#5 Wofford 49, Elon 24
ELON, N.C. - On a wet Saturday afternoon, the Wofford football team used a career day by Eric Breitenstein to win 49-24 over Elon at Rhodes Stadium. Breitenstein set a new Southern Conference single game record with 321 rushing yards in the contest as the Terriers ran for a total of 500 yards.
The Terriers open the season 4-0 and 2-0 in the SoCon. Elon is 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. For Wofford, Breitenstein had two touchdowns. Brian Kass ran for 57 yards and three touchdowns and threw for one touchdown. Elon was led by Thomas Wilson who was 31-of-47 passing for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Aaron Mellette had 13 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
The Phoenix had the ball first and gained one first down before Alvin Scioneaux forced a fumble that was recovered by E.J. Speller. On the first play for the Wofford offense, Donovan Johnson ran 32 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 13:09 on the clock.
Elon used three passing first downs to move into the redzone. A pass break-up in the endzone by Blake Wylie on third down gave the Phoenix a 35-yard field goal attempt that was good with 10:21 left in the first quarter. With the ball back, Wofford once again needed only one play as Eric Breitenstein went 90 yards down the middle of the field for a touchdown and a 14-3 advantage.
On the next drive for Elon, the Phoenix gained two first downs before punting. Wofford went three and out and punted, but Elon punted back to the Terriers after one first down. The Terriers drove to the seven-yard line, but on third down a fumble was recovered by the Phoenix. Elon could not convert the turnover into points and punted. Wofford drove inside the five-yard line, but a pass was intercepted by Odell Benton in the endzone. The Phoenix gave it right back to Wofford when Stephon Shelton recovered a fumble and returned it to the 18-yard line. Brian Kass found Michael Harpe in the far corner of the endzone for a 16-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-3 lead with 5:21 left in the second quarter.
Elon drove quickly down the field and scored a touchdown as Thomas Wilson found Aaron Mellette in the endzone for a seven-yard reception. The score was 21-10 with 2:09 remaining in the first half. Wofford went the distance of the field in only 90 seconds as Eric Breitenstein had a 49-yard run and scored on a 19-yard run to give the Terriers a 28-10 lead with 29 seconds remaining in the half. Elon took a knee to send the game to halftime.
Wofford had the ball to open the second half, but gained only one first down before punting. Elon went three-and-out and punted. The Terriers had the ball back and after a 42-yard run by Eric Breitenstein, Brian Kass scored from one yard out. Wofford led 35-10 with 9:33 on the clock in the third quarter. The Phoenix drove down the field with four first downs and scored when Aaron Mellette caught a pass from Thomas Wilson that went through the hands of a Wofford defender. Elon converted the two-point attempt for a 35-18 score with 5:03 left in the third quarter.
The Terriers were three-and-out and punted on their next drive. Elon was able to drive into Wofford territory and scored on a 43-yard field goal by Adam Shreiner with 1:14 on the clock in the fourth quarter for a 35-21 score.
Brian Kass then capped a nine-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 42-21 with 11:27 left in the game. Elon gained one first down before failing to convert a fourth-and-three and turning the ball back over to Wofford. The Terriers then added a touchdown with a 39-yard run by Brian Kass to take a 49-21 lead with 8:04 remaining. A 33-yard field goal by Adam Shreiner with 2:52 left on the clock made it a 49-24 game. Wofford was able to run out the final minutes after Eric Breitenstein set the SoCon rushing mark with a nine-yard first down run.
Wofford had 516 total yards, with 500 on the ground. Elon had 410 total yards, 361 of which were passing. The Terriers had 22 first downs to 24 for the Phoenix. Wofford was 8-of-12 on third downs. Elon was 5-of-15 on third down. Each team had four penalties. Elon had the time of possession by a 30:31 to 29:29 margin.
Furman 45, Western Carolina 24
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jerodis Wiliams rushed for a career high 239 yards and two touchdowns and added a 100-yard kickoff return to power Furman past Western Carolina, 45-24, in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
The win was the seventh straight for Furman (2-3, 1-1 SoCon) over Western Carolina (1-4, 0-3 SoCon) and ninth consecutive triumph over the Catamounts in Greenville.
Williams set his new career rushing high on 18 carries, scoring on runs of 89 and two yards. He also had two kickoff returns for 131 yards, including a 100-yard bolt six minutes into the game that helped give Furman an early need it would never relinquish. The 239-yard rushing performance was the fourth highest in school history.
Hank McCloud ran for a career high 123 yards and a touchdown to help Furman roll up 389 yards on the ground and 619 total yards - the program's highest tally since 2003.
Freshman quarterback Reese Hannon recorded his fourth consecutive 200-yard passing performance by completing 13-of-21 passes for 230 yards and a 79-yard, third quarter touchdown pass to Will King.
Williams netted 42 yards on his first three carries of the game, but the Prattville, Ala., senior's 14-yard run to the Western Carolina 1-yard line on the game's opening series didn't set up a score, but rather a fumble that rolled out of the back of the end zone for a touchback.
After the Catamounts drove 74 yards in 10 plays for a Richard Sigmon 23-yard field goal, Williams took ensuing kickoff and raced 100 yards for a touchdown six minutes into the game.
Williams' followed up his first score with an 89-yard touchdown bolt - the second longest run in Furman history - less than a minute into the second quarter and tallied again, on a 2-yard plunge, at the 6:42 mark of the period to give the Paladins a 21-3 lead.
Hank McCloud's 20-yard touchdown run around right end with 3:28 remaining in the half stretched Furman's lead to 28-3.
The two teams traded scores before intermission, with Western Carolina's Michael Vaughn tallying on a 3-yard touchdown run followed by a 39-yard field goal by Furman's Ray Early on the final play of the first half.
Furman put the game away with a pair of third quarter touchdowns. Sophomore safety Marcus McMorris stepped in front of a pass by Catamount quarterback Eddie Sullivan and returned it 52 yards to give the Paladins 38-10 lead, and later in the quarter King connected with Hannon on a 70-yard touchdown pass play over the middle to push the Paladins' advantage to 45-10.
Sullivan led Western Carolina, passing for 220 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 104 yards on 16 carries.
#9 Georgia Southern 35, #25 Samford 16
STATESBORO, Ga. - Jerick McKinnon scored on runs of 41 and 67 yards, and Lavelle Westbrooks returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown to lead No. 9 Georgia Southern to a 35-16 Southern Conference football victory over No. 25 Samford Saturday night at Paulson Stadium. The victory improved GSU's home win streak to 13 games.
McKinnon finished the day with 162 yards on 13 carries, the fourth time he has rushed for 100-plus yards in his career. Dominique Swope rushed 21 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns and has now rushed for a score in five consecutive games.
The Eagle defense gave up just seven first downs in the final 36:35 of the contest, and four of those came in the last five minutes of the game with GSU nursing a double-digit cushion. Georgia Southern allowed 16 rushing yards in the second half and finished the game with four sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Andy Summerlin completed 23-of-49 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown for Samford (4-1, 2-1 SoCon), and Kelsey Pope had eight catches for 80 yards and a touchdown
McKinnon, who also plays A-back for the Eagles (3-1, 2-1 SoCon), took over the signal-calling duties early in the second quarter after Samford took a 10-7 advantage, its only lead of the game. The junior scored on a 41-yard touchdown run 1:19 later to put the Eagles back on top 14-10.
McKinnon's 67-yard touchdown run turned the momentum back in the Eagle's favor late in the third quarter and helped make up for his own miscue. Leading 21-10, the Eagles had just converted a 4th-and-1 with a 20-yard run from Swope and were looking to add to their lead. But McKinnon fumbled the snap, and Bulldog safety Jaquiski Tartt picked up the ball in a pile of players and came out the other side to scamper 80 yards for a touchdown. Samford went for the two-point conversion, but Summerlin's pass fell incomplete.
McKinnon made amends on the next play from scrimmage, taking the snap, pivoting to his left and racing to the end zone for a touchdown. Alex Hanks added the PAT, and GSU opened a 28-16 advantage with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
Samford drove down to GSU 6-yard line with the aid of a 32-yard pass from Summerlin to Kelvin Clay, but on 4th-and-1, Darius Eubanks stopped Fabian Truss for no gain to end the threat. Swope put the game away with a 40-yard touchdown run with 1:30 left in the contest.
Westbrooks' interception return for touchdown was also a big momentum changer in the game. A Trey Wesley interception of a McKinnon pass gave the Bulldogs great field position on the GSU 40-yard line late in the second quarter, but Westbrooks turned the tables for the Eagles.
The junior jumped a route, picked off a Summerlin pass and went 72-yards down the sideline for a touchdown to extend GSU's lead to 21-10. It was the longest interception return of his career and his second pick this season.
Swope logged three carries for 25 yards to lead the Eagles down the field on their first possession of the game, and the sophomore scored on a 12-yard run to put GSU on the board. Hanks added the extra point to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead 4:35 into the contest.
Samford moved the ball deep into GSU territory late in the first quarter, converting two third downs along the way, but on 3rd-and-2 from the Eagle 3-yard line, John Stevenson and Josh King stopped Fabian Truss for no gain, forcing the Bulldogs to settle for a Cameron Yam 20-yard field goal.
A 41-yard pass from Summerlin to Chris Cephus on 3rd-and-13 from the Samford 45-yard line early in the second quarter helped set up Samford's first touchdown. On 3rd-and-goal, Summerlin hit Pope in the end zone, giving the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead, their first of the game. The Eagles made the quarterback change on their next possession, going to McKinnon.
Chattanooga 28, #15 The Citadel 10
CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The Chattanooga Mocs (2-3, 1-1 SoCon) claimed a 28-10 win at The Citadel (3-2, 2-1 SoCon) in Southern Conference action Saturday night. It's the highest-ranked road win for UTC since defeating No. 10 Appalachian State 30-9 on Oct. 8, 1983.
It was a great team win with highlights on both sides of the ball. The Mocs out-rushed the nation's No. 5 rushing attack 254 to 232 yards while accumulating 413 yards of total offense. The defense held the Bulldogs to nearly 100 yards below its average forcing two turnovers.
While the defense was stout in limiting the Bulldogs attack, the offense was even more impressive. Its four scoring drives went 78, 82, 85 and 85 yards on the evening. The Mocs held a 33:41-26:19 advantage in time of possession, 29:18 to 15:42 over the final three quarters.
The two-headed monster at quarterback worked to perfection for the Mocs. Terrell Robinson ran for 97 yards and threw for 73 scoring touchdowns both ways. Jacob Huesman ran for 80 yards and threw for 86 more including a score. The duo combined for 336 yards of total offense (Robinson 170/Huesman 166).
Kendrix Huitt got his first extended collegiate action and came up big. He ran eight times for 57 yards including a 29-yard score in the fourth quarter. Ron Moore had four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Darien Robinson led the Bulldogs with 132 yards on 12 carries. Backup quarterback Aaron Miller added 45 with 32 coming on The Citadel's lone touchdown of the night.
The Bulldogs drove 48 yards on the game's opening drive to take a 3-0 lead. That score held until the second quarter when the Mocs started its fourth drive of the contest on its own 22. Robinson ran twice for 14 yards until the first big play came for UTC.
Robinson threw a deep corner to Moore for 51 yards. After a no gain on first down, Robinson scrambled right, then left, then right again finding Moore standing alone in the end zone for the 13-yard score and a 7-3 lead.
After The Citadel's three-and-out, UTC started out on its own 18. Fifteen plays and 82 yards later, it was 14-3. Huesman found Faysal Shafaat (Orlando, Fla.) for a one-yard touchdown reception with less than six seconds left until intermission.
The Mocs scored again in the third quarter with Robinson, Huitt and Huesman leading the way. Robinson ran for 42 yards, Huitt for 19 and Huesman threw for 17. Huesman's 17-yard pass to Shafaat put Chattanooga at the Bulldogs 16. Robinson dashed 13 yards and then completed the drive rolling right into the end zone, three yards for 21-3 lead.
The Citadel answered on its next possession. It was a quick-strike drive. On second-and-13 at his own 41, Miller hit Greg Adams down the sideline for 22 yards. Two plays later, Miller darted 32 yards around right end to make it a 21-10 Mocs lead heading into the game's final frame.
But UTC did not bend. Starting on its own 15, Chattanooga made it back-to-back 85-yard drives. Huesman opened with a seven-yard pass to Robinson before running 36 yards up the middle of the field to The Citadel 42.
Tommy Hudson ran a 13-yard reverse to the 29. After a no gain for Robinson, Huitt busted loose up the middle for 29 yards untouched into the end zone posting the final score of 28-10.
There were several defensive heroes on the night. The defensive line as a unit was stout throughout. Safety D.J. Key had a game-high 12 tackles, while Shane Heatherly and Kadeem Wise each had eight stops. Heatherly added a fumble recovery, while Wise made his ninth career interception.
Sadath Jean-Pierre and Carson Smith each had 11 tackles to lead The Citadel. Smith had one of the Bulldogs' four sacks joined on the list by Derek Douglas, Chris Billingslea and Mitchell Jeter.
# 16 Appalachian State 55, Coastal Carolina 14
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University rolled up 684 yards of offense and limited Coastal Carolina's vaunted passing attack to just 190 yards in a 55-14 romp over the visiting Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Appalachian State (3-2) amassed 286 of its 684 yards in the first quarter alone, en route to grabbing a commanding 21-0 lead after one period. By halftime, the Mountaineers had already topped the 400-yard mark for the fifth time in five games this season and led 34-14. With just one play into the third quarter, they stretched their lead to 41-14 while upping their yardage total to 485 on a back-breaking 75-yard touchdown run by Steven Miller.
On an afternoon with many stars for the Mountaineers, Miller was the brightest. The senior rushed for career-high 202 yards on just 17 carries, good for an 11.9-yard average, while becoming the first Appalachian State player to top the 200-yard rushing plateau since DeAndre Presley ran for 264 yards versus Western Illinois in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship.
The Mountaineers scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions while forcing Coastal Carolina (2-3) to punt four-straight times to open the ballgame, and limit the Chanticleers' high-powered offense to just 49 yards in the process.
Aside from an interception on its second possession, Appalachian marched up and down the field on its way to the 28-0 lead. The highlight of the four-touchdown spurt came when it marched 97 yards in just two plays - a 28-yard run by Miller and a 69-yard touchdown pass from Jamal Jackson to Sean Price that gave the Mountaineers a 14-0 advantage with 4:50 to go in the first quarter.
One series later, the Apps stretched the lead to 21-0 on a diving 23-yard touchdown catch by tight end Drew Bailey and made it 28-0 one drive later when Miller ran in from three yards out for the first of his two touchdown runs on the afternoon.
Coastal managed to outscore Appalachian, 14-13, in the second quarter to stay within striking distance at halftime, down 34-14. But after forcing the Chants to go three-and-out on the opening series of the second half, the Mountaineers ended any thoughts of a CCU comeback when Miller ran untouched for the 75-yard score that made it 41-14.
From there, Appalachian's defense forced three more punts and a fumble while the Mountaineer offense tacked on two more touchdowns in their final four possessions - Price's second touchdown catch of the day from nine yards out and running back Michael Frazier's first career touchdown run, a 14-yarder - to account for the final score.
While Miller and Price (eight receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns) stole the show statistically, Jackson engineered the 684-yard output. The junior quarterback topped 200 passing yards and 250 yards of total offense for the 11th time in 12 career starts, finishing with 285 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-27 passing along with 54 yards and another score on 10 rushes.
Appalachian's 684 yards of offense were its most since it had 712 yards in a 52-16 win over Georgia Southern on Oct. 24, 2009.
Defensively, the Mountaineers held Coastal Carolina, the nation's 15th-ranked passing offense coming into the contest, to nearly 100 yards below its average of 288.8 yards per game through the air. CCU quarterback Aramis Hillary, who completed 66.9 percent of his passes in the first four games of the season, connected on just 50 percent of his attempts on Saturday (15-of-30) and threw for just 145 yards - 60 fewer than his previous low output of the season.
All-America linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough led the Apps' defensive effort with 11 tackles. As a team, Appalachian recorded five quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup in its constant harassment of the Chanticleers.