Chattanooga 20, Wofford 10
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The 23rd-ranked Chattanooga Mocs (8-2, 6-1SoCon) kept their perch atop the Southern Conference standings with a 20-10 win over No. 15 Wofford (5-4, 4-2 SoCon) at Finley Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Mocs win and Samford’s loss at Furman guarantee at least a share of the SoCon title for Chattanooga.
Head Coach Russ Huesman, a former Mocs safety (1978-81), was a part of two Southern Conference Championship teams. He engineered the fifth.
It’s the first SoCon title for Chattanooga since 1984. The Mocs scored all the points they’d need in the first eight minutes of the game.
After a touchback on the opening kickoff, Jacob Huesman finished a 75-yard opening drive with a seven-yard dash to take the 7-0 lead. Kendrix Huitt scored nearly five minutes later from three yards out to stake the squad to a 14-0 advantage.
The story was an outstanding defensive effort. UTC held Wofford’s triple option attack to more than 100 yards under its season average of 273.4 yards with 172 yards on the day. The Terriers managed just 3.7 yards per rush, earning every inch throughout the game.
They kept it interesting as well with a stout defense after the Mocs initial scoring shots. Trailing 17-3 coming out of halftime, the Terriers went into their bag of tricks with running back Will Gay hitting Will Irwin for 60 yards. It looked like an easy score but Kadeem Wise ran down Irwin at the two. Donovan Johnson made it 17-10 on the next play.
Nick Pollard ended the scoring with a 42 yard field goal with 11:51 left in the fourth quarter. That capped a 65-yard drive after safety Zack McCarter recovered a fumbled pitch at his own 10 to snuff out a Terrier drive.
The Mocs forced four turnovers with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The Terriers final two drives were stopped by a Daniel Ring fumble recovery and Wes Dothard interception. Ring’s fumble recovery came on sack and forced fumble by the duo of Davis Tull and Josh Freeman.
While the offense did not get in the end zone in the final three quarters, it did produce. Chattanooga topped Wofford, a prodigious ball control attack, in time of possession, 31:43 to 28:17.
It was another big day for Huesman. He totaled 267 yards of total offense with 116 yards rushing (18 carries) and a touchdown along with 151 yards in the air (15-23-0).
Johnson led the Terriers with 80 yards on 20 rushes and a TD. Gay ran for 34 yards (6 carries) and threw for 60. Quarterback Evan Jacks ran it 13 times for 29 yards and completed seven of 15 passes for another 39 with two interceptions.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Nakevion Leslie was big again this week. He had 14 tackles, including a sack, while contributing on another stop behind the line of scrimmage. Dothard added nine stops with two-and-a-half tackles for loss and the interception that ended Wofford’s hopes.
Furman 35, Samford 17
GREENVILLE, S.C.—The Samford football team dropped a 35-17 decision to Furman in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
With the loss, Samford falls to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in Southern Conference play. Furman is now 5-5 overall and 4-2 in league play. Samford, Furman and Wofford are now in a three-way tie for second place in the SoCon standings.
Samford senior quarterback Andy Summerlin set school records for completions and attempts, completing 44-of-69 passes for 372 yards and two interceptions in the game. For the season, Summerlin has now thrown for a school-record 2,945 yards, breaking the previous record of 2,807, set by Ray Nelson in 2004.
Fabian Truss rushed 18 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. For his career, Truss has now rushed for 3,049 yards, making him just the third player in school history to rush for more than 3,000 yards. Kelsey Pope caught 11 passes for 51 yards, while Karel Hamilton caught seven passes for 101 yards. Chris Cephus had five catches for 108 yards in the loss.
Defensively for Samford, Justin Cooper led the team with 11 tackles. Trey Wesley had nine tackles and a fumble recovery. Josh Killett also had a fumble recovery for the Bulldogs.
For Furman, Reese Hannon completed 10-of-14 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. Hank McCloud had 15 rushes for 70 yards. Andrej Suttles caught three passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Furman scored on the opening drive of the game. The Paladins took over six minutes off the clock and scored on a three-yard run by Marcus Anderson to take a 7-0 lead with 7:41 left in the first quarter.
Samford put its first points on the scoreboard on its first offensive drive of the game. Warren Handrahan kicked a 26-yard field goal to cut the Furman lead to 7-3 with 4:16 to go in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Samford’s Wesley recovered a Furman fumble, giving Samford the ball at the Paladins’ 23-yard line. Handrahan then kicked a 41-yard field goal to make the score 7-6 with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
Furman added to its lead when Richard Hayes scored on a six-yard run with 6:13 to go in the second quarter. The score, which gave Furman a 14-6 lead, was set up when Furman’s Marcus McMorris recovered a Samford fumble, giving the Paladins the ball at the Samford 11-yard line.
Truss returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards to the Furman 24-yard line. The Bulldogs, however, were only able to get another Handrahan field goal out of the drive, this one from 36-yards out to make the score 14-9 with 4:43 left in the second quarter.
Furman added another score before halftime when Hannon hit Suttles for an 85-yard touchdown pass. The score gave the Paladins a 21-9 lead with 1:46 left in the second quarter.
After Samford failed to convert a 4th-and-one at its own 46 on the opening drive of the second half, Furman scored on the very next play. On a trick play, Tanner Skogen hit Jordan Snellings for a 46-yard touchdown to make the score 28-9 with 12:57 left in the third quarter.
Samford scored its lone touchdown of the day when Truss rushed for a 23-yard touchdown with 2:33 left in the third quarter. Summerlin hit Hamilton on the two-point conversion to make the score 28-17.
With Samford driving to close to within one score, McMorris picked off a Summerlin pass and returned it 89 yards for a touchdown to make the final score 35-17.
The Citadel 35, Elon 10
ELON, N.C. -- Elon's 2013 Homecoming contest was spoiled by the visiting Bulldogs of The Citadel as the Phoenix fell in a 35-10 contest at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Citadel (4-6, 4-4 Southern Conference) was the first to get on the scoreboard as the Bulldogs took advantage of a Tevin Floyd interception of a Mike Quinn pass to begin its second drive at the Elon 15-yard line. Quinn attempted a SoCon single-season record 210 passes between interceptions with his last pick coming on Sept. 21. The Citadel moved to the Elon two where it faced a fourth-and-goal when Ben Dupree drove up the middle for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
After a Bulldog fumble gave Elon (2-8, 1-5) the ball at the Citadel 40-yard line, the Phoenix marched down the field and knotted the game at seven when Tracey Coppedge snared a Quinn pass and raced toward the end zone before diving and hitting the pylon with the ball for the score. Quinn completed all three of his passes on the drive for 36 yards.
Elon's next possession started at the Bulldog 42 after a 38-yard punt return by Kierre Brown. On second down, Quinn hit Brown for a 22-yard gain before Karl Bostick toted it 12 yards to the Citadel five. The Bulldog defense was able to clamp down and forced the Phoenix to attempt a 20-yard field goal which John Gallagher put inside the uprights to move the maroon and gold in front, 10-7.
A David Petroni punt pinned The Citadel at its own three with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half. The Bulldogs then put together a 97-yard drive to reclaim a 14-10 lead when Dupree scored on a two-yard run. The big play on the drive came when Dupree hit Dalton Trevino for a 45-yard pass that took the ball from the Bulldogs' own 23 to the Elon 32.
After leading 14-10 at the half, The Citadel was able to find the end zone three times in the final 30 minutes to provide the final margin.
Both Jeremy Gloston and Jonathan Spain posted a game-high 11 tackles. For Gloston, that number marked a personal high. Spain's total upped his career total to 226, eighth on Elon's FCS chart. The Phoenix defense was able to hold the nation's fourth-rated rushing offense to nearly 30 yards less than its per-game average.
Quinn ended the day completing 16 of 36 passes for 139 yards and one score. His top target was Brown who had four grabs for 42 yards.
Georgia Southern 35, Western Carolina 19
STATESBORO, Ga. – As the sun set over the western endzone of Allen E. Paulson Stadium, Georgia Southern ended its 2013 home slate with a 35-19 win over Western Carolina. Senior quarterback Jerick McKinnon ran for two touchdowns, tying Tracy Ham for seventh on the career rushing touchdowns list with 41, and sophomore running back Nardo Govan and redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Ellison each added a rushing score. Redshirt freshman Da’Quan Heard caught his first career reception, good for a 19-yard touchdown, also his first, for the Eagles’ second score of the day.
Back at the quarterback position, McKinnon put the Eagles on the board first with his 23-yard keeper after senior cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks’ first interception put the Eagles at the Western Carolina 38. A Catamount pass interference penalty drew Georgia Southern 15 yards closer as wide receiver B.J. Johnson threw to an open McKinnon on the left sideline, but the penalty flag gave the Eagles an automatic first down. On the only official play of the drive, McKinnon shot into the endzone for 6-0 lead with Younghoe Koo’s point after for a 7-0 lead.
Western Carolina came back on its next possession and used a 14-play drive and more than six minutes to go 75 yards with Garry Lewis heading into the endzone on the one-yard run. Jonathan Battle had his second blocked in as many games to keep the Catamounts a point behind at 7-6.
Back-to-back scores in the second quarter gave the Eagles a 21-6 margin at the half. With his first career reception and first career touchdown catch, redshirt freshman tight end Da’Quan Heard grabbed the 19-yard pass from McKinnon to put Georgia Southern up 13-6. The 11-play, 55-yard drive ended with the score and Koo’s second point after kick of the day for a 14-6 lead.
Two more Georgia Southern scores, one in the third, and one in the fourth quarter, negated Western Carolina’s second scoring drive after the Eagles’ lost a newly recovered fumble to give the Catamounts the ball at the GS 11. After the Georgia Southern miscue, WCU used three plays to find the endzone with Mitchell hitting Karnorris Benson for a two-yard touchdown and a 21-13 score with nine minutes left to play in the third quarter.
The Eagles bounced back on the next possession, keeping it on the ground for all 12 plays for the 69 yards to the goal line. Ellison, who spelled McKinnon at quarterback after he left for the sidelines, sparked the drive with carries of 11 and nine yards before handing off to Nardo Govan for a two-yard gain for the touchdown. Koo nailed the point after as the Eagles took a 28-13 lead.
Ellison directed Georgia Southern to its final touchdown with Govan contributing 20 yards to the drive on four carries. Tray Butler took the handoff from Ellison for 18 yards to the Western 41 and then Ellison split the defenders for a 40-yard trot to the left corner, just shy of the goal line. Ellison punched it in from the one and Koo added the point-after as the Eagles extended their lead to 35-13.
Eddie Sullivan, the Catamounts’ backup quarterback, brought WCU from its own 22 to the Eagle 11, hitting John Sullivan for Western Carolina’s final touchdown. A Darius Ramsey rush on the two-point conversion attempt failed to leave the Catamounts at 19 points, but they would get the ball back again with three minutes remaining. Another Eagle fumble, the fifth on the day, recovered at the GS 26, gave WCU another scoring opportunity.
After two incomplete passes, Sullivan connected with Michael Helms to get halfway to the Eagle endzone. A six-yard pass to Terryon Robinson put the Catamounts on the 10 on third down. Sullivan would attempt two more passes, the second would be tipped into the hands of Dobson for his second interception of the day as the defense made exceptional plays.
Westbrooks and Dobson each had two interceptions, marking the first time Georgia Southern had four interceptions in a game since the 2012 season opener against Jacksonville. Linebacker Kyle Oehlbeck had 14 total tackles for the game high, and Defensive lineman Blake Riley had 11, career high numbers for both seniors. Jonathan Battle had his second blocked kick and senior linebacker Josh Rowe was credited with a quarterback hurry in a key play that forced WCU to turn over the ball on downs on the GS 25.
Senior running back William Banks led all backs with 86 net yards, none lost, on 13 carries. Ellison finished with 83 with his one touchdown and McKinnon 68 yards and two scores. Govan had 42 yards on nine carries and his second career touchdown.
Georgia 45, Appalachian State 6
ATHENS, Ga. — Appalachian State University football hung with one of the nation’s top teams for the better part of three quarters on Saturday but Georgia’s talent and depth eventually prevailed in the Bulldogs’ 45-6 win over the Mountaineers at Sanford Stadium.
Despite making just 2-of-4 field-goal attempts in the first half, Appalachian State (2-8) trailed just 14-6 at halftime and 17-6 late in the third quarter before Georgia (6-3) scored four touchdowns in a 13:05 span to pull away.
Appalachian drove into Georgia territory on four of its first five possessions but came away with just six points on 33- and 49-yard field goals by Drew Stewart. The other promising drives ended with Georgia blocking a 49-yard field-goal attempt and Stewart barely pulling a 46-yard try wide left.
While the Mountaineers’ offense was clicking, Georgia struggled to establish an offensive rhythm against Appalachian’s defense in the first half. The Bulldogs put together touchdown drives of 72 and 68 yards in the first 20 minutes of the game but managed just 65 yards in their other three possessions of the first half and heard boos from the sellout crowd of 92,746 as they went into the locker room clinging to the slim 14-6 lead.
In all, UGA outgained App State just 215-194 in the first half with the Mountaineers holding a 156-155 advantage in passing yards and the teams picking up 12 first downs apiece.
Appalachian continued to keep it close for much of the third quarter and Georgia led just 17-6 with less than five minutes to go in the period. However, UGA’s superior depth finally became apparent late in the third when it scored on four-straight possessions to turn the 11-point edge into a commanding 45-6 lead with 8:29 to go in the ballgame.
After outgaining Appalachian by just 21 yards in the first half, Georgia held a 353-58 advantage in total yardage in the second half, en route to outscoring the Mountaineers 31-0 after the break.
Despite the lopsided final outcome, several Mountaineers enjoyed strong individual showings against the vaunted Bulldogs. Leading the way was senior wide receiver Andrew Peacock, who caught a career-high 12 passes for 90 yards. The 12 receptions are tied for the seventh-most in Appalachian State single-game history and up Peacock’s career total to 199, just three shy of the school record of 202 set by current St. Louis Ram Brian Quick from 2007-11.
Tony Washington hauled in five catches for 78 yards while Georgia native Marcus Cox totaled 79 all-purpose yards (59 rushing, 20 receiving) against UGA’s stout defense.
Sophomore quarterback Kameron Bryant completed 22-of-39 passes for 221 yards, including 13-of-16 for 145 yards in the opening period.
Defensively, linebackers Brandon McGowan and Michael Frazier led Appalachian State with seven tackles apiece while Karl Anderson added five stops, an interception and a pass breakup.
Georgia was led by quarterback Aaron Murray, who completed 19-of-26 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Murray’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Michael Bennett in the second quarter was the 115th of his career, which set a new Southeastern Conference record.
Appalachian did a yeoman’s job against UGA’s rushing game, limiting the Bulldogs to just 127 yards on the ground, 23 of which came on a back-breaking scramble by Murray in the third quarter that was a catalyst to the Bulldogs’ four-touchdowns-in-13-minutes blitz.