#5 Appalachian State 24, #1 Georgia Southern 17

BOONE, N.C. - Georgia Southern (7-1, 5-1) bounced back from a 17-3 halftime deficit, but fell 24-17 after a 15-yard touchdown grab by Brian Quick early in the fourth quarter held up for Appalachian State (6-2, 4-1). The Eagles dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten and lost just their second game in the last 15 contests dating back to the 2010 win over top-ranked Appalachian State at Paulson Stadium.

GSU had an opportunity to tie the game inside of the Mountaineer 10 yardline following the Quick touchdown but turned the ball over on downs after a pair of incomplete passes with less than five minutes remaining. The Eagles went to J.J. Wilcox on the final two plays of the drive, the first of which went in and out of his hands in the back of the endzone.

Georgia Southern's running game tallied the lowest rushing total of the season, 135 yards, and posted  201 yards of total offense. Robert Brown led the team with 47 yards on the ground.  Jerick McKinnon added 40 yards, while Jaybo Shaw carried the ball 17 times for a net of 37 yards. He also completed four passes for 66 yards.

Jamal Jackson compiled nearly all of the Mountaineers 320 total yards of offense. In his third start of the season under center, he threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for another 54 yards on the ground. Jackson completed four passes to Brian Quick for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

Georgia Southern trailed for just the second time all year when Appalachian State scored a first-quarter touchdown following the Eagles' first interception of the season. Jamal Jackson capped the six play drive with a 25-yard pass to Andrew Peacock just five minutes into the opening period.

The Eagles trailed at halftime with their only points in the first half coming on a 22 yard field goal by Adrian Mora. Georgia Southern bounced back from the rough start on their first drive of the third quarter. Wilcox scored from three yards out to cap off a 12 play 60-yard drive, pulling the Eagles within a score, 17-10.

Darrieon Robinson picked up a few blocks and managed to stay up off the ground on a 46-yard highlight reel punt return to tie the contest at 17-17 just minutes into the fourth quarter. Appalachian State quickly answered the first tie of the ballgame with a nine play 67 yard drive and led 24-17 with 9:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles' defense kept the teams chances alive by forcing three three-and-out drives and intercepting a pass to setup GSU's best scoring chance in the final minutes.  Laron picked off a Jackson pass on the Mountaineer 35 yardline and returned it inside the 10 yardline. The Eagles were unable to find the endzone and turned the ball over on downs.

#9 Wofford 48, Elon 28

SPARTNABURG, S.C. - On Homecoming, the Wofford College football team defeated Elon 48-28 on Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium. The Terriers ran for 465 yards and six touchdowns in the contest, including 217 yards and four touchdowns by Eric Breitenstein. Wofford also took advantage of a blocked punt, muffed punt return and an interception, all of which resulted in touchdowns for the Terriers.

The Terriers are 6-2 on the season and 4-1 in the SoCon. Elon is 4-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play. In addition to Breitenstein, the Terriers were led by Mitch Allen with 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Brenton Bersin added 73 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards. Mike Niam led the team with eight tackles. The Phoenix were led by Thomas Wilson, who was 27-of-35 passing for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Aaron Melette had nine catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

The Terriers took the opening kickoff and after two first downs were faced with a fourth-and-one. Eric Breitenstein ran right up the middle for 27-yards to score on the play and give Wofford a 7-0 lead with 12:19 on the clock. Elon was forced three-and-out on their first possession of the game.

Wofford was forced three-and-out, with Elon getting the ball back with 8:51 left in the first quarter. The Phoenix drove down the field, picking up five first downs and Dontay Taylor capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The score was tied at seven with 2:36 on the clock. The Terriers were able to gain two first downs, but failed to convert on fourth-and-four.

Elon then was able to take the lead when Thomas Wilson found Aaron Mellette for a 39-yard touchdown reception. The Phoenix led 14-7 with 12:17 remaining in the second quarter. Wofford gained only one first down before punting the ball back to Elon. The Terrier defense then forced a three-and-out and the Phoenix punted.

Eric Breitenstein then used a 49-yard run to get the Terriers inside the ten yard line. He finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14 with 7:32 left in the second quarter. Elon gained 36-yards on a pass to A.J. Harris, but back-to-back sacks by the Terriers forced a punt. However Wofford went three-and-out and punted to give the ball back to Elon with 2:35 left in the half.

The Terriers came up with the first turnover of the game when Thomas Wilson was intercepted by Blake Wylie and returned 22-yards. Eric Breitenstein added an 18-yard run, then scored from three-yards out for a 21-14 lead with 43 seconds remaining in the half. Elon ran one play to end the half.

To open the second half, the Phoenix had the ball, but went three-and-out and punted. Wofford turned the ball over on downs after a pass on fourth-and-six was incomplete. Elon then was able to tie the game on a 47-yard pass from Thomas Wilson to Jeremy Peterson with 6:37 on the clock in the third quarter. Wofford was then forced three-and-out and punted. However the fair catch was muffed by David Wood and caught in the air by Michael Harpe at the 18-yard line.

The turnover was converted to points when Eric Breitenstein scored from four yards out to take a 28-21 lead with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Elon then gained two first downs before being forced to punt. Alvin Scioneaux blocked the punt and it was picked up by Qay Bell, who returned it 42 yards for the touchdown. Wofford had a 35-21 lead with thirty seconds left in the third quarter. After forcing a three-and-out for Elon, the Terriers responded with a 61-yard touchdown run by Mitch Allen. The PAT was wide, giving Wofford a 41-21 lead with 12:40 left in the game.

Elon was able to answer with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Thomas Wilson to Aaron Mellette with 11:27 on the clock, which made it a 41-28 contest. Wofford gained three first downs, including a 30-yard run by Brenton Bersin, to set-up a one-yard touchdown run by Mitch Allen. The Terriers had a 48-28 lead with 6:04 left in the game. Elon was able to gain one first down on their next drive, but turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert a fourth-and-one. Wofford was able to run out the remaining 3:47 of the game to pick up the win.

Wofford had 478 total yards, with 465 on the ground. Elon had 363 total yards, 342 of which were passing. Wofford had the time of possession advantage by a 32:38 to 27:22 margin. Wofford was 7-of-16 on third downs and 2-of-4 on fourth down. Elon was 4-of-13 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down. Wofford had one penalty, while Elon had two.

Furman 14, Chattanooga 7

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jerodis Williams' 10-yard touchdown run with 2:06 remaining lifted Furman to a 14-7 Southern Conference victory over Chattanooga Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium.

Keyed by junior bandit Mitch McGrath, who registered nine tackles, four sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble, Furman's defense limited Chattanooga to only 169 total yards, the fewest allowed to an opponent since 2006.  The Mocs passed for only three yards, the lowest tally by a Paladin foe since 1993, and managed only 2.6 yards per snap.

Terrell Robinson's 1-yard touchdown plunge with 4:16 to go gave Chattanooga a 7-6 lead, but on the ensusing kickoff the Paladins' Hank McCloud collected his own fumble at the Furman 16 and returned it to the Paladin 47.

Quarterback Chris Forcier followed with a 23-yard completion to the Sederrik Cunningham to the Chattanooga 30 and two plays later connected again with Cunningham for 13 yards to the UTC 12.  After a 2-yard run by Tersoo Uhaa moved it to the 10, Williams rambled around left end into the end zone to give the Paladins a 12-7 lead with 2:06 remaining.

The Paladins converted the two-point play on a Forcier completion to Ryan Culbreath to stretch the lead to 14-7.

After that Furman's defense slammed the door.  Following the kickoff, Josh Lynn sacked UTC quarterback on the Mocs first play, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Mitch McGrath at the Mocs' 14.

The Paladins' ran four times and turned the ball over on downs with 52 seconds left.  McGrath then capped his brilliant performance by sacking Mocs' backup quarterback Sloan Allison, whose fumble on the play was recovered by Colton Keig at the UTC 6.

After a scoreless first half, Furman cornerback Ryan Steed set up the Paladins' first score by picking off a Robinson pass at the UTC 42.

A 23-yard completion from Foricer to Culbreath moved the ball to the UTC 14, and four plays later Ray Early gave the Paladins a 3-0 lead with 30-yard field goal three minutes into the second half.

Early made it 6-0 with a 44-yard field goal with 10:51 to go in the game.

The Paladins appeared poised to take control after forcing a UTC punt on the ensuing possession, but a rugby-style line drive kick by Mocs' punter Joel Bradford bounced off Furman's Austin Williams' leg and was recovered by UTC's Don Cope at the Furman 43.  Eleven plays later Robinson punched it into the end zone to put the Mocs up, 7-6. 

Forcier completed 9-of-14 passes for 177 yards for the Paladins, who finished with 261 total yards.

Furman racked up a season high six sacks and forced four turnovers in the contest.

Samford 52, Western Carolina 24

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Western Carolina's Rock Williams returned a second quarter interception to the goal line where Brandon Vaught cashed in on his fumble for a touchdown to pull the Catamounts back within four-points after trailing by two touchdowns early in the going on Saturday afternoon. However, starting with the ensuing kickoff return for a score, Samford recorded 24-consecutive points en route to knocking off WCU, 52-24, in Southern Conference action at Seibert Stadium.

Western Carolina rushed for 172 yards as a team - the second-most on the season and the most against a SoCon foe this year. Junior Michael Vaughn carried the ball 30 of WCU's season-high 57 times for 83 yards while Michael Johnson added 62 yards on 16 rushes in the loss.

Samford (5-3, 3-3 SoCon) climbed on top early after a quick three-and-out by the Catamount offense. Equally as quick, Bulldog tailback Fabian Truss took a handoff in the backfield, stretched the play to his left and found the corner for a 61-yard rushing score.

Following a second WCU punt on its second possession, Western Carolina took advantage of the game's first turnover to knot the game at seven apiece. One-play after Brandon Vaught jarred the football loose on a big hit and Christon Gill scooped it up, Brindise found George Richardson down the right sideline after a run-fake in the backfield for a 20-yard scoring strike.

It was the first career receiving touchdown for Richardson.

The Bulldogs responded with back-to-back scores including a 20-yard Stanley Robinson TD rush and a 33-yard interception return by Alvin Hines to lead 21-7. WCU was able to trim it back to a two-possession game as Clark Sechrest capped a 12-play, 66-yard drive with a 26-yard field goal just before the end of the first quarter.

The two teams combined to light the scoreboard for 31 points in the opening 15 minutes.

On the second play of the second quarter, WCU punter Blake Cain - who was injured in the second quarter just two punts shy of tying the school career punts record - pinned the Bulldogs deep in their own territory. Two plays later, Rock Williams floated back into coverage and stepped in front of a Dustin Taliaferro pass, returning it to the one-yard line where he fumbled. Fortunately for the Catamounts, Vaught was able to corral the bouncing ball and finish the final yard of the return for a touchdown, pulling the Catamounts back to within four points, 21-17.

It would be as close as WCU would get the remainder of the day, though.

Just as the Catamounts had seized momentum with the defensive touchdown, a Samford score on special teams swung the tide back to the home sideline. Truss, who like WCU's Richardson ranks among the league leaders in kickoff return yards, took the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown and a 28-17 lead.

Truss added 99 yards rushing on 12 carries and three receptions for 29 yards for Samford.

The Catamounts missed two golden opportunities in the red-zone late in the first half including being stopped on fourth-and-goal and a blocked field goal to trail at intermission, 31-17, after Cameron Yaw punched one through the uprights from 39 yards out as time expired.

In the second half, the pace of play slowed with the two squads trading punts early. However, the Bulldogs were able to continue to pull away on Robinson's second touchdown gallop from 21 yards out and a six-yard scoring pass from Taliaferro to Kelvin Clay that capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive to put Samford up, 45-17.

WCU (1-7, 0-6 SoCon) did add a late third quarter touchdown as Gary Green hauled in a 29-yard strike from Brindise for his first career touchdown reception. But Samford answered as Taliferro caught a scoring pass from wide receiver Kelsey Pope to conclude the scoring.

Green finished with a career-best 74 yards receiving while Jacoby Mitchell paced the team with five receptions totaling 38 yards. Brindise found seven different receivers including both tight ends, Andrew Rogers and Taylor Spangler, completing 16-of-32 passes for 196 with the two touchdowns and one interception.

Taliferro finished 14-of-25 for 124 yards with the one interception and one TD pass. The Catamount defense held Bulldog leading receiver Kelsey Pope to a season-low, one reception for 23 yards. Pope had caught at least five passes in each of the previous seven games.

Defensively for the Catamounts, Williams finished with a team-high seven tackles with the interception while Ace Clark finished with six tackles including five solo stops. Defensive lineman Brian Johnson tallied a pair of tackles for loss from his end position, finishing with four total stops.

The Citadel 41, VMI 14

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Behind three blocked punts and 358 rushing yards on Saturday, The Citadel was able to retain the "Silver Shako" as they defeated VMI, 41-14, in front of 11,184 fans at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

It is the fifth consecutive win over Virginia Military Institute for The Citadel as they renew the "Military Classic of the South" in a six-part home-and-home series through 2017. The Bulldogs rushed for over 300 yards for the third time this season and the second consecutive game.

A promising opening drive for The Citadel ended in a fumble by Ben Dupree that was recovered by VMI, but a solid effort by the defense forced the Keydets into a punting situation in their first possession. The Bulldogs then blocked their seventh punt of the season as freshman Carl Robinson recorded his first career block. The ball was then scooped up by Chris Billingslea, who returned it 19 yards for the touchdown.

After another three-and-out possession by the Keydets, the Bulldogs drove 86 yards on eight plays as Dupree found the end zone on a 23-yard run. The extra point by Sellers made it 14-0.

Capitalizing on a strong kickoff return and back-to-back penalties by The Citadel, the Keydets then drove 46 yards on six plays to cut the lead in half when Chaz Jones scored on a three-yard run up the middle late in the first quarter. Jeff Sexton's extra point made it 14-7.

The second quarter was dominated by defense until Domonic Jones blocked his fifth punt of the season and the Bulldogs blocked their second punt of the game late in the second quarter. Taking over on VMI's 19-yard line, The Citadel used four plays in the drive to score as Darien Robinson's 1-yard touchdown run put the Bulldogs ahead, 21-7, just before halftime.

Forcing a VMI punt to begin the second half, the offense would move quickly down the field on big runs by Rickey Anderson and Aaron Miller. Unable to move past the Keydets' 20-yard line, Sellers came on and converted a 37-yard field goal attempt to boost the lead to 24-7.

On the ensuing Keydet possession, the defense forced the sixth punt attempt of the day by VMI which was blocked by John Synovec, the third blocked punt of the day for the Bulldogs. Taking over on the 26-yard line, The Citadel needed just three plays to punch it in as Robinson rushed for his second touchdown of the day on a 13-yard run to make it 31-7, midway through the third quarter.

The Bulldogs put together an eight-play, 63-yard drive late in the third quarter as Dupree rushed for his second score of the game on a 9-yard run to the end zone to make it 38-7. In the fourth quarter, Thomas Warren converted on his first career field goal attempt as his 37-yard kick bumped up the lead to 41-7 halfway through the final quarter.

The Keydets drove 12 plays and 65 yards late in the fourth quarter for the final score of the game as Jabari Turner scored from two yards out for the second VMI touchdown of game to make it 41-14.

The Citadel gained 381 yards of offense, 358 of which were on the ground. Anderson had 81 yards on the ground to lead the Bulldogs while Robinson added 63 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dupree was 2-for-3 for 23 yards and had 49 rushing yards with two scores. Smith led the defense with eight total tackles, a pass break-up and blocked punt.

VMI had 224 total yards, 156 of which were on the ground. Eric Kordenbock was 8-for-23 for 51 yards and an interception while Jones racked up 112 yards on 16 carries with a score. Logan Staib recorded 14 total tackles (11 solo) to lead the Keydet defense with 1.5 tackles for a loss of five yards and a fumble recovery.

The Citadel improve their record to 4-4 overall while VMI falls to 1-7. The Bulldogs returns to conference action next weekend when they face top-ranked Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga.