No. 6 Appalachian State 19, Western Carolina 14
Final Stats
BOONE, N.C. - No. 6 Appalachian State University finished off its third undefeated Southern Conference slate in four years by downing archrival Western Carolina, 19-14, on Saturday afternoon at jam-packed Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Appalachian (9-2, 8-0 SoCon), which clinched no less than a share of its fifth-straight SoCon title with last Saturday's win at Elon, earned the title outright with its 20th conference victory in a row. The triumph was also ASU's 23rd in the last 25 Battles for the Old Mountain Jug versus archrival Western Carolina (2-9, 1-7 SoCon).
With All-America quarterback Armanti Edwards sidelined by a knee injury sustained in last week's 27-10 win at Elon, the Mountaineers relied on their defense and running game to keep the Jug in Boone. While running on 51 of their 67 snaps, the Apps held a comfortable 356-236 advantage in total yardage, including a commanding 255-70 edge in rushing yards.
Junior running back Devon Moore led the way with a career-high 191 yards on 25 carries, good for a 7.6-yard average. He also scored both ASU touchdowns on runs of 25 and one yards.
Despite the guady advantage in the running game, the contest was close throughout. In fact, WCU held a 7-3 lead for much of the first half thanks to a one-yard touchdown pass from Zack Jaynes to Dion Wilson late in the first quarter.
Appalachian finally siezed the momentum when it drove 73 yards on the opening series of the second half and took a 10-7 lead on Moore's 25-yard touchdown scamper.
The Mountaineers were still clinging to their the tenuous 10-7 lead early in the fourth period when their defense turned in the play of the game. On a third-and-eight play from the WCU 15 yard line, defensive ends Jabari Fletcher and Lanston Tanyi chased Jaynes all the way into the ASU end zone. With Jaynes still unable to find an open receiver due to terrific coverage by the Mountaineer secondary, Fletcher and Tanyi reached Jaynes and dropped him for a safety to stretch the Black-and-Gold advantage to 12-7.
B.J. Frazier returned the ensuing kickoff 20 yards and four plays later, the Apps all but put the game away when Moore scored from a yard out to make it 19-7 with 12:57 to play. The touchdown was set up by a 43-yard completion from Travaris Cadet to DeAndre Presley.
The ASU defense made sure the lead would stand up by forcing the Catamounts' seventh and eighth punts of the day on their next two series. The Cats managed to cut the advantage to 19-14 on Michael Johnson's two-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds remaining but the Mountaineers recovered WCU's onside-kick attempt to seal the victory.
Tanyi led Apalachian's stellar performance on the defensive side of the ball with a career-best 13 tackles and two-and-a-half sacks, which matched his career-high set in last year's win at Western Carolina.
All-America linebacker Jacque Roman chipped in with 12 tackles while Fletcher added eight stops, including one-and-a-half sacks.
Making his first-career start behind center, Cadet ran 17 times for 58 yards and completed 8-of-16 passes for 101 yards.
Johnson led the Catamounts with 105 yards on 24 carries. Jaynes completed 20-of-33 passes but managed just 166 yards against ASU's stingy defense. Defensively, WCU's Mitchell Bell topped all tacklers with 14.
Appalachian now awaits word on its opponent and game site for next Saturday's first-round NCAA Division I Football Championship matchup. The 16-team field will be unveiled at 3 p.m. Sunday on ESPNEWS.
No. 10 Elon 27, Samford 7
Final Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team wrapped up its 2009 season with a 27-7 loss to the 10th-ranked Elon Phoenix Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
"This, obviously, wasn't the way we wanted to end our season," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "Give Elon credit, they are a very good football team and they have a lot of experience."
For Elon, Terrell Hudgins caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Scott Riddle completed 27-of-41 passes for 278 yards and a score. A.J. Harris and Brandon Newsome each had a rushing touchdown for the Phoenix, with Harris rushing for 75 yards in the game and Newsome for 52 yards in the contest.
Samford was led by Chris Evans, rushing for 99 yards on 19 carries. Evans finishes the season with 1,152 yards, and he now has 3,478 career rushing yard, the top total in Samford history.
Samford quarterback Dustin Taliaferro completed 16-of-28 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Richie Fordham caught five passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. Riley Hawkins had one catch for 50 yards. Bryce Smith led all players with 14 tackles, including nine solo stops.
Elon got on the scoreboard first when Adam Schreiner kicked a 33-yard field goal with 1:35 to go in the first quarter to give the Phoenix a 3-0 lead.
The Phoenix added a touchdown with 16 seconds to go in the second quarter. Riddle hit Hudgins for a 10-yard score and Schreiner added the extra point to make the score 10-0 heading into halftime.
Samford had two chances to score in the first half. However, field goal attempts from 47 and 44 yards out by Cameron Yaw were no good, to keep the Bulldogs scoreless for the first 30 minutes of the game.
Elon's Newsome scored on a one-yard run with 4:56 to play in the third quarter. Schreiner added the extra point to give the Phoenix a 17-0 lead. Harris later scored on a 14-yard run with 30 seconds to go in the third quarter to make the score 24-0.
Samford got on the scoreboard when Taliaferro hit Fordham for a six-yard score with 10:13 to go in the game. Cameron Yaw's extra point cut the Elon lead to 24-7. The Phoenix scored the final points of the game when Schreiner booted a 22-yard field goal with 3:20 to go to make the final score 27-7.
For the game, Elon rolled up 397 yards of total offense to Samford's 220. The Phoenix produced 24 first downs to Samford's 12.
Samford ends its season with a record of 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the Southern Conference. Elon improves to 9-2 overall and 7-1 in SoCon play.
Furman 58, Wofford 21
Final Stats
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jordan Sorrells passed for 272 yards and five touchdowns to power Furman to a 58-21 Southern Conference victory over Wofford in the final regular season for both teams Saturday afteroon at Paladin Stadium.
Sorrells, a senior playing in the final game of his career and the school’s all-time leading passer, completed 25-of-36 passes, including touchdown strikes of 3, 13, 6, 6, and 29 yards to help Furman (6-5, 5-3 SoCon) build a 44-0 lead en route to the victory ? the largest in the series since 1995.
Sorrells’ five scoring tosses marked a career high and represented the most by a Paladin quarterback since 1991, when Hugh Swilling threw five touchdowns in a 46-28 victory over VMI.
The win gave Furman a third place league finish and enabled the Paladins to close the campaign with back-to-back wins. Furman was picked to finish fourth and fifth in a pair of SoCon preseason polls by SoCon coaches and media.
The triumph also ensured Furman its 11th consecutive winning season and gave the Paladins a 7-3 record against Wofford (3-8, 2-6 SoCon) this decade.
“I’m very proud of our performance today and effort and leadership of our seniors,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “Last year we performed poorly in our final two games, but this year we won our last two in impressive fashion. That will certainly help us going forward.”
“We were our own worst enemy in the first half,” said Wofford coach Mike Ayers. “You put the ball on the ground that many times against a team like Furman, you are going to pay the price. We came here a nicked up and beat up football team, especially defensively. Furman executed and got after us early, so give credit to Bobby and his staff. Offensively we could not get anything going because of the turnovers.”
Wofford suffered six turnovers in the contest, including four fumbles and a pair of interceptions, which led to 35 of Furman’s 58 points.
Furman posted a 469-286 advantage in total offense, rushing for 177 yards and passing for 292. Jerry Williams led all rushers with 14 rushes for a career high 98 yards.
Mitch Allen paced Wofford with 92 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries.
The game saw junior wide receiver Adam Mims become Furman’s all-time receptions leader, surpassing Isaac West (140 receptions, 2001-04). Mims, who caught seven passes for 99 yards and a touchdown in the contest, now has 143 receptions three seasons into his Paladin tenure.
Furman took command of the game early, scoring on its first four possessions to take a 28-0 first half lead.
A 3-yard touchdown toss from Sorrells to Jacob Longoria put the Paladins ahead 7-0.
Tersoo Uhaa’s 3-yard scoring run on the Paladins’ next possession capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive and increased the advantage to 14-0.
The Paladins took advantage of Wofford turnovers to extend the margin. A Mitch McGrath interception and 18-yard return to the Terrier 32 led to a 13-yard scoring toss from Sorrells to tight end Chris Truss on the first play of the second quater. Then, following a fumble recovery by Furman linebacker Chris Wiley at the Wofford 45, the Paladins used eight plays to find the end zone again, this time on a 6-yard hookup from Sorrells to R.J. Webb to stretch the lead to 28-0.
The Paladins continued their assault with three third quarter scores, including a 6-yard Sorrells touchdown pass to Teroo Uhaa, 35-yard Matthew Cesari field goal, and 29-yard catch and run by Mims on the final play of the period for a 44-0 lead.
An 8-yard scoring run by Austin Palmer, 2-yard touchdown plunge by Mitch Allen, and 44-yard touchdown pass from Devin Reed to Mike Rucker helped Wofford cut the lead to 44-21 before a pair of scoring runs by reserve tailback Stephone LaFrance in the game’s final three minutes closed the scoring.
Free safety Nathan Wade topped the tackle charts with a career high 16 stops, including 10 solos, and recorded his first career interception.
Georgia Southern 13, The Citadel 6
Final Stats
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Football held The Citadel scoreless for 59 minutes, then recovered an onsides kick attempt to seal the 13-6 Southern Conference win on Saturday (Nov. 21). The Eagles close out the 2009 campaign at 5-6 and 4-4 in the SoCon.
The Eagles held Citadel (4-7, 2-6) to a 3-and-out to start the game. Mitchell Williford caught the punt and on a reverse to Laron Scott the sophomore picked up a team season-best 41 yards into Bulldog territory. GS drove inside the 20 and put points on the board thanks to an Adrian Mora 31-yard field goal.
On the ensuing drive Tommy Edwards found Andre Roberts for a 37-yard reception into GS territory. On the next play Van Dyke Jones caught the Edwards pass, but lost the ball when Darius Eubanks laid a hit and the freshman defensive back recovered. However, the Eagles could not capitalize - the first of two first quarter turnovers the Eagles had but could not convert into points.
Five minutes into the second quarter Mora connected from 25 yards out, extending the Eagles' lead to 6-0.
Sophomore Tavaris Williams stepped in front of an Edwards pass and raced 36 yards to the Bulldogs' 32. The Eagles needed six plays for Lee Chapple to find Williford for a 10-yard TD reception. Mora's extra point in the final minute of the half made it 13-0.
GS out-gained The Citadel 168-129 in total yards, forced three turnovers and scored in all three trips inside the redzone.
Opponents entered the game successful 67 percent on fourth down (10-of-15). Midway through the third, Citadel went for it on 4th-and-7 from the Eagles 35. Sophomore J.B. Shippy recorded his fourth sack of the year and GS took over on downs. Later in the quarter, The Citadel looked at 4th-and-1 but was flagged for a false start. Edwards' pass attempt to Scott Harward near the endzone was broken up by K.R. Snipes and once again the Eagles took over on downs.
Edwards found Andre Roberts on a 5-yard touchdown pass, but Brent Russell blocked the extra point attempt. Jamere Valentine recovered Sam Keeler's onside attempt and the Eagles took two knees to close out the win.
In all the Eagles held The Citadel to 1-of-5 on fourth down, 5-of-13 on third down conversions.
"We played outstanding the entire afternoon. We haven't won a whole bunch this year and we sure didn't want to mess it up. We weren't looking for style points here today, we were looking to have one more point than the other team. I'm very proud of our team," said GS head coach Chris Hatcher. "All season long they stuck together with no finger pointing. They fought every single game to the final whistle and today we did a lot of the same.
"Offensively we controlled the ball most of the game Again we look back on what has been our Achilles heel all season. We have had a hard time punching it in when we get down there. We missed a field goal and a throwback to the quarterback. That would have made it a little easier at the end of the game," stated Hatcher. "The defense time and time again came up with a big stop. It wasn't just one guy it was a great team effort. To our guys credit we blocked that extra point to take away a little bit of momentum. What a great way to end a season."
Chapple completed 20-of-32 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. He also led the rushing attack with 47 yards on 14 carries.
Valentine caught a season-high seven passes for 36 yards. Brandon Nolley caught four passes for 48 yards and rushed for another 12.
Eubanks shared game-high honors with eight tackles, one off his season-high. Shippy finished with seven solo tackles.
Edwards completed 23-of-38 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown to go with his two interceptions. Roberts totaled 81 receiving yards on five catches. Rod Harland also recorded eight tackles.
No. 2 Alabama 45, Chattanooga 0
Final Stats
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ? In front of a national television audience and 92,012 fans at Bryan-Denny Stadium, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had a tough time fighting off the pressure that No. 2 Alabama brought the entire game as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 45-0 victory.
The Mocs started off strong, forcing a three-and-out on Alabama’s first possession of the game. Chattanooga converted a third-and four when sophomore QB B.J. Coleman hit junior WR Chris Pitchford for a 10-yard gain and a Moc first down. Unfortunately for Chattanooga, that was one of its few highlights of the game.
Going up against a top-ranked defense proved to be difficult for the Chattanooga offense as they gained just 84 yards on 48 plays. Coleman had players in his face the entire game completing just seven of his 21 attempts for 36 yards and two interceptions.
The Mocs also had difficulty running the football as senior Shaun Kermah, freshman J.J. Jackson and freshman Bo Dyer had six attempts each gaining a total of 39 yards.
With the offense having trouble moving the ball, the defense was on the field for most of the game. Senior Steven Smigelsky tied a career-high for the second straight game with 11 tackles. Fellow senior Joseph Thornton and sophomore Jordan Tippit each added nine more tackles. The Mocs got to the Alabama quarterback twice in the game for a loss of 17 yards.
The Crimson Tide struck first scoring a touchdown on a Trent Richardson two-yard rush with 5:23 left in the first quarter. Alabama converted on third and fourth and short to extend the 51 yard, 11-play drive.
Holding Chattanooga to a three and out, the Crimson Tide was back in the endzone as McElroy found Julius Jones on a 22-yard post route just over two minutes later. Ingram capped off the two-play, 69 yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown run.
Chattanooga attempted a reverse pass on the team’s next possession, but Jare Gault’s throw was intercepted by Cory Reamer. After three-straight rushes by Ingram, Alabama struck again as Jones caught a 19-yard pass from McElroy to extend the lead to 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
After driving for touchdowns on its first three possessions, Alabama scored on a special teams play when Javier Arenas returned a punt 66 yards. Arenas’ return was the seventh in his career for a touchdown, breaking the SEC mark.
The Mocs’ offense started moving the ball down the field converting two first downs, one by a roughing the passer penalty. The Alabama defense stopped Chattanooga’s nine play drive on a fourth and 10 from the UA 38.
The Crimson Tide responded with a drive of their own as they marched down the field recording three first downs. Ingram went over 100 yards for the day after scoring on a 40-yard rush putting Alabama up 35-0.
After a personal foul against Alabama for roughing Chattanooga long snapper Brock Oliver on a punt, the Mocs were awarded a first down on the Alabama 40. Freshman Bo Dyer found a hole through the line for an eight-yard gain and senior Shaun Kermah converted a third-and-one to put the Mocs inside the 30. Chattanooga was unable to get on the scoreboard as Coleman’s pass was intercepted on fourth and six from the Alabama 22.
At the half, Chattanooga was behind 35-0 recording 67 yards and five first downs. Coleman was 6-19 for 35 yards and an interception. Senior Shaun Kermah led the rushing attack with 18 yards on five carries.
Alabama picked off Coleman on the first play after halftime and had good field position. The Crimson Tide drive stalled when sophomore Nick Craig forced the first sack of the day bringing down Alabama backup Star Jackson to force a 41-yard field goal by Leigh Tiffin.
The Tide managed one more touchdown in the second half to end the scoring at 45-0. One small victory in the game for the Mocs was extending their streak to over four games without allowing a sack. Coleman has now thrown 213 passes since the last time he was sacked at Georgia Southern on Oct. 17.
The Mocs finish the season at 6-5, logging a winning record for the first time since 2005. With a 4-4 record in the Southern Conference, Chattanooga finishes tied with Georgia Southern for fourth place in the standings.