Samford 24, Furman 21
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford senior place-kicker Cameron Yaw kicked a 27-yard field goal with 37 seconds left to give the Samford football team a 24-21 Southern Conference win over Furman in the season-opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
Samford head coach Pat Sullivan, who has been away from the team for the past week while dealing with a bout with pneumonia, was back with the team on Saturday. He was not on the sidelines, but he was in the stadium and was involved in the coaching of the game.
Yaw's kick capped a 13-play, 50-yard drive that took 4:54 off the clock. The victory gives Samford its first win in a SoCon opener since joining the league in 2008.
Samford senior quarterback Andy Summerlin made his first start for the Bulldogs. He completed 23-of-37 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns in his debut as a Bulldog. Summerlin also rushed three times for 28 yards and a touchdown.
Junior running back Fabian Truss rushed 19 times for 102 yards in the win. Senior wide receiver Riley Hawkins led the Bulldogs' receivers with five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Junior Kelsey Pope caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Cephus had three catches for 59 yards.
Yaw's game-winning kick was his lone field-goal attempt of the day. He was also good on all three of his extra-point attempts in the contest.
Defensively, Alvin Hines II had nine tackles and one interception. Jaquiski Tartt also had nine tackles for the Bulldogs. Brandon Nettles tallied eight tackles and an interception. Michael Prendergast also had an interception for the Bulldogs.
Furman was led offensively by Jerodis Williams, who rushed 20 times for 98 yards and a touchdown. Dakota Derrick, getting his first start under center, completed 11-of-25 passes for 201 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Will King led the Paladin receivers with four catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.
The Furman defense was led by Mitch McGrath with 10 tackles, including one tackle for a loss. Gary Wilkins also had 10 tackles, while Matt Solomon and Nathan Wade added eight tackles apiece for the Paladins.
As a team, Samford rolled up 366 yards of total offense, while Furman finished with 359 total yards. The Bulldogs did not commit a turnover in the game, while forcing the Paladins into three miscues.
After fighting through most of the first quarter in a scoreless tie, Samford put the first points on the scoreboard on its final drive of the quarter. Summerlin hit Pope on a five-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds to go in the quarter, and Yaw added the extra point for a 7-0 Samford lead. The drive was set up when Nettles picked off a Derrick pass, giving Samford the ball at its own 39-yard line.
Furman answered with a touchdown of its own when Derrick hit King for a 36-yard touchdown with 7:28 to go in the second quarter. Ray Early kicked the extra point for the Paladins to tie the score at 7-7.
Samford answered on its next drive to take the lead again at 14-7. Summerlin hit Hawkins for a 38-yard score, and Yaw kicked the PAT at the 6:39 mark in the second quarter. Furman added another touchdown when Ernie Cain scored on a one-yard run, and Early added the PAT to tie the score at 14-14 with 4:12 to go before halftime.
The Bulldogs jumped back on top when Summerlin scored on a one-yard run with 11:43 to go in the third quarter. Yaw added the extra point to give Samford a 21-14 lead. The drive was set up when Trey Wesley recovered a fumbled punt by King, giving Samford the ball at the Furman 17-yard line.
Furman answered yet again when Williams scored on a 17-yard run with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. Early's extra point sent the teams to the final quarter tied at 21-21.
On Furman's first drive of the fourth quarter, the Paladins drove to midfield before Prendergast intercepted a Derrick pass, ending the scoring threat. Samford then drove to the Furman 42-yard line, but the drive stalled and the Bulldogs were forced to punt.
Samford then forced a three-and-out from the Paladins. The Bulldogs then took over with the ball at the Samford 40-yard line. Samford drove to the Furman 10-yard line, setting up Yaw's game-winning field goal.
#13 Wofford 34, Gardner-Webb 7
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - In the 2012 season opener, the Wofford football team won 34-7 over Gardner-Webb on Saturday evening at Spangler Stadium. Despite a steady rain in the first half, the Terriers were able to run for 402 yards and hold the Runnin' Bulldogs to only twelve yards rushing.
The Terriers open the season 1-0 and Gardner-Webb is 0-1. For Wofford, Eric Breitenstein rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan Johnson added 71 rushing yards and a 37-yard touchdown reception from Brian Kass. Blake Wylie led the defense with eight tackles and the Terriers recorded five sacks. Gardner-Webb was led by Deonte Swinton with six catches for 106 yards.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and gained three first downs before Blake Wylie intercepted a pass from Lucas Beatty in the end zone for a touchback. Brian Kass ran for two first downs before finding Donovan Johnson for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Wofford took a 7-0 lead with 8:36 on the clock in the first quarter.
Wofford forced a fourth-and-six and Gardner-Webb lined-up to punt. The snap was bobbled and Josh Holt forced a fumble that was picked up by C.J. Turner and returned it 12-yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead at 6:26 in the first quarter. Both teams then traded punts twice. Gardner-Webb then went three-and-out and Wofford got the ball back with 10:47 left in the second quarter. Eric Breitenstein used a 27-yard run plus a facemask penalty to move the ball across the 50, but the Terriers turned the ball over on downs.
Gardner-Webb picked up a first down passing, but then fumbled at the Wofford 30-yard line and it was recovered by Stephon Shelton. The Terriers gained two first downs, but failed to convert a fourth-and-one to turn the ball over. The Runnin' Bulldogs picked up a first down, but had to punt back to Wofford. Eric Breitenstein had a 37-yard run for a first down and Donovan Johnson added a rushing first down, but time ran out on the first half with the Terriers leading 14-0.
The Terriers received the kickoff to open the second half, but Brian Kass was intercepted on the second play from scrimmage by Drew White. The Runnin' Bulldogs got to the two-yard line before a sack, offensive pass interference, and holding calls backed them up to the 38-yard line. Gardner-Webb was forced to punt to end the scoring chance.
With the ball back, the Terriers had a 20-yard reception by Jeff Ashley and a 51-yard run by Donovan Johnson set up a 28-yard field goal by Christian Reed for a 17-0 lead with 4:24 left in the third quarter. Gardner-Webb hit a 62-yard pass from Lucas Beatty to Deonte Swinton, but a 41-yard field goal attempt by Trevor Austin was wide left. Wofford fumbled the exchange on the first play of the ensuing drive and the Runnin' Bulldogs took over at the 23-yard line. On the next play, Kenny Cook caught a 23-yard touchdown pass to make it a 24-7 game with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.
Wofford used a 25-yard first down pass to Jeff Ashley along with a personal foul penalty to move the ball inside the 30-yard line. Eric Breitenstein then went 19-yards for his second rushing touchdown of the game and the Terriers had a 31-7 lead with 13:45 left in the game.
The Runnin' Bulldogs gained three rushing first downs, they went for it on 4th and 13 and Phillip LeGrande had a sack to end the drive. Wofford opened the next drive with Michael Weimer at quarterback. Caleb Lucas gained three first downs rushing and Jonny Martin added a rushing first down. Christian Reed capped the drive with a 38-yard field goal to give Wofford a 34-7 lead with 3:33 left in the game.
Wofford was able to force Gardner-Webb to punt and got the ball back with 1:36 to play. James Lawson came into the game at quarterback and the Terriers were able to run out the clock on the 34-7 win.
Wofford had 484 total yards, with 402 on the ground. Gardner-Webb had 235 total yards, 223 of which were passing. Wofford was 6-of-14 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth down. Gardner-Webb was 2-of-13 on third down. Wofford had four penalties, while Gardner-Webb was flagged seven times. Wofford had the time of possession by a 30:41 to 29:19 margin.
Next week the Terriers will host Lincoln University at Gibbs Stadium in a 7:00 p.m. contest.
The Citadel 49, Charleston Southern 14
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Ben Dupree scored two touchdowns in a 28-point third quarter onslaught and Rickey Anderson found the end zone three times as The Citadel broke away from a halftime tie to cruise past Charleston Southern 49-14 in the season opener for both teams Saturday night at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The Bulldogs rushed for 479 yards, their most in a game in 18 years, with fullback Darien Robinson leading the way with a career-high 120 yards on only 12 carries and a touchdown. Anderson, a sixth-year senior, picked 80 yards and his three touchdowns matched his career total entering Saturday's contest.
Dupree added 77 yards while freshman Vinny Miller ran for 66 and a touchdown. The Citadel's rushing total was the sixth-highest in school history and the most since running for 506 against VMI in 1994 while its seven rushing touchdowns fell one shy of the school record set against Lees-McRae in 1993.
The Bulldogs finished with 527 yards of total offense, reaching the 500-yard plateau for the first time since gaining 541 against Western Carolina in 2008.
Chris Billingslea paced the defensive effort with eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. Fifth-year senior Austin Boyle grabbed his first career interception and Colin Parsons joined Billingslea with a sack. The Bulldogs surrendered 263 yards of total offense but only 70 in the second half.
Teddy Allen rushed for a game-high 56 yards for Charleston Southern, which has lost 13 in a row. Malcolm Dixon completed 6 of 14 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
The Citadel played sluggishly in the first half, fumbling six times and losing two, and Thomas Warren misfired on a short field goal attempt. Despite a statistical advantage, the Bulldogs had to settle for a 14-14 halftime tie forged when Anderson scored from 27 yards out with 1:29 left in the second quarter.
The second half was a different story. Justin Oxendine recovered a fumble at the Charleston Southern 42, and the Bulldogs took advantage when Dupree went in from the 10 with 11:39 left in the third quarter to give The Citadel the lead for good.
Three straight incomplete passes gave the ball back to The Citadel, and Robinson raced 54 yards on the first play to make it 28-14. Parsons forced and recovered a Dixon fumble at the Buccaneer 24, and Dupree scored from the six to give the Bulldogs three touchdowns in a span of three minutes, 49 seconds to build a 35-14 advantage.
Charleston Southern reached The Citadel 22 on its next drive but the drive stalled when Bay Amrhein and Sadath Jean-Pierre combined to stop Trey Dorsey short of the sticks on a fourth down run. A 21-yard run by Robinson, a 25-yard pass from Aaron Miller to Terrance Martin and a personal foul penalty on the Buccaneers led to a 3-yard scoring run by Anderson that pushed the lead to 28 with 23 seconds left in the third quarter.
Vinny Miller capped the scoring for The Citadel with a 19-yard touchdown run with 11:40 remaining in the game.
Charleston Southern ran only five plays for six yards in the first quarter, but its offense woke up in the second half. Citadel slot back Dalton Trevino fumbled at the Buccaneer two when the Bulldogs appeared poised to build a 14-0 lead, and Charleston Southern responded with a 98-yard drive, tying the game at 7 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Dixon to Chase Jones.
On the third play of the next Citadel drive, Dupree fumbled and Calvin Bryant recovered at the Bulldog 26. A 9-yard scoring run by Dixon gave the Buccaneers a surprising 14-7 lead with 2:42 left in the first half. The Citadel tied it before intermission, driving 65 yards in only five plays with Anderson scoring from the 27.
The Citadel remains home next Saturday for its Southern Conference opener against Georgia Southern at 6 p.m.
#3 Georgia Southern 58, Jacksonville 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern sophomore quarterback Ezayi Youyoute rushed for a career-high 164 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, and sophomore running back Dominique Swope ran for 104 yards with three scores to lead the third-ranked Eagles to a 58-0 football victory over Jacksonville Saturday night at Paulson Stadium.
Georgia Southern (1-0) rolled up 557 yards of offense, all via the ground. The Eagles scored touchdowns on all four of their offensive possessions in the first quarter, and their 27 first-period points were the most the team has scored since an Oct. 20, 2007, victory over Appalachian State.
It was Georgia Southern's 11th straight home win, as the Eagles improved to 15-2 in season openers at Paulson Stadium. The Eagles pitched their first shutout since Oct. 23, 2010, when they defeated The Citadel 20-0.
Youyoute carried the ball 11 times, and his first rush of the game went for a 79-yard score. Swope averaged eight yards a carry on 13 attempts. Jerick McKinnon added 71 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Robert Brown had three carries for 63 yards.
Darius Eubanks led Georgia Southern with six tackles, while J.J. Wilcox, Lavelle Westbrooks, Zach York and Valdon Cooper recorded interceptions. The Eagle defense gave up just 178 yards in the contest.
Cade Bell rushed for 31 yards and threw for 56 markers to lead the Dolphins (0-1).
Jacksonville won the toss and elected to kick off, and Youyoute's 79-yard scamper came on the second play from scrimmage. The Eagles' second possession resulted in an 8-play, 67-yard drive and another Youyoute touchdown run, this time from 11 yards out.
McKinnon keyed the third GSU score with 28-yard run, and Swope finished it with a 1-yard scoring plunge to make the margin 20-0. Westbrooks picked off a Bell pass to set up the Eagles fourth score of the quarter, returning it 24 yards to the Jacksonville 30-yard line. Swope went 19 yards five plays later to put the Eagles on top 27-0.
The Eagles fumbled on their first possession of the second period, and Jacksonville's Jamual Christopher returned it 29 yards to the GSU 41-yard line. But Cooper intercepted a pass by Treviu Folston two plays later, and took it 60 yards for a touchdown. It was the first interception return for a touchdown by an Eagle since Laron Scott returned an interception 36 yards for a score in a 38-21 win over Elon Sept. 25, 2010.
The Eagles used a long drive to cap the scoring in the first half, going 66 yards in 10 plays and eating up 4:52 on the clock. Swope keyed the drive with a 16-yard rush and capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run that made the margin 41-0 heading into the break.
If there was a chink in the Georgia Southern armor, it was in the passing game. Three GSU signal callers combined to go 0-for-8 in pass attempts with two interceptions. But the Eagles averaged 8.3 rushing yards on 67 attempts for the game and are now 7-0 in the modern era when passing for zero yards.
Jacksonville's best chance to score came on their first kick return as Colby Walden appeared to take it 89 yards for a score, but a flag for a block in the back was thrown on the play. On the ensuing drive, Jacksonville drove into GSU territory and attempted a 50-yard field goal which missed wide left.
The Eagles open Southern Conference play next Saturday at The Citadel. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
East Carolina 35, #5 Appalachian State 13
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Appalachian State University trailed East Carolina by just one point late in the third quarter but an array of miscues and the sweltering weather took their toll on the Mountaineers down the stretch in a 35-13 loss in Saturday's season opener at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Appalachian State (0-1) racked up 419 yards of offense - including 300 passing yards by junior quarterback Jamal Jackson- but surrendered touchdowns on a fumble and kickoff return, allowed a long punt return that set up another score, turned the ball over three times and was penalized 11 times for 100 yards in the hard-fought loss.
The Mountaineers trailed just 14-13 with 2:35 to go in the third quarter after Drew Stewart made his second field goal of the day from 41 yards out. However, East Carolina's Lance Ray returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a game-changing touchdown and Conference USA's Pirates used their superior depth to wear down the Apps from there.
Appalachian held a commanding 332-242 advantage in total yardage through three quarters but was outgained 148-87 in the final period and ECU tacked on a pair of fourth-quarter scores to account for the deceiving final margin.
Things couldn't have started out much better for the Mountaineers, who have been slow out of the gates in recent season openers. Troy Sanders intercepted ECU quarterback Rio Johnson on the first series of the ballgame. Appalachian took over on its own 42 and marched 58 yards in 10 plays, capped by a four-yard touchdown run by Jackson that gave the Apps a 7-0 lead. Jackson almost did it all on the 10-play drive, completing 5-of-5 passes for 48 yards and rushing twice for 10 more yards and the score.
Thanks largely to its stifling defense, Appalachian State still led 7-0 early in the second quarter and was approaching ECU territory on its third possession of the game when the C-USA officiating crew ruled that Jackson fumbled at the end of a five-yard run. East Carolina's Chris Thompson scooped up the loose ball and, with the majority of the players on the field and the 49,023 in attendance believing that Jackson was down, ran to the end zone before officials whistled the play dead. After a lengthy video review, it was ruled that there was not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field and the touchdown stood, tying the contest at 7-7.
Two possessions later, after a 43-yard punt return by Justin Hardy, the Pirates needed to go just 17 yards to take their first lead of the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Andrew Bodenheimer.
Despite what could have been a back-breaking turn of events, Appalachian grabbed the momentum back shortly before the intermission. After the Mountaineer defense capped a dominant first half by forcing an ECU three-and-out that ran just 25 seconds off the clock, the offense used terrific catches by Malachi Jones and Tony Washington to march 40 yards in just 38 seconds and Stewart kicked a 26-yard field goal to send the Apps to the locker room trailing 14-10.
Appalachian's defensive dominance continued well into the third quarter, highlighted by Brandon Grier forcing a fumble with a vicious hit on East Carolina running back Michael Dobson that was recovered by Ronald Blair on the ECU 43 yard line. The turnover, the second of the day forced by the Mountaineer defense, set up the 19-yard drive that culminated with Stewart's second field goal of the day and brought the Apps within a point of the upset.
Despite battling cramps brought on by the extreme heat and humidity in Greenville, Jackson completed 23-of-40 passes for 300 yards and ran seven times for 34 yards and a touchdown in the gritty loss. Washington hauled in seven of Jackson's 23 completions for a career-best 102 yards, while Andrew Peacock and Jones notched 77 and 69 yards, respectively, on five catches each. Steven Miller was one of three Appalachian ball-carriers to notch at least 30 yards on the ground, finishing with 47 yards on 14 carries.
Appalachian's valiant defensive performance was led by Jeremy Kimbrough, who tallied a game-high 13 tackles. Sanders added 10 stops to go along with his interception.
After the gutsy season-opening effort, the Mountaineers return to Kidd Brewer Stadium next week for the 2012 home opener versus No. 11 Montana. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at The Rock and the contest can be seen nationally on ESPN Gameplan and worldwide on ESPN3.
North Carolina 62, Elon 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A highly-anticipated season opener for the Elon Phoenix ended on a down note as the maroon and gold dropped a 62-0 contest to the home-standing North Carolina Tar Heels.
"I'm proud of my kids," said Elon head coach Jason Swepson. "They kept fighting and played hard. There was no quit in this team. We have a good football team."
After both teams traded punts on their first possessions of the season, the Tar Heels (1-0) struck quickly as Giovani Bernard took a pitch and raced 59 yards down the UNC sideline for a touchdown on the first play of the drive. Casey Barth's extra point gave UNC a 7-0 lead with 9:34 to go in the first period.
Carolina extended its lead to 14-0 when Bryn Renner hit Bernard for a six-yard strike with 4:45 to go in the first. The play capped a nine-play, 55-yard drive.
Bernard found the end zone for the third time on the day when he returned a booming Kenton Beal punt 70 yards for a score to make it a 24-0 game with 12:16 on the clock in the second quarter.
The Heels built a 41-0 lead at the break behind Bernard's big first half.
The Phoenix (0-1) defense forced two turnovers - an Edward Burns interception and a fumble forced by Chandler Wrightenberry and recovered by Jordan Jones.
Thomas Wilson completed 13 of his 27 passes for 99 yards for Elon. Kierre Brown was the Phoenix's leading receiver, snaring four balls for 31 yards.
Bernard ended the day with nine carries for 93 yards, two receptions for 10 yards and two punt returns for 100 yards. Renner was 14-of-21 for 236 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
The Phoenix will open its home portion of the schedule next weekend when North Carolina Central visits Rhodes Stadium for a 7 p.m. game.
South Florida 34, Chattanooga 13
TAMPA, Fla. --- The Chattanooga Mocs (0-1) football team kicked off the 2012 season losing 34-13 at BIG EAST foe USF (1-0) today. The Mocs battled hard in the loss to the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Bucs.
UTC struggled offensively against the fast and physical USF defense. But defensively, aside from breakdowns on deep passes, the Mocs more than held their own. The defense forced two turnovers while the offense did not have a single giveaway.
Davis Tull forced a fumble in the first half that Derrick Lott scooped up leading to the Mocs first points, a 39-yard field goal by Nick Pollard. That came with 3:39 left in the first quarter making it a 7-3 deficit.
After a missed UTC field goal late in the second quarter, D.J. Key made a huge play with his team trailing 21-3. Key intercepted a B.J. Daniels pass at the USF 47. He returned it 43 yards inside the five setting up his offense in prime position.
They did not disappoint. Keon Williams ran twice gaining two yards each time to make it 21-10 at the break.
Daniels had scoring tosses of 19 and 38 yards in the first half. He got his third of three touchdown passes hitting Sterling Griffin from 39 yards to make it 27-10 with 10:35 left in the third quarter. Just over 10 minutes later, Chattanooga made it interesting.
Starting on its own 30, UTC marched down the field. After a personal foul penalty on USF, Jacob Huesman threw 11 yards to Faysal Shafaat. Marquis Green swept outside for eight yards followed by 13 more by Huesman up the middle to the Bulls' 19. The drive stalled and after a holding penalty, freshman kicker Henrique Ribeiro nailed a 46-yarder to cut the lead to 27-13.
Daniels had the final tally of the game early in the fourth quarter. On third-and-seven from the Mocs' 20, he made it happen with his feet. Scrambling and avoiding the UTC pass rush, he wove his way fighting into the end zone for the 20-yard score and the 34-13 final.
Chattanooga managed just 151 yards total offense compared to 369 for the Bulls. Ninety-six of the 284 passing yards came on the three touchdown passes for Daniels who ended up 17 of 26 for 265 yards.
Green led the Mocs rushing attack with 25 yards on four carries. Huesman was nine for 13 for 82 yards, while Terrell Robinson added 20 yards completing four of five attempts. Shafaat had six catches for 45 yards.
Wes Dothard led the defense with nine tackles, two for loss (16 yards) and a sack. Key added seven stops to go with his exciting interception.
The Mocs stay on the road next Saturday at Jacksonville State. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m., central time.