#10 Wofford 35, The Citadel 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford football team held The Citadel scoreless in a 35-0 win at Gibbs Stadium. The Terriers held the Bulldogs to only 143 total yards of offense with ten tackles for loss for the Wofford defense.
The Terriers, ranked ninth in the nation, are 7-1 on the season and 5-0 in the conference and the Bulldogs are 2-7 overall and 0-6 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led Eric Breitenstein with 76 yards and two touchdowns, Brian Kass with 62 rushing yards and a passing touchdown, and Mitch Allen with a passing touchdown. The Bulldogs were led by Terrell Dallas with 56 rushing yards and Sam Martin with 47 rushing yards.
After trading three-and-outs to open the game, on the second drive by the Bulldogs Matt Thompson was intercepted by Tommy Irvin. On the second play after the turnover, Mitch Allen found Jeremy Marshall for a 31-yard touchdown reception to make it a 7-0 score with 9:50 on the clock.
With the ball back, The Citadel was forced three-and-out again. On the punt, the ball was fumbled by the punter and recovered at the six-yard line by Alvin Scioneaux. Again, two plays were all it took for Wofford to score when Eric Breitenstein went in from two-yards out for a 14-0 lead at 7:13 in the first quarter.
The Citadel picked up a couple first downs on their next drive, but we again forced to punt. Brian Kass took over at quarterback and the seven-play drive was capped by a 30-yard reception by Brenton Bersin. The remaining twelve minutes of the first half saw the teams combine for two punts, three fumbles and two turnovers on downs before the end of the half.
To open the second half, the teams again traded punts. On the second drive of the half by the Terriers, Wofford gained two first downs before punting. The Bulldogs turned it over again on a fumble that was recovered by Keaton Thompson. For the third time in the game, it took the Wofford offense just two plays to score as Eric Breitenstein ran it in from 19-yards out for a 28-0 lead at 1:56 in the third quarter.
The Wofford defense forced another punt and the offense went to work on a nine-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by Donovan Johnson scoring from one-yard out. The Terriers had a 35-0 lead with 10:18 left in the game. The Citadel picked up two first downs on their next drive, but had to punt. Wofford went three-and-out and punted, but the clock ran out on the Bulldogs on their final drive.
The Terriers had 362 total yards, with 237 on the ground. The Citadel had 143 yards, 132 of which were rushing. The Citadel had the time of possession advantage, but Wofford was +2 on turnovers. Wofford was 3-of-10 on third downs. The Citadel was 3-of-14 on third down.
Elon 49, #23 Chattanooga 35
ELON, N.C. - A.J. Harris had a career day, rushing 31 times for 163 yards and four touchdowns and Joshua Jones scored the eventual game-winning TD on an interception return as Elon snapped 20th-ranked Chattanooga's five-game winning streak with a 49-35 victory at Finley Stadium on Saturday. The win was the fifth consecutive in the series for Elon who improved to 3-5 on the season and 2-3 in the Southern Conference. UTC fell to 5-3, 4-2.
On the first play of the game, Chattanooga's Chris Donald recovered a Scott Riddle fumble at the Elon 23-yard line. Five plays later, the Mocs put the first score on the board when B.J. Coleman found Joel Bradford in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard score with 12:51 to play in the first quarter. UTC's J.J. Jackson carried for a total of 13 yards on the first three plays of the drive.
Elon started its next drive at its own 40 thanks to a 16-yard kickoff return by Lance Camp. Harris picked up 10 yards and a first down as he carried the ball on the first two plays. Riddle then completed his first pass of the day, an eight-yard gain to Camp. The next play went for another nine yards on a screen to Aaron Mellette. The Phoenix moved to the UTC 29 where Elon faced a third-and-six. Riddle looked to the end zone for Mellette, but the Mocs were flagged for pass interference that moved the ball to the UTC 14. Harris then rumbled in for the game-tying score with 10:27 left in the first period. The score was Elon's first rushing touchdown since game two of the season.
The Mocs took the ball and had driven into Elon territory at the 30-yard line before Erroll Wynn's fumble was recovered by the Phoenix's Brandon Brant at the 20. Harris picked up 22 yards on the ground on the first play of the drive, moving Elon across midfield. The Phoenix gained another 15 yards on a Riddle pass to Sean Jeffcoat along the Elon sideline. On third-and-11 from the UTC 35, Riddle found Jeffcoat along the Mocs' sideline for a 12-yard completion and a first down. Harris carried on the next three plays, gaining 15 yards to the UTC 12 before Riddle connected with Jeffcoat to the three. Harris found the end zone for the second time, running it in from three-yards out to give Elon a 14-7 advantage with just over three minutes to play in the first period.
UTC's next drive was ended by Elon's Chandler Wrightenberry who picked off a Coleman pass at the Elon 40 and returned it to the Chattanooga 41. Two Dontay Taylor gains of six yards were sandwiched around a nine-yard screen pass to Kierre Brown as the Phoenix moved the ball to the UTC 20 as the first quarter closed. The second period began with a Taylor rush of nine yards that set up a first-and-goal at the nine for Elon. On the next play, Taylor lost the ball and UTC's Donald fell on the ball at the 13-yard line.
The Mocs could not take advantage of the Elon turnover and went three-and-out. Elon returned the favor and the Mocs began their next drive at their own 21. Coleman hit Bradford for a 24-yard gain on the first play of the drive and moved the ball to midfield before Jones tipped a pass and Andrew Straus snared his first career interception at the Elon 29.
Facing a third-and-five from its own 34, Riddle went deep to Mellette. The ball looked as if it would be overthrown, but UTC was flagged for its second pass interference penalty of the day and Elon's drive stayed alive with a first down at its own 49. After a sack, Riddle completed a screen to Mellette who went for 15 yards and a first down thanks in part to a solid block by Camp. After Elon moved to the Mocs 25, Harris scored his third rushing touchdown of the day on a 25-yard scamper around the right end as the Phoenix built a 21-7 lead with 7:38 remaining in the first half.
Elon upped its edge to 28-7 after Riddle hit Jeffcoat on a 40-yard completion that capped a four-play, 80-yard drive. The drive began with a rush of eight yards by Harris before Riddle hit Camp for 19 yards to the Elon 47. After yet another pass interference penalty on the Mocs, Elon set up at the UTC 40 and Riddle then found Jeffcoat for the score.
UTC used the most of its next possession, marching 78 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown to make it 28-14 with 1:05 to play. On third-and-four from their own 37, Coleman found Brian Sutherland for nine yards and a first down. The Mocs then picked up 15 yards on third-and-10 to get into Elon territory at the 48-yard line on a completion to Bradford. Bradford picked up another 11 on the next play as the Mocs moved to the Phoenix's 37. On third-and-five, Marlon Anthony grabbed a seven-yard reception to the 25. On the next play, Coleman found Anthony for the 25-yard score to make it a 28-14 game.
Elon got the ball back with just over a minute to play in the first half, but did not take its foot off the gas, marching 75 yards on just three plays to regain its 21-point cushion. Riddle found Harris for 11 yards on the first play before hitting Camp for another seven yards to move the ball to the Elon 43-yard line. On the next play, Riddle dropped back and found a streaking Jeffcoat along the left hashes for a 57-yard connection and score. It was Elon's longest completion of the season and was Riddle's 100th career touchdown toss.
The Phoenix racked up 331 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes, including 111 rushing yards by Harris. Riddle threw for 215 yards in the period, the 38th time in his career in which he eclipsed the 200-yard mark.
Chattanooga got the ball at its own 13 to start the second half of play and drove 87 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown. The Mocs faced a third-and-three from the 15 when Coleman hit Jackson for nine yards. Two plays later, Bradford hauled in a 12-yard reception to move to the UTC 41 before Keon Williams rushed for another 13 yards to move the ball to the Elon 46. On second-and-three, Coleman found Chris Awuah for 14 yards to the Elon 25. After a gain of 18 to Sutherland to the seven, Coleman found an open Bradford in the middle of the end zone for the score to make it a 35-21 game with 10:41 showing on the clock in the third quarter.
UTC got the ball back at its own 21 after a Harris fumble. Awuah promptly gained 11 yards on a reception for a first down at the 32. Coleman then hit Bradford for another 31 yards as the Mocs moved to the Elon 37. Facing third-and-four from the 32, Williams rushed for a first down at the Elon 24. Garrett Hughes picked up nine yards on the next play before Williams gained just enough for a first down at the 14. The Mocs moved to the eight on a six-yard pass to Sutherland. A false start penalty moved the ball back to the 13 and an incomplete pass brought up a third-and-nine. Coleman tried to hit a screen to Awuah on third down, but the ball fell incomplete. The Mocs would go for it on fourth down and Coleman's pass into the end zone was knocked away by Terell Wilson.
After forcing Elon to punt, the Mocs started their next drive at their own 43. The first play from scrimmage was a reverse run by Sutherland who scampered for 18 yards to the Elon 39. The fourth quarter began with the ball at the Elon 22 and Chattanooga needing nine yards for a first down. On third-and-nine Coleman found Sutherland in the back left corner of the end zone for his fourth TD toss of the game. The PAT pulled UTC within seven at 35-28 with 14:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Kierre Brown was hit on the ensuing kickoff return and fumbled the ball at the Elon 20 which was recovered by Chattanooga's Sloan Allison at the 20. On the first play after the turnover, Hughes grabbed the screen pass and went in for the score. After the successful PAT, UTC had eliminated its 21-point deficit and even the score at 35-35 with 14:35 to play.
The Phoenix went three-and-out on its next possession and the Mocs took over at the UTC 30. On the first play, Elon's Jones picked off Coleman and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to put Elon back on top 42-35 with 13:13 left on the clock.
Coleman's next pass was picked off by Blake Thompson who brought the ball back 37 yards to the UTC five. Riddle ran four yards to the one before Harris picked up the final yard for his fourth TD of the game. Adam Shreiner's PAT gave Elon a 49-35 lead with 12:13 to play.
UTC converted a third-and-10 with a 15-yard completion to Bradford that moved the ball to the Chattanooga 46. After a Coleman-to-Bradford connection set up fourth-and-inches at the Elon 45, Coleman ran the quarterback sneak for a first down at the Elon 43. Two plays later, UTC had a first down at the Elon 30. UTC would face a third-and-eight from the Elon 28 when Brandon Ward tipped a Coleman pass and Travis Greene ended up with Elon's fifth interception of the game.
Riddle ended the day by completing 21-of-29 pass attempts for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Elon ended the day with 173 rushing yards on 44 attempts. Jeffcoat finished the game with seven catches for a career-best 154 yards and two scores.
Chattanooga's Coleman completed 33-of-63 pass attempts for 386 yards and five touchdowns, but was also picked off a career-high five times in the loss. Bradford, the nation's leading receiver, finished with 11 catches for 152 yards and two scores.
The two teams combined for 994 yards on 168 offensive plays.
Brandon Wiggins made 12 tackles while Wilson finished with 10 stops to lead Elon. Elon's five interceptions were by five different Phoenix players.
Chattanooga's Ryan Consiglio led all players with 16 total tackles.
Samford 20, Georgia Southern 13
STATESBORO, Ga. - Samford senior running back Chris Evans rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries to lead the Bulldog football team to a 20-13 Southern Conference win at Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon at Paulson Stadium.
The Samford defense had a strong game as well, holding the Georgia Southern offense to just 122 rushing yards and 174 yards of total offense. Entering the game, the Eagles were averaging 268 rushing yards and 363 total yards per game
Evans rushed for over 100 yards for the fourth-consecutive game. Evans has rushed for 852 yards so far this season and he now has a school-record 4.321 career rushing yards, moving him ahead of Auburn legend Bo Jackson (4,303 yards) for second in state history.
Samford junior quarterback Dustin Taliaferro returned to his starting role and completed 11-of-21 passes for 108 yards in the win. Alex Barnett had seven rushes for 24 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively for Samford, Bryce Smith had 10 tackles. Sean Thompson had an interception and Michael Prendergast had a fumble recovery. As a team, Samford had 319 yards of total offense to Georgia Southern's 174 yards.
Georgia Southern's offense was led by Robert Brown, rushing 13 times for 42 yards. Quarterback Jerick McKinnon rushed 17 times for 39 yards and a touchdown, and completed 2-of-2 passes for 17 yards. Jaybo Shaw was 3-for-9 passing for 35 yards and an interception.
Georgia Southern struck first when McKinnon scored on a one-yard run. The two-point conversion attempt was no good to make the score 6-0 with 8:07 to go in the first quarter.
Evans put Samford on the scoreboard with a five-yard scoring run with 14:16 to go in the third quarter. Cameron Yaw's extra point gave Samford a 7-6 lead. The score capped a 14-play, 98-yard drive that took 4:20 off the clock.
Yaw added to Samford's lead with a 46-yard field goal with 6.4 seconds to go in the second quarter. The kick gave the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead and was set up when Prendergast recovered a Georgia Southern fumble at the Eagles' 38-yard line.
Samford added to its lead with 5:03 to go in the third quarter when Yaw kicked a 31-yard field goal to make the score 13-6. Barnett scored on a five-yard run with 6:09 to go in the game and Yaw's extra point gave the Bulldogs a 20-6 lead.
A 76-yard return by GSU's Laron Scott on the ensuing kickoff gave the Eagles the ball at the Samford 21-yard line. Three plays later, Shaw scored on an 11-yard run and Adrian Mora's PAT cut the Samford lead to 20-13. The Samford defense, however, stopped the GSU offense on its last two possessions to preserve the win.
With the win, Samford improves to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in SoCon play, while Georgia Southern drops to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in league play. The win was the third-straight for Samford over Georgia Southern.
#1 Appalachian State 37, Furman 26
BOONE, N.C. - Behind nine crucial points from its defense, top-ranked Appalachian State University topped longtime rival Furman, 37-26, on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
With its 26th-straight Southern Conference victory, No. 1 Appalachian (8-0, 6-0 SoCon) moved to 8-0 for only the second time in the program's 81-year history.
While its high-powered offense has grabbed the headlines for much of the season, ASU rode a staunch defensive effort to Saturday's victory. The Mountaineers limited Furman (4-4, 2-3 SoCon) to 266 yards of total offense, 71 fewer than the Paladins' average coming in and 84 less than ASU had allowed on average through seven games.
The defense was especially stingy in the first half, as it surrendered just 76 yards to help the Apps jump out to a 14-6 halftime lead. The highlight of the first-half defensive effort came after Appalachian quarterback DeAndre Presley threw his first interception of the season, which Furman's Kadarron Anderson returned 26 yards to the ASU 11 yard line. Thanks to a roughing the passer penalty on a botched field-goal attempt, FU, which trailed 7-3 at the time, had six chances from inside the Appalachian 11 to take the lead but the Mountaineers turned the Paladins away all six times, forcing a field goal that only cut the ASU advantage to 7-6.
Inspired by the defensive stand, ASU's offense marched 60 yards in six plays on the very next series and stretched the lead to 14-6 on the second of Travaris Cadet's career-best three touchdowns with 3:28 to go in the first half.
The defensive dominance continued after halftime when just 46 seconds into the second half, ASU defensive end Jabari Fletcher scooped up a botched handoff in the Furman backfield and rumbled 40 yards for his first career touchdown that extended the Mountaineer lead to 21-6.
The teams exchanged touchdowns twice over the next 20 minutes and Appalachian took a 15-point lead deep into the fourth quarter when the Paladins made things interesting by cutting the ASU advantage to 35-26 on a five-yard touchdown pass from Cody Worley to Daniel McFadden with 2:38 left to play. Needing the extra point to draw within one score, Furman's PAT was blocked by Mountaineer cornerback Troy Sanders, who scooped up the loose ball and took it all the way back for a defensive two-point conversion that gave Appalachian a 37-26 lead and effectively ended any hopes of a Paladin comeback.
Of Furman's 266 yards, 124 came on just four plays. Over the Paladins' other 53 snaps, they managed just 2.7 yards per play. ASU's defense forced a season-high-tying six three-and-outs and allowed Furman to convert only 2-of-13 third-down opportunities.
Linebacker Justin Wray led the defensive effort with nine tackles and a quarterback hurry while fellow linebackers D.J. Smith and Brandon Grier chipped in with seven and six tackles, respectively. Defensive tackle Dan Wylie also registered six stops.
Appalachian's offensive star was Cadet, who ran a career-high 24 times for 108 yards and the three touchdowns from nine, one and one yards. Despite struggling to find his rhythm for much of the day, Presley still engineered four scoring drives and finished with 217 yards of total offense (137 passing and 80 rushing). Presley's favorite target was Brian Quick, who caught a game-high four passes for 46 yards, including a 19-yard reception in the third quarter that made him only the fourth Mountaineer to ever reach the 2,000-yard plateau for career receiving yards.
With the victory, Appalachian extended its record winning streak over Furman to six games and its home winning streak, over the Paladins to eight. After winning just eight of the first 31 all-time meetings between the two programs, ASU has won nine of the last 10 games in the series.