Appalachian State 31, Elon 21
ELON, N.C. -- The Elon football team's fourth-quarter comeback fell just short on Saturday night at Rhodes Stadium, as the Phoenix dropped a 31-21 decision to the visiting Appalachian State Mountaineers.
After trailing 24-0, Elon (1-3, 0-1 SoCon) made it a three-point game with 3:43 to play in the fourth after Karl Bostick scored on a 13-yard gain to make it a 24-21 game.
But the Mountaineers responded, as ASU (1-2, 1-0 SoCon) running back Marcus Cox carried the ball seven times for 75 yards in the waning moments, scoring on a three-yard run to push ASU's lead to 31-21 with 1:27 to play.
Appalachian was the first to find the scoreboard as, on third-and-three from the 50-yard line, Elon got pressure on ASU quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson who scrambled and lofted a pass to Cox. Cox then used some key blocks to reach the end zone for the game's first score as the Mountaineers went up 7-0.
After a field goal made it a 10-0 game, the Appalachian lead stretched to 17-0 thanks to a 73-yard TD pass from Kameron Bryant to Cox with 9:03 left in the first half.
Trailing 24-0, Elon received great field position thanks to a 46-yard kick return by Kierre Brown into ASU territory. Thanks to 26 yards (22 rushing and four receiving) by B.J. Bennett, the maroon and gold moved to the Mountaineer five-yard line. On third down, Mike Quinn found an open Brown in the back of the end zone for the TD strike as the Phoenix to make it a 24-7 game at the half.
It remained a 24-7 game until the fourth quarter when the Phoenix commenced its push. Elon's first scoring drive of the period was a 14-play, 85-yard jaunt that was capped by a one-yard Bennett run for a score. During the drive, the Phoenix converted three third down chances, including a 10-yard scramble by Quinn on third-and-five at the ASU 21.
The drive that ended with Bostick's TD came on Elon's next possession as the maroon and gold took over at its own 21 after forcing a three-and-out. Quinn completed six consecutive passes, including a 31-yard strike to Rasaun Rorie to set up Bostick's running score.
Elon was able to pound the ball on the ground against the Mountaineers, running 39 times for 193 yards. Only twice did the Phoenix lose yards on a run all night long. The ground attack was led by Bennett who carried 16 times for personal-best 86 yards. Bostick added 62 yards on 15 totes. Through the air, the maroon and gold passed for 244 yards.
David Wood led Elon with a career-high 10 tackles as the Phoenix defense forced two Mountaineer turnovers. Twice Elon defenders brought down the ASU quarterback, as both Rob Sullivan and Jay Brown recorded a sack.
Cox had a career night for ASU, gaining 159 yards on 26 carries on the ground and catching five passes for 149 yards. He finished the night with three scores.
Western Carolina 30, Mars Hill 23
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Junior wide receiver Karnorris Benson hauled in three, fourth quarter touchdown receptions as Western Carolina rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final frame to upend the Mars Hill Lions, 30-23, on a soggy Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
Benson recorded scoring strikes of 80, 75 and 33 yards from sophomore quarterback Troy Mitchell over the final 10:39 with the lone blemish for WCU coming on an intercepted two-point conversion try that MHU's Montego Baldwin returned nearly 100 yards for a pair of points.
All told, WCU outscored Mars Hill, 20-to-2, in the fourth quarter while also outgaining the Lions, 275-to-69 in offensive yardage over the final 15 minute segment to rally for the 15th-straight win in the all-time series, halting a 13-game winless drought that dated back to last season.
Benson became the fifth different Catamount wide receiver to eclipse the 200-yard receiving mark all-time with a career-high 212 yards on a career-best nine catches. Making the performance even more impressive is that he had four catches for just three yards at halftime.
Mitchell completed 20-of-35 passes for a career-high 350 yards and three touchdowns while adding 64 yards on 13 carries to amass 414 yards of total offense. Sophomore tailback Darius Ramsey led the team with 71 yards on the ground with junior Shaun Warren rushing for 36 yards and a first quarter TD, finishing with 101 all-purpose yards with two kickoff returns for a total of 65 yards.
After seeing Mars Hill pull ahead by 11 points, 21-10, with 10:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Catamounts went up top for their biggest pass play of the game. Mitchell found a streaking Benson over the middle for an 80-yard pitch-and-catch, the longest pass and reception in both players' careers, pulling WCU back to within five, 21-16. However, Baldwin's two-point conversion pick stretched the margin back to seven, 23-16.
WCU's defense got the football back after six plays with redshirt senior Brian Johnson throwing receiver Dimitri Holmes for a six-yard loss on an end-around play, eventually forcing the Lions to punt.
Despite being pinned back at their own eight-yard line, Mitchell guided the Catamounts on a 92-yard scoring drive in just three plays. Mitchell rushed off the right tackle for 12 yards on the first down play with Ramsey finding five yards of running room up the middle. Mitchell then again found his favorite target of the game on a 75-yard pass up the left sideline. The ball was slightly underthrown, but Benson made an athletic move, going over the underneath cornerback to grab the pass and romp into the end zone to set-up Richard Sigmon's game-tying PAT, 23-23. Sigmon had a 21-yard field goal to open the game's scoring.
Inspired by the offensive explosion, the Catamount defense again rose to the occasion, forcing a three-and-out on Mars Hill's next possession. Mitchell orchestrated the game-winning drive, moving 72 yards in six plays with Benson on the receiving end of a 33-yard go-ahead touchdown. The drive was spurred by a 20-yard reception by tight end Michael Helms, Jr., with Benson making two catches for 43 yards on the drive.
Needing a stop to help seal the victory, the WCU defense recorded a second-straight, three-and-out with Mars Hill punting with just 2:04 remaining in the game. Ramsey helped put the game away with a 17-yard rush around the right side for a first down as the Catamounts ran out the clock.
For Mars Hill (1-2), tailback Shaikel Davis rushed for a game-high 158 yards on 34 carries with a third quarter touchdown to put the Lions on the board. Fullback Marquez Williams scored on his lone touch of the game, plowing in from two yards out for the go-ahead third quarter score for MHU. Wide receiver Dimitri Holmes was on the receiving end of five Trent Miller passes, finishing with 77 yards and a score. Miller was 12-of-25 for 169 yards in the loss.
Defensively for the Lions, Sammy Siasia recorded 12 tackles including four solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Senior linebacker Courtland Carson led the Catamount defense with his third-straight, double-digit tackle outing, matching his season-high with 14 tackles including five solo stops. WCU's defense was credited with four tackles for loss including two sacks with redshirt senior Andre Shiskin forcing a turnover on his QB sack with Jaleel Lorquet and Helva Matungulu combining on the second. Lorquet also came up with a fumble at the Mars Hill one-yard line to set up Warren's touchdown run in the first quarter.
Southeastern Louisiana 34, Samford 31
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Samford senior quarterback Andy Summerlin passed for a school-record 478 yards, but the Bulldog football team dropped a 34-31 decision to Southeastern Louisiana Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
With the loss, Samford drops its record to 2-2 overall, while Southeastern Louisiana improves to 2-2 on the young season as well.
Samford trailed, 34-14 early in the fourth quarter, but a field goal and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter brought Samford back to within three points at 34-31 with 2:57 to go in the game. The ensuing onside kick, however, was recovered by the Lions, and they were able to run out the clock to preserve the win.
The game was the first game back for Sullivan, who had missed the first three games of the season after having back surgery in the preseason.
Summerlin completed 27-of-48 passes for 478 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. His first touchdown pass went to defensive lineman Jerry Mathis, and his other two went o Karel Hamilton and Javian Ramson.
Kelsey Pope led all receivers with five catches for 128 yards. Pope also threw one pass, connecting with running back Fabian Truss on a 43-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Truss caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed nine times for 38 yards. Chris Cephus had four catches for 101 yards.
Defensively for Samford, linebacker Justin Shade had a career-high 19 tackles, including one sack and two tackles for a loss. Fellow linebacker Bobby Wilson had 13 tackles on the day for Samford.
For Southeastern Louisiana, Kody Sutton rushed 25 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Xavier Roberson rushed eight times for 94 yards and a score. Jordan Barnett completed 10-of-17 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Samford put its first points on the scoreboard on the opening drive of the game. Summerlin hit Mathis on a four-year touchdown with 13:12 to go in the first quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. The score capped a seven-play, 77-yard drive that took 1:48 off the first-quarter clock.
Southeastern Louisiana got on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter when Seth Sebastian kicked a 30-yard field goal. The kick, which capped a 13-play, 42-yard drive, came with 7:39 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Lions recovered an on-side kick, giving them the ball at the SLU 44-yard line. Southeastern scored on a one-yard run by Sutton, giving the Lions a 10-7 lead with 1:45 left in the opening period.
Southeastern Louisiana added to its lead when Roberson scored on a one-yard run, pushing the Lions’ lead to 17-7 with 10:43 left in the second quarter. Sutton added another score, this one from three yards out to make the score 24-7 with 4:27 left before halftime.
Samford scored the first points of the second half. Pope, after catching a lateral from Summerlin, passed to Truss for a 43-yard touchdown. The score cut the SLU lead to 24-14 with 8:29 left in the third quarter.
Samford attempted an on-side kick on the ensuing kickoff, but SLU recovered at the Samford 44-yard line. The drive produced a 32-yard field goal by Sebastian to make the score 27-14 with 4:37 to go in the third quarter.
In the opening possession of the fourth quarter, SLU scored when Barnett hit Isaiah Kepley for a 25-yard touchdown with 14:50 to go to make the score 34-14.
Samford’s fourth-quarter comeback started when Warren Handrahan kicked a 32-yard field goal with 11:12 left in the game to cut the lead to 34-17.
With 7:17 left in the contest, Summerlin hit Hamilton for a 16-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone to make the score 34-24. The final points were scored when Summerlin connected with Ramson for a 66-yard score with 2:57 left in the game.
Gardner-Webb 3, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On a rainy Saturday night, the Wofford football team was defeated 3-0 by Gardner-Webb at Gibbs Stadium. The Runnin’ Bulldogs scored the lone points in the game in the fourth quarter and held the Terrier to only 162 total offensive yards.
The Terriers fall to 2-2 and Gardner-Webb is 3-1 overall. Wofford was led by Donovan Johnson with 116 yards on 28 carries. Gardner-Webb quarterback Lucas Beatty was 13-of-24 passing for 111 yards and Juanne Blount ran for 139 yards on 35 carries. Each team lost two fumbles on the night.
On the first drive for Wofford, the team gained one first down before punting. The teams then traded punts again and Gardner-Webb had the ball with 8:20 on the clock in the first quarter. They were three-and-out and punted. With the ball back, Wofford had one first down before punting with 4:31 and Gardner-Webb took over at the two-yard line.
Chris Armfield intercepted Lucas Beatty at the 30-yard line and returned it to the nine-yard line. After a false-start on fourth-and-one, the snap for the 23-yard field goal was bad and the Runnin’ Bulldogs took over. After gaining three first downs, a fourth-and-two run was stopped by Hunter Thurley and Wofford took over on downs.
The Terriers had a first down run by Donovan Johnson, but the drive ended with a punt. Gardner-Webb took over at the nine-yard line with 9:41 left in the second quarter. They held the ball for eight minutes, however a 36-yard field goal attempt was wide left with 1:39 remaining in the first half. Wofford gained one first down before the end of the half.
After trading punts to open the second half, Gardner-Webb went three-and-out and punted. Will Gay muffed the fair catch and it was recovered by the Runnin’ Bulldogs. They gained two first downs, but a fumble by Juanne Blount was recovered in the endzone by SeQuan Stanley. Wofford went three-and-out and punted with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
Gardner-Webb gained a first down, but a sack by Boston Bryant forced a punt. Will Gay muffed the catch and it was recovered by Drew White for Gardner-Webb at the 21-yard line. The Runnin’ Bulldogs moved the ball inside the ten, but a fumble by Deonte Swinton was recovered by Leveritt Diggs at the eight-yard line. Wofford was forced three-and-out, and the snap for the punt was low and Gardner-Webb took over at the one-yard line. An apparent touchdown pass by the Runnin’ Bulldogs was waived off due to a chop block. A 35-yard field goal by Jordan Day gave Gardner-Webb a 3-0 lead with 10:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Wofford went three-and-out and punted. The Runnin’ Bulldogs took over with 8:59 remaining and moved the ball into the red zone. A 38 yard field goal was missed wide left and Wofford took over with 2:37 left in the game. Donovan Johnson ran for 16 yards, followed by a 14 yard run to go across midfield. On fourth-and-nine, the pass by Evan Jacks was intercepted by Keon Willams at the 34-yard line. Gardner-Webb took a knee twice to end the game.
Wofford had 162 total yards, with 157 on the ground. Gardner-Webb had 279 total yards, 168 of which were rushing. Wofford had only 8 first downs, while Gardner-Webb had 16. Wofford was 3-of-14 on third downs. Gardner-Webb was 6-of-18 on third down and 3-of-4 on fourth down. Gardner-Webb had three penalties, while Wofford had six. Gardner-Webb had a huge 37:43 to 22:17 time of possession advantage.
Old Dominion 59, The Citadel 58
NORFOLK, Va. – Ben Dupree accounted for six touchdowns, five on the ground, while Darien Robinson earned 227 rushing yards and added two scores for the Bulldogs, but a clutch two-point conversion stop by Old Dominion with 1:39 left in the game capped a 59-58 Monarch victory on Saturday night at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
The Citadel (1-3) rewrote the record book on Saturday night in a game which saw a combined 117 points and 1,108 yards. The Bulldogs rushed for 453 yards, the fourth most in school history, and highest since gaining 459 against Wofford in 2002.
Robinson eclipsed the 200-yard plateau for the first time in his career and became the first Bulldog to achieve the feat since Tory Cooper in 2006. The 227 yards is the fourth most by an individual in a game in program history and moved the senior B-back into seventh place in school history with 2,333 career rushing yards.
Dupree, who accounted for 36 of the team's 59 points, added his second straight 100-yard game collecting 155 on the ground and another 113 through the air on 5-of-8 passing. The five rushing touchdowns are the most in school history and the senior quarterback jumped four spots on the all-time rushing touchdowns list with 26 in his career.
He now sits in 11th place in school history with 2,056 yards and became the 12th player in Citadel history to reach the 2,000-yard plateau.
The Bulldogs trailed 59-52 when Dupree connected with Jake Stenson, who completed an acrobatic catch and run into the end zone from 23 yards out to pull the Bulldogs within 59-58 with 1:39 left in the game.
After the decision was made to go for the two-point conversion and win, the Bulldogs went to their captain on a double option on the outside. Dupree ran outside and found running room towards the corner of the end zone, but Monarch defender Reggie Owens connected with the Bulldog quarterback and stopped him shy of the goal line.
A failed onside kick attempt gave the ball back to the Monarchs, who ran out the clock. The 117 combined points are the most in Citadel history and the 58 points are the most ever in a Bulldogs' loss.
Robinson opened what would be a scoring frenzy with a 62-yard touchdown scamper 1:15 into the game, and the teams went on to score a combined 59 points in the first half which ended with The Citadel in front 31-28.
Old Dominion (2-2) answered right back with a quick six-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Heinicke to Antonio Vaughn to knot the game at 7-7.
The Bulldogs followed up the Monarch score with a nine-play drive, but an errant pitch by Dupree at the Old Dominion 36 created a turnover which was turned into the Monarchs' second score on a three-yard pass from Heinicke to Zach Pascal, ending the first quarter with a score of 14-7 in ODU's favor.
The teams combined for five more touchdowns in the second quarter, and when Thomas Warren kicked a 27-yard field goal late in the period, the Bulldogs went to the locker room with a three-point lead.
A wild third quarter, which saw three lead changes, started with long touchdown runs by each of the quarterbacks. Heinicke took the Monarchs down the field on a 13-play drive which he capped with a 25-yard run to give ODU a 35-31 lead.
Dupree followed up the Monarch quarterback's drive with an impressive eight-play, 88-yard drive of his own completed with a 33-yard scamper to the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 38-35 lead with 6:46 remaining in the third quarter.
Another quick drive put together by the reigning Walter Payton Award winner resulted in a three-yard scoring run by Cam Boyd that gave the Monarchs a 41-38 lead after the failed extra point attempt.
The Monarchs changed the momentum of the game with a successful ensuing onside kick, and two minutes later Monarch running back Colby Goodwyn broke loose for a 20-yard score, his second of the game, giving ODU a 48-38 lead with 2:37 left in the third quarter.
In stunning fashion the Monarchs dribbled another onside kick at an unsuspecting Citadel front and gathered the loose ball on the ODU 43.
The Bulldog defense buckled down and stymied the ODU offense, allowing just 22 yards to bring up a 4th and 22 on The Citadel 35. Monarch kicker Jarod Brown lined up for a career-long 52-yard field goal and drilled it through the uprights to give ODU a 51-38 lead heading into the final quarter.
Dupree, who took every snap under center for the second straight week, bounced back to lead his team down the field with a 16-play drive that spanned almost nine minutes, resulting in his fourth rushing touchdown of the game from two yards out to put his team back in the game 51-45 with 6:16 remaining.
An ensuing Citadel sky kick resulted in an ODU fumble which was recovered by Cody Richardson at the Monarch 30. Five plays later, Dupree found the end zone for a record fifth time on an impressive 19-yard run. The extra point by Warren gave the Bulldogs a 52-51 advantage with 4:21 left to play.
The Citadel lead lasted just two plays as Heinicke connected with Larry Pinkard for a 70-yard catch and run to give the Monarchs back the 59-52 lead with 3:36 remaining.
Heinicke completed 35 of 42 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns. The Citadel finished with a 566-542 edge in total offense.