Samford 62, Western Carolina 23
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford quarterback Andy Summerlin threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs handed Western Carolina a 62-23 defeat Saturday afternoon in front of 8,625 fans in Southern Conference action at Seibert Stadium.
The Catamounts (1-4, 0-2 SoCon) overcame an early 14-0 deficit with 10 straight points including quarterback Troy Mitchell's first rushing score of the season and a 27-yard field goal by Richard Sigmon. But the Bulldogs (3-2, 1-0 SoCon) pulled away from there as on the ensuing kickoff after Sigmon's boot, dangerous all-purpose back Fabian Truss returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and Summerlin completed a 52-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cephus late in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs led at halftime, 28-10.
Samford added to its advantage in the second half as Summerlin threw two more touchdown passes, including a 68-yard strike to Gavin Sinclair.
Truss rushed for 60 yards and a score for Samford and Cephus had three receptions for 86 yards and Sinclair added two catches for 74. Karel Hamilton caught two scores for the Bulldogs, finishing with 42 yards.
Troy Mitchell finished 15-of-33 for 202 yards passing. He also had a team-high 77 yards rushing – gaining 117 yards before late sacks subtracted from his totals. Sophomore Darius Ramsey rushed for 69 yards and a second half score. Freshman Willie Police led 10 Catamount receivers with four receptions for 53 yards.
Redshirt junior Eddie Sullivan put the Catamounts on the scoreboard late, driving WCU 80 yards on 4-of-4 passing with Shaun Warren collecting his ninth career rushing TD to cap the drive.
Sophomore Sertonuse Harris led the Catamount defense with 10 tackles including six solo stops while senior Courtland Carson added eight tackles, seven solo. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Andre Shishkin tallied six tackles including two of WCU's three quarterback sacks with classmate Pete Balthrop Jr., adding the third QB sack of the day.
#15 Georgia Southern 23, Chattanooga 21
STATESBORO, Ga. --- The Chattanooga Mocs (2-2, 0-1 SoCon) dropped Saturday’s Southern Conference opener in heart-breaking fashion, 23-21 at No. 15 Georgia Southern (3-1, 1-1 SoCon). Younghoe Koo’s 26-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining proved to be the game-winner.
It came after a golden opportunity for the Mocs to salt the game away. On third-and-nine at the 10, defensive back Chaz Moore forced a hurried pitch by Jerick McKinnon. The ball bounded on the ground a bit before Tray Butler narrowly beat a couple of UTC defenders to cover it up.
The Mocs tried to mount a final drive, but the Eagles intercepted a deflected ball to end the hopes inside 10 seconds to play.
Keon Williams staked the Mocs to a 21-17 lead in the third quarter after the defense stopped GSU three-and-out to start the period. After a first down and false start penalty, Huesman hit Williams in the left flat. He burst through the defense, flying down the right sideline and out-running the defense to the end zone with 12:13 left in the third.
It was the last touchdown of the game for either side. There were 31 first half points, but just 13 in the second. Koo hit two fourth quarter field goals for the winning margin.
Koo’s 40-yarder with 13:35 to go in the fourth quarter cut the Mocs lead to 21-20. UTC took over on its own 22 and started to drive. On third-and-seven from its own 40, Huesman gashed the middle of the Georgia Southern defense for 20 yards to the Eagles 40.
On the ensuing play, Huesman faked a handoff to Marquis Green and looked deep on the post route. Tommy Hudson had his man beat by five yards hauling it in at the goal line for the apparent score. However, it was called back for an ineligible receiver downfield. The drive later stalled at the 37 leading to a 27-yard Nick Pollard punt to the 10.
Taking over at 8:52, the Eagles mounted a 14-play, 71-yard drive ending on Koo’s foot. GSU ate up 7:04 of clock time with the drive and finished with a 33:35 to 26:25 advantage in time of possession.
The two quarterbacks combined for 412 yards of total offense and three scores. Huesman ran for 148 (14 carries) and threw for 92 with a TD each way. McKinnon ran 25 times for 172 yards and a score.
Williams scored twice for the Mocs. He carried the ball 10 times for 48 yards and caught two passes for another 59. He added a four-yard TD scamper to go with the 54-yard catch-and-run.
GSU amassed 376 yards of total offense, all on the ground. That’s actually 31 yards fewer than its season average of 407.7 entering the contest. The Mocs had 321 yards with 239 rushing.
D.J. Key and Davis Tull led the defensive effort. Key had a career-best 13 tackles, one for loss, while Tull made 10 stops, two behind the line of scrimmage for nine yards lost. Edwin Jackson paced the Eagles with eight tackles.
Furman 24, The Citadel 17
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Furman defense stymied The Citadel on a fourth down play in the red zone late in the fourth quarter to ensure a 24-17 win over the Bulldogs in a Southern Conference contest on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The Citadel (1-4, 1-2 SoCon), which entered the game tops in the conference allowing just one fourth down conversion on four tries, halted the Paladin offense on two 4th and 1 plays, including a late fourth quarter stop which resulted in a turnover on downs giving the ball back to the Bulldogs with 3:46 left to play.
On The Citadel's final offensive series of the night, Aaron Miller, who finished 7-of-14 passing for 110 yards and one touchdown, hit Brandon Eakins on a 13-yard completion to place the Bulldogs at the Furman 38.
Two incomplete passes and a five-yard completion to Matt Thompson left the Bulldogs with a 4th and 5 from the Furman 33 when Miller kept the drive alive with a 12-yard rush to the Paladin 21.
Following two incomplete passes and a one-yard rush by Darien Robinson, the Bulldogs were faced with a 4th-and-9. Miller rolled out to his left and heaved a pass near the goal line to Vinny Miller but was unable to connect with the slot back, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Furman was able to run out the clock en route to earning the win in its conference opener while improving its record to 2-2 overall.
Robinson hauled in a 59-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Miller to tie the game at 17 with 14:51 left in the fourth quarter, but a Miller interception resulted in a two-play, 56-yard drive that resulted in a 13-yard run from Tanner Skogen to put the Paladins ahead for good.
The catch by Robinson was a career-long for the senior B-back and was his first career receiving touchdown. He closed out the game with 63 yards on 14 carries, moving him into sixth place all-time on The Citadel career rushing list with 2,396 yards.
The Citadel offense gained 321 total yards, including 189 through the air, marking the first time since switching to the triple option offense in 2010 that the Bulldogs finished a game with more passing yards than rushing (132).
A defensive first quarter concluded with a 3-0 Furman lead on a 34-yard Ray Early field goal.
The Paladins used their first possession of the second quarter to put together a five-play, 88-yard drive which culminated with an eight-yard touchdown run by Terry Robinson to give Furman a 10-0 lead. Robinson finished the game with 12 carries for 46 yards and two scores.
Terrance Martin returned the ensuing kickoff 68 yards to the Paladin 25, but the Bulldogs were unable to come away with points after three stalled rushing attempts and a missed Thomas Warren field goal from 37 yards out.
A promising 10-play, 45-yard drive following a Furman three-and-out late in the second quarter put The Citadel on the board with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Ben Dupree to Jake Stenson, cutting the Furman lead to 10-7 with 1:22 left to play in the half. The touchdown catch was Stenson's second in as many games.
With just over a minute remaining in the half, Furman used a 15-yard pass interference penalty on the Bulldogs followed by a 36-yard pass from Reese Hannon to Andrej Suttles to get the Paladins down to The Citadel 2-yard line with 27 seconds remaining. Robinson punched it in the end zone from the wildcat formation to give the Paladins a 17-7 halftime edge.
The Citadel gained momentum to open the second half with its first fourth down stop of the day when Carl Robinson stuffed Hank McCloud at the line of scrimmage to give the Bulldogs the ball back at the Paladin 44.
A Stenson rush for 36 yards on the first play brought the Bulldogs inside the Furman 10, but a costly 15-yard chop block penalty pushed them back to the 23. The drive stalled, and the Bulldogs were only able to score three points on a 31-yard field goal from Warren to pull them within a touchdown with 9:20 left in the third.
McCloud led all players with 77 yards rushing on 16 carries. Furman’s Greg Worthy led all defenders with 10 tackles, while Carl Robinson paced the Citadel’s defense with eight stops.
#11 Coastal Carolina 53, Elon 28
ELON, N.C. -- The Elon University football team dropped a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair on Saturday at Rhodes Stadium, falling 53-28 to the 11th-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Family Weekend.
Elon (1-4) and Coastal Carolina (5-0) combined for 985 yards of total offense in the game, as the Chanticleers rushed for a school record 355 yards. The Phoenix rushed for 231 yards in the setback, Kierre Brown led the maroon and gold with 92 yards on just two carries, which included a 55-yard scamper in the first half.
Coastal Carolina received the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards in 10 plays to claim a 7-0 lead thanks to a 24-yard touchdown run by Lorenzo Taliaferro.
The Phoenix came right back and drove 60 yards in just four plays to knot the game at seven. The first play of the drive was a 55-yard run by Brown that set Elon up at the Coastal five-yard line. After a pass interference penalty made it first-and-goal at the one, Mike Quinn dropped back and found Doug Warrick in the corner of the end zone for the score.
With Elon down 13-7 after a failed PAT following Taliaferro's second rushing touchdown of the game, the Phoenix began its ensuing possession at its own 30-yard line. Elon drove to the Coastal six when Quinn found Rasaun Rorie, who received a couple blocks, for the score. John Gallagher's PAT put the maroon and gold on top 14-13 with 3:46 to play in the first quarter.
The see-saw affair continued as Coastal drove 75 yards to move back in front, 19-14. The Chants elected to go for two, but the pass failed, keeping it a five-point contest with just under 1:30 remaining on the first period clock.
With just under 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Elon reclaimed the lead, 21-19, thanks to a seven-yard TD run by B.J. Bennett that capped a five-play, 60-yard drive.
With the score 25-21 in favor of Coastal, Elon's Jonathan Spain picked off an Alex Ross pass at the Chant's 25-yard line. Bennett took the maroon and gold to the two before Quinn rolled out and found Zach Duprey open in the end zone as the Phoenix grabbed a 28-25 edge late in the second quarter.
Just before the half, the Chanticleers were able to move back on top, 32-28, when Ross found Tyrell Blanks for a 40-yard TD strike.
Coastal Carolina pulled away in the second half, scoring once in the third quarter and twice in the final 15 minutes.
Defensively for Elon, Spain tallied 10 total tackles to lead all players.
For Coastal, Taliaferro finished with 205 yards and three scores on the ground after toting the ball 32 times.
The Phoenix will hit the road for its next two games, beginning with a 1:30 p.m. tilt at Furman next Saturday.
Charleston Southern 27, Appalachian State 24
BOONE, N.C. — Thanks in large part to a whopping 42:04-17:56 advantage in time of possession, Charleston Southern remained unbeaten by handing Appalachian State University football a 27-24 defeat on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Charleston Southern (5-0) converted 10-of-18 third downs, including seven-straight in the first half, and all four of its fourth-down attempts to score perhaps the biggest win in its program’s 15-year history.
Despite running 30 fewer plays than CSU (81-51), Appalachian State totaled just four fewer yards than the Bucs (428-424) and scored on four of its nine possessions. However, the Mountaineers turned the ball over on downs in CSU territory on each of their final two offensive series to fall to 1-3 for the first time since 2003.
Appalachian State jumped out to a 7-0 lead just 1:28 into the game when Marcus Cox scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 14-yard run to cap a five-play, 58-yard drive. The Mountaineers would go on to lead 14-7 and 17-14 in the first half but Charleston Southern answered each Appalachian score with one of its own to send the game into halftime knotted at 17-17.
CSU took its first advantage of the game with 5:38 to go in the third quarter on a 21-yard field goal by Mark Deboy but only 45 seconds later, App State retook a 24-20 lead when Cox took a short pass from Kameron Bryant and galloped 65 yards for his third touchdown of the afternoon.
Appalachian maintained the four-point edge until late in the fourth quarter. With less than seven minutes to go, Charleston Southern seemingly took the lead on a five-yard touchdown run by Malcolm Dixon. However, not only was the score nullified by an illegal-block penalty by CSU but Dixon was injured on the play.
Backup signal-caller Daniel Crogan III entered the game in Dixon’s place and on third and goal from the 15 yard line, eluded several Appalachian State defenders in the backfield and threw on the run into the end zone. It appeared that Appalachian cornerback Rodger Walker might be in position for his second interception of the game but instead, CSU wide receiver Kevin Glears went high over Walker’s back and pulled in the pass for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:27 left on the clock.
On the second play of the ensuing possession, Bryant found Tony Washington for a 30-yard pass that moved the Mountaineers into Charleston Southern territory but four plays later, the promising series stalled when CSU cornerback Eli Lee swatted away a pass intended for Washington on fourth and one from the 35 yard line.
From there, the Buccaneers picked up two first downs (converting two more third downs in the process) to run out the final 2:59 of the ballgame.
Despite Charleston Southern’s 28-minute advantage in time of possession, the statistic that might have doomed the Mountaineers the most was the fact that three of CSU’s 10 third-down conversions came courtesy of Appalachian State penalties (two on its opening touchdown drive and one as the Bucs milked out the clock on their final drive).
Appalachian’s frustrating overall performance overshadowed terrific individual efforts by Cox and sophomore wide receiver Sean Price.
One week after he became the first player in school history with 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in a single game during last Saturday’s win at Elon, Cox nearly matched the showing with 89 yards on 17 rushes and 91 yards on four receptions. He scored three touchdowns for the second-straight week, adding a two-yard scoring run between the 14-yard rush on the opening possession and the 65-yard catch in the third quarter, giving him eight touchdowns in his four-game collegiate career.
For the second time in as many games, Price fell just shy of the 100-yard plateau with a game-high 98 yards on five receptions. He also made a key downfield block to help spring Cox for the final few yards of his go-ahead 65-yard touchdown reception in the third period.
At quarterback, Bryant completed 10-of-15 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown while starter Jamal Londry-Jackson connected on 8-of-11 passes for 122 yards.
Defensively, inside linebacker Karl Anderson led Appalachian State’s four double-digit tacklers with a career-high 16 stops. Freshman defensive end Olawale Dada added 12 tackles, shattering his previous career high of two, set last week at Elon.
Running back Christian Reyes ran for 167 yards and a touchdown to lead Charleston Southern. Dixon added 95 yards on the ground and 115 in the air before sustaining the injury on CSU’s next-to-last drive.
Appalachian State (1-0 SoCon) looks to remain unbeaten in Southern Conference play when it travels to The Citadel next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, S.C.