Samford 34, Wofford 27
SPARTANBURG, S.C.—The No.22-ranked Samford Bulldogs remained unbeaten in Southern Conference play with a 34-27 win at 12th-ranked Wofford Saturday afternoon at Wofford’s Gibbs Stadium.
With the win, Samford takes over first place in the Southern Conference standings, improving to 4-0 in league play. The Bulldogs are 6-2 overall so far this season. Dating back to the 2012 season, Samford has now won its last six conference games in a row. Wofford falls to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in league play with the loss.
Samford overcame four turnovers to earn the win. The Bulldogs gave up three interceptions and one fumble, but they were able to come back and earn the win in a battle of teams at the top of the Southern Conference standings.
In the win for Samford, senior wide receiver Kelsey Pope caught eight passes for 62 yards. In the game, Pope became Samford’s all-time leader in career receptions. He now has 217 career receptions, breaking the previous record of 214, set by Efrem Hill (2001-04).
Senior quarterback Andy Summerlin complete 26-of-35 passes for 259 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Jauan Davis caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Cephus had four catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns. D’Morrise Bledsoe rushed seven times for 65 yards and a touchdown, while Fabian Truss had 15 rushes for 62 yards.
Defensively for Samford, Jaquiski Tartt had 17 tackles, including 15 solo stops. Justin Shade finished with 15 tackles, with 10 of those being solo tackles. The Bulldog defense came up with three big stops on fourth-down plays in the game, including two in the fourth quarter. On special teams, Warren Handrahan made both of his field goal attempts, making kicks from 21 and 38 yards out.
For Wofford, Donovan Johnson rushed 33 times for 151 yards. Evan Jacks completed 7-of-13 passes for 82 yards. Alvin Scioneaux, Chris Armfield and Bernard Williams had an interception each for the Terriers.
On Samford’s first offensive possession of the game, Wofford’s Scioneaux picked off a Summerlin pass and returned it 33 yards for a Terrier touchdown. The score gave Wofford a 7-0 lead with 13:02 to go in the first quarter.
Samford tied the score when Jeremiaha Gates took a handoff from Summerlin and then hit Cephus for a 15-yard touchdown to make the score 7-7 with 3:33 to go in the first quarter. The drive was set up when the Samford defense stopped Wofford on a fourth-and-one play at the Terriers’ 43-yard line.
The Bulldogs took the lead when Summerlin hit Cephus for a 14-yard touchdown to make the score 14-7 with 24 seconds to go in the first quarter. Wofford’s Kasey Redfern cut the Samford lead to 14-10 with a 26-yard field goal with 6:53 left in the second quarter.
Samford added to its lead on its final possession of the first half. Bledsoe scored on a one-yard run with 24 seconds left in the second quarter to send Samford to halftime with a 21-10 lead.
After Samford turned the ball over on its first possession of the third quarter, Wofford scored a touchdown on a one-yard run by Ray Smith to cut the Samford lead to 21-17 with 10:32 left in the third quarter.
Samford answered to push its lead to 24-17 when Handrahan kicked a 21-yard field goal with 6:30 left in the third quarter. Wofford tied the score on the first play of the fourth quarter. Tymeco Gregory scored after recovering a fumble on a two yard run to make the score 24-24 with 14:52 left in the game.
The Bulldogs took the lead again at 27-24 when Handrahan kicked a 38-yard field goal with 11:12 to go in the contest. On Wofford’s ensuing drive, the Samford defense stopped the Terriers on a fourth-and-one play at the Samford 45-yard line. The Bulldogs took advantage of the opportunity when Summerlin hit Davis for a 26-yard touchdown to make the score 34-24 with 5:53 to go in the game.
Wofford cut the Samford lead to a touchdown at 34-27 when Redfern booted a 30-yard field goal with 3:13 to go. The Samford defense had to make one final stop, but Jacks’ fourth-and-eight pass fell incomplete with 53 seconds left, and the Bulldogs were able to run out the clock from there.
As a team, Samford finished with 407 yards of total offense, compared to 340 yards for Wofford. Samford produced 22 first downs, while Wofford had 19 first downs in the contest.
Chattanooga 28, The Citadel 24
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Jacob Huesman engineered the winning drive and the Chattanooga Mocs (6-2, 4-1 SoCon) defense slammed the door on a 28-24 come-from-behind win over visiting The Citadel (2-6, 2-4 SoCon) Saturday afternoon. It is the fourth straight win for the Mocs and the 500th victory in school history.
It was 24-21 Bulldogs when the Mocs took over on their own 21 with 3:42 to play. Huesman and his mates went to work.
After Marquis Green ran for eight yards, Huesman found redshirt freshman C.J. Board for 28 into Bulldogs' territory to the 43. Green got another seven yards to the 36 when the spotlight went squarely on No. 14.
Huesman ran three consecutive plays, the first for 12, and the second for 11 more. His final carry was up the middle for 13 yards and into the end zone for the winning tally.
It was far from over as that touchdown came with just over two minutes on the clock. The Chattanooga defense was not going to allow it to slip away. Keionta Davis had a hand in two sacks, forcing a fourth-and-16 desperation play for the Bulldogs.
Aaron Miller escaped pressure and was hit as he threw by Davis Tull. As his pass approached midfield, Kadeem Wise and Dee Virgin each made a play on the ball. It deflected and fell to the turf just before the Bulldogs' Matt Thompson could corral it. Chattanooga ran out the clock from there for the 28-24 win.
Chattanooga trailed by as many as 10, three times, as The Citadel’s triple-option attack caused fits for the defense. The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions in building a 17-7 halftime lead.
On the flip side, the Mocs offense got off to a sluggish start. It scored just once in their five times with the ball before three second half touchdowns earned the win.
Huesman had 239 yards of total offense. He ran for 95 on 13 rushes with a score, while throwing for 144 more (13-23-0 passing) and two TD’s. Green had 85 yards rushing on 16 carries in relief of the SoCon’s second-leading rusher Keon Williams, who did not see an offensive snap due to injury. Board had a game-high five catches for 59 yards.
Muhasibi Wakeel had a career-high 17 tackles to pace the defense. It’s the most stops by a Moc since Ryan Consiglio (2008-11) posted 19 against Wofford in 2011. D.J. Key added another 13, tying his career-high.
Darien Robinson led a strong Bulldogs rushing attack that gained 334 yards on the day. Robinson gained 124 yards on 24 carries getting the tough yards inside. Dalton Trevino (2-63) and Ben Dupree (12-56) combined for another 119 yards.
The Citadel used two big plays to try and stave off the Mocs. After UTC closed within three twice, the Bulldogs used a long pass and long run to spread its advantage back to 10. The first came in the second quarter as Miller hit Jake Stenson on a 41-yard strike for the 17-7 halftime lead. It became a 24-14 contest when Trevino took the option pitch 61 yards mid-way through the third quarter for the score.
The Citadel amassed 215 of its 334 rushing yards in the first half. Take away Trevino’s long run, and the Mocs allowed just 58 rushing yards in the second frame.
Huesman got it back to a three-point game, 24-21, late in the third. He lofted a 33-yard scoring toss to a streaking Xavier Borishade to set up the late heroics.
Appalachian State 38, Georgia Southern 14
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State scored 31 unanswered points en route to a 38-14 win over Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Georgia Southern’s leading rusher, Jerick McKinnon sprained his ankle after scoring the Eagles’ first touchdown and returned only for a single attempt before being sidelined for the remainder of the game.
The Eagles took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter as they quickly moved 80 yards downfield on seven plays. McKinnon bookended the Georgia Southern’s running backs’ three long rushes with senior Johnathan Bryant picking up 25, Tray Butler with 17 yards and quarterback Kevin Ellison with 19. McKinnon finished the scoring drive with a nine-yard rushing touchdown and a point-after by Younghoe Koo.
In the second quarter after McKinnon’s exit from the game, Georgia Southern put up only 33 yards of offense while Appalachian State took advantage during the period. The Mountaineers scored three straight times in the second, and once in the third, before the Eagles broke in with a score late in that quarter.
Jerick McKinnon had four carries and 17 yards and finished with five carries and the same total after trying to go on the sprained ankle. Quarterback Kevin Ellison, who started after McKinnon was forced to the B-Back spot after injuries decimated the position, led the Eagles with 95 yards and scored Georgia Southern’s final touchdown on a one-yard run. Redshirt freshman Irving Huggins had a career-best 70 yards on 17 attempts. Georgia Southern totaled 175 yards of rushing in the final three quarters after posting 116 in the first.
The Mountaineers tied the game at seven early in the second quarter, driving to the Eagles 24 to end the first period. Appalachian State quarterback Kameron Bryant held onto the ball to pick up another first down and then hit Barrett Burns to put the ball at the two. Bryant ran it in for the two-yard score to wrap up the seven-play, 84-yard drive. Bryant completed 27-33 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns, for the Mountaineers final two scores, while running for two. Marcus Cox finished with 104 yards and a touchdown.
Drew Stewart added a field goal after Bryant was sacked for a loss of four yards at the GS 13 and the Mountaineers closed the half with a score as Bryant helped himself with a 17-yard rush and found Simms McElfresh twice, first for 30 yards and another for eight. A personal foul penalty against the Eagles placed the Mountaineers on the GS 7 for Bryant’s second touchdown.
Starting on their own 35, the Eagles converted a third-and-two in the third quarter, but on the next play, a fumble was recovered by Brandon McGowan at the GS 36. Appalachian State’s Tony Washington caught a 24-yard reception from Bryant and Cox ran into the endzone from 12 yards out for a 24-7 Mountaineer lead.
Getting the ball back after a three-and-out by Georgia Southern, Appalachian State went to work from its own 11-yard line. Two 20-plus yard passes landed the Mountaineers at the Eagles 3. A tackle for loss by Robert Brice pushed them back to the nine, but Bryant and McElfresh connected again, this time for a touchdown.
The Eagles’ offensive unit produced another touchdown in the third quarter as Bryant caught a 22-yard pass from Ellison and had a gain of nine yards while Ellison and Huggins combined for the remaining 40 yards on the possession. Huggins’ eight-yard pickup got Georgia Southern inside the ASU 10 before Ellison stretched it out on his third carry for the touchdown to pull the Eagles to 31-14.
Georgia Southern made two solid drives in the fourth quarter, but came away empty in both. The Eagles moved past midfield into the Mountaineer side of the field in the fourth quarter, but Doug Middleton stepped in for an interception, ending the chances of a comeback. Ellison and contributions by Vegas Harley brought the Eagles 66 yards to the ASU 16 on 13 plays on their final drive, but they fell a yard short of the first down marker, turning the ball over on downs.
After the score, the Eagles tried an on-side kick at midfield, but the Mountaineers gained control and capitalized on a GSU penalty. Bryant threw to 29 yards to Washington for the final 38-14 margin.
Junior linebacker Edwin Jackson and true freshman Robert Brice posted a career-high totals in tackles with 12 and 10 each, respectively. Georgia Southern true freshman Bernard Dawson blocked the Mountaineers second field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter.
Western Carolina 27, Elon 24 (OT)
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- After scoring late in the fourth quarter to tie the game to force overtime, the Western Carolina Catamounts used their overtime possession to boot a field goal to claim a 27-24 victory over the visiting Elon Phoenix on Saturday.
Elon (2-7, 1-4 Southern Conference) saw quarterback Mike Quinn throw for a career-high 326 yards and three touchdowns while extending his streak of passes attempted without an interception to 207. The streak established a new SoCon record, surpassing the mark of 203 set by Furman's Braniff Bonaventure in 1996. Receiver Andre Davis caught six passes for a personal-best 162 yards and a score for the maroon and gold.
Defensively, the Phoenix forced two turnovers - a fumble knocked loose by David Wood and recovered by Corey Mitchell and an interception by Edward Burns. Elon has now forced eight turnovers in its last five outings. Both Burns and Wood also broke up three passes.
Trailing 24-17 after John Gallagher drilled a 48-yard field goal, Western Carolina (2-7, 1-4 SoCon) took possession with 3:30 left on the fourth quarter clock. Quarterback Troy Mitchell consistently eluded Elon defenders to keep plays alive, including twice on third-and-long, as he guided the Catamounts to the Elon five-yard line. After a penalty gave WCU first-and-goal at the two, Mitchell fumbled a snap, but was able to fall on it at the six just as Phoenix linemen arrived. On the next play, Mitchell looked to the end zone where Kanorris Benson snared his second touchdown catch of the day in the back corner. The PAT knotted the game at 24 and forced overtime.
Elon got the ball first in the extra session, but was forced to attempt a 44-yard field goal that missed right. A holding penalty backed Western up on its first play of overtime before the Catamounts faced a fourth-and-seven from the 22. Richard Sigmon came on and was able to split the uprights to end the game and give WCU the win.
After falling behind 3-0, Elon began the ensuing drive at its own seven and had moved to the Phoenix's own 36 before Quinn hit Davis on a short screen and the speedy receiver raced into the end zone to complete the 64-yard scoring play. The PAT moved the maroon and gold in front, 7-3.
The Catamounts quickly regained the lead, 10-7, on the first play of the second quarter when Eddie Sullivan found an open Benson wide open after the Elon defensive back had slipped on the turf. Benson hauled in the heave and went 80 yards for the go-ahead score.
The back-and-forth continued on Elon's next drive. The Phoenix faced a second-and-16 from its own 34 before Quinn connected with Kierre Brown for 13 yards and then ran it on a quarterback draw for six and a first down. On the next play, Quinn threaded the ball between Catamount defenders to Rasaun Rorie who set up some blockers and raced in for the 47-yard score as Elon went back in front, 14-10.
The Phoenix extended its lead to 21-10 with 4:46 left in the first half when Quinn tossed his third TD pass of the game, this one a two-yard connection with Doug Warrick. That score capped a nine-play drive that covered 76 yards. Elon's TD was set up by a 37-yard toss-and-catch from Quinn to Davis that took the ball to the three.
Western Carolina closed its deficit on its first drive of the second half, keeping the ball on the ground for 10 plays of a 12 play drive. The Cats began at their own 24 after an Elon fumble before the they got in to the red zone on a 21-yard dash by Mitchell to the 11-yard line. Two plays later, Mitchell rolled to his right and found a crossing Michael Helms for an eight yard touchdown as it became a 21-17 contest following the PAT.
Alexander Dawson had another solid game at linebacker for the maroon and gold, recording a team-best 10 tackles.
For Western, Mitchell threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and also ran the ball for 61 yards. Sullivan threw for 157 yards and one score.
LSU 48, Furman 16
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Reggie Thomas’ 74-yard interception return keyed a solid Furman first half, but 12th-ranked LSU turned the tables in the second half on the way to a 48-16 win over the Paladins in front of 92,554 fans Saturday evening at Tiger Stadium.
Thomas’ interception of a Zach Mettenberger pass and 74-yard sprint down the Furman sideline staked the Paladins to an early 7-0 lead.
After LSU tied it with a Jeremy Hill 55-yard touchdown run, Furman placekicker Ray Early delivered his first of three first half field goals with a 46-yard effort to put the Paladins ahead 10-7.
The Tigers answered with scores on their next two possession to go up 20-10, but Early and Furman finished the half in solid fashion with field goals covering 31 and 23 yards.
The Paladins missed out on a chance to tie the game just before intermission after long snapper Danny LaMontagne pounced on a fumbled punt return by LSU’s Odell Beckham at the Tiger 28 with 1:57 remaining. A Reese Hannon 13-yard pass to Andrej Suttles to the 15 was followed by a 14-yard burst by Hank McCloud, who was tackled a foot from the goal line. McCloud was stopped short on first and goal, and the Paladins, rushing to get off a play with no timeouts remaining, were penalized for a false start on second down. Hannon’s third down pass fell incomplete with five seconds on the clock, and Early was called on for the 23-yard field goal that sliced LSU’s lead to 20-16.
The second half was dominated by LSU, which took control with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Terrence Magee and 7-yard scoring strike from Mettenberger to Melvin Jones.
The Tigers tacked on a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns — the first on a Magee 39-yard sprint around left end, and the second on Beckham’s second scoring connection with Mettenberger that covered 63 yards.
The Tigers finished the contest with 672 total yards, rolling up 332 yards rushing and 335 yards through the air.
Furman finished with 198 total yards, but managed just 49 over the game’s final two periods.
Hill and Magee rushed for 143 and 108 yards, respectively, and scored two touchdowns apiece.
Mettenberger completed 16-of-24 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns, but he was intercepted twice. His favorite target was Beckham, who collected six catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
Reese Hannon completed 16-of-28 passes for 104 yards for Furman, which got a solid running effort from Hank McCloud, who tallied 16 rushes for 79 yards.
The Paladins won the turnovers ball, tallying three takewaways while suffering just one turnover, an interception.
Greg Worthy paced Furman defensively with 11 tackles and a pass deflection.