin Hardy. The Bulldogs drove the ball 39 yards in five plays, ending with a Luke Caldwell 29-yard touchdown with 5:18 left in the game to put The Citadel up, 27-20. But ASU responded immediately when in just two plays and 50 seconds off the clock, Edwards threw a deep pass to Quick for a 74-yard touchdown with 4:28 to go to tie the score again at 27. Both teams received the ball again but neither were able to score before the end of regulation.
Appalachian State won the toss in overtime and chose to play defense first. According to overtime regulations, The Citadel started the drive from the 25-yard line in the north end zone. Only gaining five yards and unable to complete a first down, the Bulldogs were forced to attempt a field goal; however a bad snap led to a wide right failed attempt. The Citadel defense then took the field and kept the Mountaineers out of the end zone but could not keep them from scoring. Vitaris connected on a 29-yard field goal to claim the win.
The Citadel totaled 373 yards of offense, 214 on the ground. Blanchard finished the game completing 11-of-20 passes with no interceptions and two touchdowns. He rushed eight times for 14 yards. Jones led the Bulldog rushing game with four carries for 81 yards, while Starks totaled 14 rushes for 48 yards. Roberts was limited to six catches for 47 yards and two rushes for 25 yards with no punt returns. The Bulldog defense was led again by Gilmore and Jones who totaled 13 and 10 tackles, respectively.
Edwards led the Mountaineer offensive effort completing 22-of-29 passes with no interceptions for 327 yards and one touchdown. He was the leading rusher with 10 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns. ASU totaled 478 yards of offense, 327 in the air. D.J. Smith totaled 10 tackles, one for a loss of three yards for the Mountaineer defense.
The Citadel drops to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in Southern Conference action, while Appalachian State improves to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in the SoCon.
The Citadel will return to action next week when they head back on the road to take on the Elon Phoenix on Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m.
Appalachian State hosts North Carolina Central next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for Homecoming.
Georgia Southern 26, Wofford 21
Final Stats
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Georgia Southern spoiled homecoming for Wofford College, handing the Terriers a 26-21 defeat at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers had two receiving touchdowns, but the Eagles used two long field goals from Adrian Mora to provide the winning margin.
Lee Chapple led Georgia Southern’s passing attack going 25-for-28 through the air for 187 yards and a touchdown. Chapple completed his first 17 passes of the game prior to his first incompletion, equaling the second-longest streak without an incompletion in SoCon history.
The Terriers fall to 1-4 on the season and 0-2 in the SoCon, while Georgia Southern is 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference. The Terriers were led by Mike Rucker with 95 yards on ten carries. Brenton Bersin and Justice Joslin both had two catches and each had a touchdown. The Eagles were led by Darreion Robinson with 78 yards rushing and a touchdown, while quarterback Lee Chapple was 25-of-28 for 187 yards and a touchdown.
“There are reasons you win and reasons you lose,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “We fought the whole way and I thought our kids got better this week, but we didn’t win this week. Why didn’t we win? We probably didn’t do everything that we needed to do from a fundamental standpoint. We had mistakes in critical times. Those things are going to cause problems for you. Georgia Southern is a good, athletic team and they did a nice job defensively in terms of scheming. It was one of those days where you had to make plays. They were not going to give us anything. I thought we fought all the way through. If people would take a look at the roster and see that we are young and getting younger as the games go on. We have to learn from this and get better. We have two weeks to get ready for one of the best teams in America, Appalachian State. The kids are working really hard. The thing that I believe is that they will bounce back. It is not going to be easy, but that is part of life. If you get knocked down, you have to get back up.”
The Eagles took the opening drive 78 yards and scored on a 14-yard pass from Lee Chapple to Jamere Valentine for a 7-0 lead at 12:16. Wofford went three-and-out on their first drive of the game, but also forced Georgia Southern three-and-out after a sack by Keaton Thompson.
Wofford got the ball back and got the ball to the Eagles’ 27-yard line, but a fourth down pass was incomplete to turn the ball over. Georgia Southern put together an eight-play drive, but was forced to punt.
With the ball back to start the second quarter, the Terriers used a 65-yard run by Mike Rucker to set-up a nine-yard touchdown pass to Justice Joslin from Mitch Allen. The game was tied at 7-7 at the 13:49 mark of the second quarter. The Eagles answered with a 10-play drive that was capped by a 48 yard field goal by Adrian Mora to take a 10-7 lead at 9:59.
The Terriers were able to put together a scoring drive using two first down runs by Alex Dunmire. The sixteen-play drive ended with a three-yard run by Mitch Allen to regain the lead at 14-10 with 1:54 left in the second quarter. The Eagles gained one first down before the clock ended the first half.
To open the second half, the Terriers went three-and-out and punted. The Eagles took their first drive of the half 58-yards in six plays and scored on a 24-yard run by Darreion Robinson to take a 17-14 lead.
Wofford punted on their next drive and with the ball back the Eagles were able to add to the lead with a 50-yard field goal by Adrian Mora at 6:13 for a 20-14 advantage. Mitch Allen was intercepted on the third play of the next drive and the Eagles converted the turnover into points on a four-yard run by Adam Urbano for a 26-14 lead at 4:14 in the third. after the two-point conversion failed.
Wofford gained one first down on their next drive, but were forced to punt. The Wofford defense then forced a three-and-out as well. With the ball back, the Terriers scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brenton Bersin from Mitch Allen at 10:47 in the fourth quarter to make it a 26-21 game.
The Terrier defense got another big three-and-out, giving Wofford the ball back with nine minutes to play in the game. However after gaining one first down, the Terriers punted. The Eagles picked up one first down before being forced to punt. The punt went only three yards, giving the Terriers the ball at the Eagles’ 42-yard line with 1:47 left in the game.
Following a holding call on the second play of the drive, Wofford had second and seven, but a fumble was forced by the Eagles and recovered by Tavaris Williams. Georgia Southern took a knee three times to run out the clock on the 26-21 win.
Wofford had 317 yards of total offense, while the Eagles had 335. Each team had six penalties. Wofford was 6-of-15 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down. Georgia Southern was 5-of-13 on third down and had a 31:44 to 28:16 lead in time of possession.
Wofford will be off next week before returning home on October 17 to host Appalachian State in a game to be broadcast on SportSouth.
Georgia Southern heads to Chapel Hill, N.C., next week to battle North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPN360.com
Samford 16, Western Carolina 3
Final Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford defense held Western Carolina to just 48 yards rushing and 163 yards of total offense as the Bulldogs defeated the Catamounts, 16-3, in Samford's Southern Conference home opener Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
"We told the players this week if you play hard, create turnovers, don't turn the ball over and win the kicking game, nine times out of 10 you'll win the game, and we did all of those things today," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "This was a good win for us."
Samford improves to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play with the win. Western Carolina drops to 0-5 overall and 0-3 in league play.
Samford was led offensively by Chris Evans, rushing 26 times for 140 yards and a touchdown. Dustin Taliaferro completed 14-of-24 passes for 103 yards. DeMarcus Covington caught six passes for 45 yards in the win.
Bryce Smith led the Samford defense with nine tackles and an interception. Corey White also had an interception, and Ty Levie recovered a fumble.
Freshman place-kicker Cameron Yaw kicked three field goals, making kicks of 35, 27 and 47 yards. Yaw's 47-yard kick was a career-long. Bob Hooper punted four times for an average of 43.8 yards per punt. Hooper pinned WCU inside its own 10-yard line twice during the game.
WCU's Zack Jaynes completed 12-of-19 passes for 115 yards and two interceptions. Marquel Pittman caught five passes for 61 yards in the game. Chris Collins led WCU with 12 tackles, while Adrian McLeod added 10 tackles for the Catamounts.
Samford got on the scoreboard first when Evans scored on a two-yard run with 11:27 to go in the second quarter. Yaw added the extra point to give Samford a 7-0 lead. The drive was set up when Smith intercepted a Jaynes pass, giving Samford the ball at the WCU 25-yard line.
Western Carolina cut the Samford lead to 7-3 when Blake Bostic kicked a career-long 44-yard field goal with 5:00 to go in the second quarter. Samford answered with a 35-yard field goal by Yaw with 1:05 to go in the second quarter to push Samford's lead to 10-3.
Samford made the score 13-3 when Yaw booted a 27-yard field goal with 2:28 to go in the third quarter. Yaw added a career-long 46-yard field goal with 8:08 to go in the fourth quarter to make the final score 16-3.
Samford had 266 yards of total offense to WCU's 163. The Bulldogs held the ball for 30:14, while WCU had the ball for 29:46.
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, when the Bulldogs play host to the Chattanooga Mocs. The game, which will be televised live on SportSouth, is scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. ET) kickoff from Seibert Stadium.
Western Carolina is idle next week.