# 25 Wofford 33, #13 Georgia Southern 31
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Wofford defense came up big in the fourth quarter as the Terriers downed Georgia Southern 33-31 at Paulson Stadium on Saturday night. In the final six minutes, the Terrier defense stopped the Eagles' offense twice to secure the victory.
The Terriers are 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in the conference and the #13 ranked Eagles are 3-2 and 1-1 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Eric Breitenstein with 82 yards and two touchdowns, while Mike Rucker, Jeremy Marshall and Mitch Allen all had over fifty yards. The Eagles were led by Darreion Robinson with 116 yards and one touchdown. Wofford's defense had four sacks and twelve tackles for loss.
The Terriers took the opening kickoff and picked up two first downs before Mike Rucker went 36-yards for a touchdown at 12:04 in the first quarter. On the first drive of the game for the Eagles, they picked up three first downs before going for it on fourth-and-three, which was stopped by a sack by Eric Eberhardt.
After taking over on downs, the Terriers scored on a reverse by Devin Reed, however it was called back by a penalty. Wofford did not let that deter them, as Donovan Johnson scored two plays later from 14-yards out with 4:55 on the clock to take a 14-0 lead. Georgia Southern got a 60-yard kickoff return to open their next drive, but went three-and-out and punted to the one-yard line.
Georgia Southern was able to stop Wofford in the end-zone for a safety with 2:24 left in the first quarter. After the free kick, the Eagles gained two first downs, but had to punt after a sack by Alec Goltry.
With the ball back, the Terriers gained a first down before a fumble that was recovered by Wofford in the backfield. Two plays later, the Terriers were forced to punt. The Eagles were able to put together a drive that gained two first downs and ended with a 36-yard field goal by Adrian Mora for a 14-5 game at 5:27 in the second quarter. Wofford went three-and-out and punted on their next possession.
The Eagles moved the ball into Wofford territory before a sack and fumbled snap forced Georgia Southern to line-up to punt on fourth-and-three. However the Eagles ran a fake and gained the first down with just over a minute to play in the half. Jaybo Shaw ran the ball in from two-yards out with 31 seconds on the clock to make it a 14-12 game. Wofford was able to run one play before the end of the first half.
To open the second half, Georgia Southern had the ball and was forced three-and-out. Wofford converted a third-and-19 with a pass to Devin Reed. The Terriers hit a big play when Mitch Allen found Brenton Bersin all alone on the far side of the field for a 52-yard touchdown reception to take a 21-12 lead with 11:23 in the third quarter.
Wofford's defense stood strong on the next drive by the Eagles and after a sack by Eric Eberhardt Georgia Southern punted and the ball was downed on the one-yard line. On third down, Wofford fumbled and E.J. Webb recovered the ball in the end-zone for a touchdown to make it a 21-19 game at 6:55 in the third quarter.
The Eagles recovered an onside kick after the touchdown and were forced to punt, but a personal foul for roughing the kicker gave Georgia Southern a first down. However a fumble was forced by Phillip LeGrande and recovered by Mike McCrimon to give the ball back to the Terriers. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Eric Breitenstein scored from two-yards, but the point after was missed, giving Wofford a 27-19 lead.
With the ball back, the Eagles completed a 35-yard pass for a first down deep in Wofford territory. J.J. Wilcox scored a 22-yard touchdown to end the drive and the two-point conversion failed with a quarterback sack for a 27-25 score with 12:13 remaining in the fourth quarter.
After a Wofford punt, the Eagles used a 78-yard touchdown by Darreion Robinson on the first play of the drive to take a 31-27 lead after the two-point conversion run was short with 10:15 left on the clock. The Terriers were then able to put together a ten-play drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown run by Eric Breitenstein. After two false start penalties on the extra point, the try was wide and the score was 33-31 with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter. The Terrier defense came up with a three-and-out and got the ball back after a punt.
Wofford gained one first down, then were faced with fourth-and-one at midfield with under two minutes left. The Terriers run came up short, giving the ball back to the Eagles with 1:37 left. After stopping their offense on the first three plays, a sack by Alex Goltry on fourth-and-eleven turned the ball back over to Wofford to run out the clock for the win.
The Terriers had 408 total yards, with 302 on the ground. Georgia Southern had 341 yards, 243 of which were rushing. Wofford had the time of possession advantage. Wofford was 8-of-13 on third downs. Georgia Southern was 3-of-13 on third down and one-of-three on fourth down. Wofford was penalized a season-high eight times for 97 yards, while Georgia Southern was flagged only once.
#1 Appalachian State 34, #19 Elon 31
BOONE, N.C. - A Kidd Brewer Stadium-record crowd of 31,531 was on hand as Appalachian State University football held off Elon, 34-31 to move to 5-0 on the season and a perfect 3-0 in Southern Conference play.
Both teams scored on their first drive of the game, before Elon took a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter on a 29-yard field goal.
The Mountaineers responded mid-way through the second quarterwith a four-play, 86-yard drive ending with a 36-yard Cedric Baker touchdown run.
The Mountaineers then extended the advantage to 20-10 before the half with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, capped by DeAndre Presley's career-long 53-yard run.
The junior quarterback netted a career-best 170 yards on the ground on 23 rushes with two scores.
Elon responded with a two-minute march down the field to pull within three points before the half at 20-17.
Coming out of the intermission, ASU stumbled on its first two drives but added to the lead again with a 44-yard run by Presley for a score.
Elon responded on its next drive to pull within 27-24 late in the third quarter. The Apps would score one more time on a 13-yard completion to CoCo Hillary and after the Phoenix pulled back within three points with four minutes to play, the ASU offense moved the ball down the field to secure the win.
Hillary totaled a team-high 76 receiving yards on three catches. Presley threw for 204 yards on 14-of-19 passing.
D.J. Smith led the team with 14 tackles while Jabari Fletcher picked up two sacks and three tackles for loss.
Samford 38, Western Carolina 7
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Samford running back Chris Evans rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs handed Western Carolina a 38-7 Homecoming Day loss on Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
WCU sophomore tailback Michael Johnson rushed for a career-high 117 yards and classmate Jacoby Mitchell hauled in his team-leading fifth touchdown reception as bright spots for the Catamount offense which struggled with five turnovers, including four interceptions.
Samford (3-3, 1-2 SoCon) broke open a 7-0 game with 24 straight points in the second quarter, capped by a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired in the opening half.
Two plays after senior Angelo Brown blocked a 47-yard Cameron Yaw field goal attempt with 18 seconds left in the first half, true freshman quarterback Brandon Pechloff was picked off by senior Jamael Lett who raced 59 yards up the right sideline for the score, handing the Bulldogs a 31-0 halftime edge.
Lett finished with two interceptions on the night, with Thomas Broussard and Tae Lewis adding picks for the Bulldogs.
In the second half, the two teams played to an even, 7-7, tie with Samford stretching its lead to 38-0 on Evans' third scoring scamper from seven yards before the Catamounts were able to light the scoreboard early in the fourth. Johnson broke off a 41-yard rush before back-up quarterback Zac Brindise found a wide-open Mitchell down the left sideline for a 25-yard scoring strike, capping the 66-yard drive.
All told, Western Carolina was out-gained 502-to-247 in total offense as the Catamounts only managed 83 yards through the air on 9-of-33 passing with the four picks. Five different receivers caught passes for WCU including a team-best three by Deja Alexander, while tight end Taylor Spangler made his first reception since 2008 after missing last year with a leg injury.
Trailing just 7-0 midway through the first quarter, Western Carolina (2-4, 1-2 SoCon) had a golden opportunity to get on the scoreboard after junior Torez Jones snared a deflected pass intended for Samford's Chris Cephus and returned it 34 yards to give the offense the ball at the Bulldog 24 yard line.
However, the Catamounts could only manage two yards off the Bulldog defense and the 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left, keeping WCU off the scoreboard.
Senior defensive back Mitchell Bell matched his career-high while sophomore linebacker Rock Williams established his career-best, both with a game-high 14 tackles in the loss. Williams added one tackle for loss while Bell forced a fumble.
Evans' 131 yards on the ground pushed the senior over the 4,000-yard career rushing mark for the Bulldogs. Starting quarterback Connor Lowery threw for 167 yards on 13-of-28 passing with the one interception and a touchdown pass. Dustin Taliaferro added 23 yards through the air on four completions. A total of 12 different receivers caught passes for the Bulldogs in the win.
Chattanooga 28, The Citadel 10
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel football team dropped their third straight game on Saturday afternoon as they fell, 28-10, to Chattanooga in front of 13,044 on Parents Day at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Chattanooga started its second drive of the game on the Mocs' 39-yard line. B.J. Coleman completed a pass to Garrett Hughes for 46-yard pass and put the Mocs in scoring territory on the Bulldogs' 2-yard line before Keon Williams ran the ball in for the score with 4:04 on the clock, putting Chattanooga up, 7-0.
The second UTC score came early in the second quarter when the Mocs drove the ball 61 yards yard in eight plays, capped off by a Coleman post pass to Sloan Allison for a 7-yard touchdown with 12:03 on the clock. The score gave Chattanooga a14-0 advantage.
Quarterback Matt Thompson entered the game for The Citadel on their first possession of the second quarter. The Citadel, struggling to advance the ball, brought out the punt crew on fourth-and-11 on the Citadel 41-yard line. However, a trick play sent punter Cass Couey up with the middle for a 33-yard rush, earning the first down on the UTC 26-yard line. On third-and-4, fullback Terrell Dallas rushed for an 8-yard touchdown run, putting the Bulldogs on the board with 6:58 left in the first half.
The Citadel maintained possession for the last 5:29 in the first half, collecting six first downs and driving the ball 50 yards to the Chattanooga 2-yard line. However, the Bulldogs were unable to get in the end zone and brought out the field goal crew on fourth-and goal on the UTC 2-yard line. Ryan Sellers' 20-yard field goal attempt was good and The Citadel was within four at the half, 14-10.
The Citadel defense came out strong opening the second half. Defensive tackle Quintin Turner forced an Erroll Wynn fumble on the second play of the opening drive. Linebacker Rod Harland recovered, giving the Bulldogs possession on the UTC 47-yard line. The Bulldog offense, led by Martin, completed eight plays, advancing 23 yards, before Martin attempted a 30-yard pass to a well-covered Domonic Jones in the end zone. The ball, bobbled between Jones and his defenders, landed in the hands of Chattanooga's Kadeem Wise for the interception in the end zone.
Chattanooga capitalized off the Bulldog turnover, driving the ball 80 yards for their third score of the game. The touchdown came on a 21-yard pass from Coleman to Joel Bradford with 3:03 on the clock in the third quarter, putting UTC up, 21-10, at the end of the third.
After exchanging a pair of punts, Chattanooga used a 16-play drive that spanned 88 yards in 9:35 to seal the win as Williams punched in his second touchdown of the day on a 2-yard run to put UTC in front, 28-10. The Citadel would drive into Mocs territory one last time, but a fumble on fourth down gave Chattanooga back the ball and they ran out the clock for the 28-10 win.
The Citadel totaled 263 yards, 238 of which were on the ground. Dallas led the rushing attack with 67 yards on 16 carries, while Thompson went 2-for-5 with 25 yards passing and an interception. Chattanooga gained 379 total yards, 222 of which were on the ground. Williams gained 101 yards on the ground and scored twice. Coleman completed 13-of-21 for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
Furman 56, Howard 14
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Cody Worley passed for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also rushed for another score in only two quarters of action to power Furman to a 56-14 victory over Howard in non-conference football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
Worley scored on a two-run in the second quarter and finished off a strong Furman first half with a 12-yard touchdown strike to Colin Anderson and 11-yard connection with Tyler Maples to help the Paladins build a 42-7 halftime lead.
The win was the 21st straight for Furman (3-2) over non-conference regular season opponents in Paladin Stadium dating back to 1999.
Backup quarterback Dakota Derrick, who started the second half, led all rushers with nine carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including a 28-yard sprint around left end in the third quarter that stretched Furman's lead to 49-7.
Raul Rodriquez, seeing the first real action of his career, ran 11 times for 73 yards, and Jerry Williams finished with five rushes for 45 yards and a score - all in the first half.
Adam Mims caught four passes for 64 yards, and Sederrik Cunningham collected a pair of catches for 51 yards to run his string of consecutive games with at least one reception to 27.
Kadarron Anderson topped all defenders with 12 tackles, nine of which were registered in the first two quarters of play.
Adam Mims' 42-yard punt return to the Howard 12 set up Furman's first score, which came on the next play when Mike Brown raced around left end and into the end zone with the game less than three minutes old.
Three plays later Paladin defensive back Sterling Johnson picked off a pass by Howard's Randy Liggins and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.
The early onslaught continued after Furman stopped the Bison at the Howard 45 on a fake punt. A 19-yard run by Adam Mims to the Bison 26 was followed five plays later by a Jerry Williams 1-yard touchdown plunge for a 21-0 lead.
Howard (1-5) got on the board on its next series, using a 45-yard pass from Liggins to Shannon Thomas to the Furman 21 to set up a 3-yard Casey Council touchdown run that made it 21-7 with 26 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Furman responded with three touchdowns in the second period to break the game open. A 2-yard touchdown run by Worley completed a 7-play, 57-yard drive and gave the Paladins a 28-7 advantage. Worley then helped the Paladins take total control with a pair of scoring strikes, including an 11-yard hook-up with Maples with only 27 seconds to go before intermission for a 42-7 lead.
The Paladins return to Southern Conference play next Saturday when they play Samford in Birmingham in a 2:00 p.m. ET game that will be televised by SportSouth.