Wofford 30, Georgia Southern 20
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford football team defeated Georgia Southern 30-20 on Saturday night at Gibbs Stadium. Donovan Johnson ran for 141 yards as the Terriers never trailed.
The Terriers open at 2-1 and 2-0 in the Southern Conference. Georgia Southern is 2-1 and not eligible for the SoCon championship. Wofford was led by Johnson with 141 yards on 36 carries. Michael Weimer was 4-of-6 passing with a touchdown. Mike McCrimon and Alvin Scioneaux each had ten tackles for the Terriers. Georgia Southern was led by Jerick McKinnon with 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
On the opening drive of the game, Wofford gained five first downs before Jonny Martin took it in from one-yard out for a touchdown. The Terriers had a 7-0 lead at 9:40 in the first quarter. Georgia Southern had two first downs on their opening drive before punting. Wofford had three big first down carries, but failed to convert on a fourth-and-long and turned it over to the Eagles.
Georgia Southern was pushed back by several penalties, but a big 53yard run by Kevin Ellison gave the Eagles first-and-goal. Jerick McKinnon scored from one-yard out for a 7-7 score with 47 seconds left in the first quarter. The next drive for the Terriers began with a 71-yard kickoff return by Nick Colvin. Kasey Redfern had a 40-yard field goal to give Wofford a 10-7 lead at the 14:22 mark of the second quarter.
Both teams then had drives that ended on failed fourth-down attempts. The Eagles made a 25-yard field goal, but a roughing the kicker penalty enabled Torrance Hunt to score a four-yard touchdown. Georgia Southern had a 14-10 lead at 6:53 in the second quarter.
Wofford used a 33-yard pass completion from Michael Weimer to Jeff Ashley to move the ball into the red-zone. Deion Stanley intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:41 left in the half. A three-and-out gave the ball back to Wofford with 37 seconds remaining in the half. The Terriers attempted a 50-yard field goal, but it was wide left to end the half.
To open the second half, the teams traded punts. The Eagles gained a first down, but then a fumble was recovered by Alvin Scioneaux at the 34-yard line. Ray Smith gave the Terriers a 23-14 lead with a 32-yard touchdown run with 5:52 left in the third quarter. The extra point hit off the right upright for the nine point advantage.
After the Eagles went three-and-out, Wofford was able to move the ball into Georgia Southern territory, but punted less than a minute into the fourth quarter. The Eagles were driving, but Josh Holt intercepted Kevin Ellison at the 42-yard line. Wofford though was unable to take advantage of the turnover and punted. On the next possession by Georgia Southern, they gained two first downs, but then failed to complete a pass on 4th and 12.
The Terriers got the ball back with 5:10 left in the game. After picking up two first downs, Jonny Martin ran it in from 23-yards to give Wofford a 30-14 lead with 2:26 on the clock. The Eagles scored with 26 seconds remaining when Jerick McKinnon ran for a one-yard touchdown. The two-point attempt failed, making the score 30-20. The Georgia Southern onside kick was recovered by Wofford and one play ran out the clock for the victory.
Wofford had 391 total yards, with 272 on the ground. Georgia Southern had 426 total yards, 342 of which were rushing. Each team had 25 first downs. Wofford was 5-of-15 on third downs. Georgia Southern was 10-of-19 on third down. Georgia Southern had five penalties, while Wofford had six. Georgia Southern had a slight 30:29 to 29:31 time of possession advantage.
The Citadel 28, Western Carolina 21
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Citadel defense dominated a potent Western Carolina attack in the first half. Over the final 30 minutes, it was good when it had to be.
The Bulldogs came up with a wild interception with 2:12 remaining in the game to finally thwart a second half Catamount rally in a 28-21 Southern Conference victory Saturday at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. The Citadel is 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the SoCon while Western fell to 0-3 and 0-1. The Catamounts have lost 23 consecutive league contests.
The Citadel held a 21-0 lead at halftime before Western turned drives of 71, 75 and 76 yards into scores, the latter trimming the deficit to seven with 6:51 left in the fourth quarter. One possession later, Catamount quarterback Troy Mitchell's fourth down pass was deflected by Brandon McCladdie and bounced off the knee of Derek Douglas before settling into the hands of Bulldog safety Julian Baxter.
Two first down runs by Darien Robinson ran out the clock, giving the Bulldogs their eighth win in the past 10 meetings with Western. The Catamounts have not won a SoCon game since defeating The Citadel 24-13 at Johnson Hagood Stadium in 2010.
The Bulldogs simplified their offense, running out of the traditional triple option the majority of the day, and it led to a 343-yard rushing attack for a unit that was averaging 223.5 per game going in. Ben Dupree led the way with his fourth career 100-yard outing, gaining 126 on 28 carries while scoring two touchdowns.
The senior quarterback went the distance with Aaron Miller limited during the week with a sore foot. With his big game, Dupree moved up four places to 13th on the all-time Citadel rushing list with 1,907 yards and also moved into a tie for ninth along with Harry Lynch and Adrian Johnson with 21 career touchdowns on the ground.
The rest of the rushing attack featured a balance between the B-back and slot back positions, with five other runners gaining at least 30 yards. Robinson finished with 50 yards to move past Kenyatta Spruill into ninth place in school history with 2,106. His backup, freshman Tyler Renew, finally made his Citadel debut and turned in several strong runs to finish with 36 yards on six carries.
Devan Robbins, another true freshman, saw his first extended action and carried three times for 38 yards including a 15-yard touchdown on a burst down the Citadel sideline that made it 28-7 with 6:06 left in the third quarter. Dalton Trevino contributed 42 yards and Vinny Miller ran for 38.
The Catamounts had two ball carriers go over 100 yards, with Mitchell leading the way with 106, four more than Darius Ramsey, who scored two times. Western finished with 323 yards of total offense with 244 coming in the span of three second half drives that all ended in touchdowns.
The first half was all Bullxogs with the opening possession setting the early tone. The Citadel took the opening kickoff and ran off 19 plays, all in the triple option, and Dupree capped the 75-yard drive with a one-yard scoring run. Western was forced to punt the first time it had the ball, but the snap was low and Clark Sechrest lost control of the ball while being tackled. Freshman Tevin Floyd grabbed the free ball and walked in from eight yards out to make it 14-0 with 4:11 left in the opening quarter.
The Citadel then had a punting mishap of its own but again it worked out in favor of the Bulldogs. Eric Goins mishandled the snap but took off and gained a first down, with the play compounded by a late hit on Goins out of bounds that moved the ball to the Western 45. A 16-yard reception and 18-yard run by Vinny Miller set up another one-yard plunge by Dupree that made it 21-0 early in the second quarter.
The Citadel had one more scoring opportunity in the first half, but a 33-yard field goal attempt by Thomas Warren was blocked as the clock expired. The Bulldogs finished the opening half with 190 yards of total offense to only 79 for the Catamounts and held a 19 minutes to 11 edge in possession time.
Western started getting its offense humming at the outset of the third quarter with 48 passing yards by Mitchell sparking a 10-play, 71-yard drive that got the hosts on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs responded with a 78-yard drive of their own including a pair of third down conversions, one on a 20-yard run by Trevino, and were back in control with a 28-7 advantage midway through the third quarter.
The Catamounts needed only four plays to go 75 yards when they got their hands back on the ball, with Mitchell running for 53 on the first play and then hitting Kamorris Benson on a five-yard touchdown that made it 28-14 with 1:17 left in the third.
The Citadel reached the Western 13 before a Dupree pass was batted in the air by John McBeth and picked off by Andre Whitmire. The Catamounts capitalized with a 14-play, 76-yard march, and when Ramsey scored his second touchdown of the game the lead was down to seven. But the Baxter interception quelled any further Western threat.
James Riley led The Citadel defense with 12 tackles and joined Douglas with two stops behind the line of scrimmage. Douglas had his 13th career sack, tying him with Scott Thompson and former teammate Chris Billingslea for sixth on the Bulldog career chart. The interception was the second of Baxter's career.
Furman 21, Presbyterian 20
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jordan Hawkins blocked a potential game winning 23-yard field goal attempt with 18 seconds remaining in the game to help Furman hold on for a 21-20 victory over Presbyterian in football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
Hawkins, a true freshman defensive tackle from Jacksonville, Fla., who also collected four tackles in the first start of his career, deflected the low kick by Blue Hose freshman kicker Brett Wilson, who had earlier missed an extra point attempt and 33-yard field goal try. Furman’s Austin Williams pounced on the blocked kick at the Furman 8-yard line, and the Paladins ran out the clock to notch the win — their 15-straight triumph over PC.
The result gave both teams 1-2 records on the season.
“Presbyterian deserves a lot of credit. The improvement they’ve made the last couple of years we’ve played them is impressive,” said Furman head coach Bruce Fowler. “My hat goes off to them. They were very aggressive and played very hard.
The Blue Hose moved into position for the potential game winning field goal after taking possession at their own 46 with 6:32 remaining, covering 48 yards in 15 plays. An 11-yard pass from quarterback Kaleb Griffin to Jeremiah McKie on fourth-and-three at the Furman 25 gave the Blue Hose the ball at the 14. A seven-yard run by Demarcus Rouse to the Furman 4 earned the Blue Hose a first and goal with 1:52 remaining, but PC elected to play for position with a pair of runs that spotted the ball in the middle of the field at the Furman 6. The snap and hold were good, but Wilson’s kick appeared low, and Hawkins was credited with the deflection.
Furman trailed 20-7 at halftime but used a pair of Hank McCloud third quarter scoring runs to erase the deficit.
McCloud’s first score, a 2-yard run, was set up by an Austin Williams fumble recovery at the PC 24 and a pair of penalties on the Blue Hose. The first flag, for sideline interference on the turnover, moved the ball to the PC 12, and on the next play the Blue Hose were assessed a penalty for interference in the end zone, which gave Furman the ball first and goal at the 2. McCloud scored on the next play to make it 20-14 at the 5:46 juncture of the third period.
A shanked PC punt that covered only 11 yards to the Blue Hose 42 set up Furman for the go-ahead score. A David Dingess 12-reception to the PC 26 on third-and-six kept the drive alive, and on the next play McCloud took a toss sweep around left end and into the end zone to tie the game at 20-20. Ray Early’s PAT broke the tie and proved to be the game winner.
Furman’s only offense in the first half came on the game’s opening drive when the Paladins ran the ball 16 consecutive times on a 66-yard drive that ended on a Hannon 6-yard scoring run around left end.
PC took advantage of a high snap on a Furman punt to get on the board. After Furman punter Ray Early fell on the ball at the Paladin 4-yard line, Rouse bulled into the end zone on the next play to help tie the game at 7-7.
LaQua Mayes’ 3-yard scoring run midway through the second period capped a 13-play, 82-yard drive and gave the Blue Hose a 14-7 lead.
PC converted another Furman second quarter miscue into points after Breyon Williams pounced on a fumble by running back Marcus Anderson at the Furman 41. Back-to-back runs by Rouse for 12 and 29 yards got the Blue into the end zone, but Wilson’s PAT missed and PC led 20-7.
The teams traded punts to start the second half before the fumble by Griffin at the PC24 led to the first of two second half scores by the Paladins.
PC forged a 278-182 advantage in total offense but was shut out in the second half.
McCloud led all rushers, running 22 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns for his second straight 100-yard outing.
Griffin led PC, completing 15-of-18 passes for 135 yards, while Hannon connected on 10-of-19 passes for just 51 yards for Furman.
Greg Worthy topped all defenders with a career high 14 tackles.
Samford 27, Florida A&M 20
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—The Samford football team built a big early lead and held on late for a 27-20 win at Florida A&M Saturday afternoon at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
With the win, Samford improves to 2-1, while Florida A&M drops to 1-2 with the loss.
“This was a tough game,” Samford assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Bill D’Ottavio said. “We got off to a fast start and felt like we were getting things under control. But we made a couple of mistakes and FAMU came roaring back and it was a tough, hard-fought football game and we were happy to win it.”
D’Ottavio filled in for Samford head coach Pat Sullivan, who is continuing to recover from back surgery.
Samford built a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Rattlers fought back and the Bulldogs had to hold on for the seven-point win.
Samford sophomore safety Josh Kimberlin intercepted three passes in the win to lead the Bulldog defense. The three interceptions were the first of Kimberlin’s Samford career.
“I wasn’t in there for that many plays,” Kimberlin said. “The ball ended up just coming to me and I’m thankful and blessed to be able to get the interceptions.”
Cody Brooks led the team in tackles with eight, including four solo stops. Brooks and Jerry Mathis also had one blocked kick each.
Offensively for Samford, senior running back Fabian Truss rushed 26 times for 115 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Andy Summerlin completed 19-of-29 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, but he threw two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
Place-kicker Warren Handrahan made both of his field goal attempts, one from 47 yards and the other from 19 yards out. Punter Greg Peranich averaged 48.7 yards on three punts.
For Florida A&M, Damien Fleming completed 11-of-19 passes for 139 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Defensively for FAMU, Patrick Aiken and Devonte Johnson both intercepted Samford passes and returned them for touchdowns. Bobby Jackson and Michael Ducre shared the team lead in tackles with nine each.
Samford jumped on top on its first offensive possession of the game. Handrahan kicked a 47-yard field goal to give Samford a 3-0 lead with 11:30 to go in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs scored their first touchdown of the game on their second drive of the contest. Truss scored on an eight-yard run with 7:53 left in the opening period. Handrahan added the extra point to give Samford a 10-0 lead.
Samford struck again on its next possession. Summerlin scored on a one-yard run, and Handrahan added the PAT for a 17-0 Samford lead with 2:30 to go in the first quarter. The drive was set up when Brooks blocked a FAMU punt, giving Samford the ball at the Rattlers’ 24-yard line.
Florida A&M put its first points on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. Aiken intercepted a Summerlin pass and returned it 93 yards for a touchdown. Chase Varnadore added the extra point to cut the Samford lead to 17-7 with 12:08 to go in the second quarter.
The Rattlers added another score late in the second quarter. Fleming hit Casey Glines on a five-yard touchdown with 5:15 to go before halftime. The extra point attempt was blocked, making the score 17-13.
Samford answered on its next possession when Summerlin hit Karel Hamilton for a nine-yard touchdown. Handrahan’s extra point made the score 24-13 with 56 seconds left in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, FAMU’s Johnson picked off a Summerlin pass and returned it 28 yards for another Ratter touchdown. Varnadore added the PAT to cut the Samford lead to 24-20 with 7:11 to go in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs put the final points on the scoreboard with 13:23 to go in the fourth quarter when Handrahan kicked a 19-yard field goal to make the score 27-20. Both of Florida A&M’s last two drives ended in Kimberlin interceptions, sealing the win for Samford.
Samford will play its home opener next Saturday, Sept. 21, when the Bulldogs play host to Southeastern Louisiana. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.
Chattanooga 42, Austin Peay 10
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Junior Keon Williams scored three times to power the Chattanooga Mocs (2-1) to a 42-10 win over visiting Austin Peay (0-3) in Finley Stadium Saturday night. Williams posted his second straight 100-yard rushing night while the UTC defense had a stout effort in the runaway win.
Williams carried the ball 11 times for 106 yards, an average of 9.6 yards per carry, to pace a Mocs rushing attack that accounted for 270 of the offense’s 412 yards. His three scores came from nine, one and 25 yards.
The defense was just as impressive. The Governors had 141 yards on 27 plays on their two scoring drives. The other 10 drives amounted to a mere 69 yards on 37 plays (1.87 yards) including six three-and-outs.
The offense was spectacular to open the contest for the second consecutive week. It scored on drives of 76, 61 and 60 yards en route to a 35-7 halftime advantage. The Mocs shared the wealth, with the opening score coming from Marquis Green on a nine-yard run. Six minutes later Williams scored from nine yards out to make it 14-0.
Tim Phillips got Austin Peay on the board with 1:41 to go in the first quarter. He bulled in from eight yards to make it a 14-7 contest. It was all Chattanooga from there.
Jacob Huesman found Terrell Robinson for an eight-yard score. Williams plunged in from a yard out for the 28-7 lead. It looked like the offense was going to get its fifth scoring drive when Huesman was intercepted by Leron Eaddy at the Govs five with less than a minute go in the half.
Peay tried to mount an attack passing on the first play, but D.J. Key got a hand on the ball, deflecting it into the waiting arms of linebacker Gunner Miller. Twenty yards later Miller scored his second career touchdown for a 35-7 halftime advantage. The 35 points is the highest first half total since scoring 42 against Mississippi Valley State on September 16, 2000.
Williams capped the Mocs scoring on UTC’s first drive of the third quarter. He delivered a punishing 25-yard run to the end zone, making it 42-7. Walter Spears kicked a 26-yard field goal with 3:15 to go in the third to provide the 42-10 final.
Four Chattanooga runners accumulated at least 40 yards on the ground. Williams was joined by Tommy Hudson, Kendrix Huitt and Huesman with 63, 47 and 40 yards, respectively. The Mocs averaged a strong 6.1 yards per carry on the night.
Huesman threw for another 142 yards, completing 15 of 20 with a touchdown and interception. Robinson was his favorite target with 53 yards on six catches.
Phillips gained 78 yards on 18 carries to lead the Govs offense. Andrew Spivey threw for 61 (7-17-1) before Jacob Sexton came off the bench to hit five of seven throws for 33 yards.
Chaz Moore and Muhasibi Wakeel combined for a team-high seven stops. Moore had 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Kadeem Wise added six tackles, one for loss, and two pass breakups.
Montez Carlton paced the Governors with eight tackles. Four others had seven, including Eaddy, whose interception thwarted a scoring drive.
N.C. A&T 23, Elon 10
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- In the first meeting between Elon and North Carolina A&T since 2006, the homestanding Aggies held off the Phoenix by a 23-10 score in front of 13,221 fans on Saturday night.
Following a scoreless first quarter, North Carolina A&T (2-0) began its first possession of the second quarter at its own 19 with 14:13 to play in the half. After converting a fourth-and-nine from the Elon 30-yard line with a 10-yard completion from Lewis Kindle to Denzel Keyes, the Aggies advanced to the Elon 11. The Phoenix defense then forced A&T back to the 14-yard line and kicked a 32-yard field goal off the foot of Cody Jones to claim a 3-0 lead following a 5:41 drive.
After forcing an Elon (1-2) punt, Kindle found Demonta Brown behind the Phoenix secondary for a 60-yard touchdown toss as the Aggies extended their lead to 10-0 with just under seven minutes to play in the first half.
Elon responded with its best drive of the game to that point and it resulted in a 33-yard field goal from John Gallagher. The Phoenix moved from its own 22 to the A&T 43 thanks to a 20-yard completion from Mike Quinn to Demitri Allison and a 15-yard connection with Rasaun Rorie. Facing a fourth-and-four at the Aggies' 37, Quinn hit Rorie for just enough for the first down. Elon would get one more first down before booting the field goal that made it a 10-3 game.
The ensuing kickoff was returned 55 yards by Tony McRae, setting A&T up in Elon territory with 3:14 to play in the first half. The Aggies moved to the Elon 20 before settling for a 38-yard field goal from Jones to claim a 13-3 edge at the break.
After the Aggies had stretched the lead to 16-3, the Phoenix began a drive at its own 10 and marched 90 yards to pull within six, 16-10, thanks to a 41-yard toss from Quinn to Tracey Coppedge. Elon, which had converted just two third down chances prior to the drive, kept the chains moving twice on third down during the drive, including 13-yard gain on a pass from Quinn to Rorie on a third-and-10 from the Phoenix's 10-yard line.
N.C. A&T was able to punch the ball in one final time as Dominique Drave scored from one yard out. The drive took the clock down to under a minute and a half.
Quinn finished the night with 295 passing yards and one TD toss as he completed 25 of his 46 pass attempts. Justin Osborne led the maroon and gold with 89 receiving yards on five receptions.
For A&T, Kindle passed for 288 yards and a score after completing 20 of 38 passes. Drake ran the ball 22 times for 93 yards and a score.
Elon will return home and begin Southern Conference play next Saturday when the Phoenix hosts Appalachian State at 6 p.m. At halftime of that game, Elon will recognize the three newest members of the Elon Sports Hall of Fame class.