Appalachian State 42, Chattanooga 41
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Trailing by 21 points with less than 14 minutes to go, No. 3 Appalachian State University football scored four touchdowns in a 7:51 span then thwarted a two-point-conversion attempt with under a minute to play to hold on for a heart-stopping 42-41 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday at Finley Stadium.
Appalachian (1-0, 1-0 SoCon) extended its Southern Conference winning streak to 21 games by overcoming a 35-14 fourth-quarter deficit. Chattanooga (0-1, 0-1 SoCon) led 28-7 at halftime and regained its 21-point lead when Garrett Hughes caught B.J. Coleman's third touchdown pass of the afternoon on the first play of the fourth quarter.
From there, the Mountaineers took over, scoring the game's next 28 points in under eight minutes, capped by a bizarre 33-yard touchdown "reception" by quarterback DeAndre Presley. Chattanooga jumped offsides on a third-and-one play from the Mocs' 29 yard line, giving Presley and the Mountaineers a free play. Presley threw a quick pass to wide receiver Matt Cline, who was drilled by UTC defender Chris Lewis-Harris and fumbled. Presley picked up the loose ball and weaved his way through the UTC defense, picked up a number of key downfield blocks and scored the go-ahead touchdown from 33 yards out.
After the teams swapped scoreless series, the Mocs took possession at their own 14 yard line with 2:56 to go and drove 86 yards in 11 plays, capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Coleman on third and goal that cut the Mountaineer lead to one at 42-41 with 56 seconds left in the game. With a pair of UTC kickers having already combined to miss three extra points, Chattanooga head coach Russ Huesman elected to go for two points and a potential victory following the score. However, Buck Buchanan Award candidate Mark LeGree batted down Coleman's pass into the end zone on the two-point attempt to preserve the one-point lead. Brian Quick recovered the Mocs' ensuing onside kick attempt to seal Appalachian's epic come-from-behind triumph.
Both sides of the ball contributed to the epic comeback. On the offensive end, things started clicking at the end of the third quarter when the Mountaineers marched 86 yards in four plays, culminating the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Presley to tight end Ben Jorden that made it 28-14 with 1:17 to go in the third.
However, it looked like the touchdown would be inconsequential when UTC answered by driving 77 yard in three plays and stretched the lead back 21 with on Coleman's 16-yard scoring strike to Hughes six seconds into the final period.
Appalachian answered quickly with an identical three-play, 77-yard scoring drive that took only 49 seconds off the clock. Cedric Baker scored from three yards out to cut the ASU deficit to 35-21.
On the ensuing kickoff, redshirt freshman Tony Washington forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow redshirt freshman Karl Anderson and returned 18 yards to give ASU possession deep in UTC territory. Three plays later, Presley ran it in from four yards out to bring the Mountaineers within seven at 35-28.
Jabari Fletcher then sacked Coleman twice, the second of which forced a fumble that Fletcher recovered himself at the Chattanooga seven yard line. It only took one play for the offense to capitalize, with Baker recording his second touchdown run in under three minutes to knot the score at 35-35.
A three-and-out by ASU's defense on the ensuing series set up Presley's wild go-ahead scoring run.
In his third-career start, Presley accounted for 365 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, completing 22-of-29 passes without an interception for 340 yards and two scores and running 11 times for 25 yards and another pair of touchdowns. He was also credited with 33 receiving yards and another touchdown on the bizarre score that gave Appalachian its first lead.
The teams combined for 83 points and 978 yards but were plagued by five total turnovers (two for ASU and three for UTC). Coleman led the Mocs with 340 yards on 23-of-37 passing and five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing).
The Citadel 56, Chowan 14
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel defense, led by defensive back Cortez Allen and safety Demetrius Jackson, scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 56-14 victory over the Chowan Hawks in the Bulldog season-opener on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Turnovers plagued the Hawks as the Bulldog defense scored off of four-of- five Chowan miscues in the first half, sending The Citadel into halftime with a modern era record of 49 points in the first half. The Citadel scored 28 points in final 91 seconds of the half, as Hawk quarterback Cameron Stover accounted for all four of those turnovers. Bulldog freshman quarterback Matt Thompson passed 5-of-6 for 127 yards and three touchdowns with eight carries for 70 yards and a TD.
The defense got the Bulldogs going by putting the first points on the board when Allen snatched a Stover pass for an interception on the first play of the Hawks' first possession and returned it for a 7-yard touchdown run with 12:42 on the game clock. Two plays later, Jonathan Glaspie recorded the defense's second interception of the game within 53 seconds when he broke up a Stover pass on the Chowan 40-yard line and returned it 21 yards.
However, running back Van Dyke Jones coughed up the ball on the next play and the Hawks regained possession on their 12-yard line with11:37 on the game clock. Unable to convert the drive into a score, the Hawks brought out the punt crew with just under 10 minutes left in the quarter.
Both teams remained scoreless until Thompson made his collegiate debut under the 12-minute mark in the second quarter and opened up the scoring for the Bulldog offense. Three plays into the drive, Thompson, on a fake handoff, found receiver Alex Carr for a 34-yard touchdown pass with 9:56 on the clock. The touchdown marked a career first for both quarterback and receiver and gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead.
On the next possession, Chowan, for the second time in the game, advanced to The Citadel 1-yard line and again was backed up due to a false start penalty. Forced to attempt a field goal, Joey Gargiulo's 21-yard attempt was blocked by Demarrio Sims and picked up on the 26-yard line by Demetrius Jackson who returned it 74 yards for the score.
Thompson remained in the game and on the next Bulldog possession found receiver Dominic Jones for a 42-yard pass, putting the Bulldogs in scoring position on the Chowan 20 with just under two minutes left in the half. Two plays later, junior fullback Terrell Dallas ran straight up the middle for an18-yard touchdown run with 1:27 left in the half, giving The Citadel a 28-0 lead.
Eighteen seconds later, in the first play of the Hawk's next drive, Jackson intercepted a Stover pass at The Citadel 48-yard line and returned it 52 yards for his second TD of the game, putting the Bulldogs up 35-0. Chowan immediately turned the ball over again in the first play from scrimmage on the next possession when Stover fumbled the ball at the end of a 29-yard run. It was recovered by Bulldog Chris Billingslea on the 29-yard line and the Bulldogs took over with 1:00 left in the second quarter.
Thompson again put the Bulldogs in scoring position when he ran up the middle for 19 yards, before he found Jones for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds left on the clock. The Citadel's first half scoring did not end there as Chowan's Corne Tomlinson fumbled on the kickoff return at the Hawks' 42-yard line.
Chowan ended the shutout immediately at the start of the second half, scoring on back-to-back possessions. The first score came in the opening drive when the Hawks advanced 60 yards in five plays, capped off with an Elliott Smalls 21-yard rushing touchdown with 12:23 on the clock. After forcing a three-and-out on the Bulldogs' next possession, Chowan recorded their longest drive of the game, going 81 yards in eight plays, taking 4:12 off the clock. The Hawks narrowed the margin on a Stover 17-yard touchdown pass to Mic Satterwhite with 6:05 left in the second to make the score, 49-14.
The Citadel's new triple option offense totaled 374 yards of offense, going 5-of-6 for 247 yards in the air and 258 yards on the ground on 52 carries. The Bulldog offense turned the ball over twice, while the Hawks suffered on the offensive end with six turnovers. The Citadel freshmen posted impressive numbers led by Thompson and Jones, who totaled three catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns.
Stover completed 16-of-26 passes with four interceptions for 245 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked six times, three for a loss of 18-yards by defensive end Erik Clanton, who also led the Bulldogs defense in tackles with seven, four for a loss of 22 yards.
The Bulldogs return to action next Saturday, Sept. 11 as they head across the country to face Arizona for a 10 p.m. (ET) start in Tucson, Ariz. Stay current on Bulldog Football at CitadelSports.com.
Georgia Southern 48, Savannah State 3
STATESBORO, Ga. -- STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern (1-0) recorded six rushing touchdowns by six different Eagles en route to a 48-3 win over Savannah State (0-1) at Paulson Stadium Saturday (Sept. 4) night. The return of the option provided 431 rushing yards while the defense held Savannah State scoreless and to 23 yards of total offense in the first half.
Freshman Robert Brown became the first freshman since Adrian Peterson in 1998, and the first true freshman since Joe Ross in 1987, to rush for more than 100 yards in his first game. Brown finished the night early with 122 yards and the Eagles' first touchdown of 2010 on his 20 carries. Junior transfer Jaybo Shaw led an efficient attack, distributing the ball to five Georgia Southern backs and seven receivers. Shaw finished with 62 yards rushing, a career-best, with a one-yard touchdown. He was 7-10 for 109 yards passing.
Georgia Southern scored on its first five series as Junior Adrian Mora put the Eagles on the board midway through the first quarter with a 39-yard field goal on Georgia Southern's first drive. After the Tigers went three-and-out, the Eagles took the ball 31 yards on six plays, converting on a third-and-two to set up Brown's two-yard touchdown run.
"I'm excited for our team and glad for our guys to get a win," said Eagle first-year Coach Jeff Monken. "We've worked our kids hard, we've pushed them and really demanded alot out of them. I'm so pleased to get a win just to get the season going. I'm glad we won the game that's for sure and I'm going to enjoy it."
In the second quarter, Nico Hickey ran for seven yards to pick up the first down at the Savannah State 28 and then charged ahead another six. At third-and-nine, Shaw and Hickey connected for an 11-yard play to put Georgia Southern at first-and-goal. Four plays later, Shaw crossed the goal line for his first touchdown as an Eagle to put the score at 17-0.
After holding the Tigers to another three-and-out series, the GSU offense returned to the field and marched 36 yards for another score. Shaw moved the Eagles from the Savannah State 11-yard line and converted on third and fourth down to keep the drive alive. Shaw handed off to Lamar Brown for a six-yard touchdown and put the Eagles up 24-0.
Georgia Southern closed out the first half with 34-yard Mora field goal for a 27-0 score at the break.
Early in the third quarter, Savannah State took advantage of a Georgia Southern fumble, recovering the ball at the GSU 46. Tiger quarterback A.J. Defilippis keyed the series, picking up a first down and then set up Justin Baab for a 15-yard rush followed by a three-yard Baab run. After two incomplete passes, the Tigers settled on a Derek Williams 31-yard field goal and their first and only scoring of the game, 27-3, Georgia Southern.
The Eagles responded with their longest touchdown run on the shortest drive of the game. Sophomore J.J. Wilcox ran down the right sideline, getting his foot inbounds to score a 26-yard touchdown, his first career score, with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The drive was the longest on the day to that point, 80 yards, and took only 2:22 off the clock.
Freshmen quarterbacks Jerick McKinnon and Ezayi Youyoute got into the mix in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, with McKinnon recording his first career touchdown off a 20-yard run at 10:44 of the fourth quarter. On the next series, McKinnon handed off to Tobi Akinnirayne for his two-yard touchdown and the final Eagle score.
Sophomore Brent Russell, shared a team-best five tackles with sophomore Kyle Oehlbeck and Russell tied his career-best with two sacks in the first quarter and had half of the Eagles' four total. Darius Eubanks and Carson Hill each had four tackles with Hill, freshman Josh Gebhardt, junior Dion DuBose adding three tackles each. Gebhardt and Josh Rowe each had a sack and the Eagles' totaled 10 tackles for loss on the night.
Junior transfer placekicker Billy Greer launched his first three kickoffs 70 yards, putting Savannah State at its own goal line for start of two of its first three drives. Greer averaged 63.0 yards on nine kickoffs.
Florida State 59, Samford 6
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The 20th-ranked Florida State football team scored 35 second-quarter points to break open the game on its way to a 59-6 win over Samford in the season-opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The game was played in front of a crowd of 68,438, the second largest crowd ever to see a Samford team play. It was the first game for former Samford quarterback Jimbo Fisher as head coach of the Seminoles.
"I want to congratulate Jimbo on his first game, it was a heck of a way to start," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "I can't say Florida State surprised me today. We knew about the speed they had. We knew they were really good on offense. We knew they had a great quarterback in Christian Ponder. We knew they had their offensive line back. But I think the thing that was notable, looking at them, was the speed of their defense."
As a team, Florida State had 481 yards of total offense, while Samford tallied 300 yards of offense.
For Samford offensively, junior quarterback Dustin Taliaferro completed 22-of-32 passes for 174 yards and an interception. Freshman wide receiver Quin Roberson caught 11 passes for 96 yards in his collegiate debut. Fellow freshman receiver Kelsey Pope had four catches for 51 yards, while senior receiver DeMarcus Covington caught four passes for 56 yards.
Defensively for Samford, senior linebacker Bryce Smith had nine tackles and an interception. Senior safety Thomas Broussard also had an interception to go along with his five tackles. Sophomore place-kicker Cameron Yaw was good on both of his field goal attempts, making kicks of 41 and 32 yards.
For Florida State, Christian Ponder completed 12-of-14 passes for 167 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Backup quarterback E.J. Manuel completed 10-of-13 passes for 129 yards and an interception. Ty Jones rushed eight times for 107 yards and a touchdown, while Bert Reed caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.
The Seminole defense was led by Anthony McCloud and Nigel Bradham with six tackles apiece. Mike Harris had an interception for FSU.
On Florida State's first possession of the game, the Seminoles drove deep into Samford territory. Samford's Smith, however, intercepted a Ponder pass at the six-yard line to end the threat.
On FSU's next possession the Seminoles got on the scoreboard when Ponder hit Lonnie Pryor for a four-yard touchdown with 3:15 to go in the first quarter. Dustin Hopkins added the extra point to give the Seminoles a 7-0 lead.
The Seminoles added another touchdown early in the second quarter when Ponder hit Reed for a 15-yard score with 13:45 to go. Hopkins' PAT made the score 14-0.
FSU's Jermaine Thomas scored on a four-yard run with 11:21 to go in the second quarter. Hopkins added the PAT to give the Seminoles a 21-0 lead. The drive was set up when Chris Thompson blocked a Bob Hooper punt, giving the Seminoles the ball at the Samford 12-yard line.
The Seminoles' Greg Reid returned a Hooper punt 74 yards for a touchdown for FSU's third touchdown of the second quarter. After Hopkins' PAT, FSU held a 28-0 lead. Pryor scored on an eight-yard run with 6:40 to go in the second quarter to make the score 35-0. Ponder later hit Taiwan Easterling for an 11-yard score with 2:23 to go in the half for a 42-0 FSU lead.
Samford put its first points on the board on the final play of the first half. Yaw connected on a 41-yard field goal to cut the FSU lead to 42-3.
Yaw put the first points on the board in the third quarter by making a 32-yard field goal with 7:46 to go in the quarter to make the score 42-6.
FSU's Jones scored on a 57-yard run with 7:03 to go in the third quarter to push the Seminoles' lead to 49-6. Chris Thompson scored on a nine-yard run with 14:55 to go in the game to make the score 56-6. Hopkins kicked a 24-yard field goal with 6:36 to go in the game to give FSU the 59-6 win.
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 11, when the Bulldogs play at Northwestern State. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start from Natchitoches, La.
Ohio 33, Wofford 10
ATHENS, Ohio - In the season opener on Saturday evening, the Wofford College football team was defeated by Ohio University 33-10 at Peden Stadium. Wofford was within seven points late in the third quarter, but three turnovers in the game hampered the Terriers' chances.
The Terriers are 0-1 on the season and the Bobcats are 1-0. The Terriers were led by Mike Rucker with 76 yards rushing and Eric Breitenstein added 51 yards and a touchdown. Mitch Allen had 50 yards, but the Terriers did not complete a pass. The Bobcats were led by Vince Davidson with 70 yards and Boo Jackson had 97 passing yards on seven completions.
The Bobcats began the game with a 41-yard kickoff return, but the Wofford defense forced a three and out. On the first drive of the game for the Terriers, Mitch Allen and Mike Rucker both picked up rushing first down before having to punt the ball back to the Bobcats.
Wofford forced another punt, however on the return the ball was fumbled and recovered by Ohio's Julian Posey and returned 38-yard for a touchdown with six minutes left in the first quarter. With the ball back, Wofford picked up a fourth-and-one with a five-yard run by Eric Breitenstein. On fourth-and-one again, Brenton Bersin went 20 yards on a reverse to gain the first down. After two more rushing first downs by Breitenstein and Rucker, Breitenstein scored the first Terrier touchdown of the season from one yard out to tie the game at 7-7 with eight seconds left in the first quarter.
Ohio used several strong runs by quarterback Phil Bates to move the ball deep into Wofford territory. The Bobcats were able to add a 37-yard field goal by Matt Weller at 11:13 in the second quarter for a 10-7 advantage. On the next drive by Wofford, the Terriers came up short on a fourth-and-two, giving the Bobcats the ball back on the Wofford 39-yard line.
With the short field, the Bobcats took advantage and needed only seven plays to add a touchdown by Boo Jackson from three yards out for a 17-7 lead with 6:36 remaining in the first half. Wofford was forced three-and-out on their next possession and punted.
The Bobcats gained one first down on their next drive, but a sack by Ameet Pall on third down forced a punt that was partially blocked and went only12 yards. However the Terriers fumbled on the first play of the drive, giving the ball back to the Bobcats at the 27-yard line with just over a minute to play in the half. Tommy Irvin ended the drive with an interception of Boo Jackson that he returned 21-yards. Wofford ran two plays before the first half ended with the Bobcats leading 17-7.
On the opening drive of the second half for the Terriers, Wofford was forced to punt after a three-and-out. The Wofford defense came up big on the next series as Phillip LeGrande forced a fumble that was recovered by Eric Eberhardt. After a first down by penalty, Mike Rucker converted a fourth-and-two with a 15-yard gain. Christian Reed hit a 24-yard field goal with 8:17 left in the third quarter for a 17-10 score.
With the ball back, the Bobcats drove to the two-yard line before settling for a 19-yard field goal by Matt Weller for a 20-10 lead with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter. Wofford was able to put together a drive that was aided by a pass interference call on the Bobcats as the Terriers. On fourth-and-one, Mitch Allen gained five yards to keep the drive moving. On a field goal attempt, a fake was run but a penalty for ineligible receiver was called and the ball went back to the Bobcats despite a challenge by the Wofford coaching staff.
The Bobcats were then able to put together a 15-play drive that was capped by a 16-yard touchdown run by Ryan Boykin for a 26-10 lead with 3:36 left in the game. Wofford turned the ball over on a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, which the Bobcats turned into points with a nine-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds left in the game for the 33-10 final score.
The Terriers had 220 total yards, all on the ground. Ohio had 331 total yards, with 230 on the ground. The Bobcats had the time of possession advantage. Wofford was 2-of-12 on third downs and 4-of-6 on fourth down. Ohio was 6-of-13 on third down and one-of-one on fourth down.
Wofford will play at Charleston Southern at 1:30 pm. The Bucs defeated North Greenville 41-31 on Saturday. The home opener is September 18 at 7:00 pm against Union (Ky.).
Wofford vs. Ohio Post-Game Notes
Players recording their first career starts included LB James Zotto, Brad Nocek, Mike McCrimon and Calvin Cantrell.
It marked the second straight season Wofford has opened on the road against an FBS team that played in a bowl game the previous season. The Terriers are 0-12 all-time in games against NCAA FBS teams.
Game captains for Wofford were Pat Illig, Tommy Irvin and Kendall Bratcher.
Attendance was 22,995 at Peden Stadium.
North Carolina State 48, Western Carolina 7
RALEIGH, N.C. - Redshirt junior QB Zack Jaynes led the Catamounts on a 10-play, 87-yard opening scoring drive to give Western Carolina an early 7-0 advantage, but a North Carolina State aerial assault led by quarterback Russell Wilson overwhelmed the Catamounts, handing WCU a 48-7 setback at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 56,417.
"It was a disappointing game for us tonight. I thought defensively we played very poorly, missed a lot of assignments. With a veteran group, especially at the safety position, we made way too many mistakes and we just couldn't get off the field," said WCU third-year head coach Dennis Wagner during post-game interviews. "On offense, you know you put together a great drive and we did some good things in the first quarter. But we got a little proud of ourselves and didn't perform as well as we needed to from that point on.
"We still have a lot of work to do. There are still 10 games left and we will be a lot better next week, I guarantee you," Wagner concluded.
Sophomore RB Michael Johnson opened the Catamounts (0-1) first drive with a 20-yard run to ignite the offense. WCU continued to move the ball down the field on a nine-yard scamper by Jaynes and a 12-yard reception hauled in by redshirt freshman transfer WR Deja Alexander, moving WCU to the Wolfpack (1-0) 46-yard line.
Michael Johnson then gashed the 'Pack defense for a 10-yard gain to the N.C. State 47 yard-line. After failing to covert on third and short, Jaynes connected with Andrew Rogers for a gain of 11 yards to the N.C. State 26-yard line on a crucial fourth and one.
The drive culminated with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Jaynes to Alexander, the second time the duo hooked up on the scoring drive.
On the ensuing possession, WCU's defense forced a three and out in the Wolfpack's opening drive, but a muffed punt return and recovery by the kicking team gave N.C. State the ball back on the Catamount 26-yard line. North Carolina State QB Russell Wilson took advantage of the WCU miscue and threw a 26-yard touchdown strike to T.J. Graham on the first play of the drive, tying the game at seven.
At the 2:35 mark of the first quarter, junior corner Torez Jones sparked the Catamount defense by forcing a fumble that was recovered by senior Angelo Brown, seemingly giving WCU its first takeaway of the season and stemming the tide of momentum. However, upon further review with replay, the play was reversed in favor of the Wolfpack and eventually led to another TD.
Wilson and the N.C. State offense rattled of 24 more points to take a 31-7 advantage into the locker room. Wilson was 16-for-23 for 237 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
Michael Johnson gained 62 of his game-high 77 yards on the ground in the first half while Jaynes was 4-for-8 for 62 yards through the air.
N.C. State continued its offensive attack in the second half, scoring 17 points in the third quarter to take a commanding 48-7 lead over the Catamounts. WCU struggled in the third quarter offensively, recording just 14 total yards and one first down.
By design, Jaynes gave way to junior transfer QB Zac Brindise in the third quarter. The South Fort Myers, Fla., native completed his first career pass for the Purple and Gold on an 11-yard pass to tight end Chris Everett with 43 second remaining in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter saw the Catamount offense led by Brindise - who finished the game 4-for-6 for 37 yards through the air - and senior Matt Wabby - who was a perfect 2-for-2 for nine yards in the Catamounts final drive of the contest.
WCU's defense only allowed 53 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter, holding the Wolfpack scoreless in the final stanza of the game.
Alexander - playing in his first game for WCU after transferring in from Central Michigan - hauled in two catches for a team-high 35 yards. Everett and Jacoby Mitchell added two catches each for 22 and 21 yards, respectively.
WCU's trio of quarterbacks - paced by starter Jaynes who threw the team's lone touchdown of the contest - combined for 103 yards as they completed 10 of their 18 pass attempts.
Sophomore LB Rock Williams registered a game-high 11 tackles, a new career high, to lead the Catamount defense. Williams was one of three WCU defenders to pick up a sack in the contest along with Brown and senior lineman, C.J. Johnson.
All told, the Catamount secondary also broke up five pass - all coming from different defenders - while N.C. State only recorded one pass break up.
Western Carolina returns home to open the 2010 home portion of its schedule next Saturday, Sept. 11 as it plays to the Tusculum Pioneers at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field in Cullowhee. WCU will honor Heroes' Day with special ticket pricing for all police, fire, EMS and military personnel. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
Duke 41, Elon 27
DURHAM, N.C. - Sean Jeffcoat caught six balls for a career-high 111 yards and both Scott Riddle and Brandon Newsome rushed for scores, but it was not enough as the Elon Phoenix came out on the short end of a 41-27 score against the Duke Blue Devils in the season-opener for both squads on Saturday night from Wallace Wade Stadium. The game marked just the third against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for the Phoenix.
"We had some guys that were ready to go and laid it all on the line and played well enough for us to win the game," said head coach Pete Lembo. "I think they (Duke) wore us down a little bit, but we gave up too many big plays in the first half. I was pleasantly surprised with how well we ran the ball tonight."
Elon (0-1) took the opening kickoff and promptly marched 63 yards before Adam Shreiner booted a 28-yard field goal to give the Phoenix an early 3-0 advantage. The drive started at the Elon 26 after Lance Camp returned the opening kickoff 18 yards. On the first play, Riddle found Jeffcoat for 21 yards out to the Elon 47. Two plays later, Riddle connected with Aaron Mellette along the sideline for a 24-yard gain that moved the ball to the Duke 29. Facing a second-and-10, Riddle found a seam and rushed for 14 yards to get the Phoenix to the 15-yard line. After two incompletions, Riddle scampered for four more to the 11 before the Phoenix kicked the field goal. The Elon drive took just 2:19 off the clock.
Duke (1-0) responded with a six-play, 64-yard drive that was capped by a 34-yard touchdown run by Desmond Scott. Scott accounted for 52 of the 64 yards on the drive. The Phoenix put the Blue Devils in a third-and-nine situation from their own 37 before Sean Renfree connected with Conner Vernon for a 12-yard gain on the drive.
On its third drive of the night, Duke marched 82 yards on seven plays to add another seven points to its lead. On second-and-six, Renfree hit Vernon for a 20-yard gain before an Elon personal foul added another 15 yards to the play. Renfree then hit Donovan Varner for 21 yards to the Elon 22. Another Phoenix penalty moved the ball to the 11 and three plays later Renfree hit Varner for an eight-yard TD pass.
After Elon went three-and-out, Duke took over on its own 41. After a loss of two yards on its first play, the Renfree-Vernon combination connected for a gain of 47 yards to the Elon 12. Two plays later, Brandon King hauled in an eight-yard touchdown reception as the Blue Devils stretched their lead to 21-3 early in the second quarter.
The Phoenix took the ball and moved 43 yards on seven plays before Shreiner drilled a career-long 47-yard field goal to make it a 21-6 game. On the drive, Riddle found Jeffcoat for a gain of 29 yards while Newsome gained 16 yards on the ground during the drive that lasted 2:23.
Again Duke had an answer. The Blue Devil drive started at its own 32 and moved to the Duke 43 before Varner snared a pass for 35 yards to the Phoenix 22-yard line. Duke would move the ball to the four before Will Snyderwine booted a 22-yard field goal to increase the Blue Devils' lead to 24-6 with 5:26 to play in the first half.
Elon fought back and made it a 24-13 game after a nine-play, 80-yard drive that took 4:19 off the clock. The first play saw Riddle hit fullback Matt Eastman for 14 yards. The next four plays picked up 21 yards before Riddle connected with Jeffcoat for 19 yards down to the Duke 26-yard line. A pass interference call on Duke moved the ball to the 13, but Elon would face a second-and-15 from the 18 after a false start. On that second down play, Riddle completed a pass to Camp for 13 yards to the five. Newsome finished off the drive with a five-yard rush with 1:07 left to play in the half.
Duke covered 53 yards on five plays in the final 1:07 and added a 20-yard field goal from Snyderwine to hold a 27-13 lead heading into halftime.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Elon gained its first fourth quarter possession just eight seconds into the final period and marched 71 yards on seven plays over 2:17 to pull within a touchdown at 27-20 on a Riddle 11-yard run. On the first play of the drive, Riddle hit Newsome for a gain of 10 before the back rushed for 19 yards and another first down two plays later. A.J. Harris followed that up by picking up 22 yards up the middle as the Phoenix moved to the Duke 20. Camp rushed for another nine yards on an end-around. After an incompletion, Riddle tried to plunge up the middle, but could not find any running room so he bounced around the left end of the line for the 11-yard score.
Duke came right back with an 11-play, 67-yard drive of its own that ended when Josh Snead rushed in from nine yards out to give the Blue Devils a 34-20 lead with 7:54 to play. Snead accounted for 21 yards on the ground during the possession.
The Blue Devils added on another seven points when Jay Hollingsworth plunged in from a yard out with just 2:10 remaining in the contest.
The Phoenix did not lay down there, though, driving 49 yards on nine plays before Riddle found Kierre Brown for a 30-yard touchdown pass with only 40 ticks remaining on the clock.
Riddle passed for 281 yards, the 31st time the senior has thrown for at least 200 yards in a game during his career, completing 22 passes. Jeffcoat finished the night with 111 yards receiving on six receptions. Newsome led Elon's rushing attack, picking up 77 yards on 11 carries.
On the defensive side of the ball, Wiggins matched a career-high with 19 total tackles. Terell Wilson added 12 stops while Dale Riley, Blake Thompson and Joshua Jones all tallied 11 tackles.
Renfree completed 31 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns to lead Duke. Vernon and Varner each went over the 100-yard receiving mark with 129 and 123 yards, respectively.