Wofford 21, The Citadel 10
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Wofford football team defeated The Citadel 21-10 on Saturday night at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Terriers had two passing touchdowns by Michael Weimer and Donovan Johnson added a rushing touchdown for the 15th straight win in the series.
The Terriers open at 1-1, while The Citadel is 0-2. Wofford was led by Donovan Johnson with 149 yards rushing on 32carries, while Will Gay had 81 rushing yards and a touchdown reception. The Bulldogs had 64 rushing yards by Aaron Miller, who also had 93 passing yards.
Both teams went three-and-out and punted to open the game. On the second series for Wofford, the squad gained two first downs before the drive ended with a 35-yard field goal that was wide left. The Citadel had one first down before punting the ball back to the Terriers. A 33-yard completion from James Lawson to Wade Francis moved the Terriers across midfield, but the drive ended with a punt. The Citadel had a first down, but had to punt with 2:14 left in the first quarter.
Wofford gained 21-yard on a pass from Lawson to Will Gay, but punted the ball back to the Bulldogs. After trading three-and-outs, The Citadel had the ball and gained only one yard before punting back to the Terriers with 10:50 on the clock in the second quarter. Wofford had a 25-yard run by Donovan Johnson and then a 30-yard pass from Michael Weimer to Will Irwin gave the Terriers a 7-0 lead with 8:38 left in the first half.
The Citadel gained one first down and punted, however the return was muffed and the Bulldogs recovered at the 26-yard line. The Bulldogs missed a 30-yard field goal, giving the ball back to Wofford with 3:49 on the clock. A 40-yard run by Will Gay moved the ball inside the red-zone. Donovan Johnson capped the drive with a one-yard run by Donovan Johnson for a 14-0 lead with 1:28 left in the half. The Citadel did not gain a first down before the half ended.
To open the second half, The Citadel used a 29-yard run by Aaron Miller to set up a 25-yard field goal to make it a 14-3 game with 11:50 on the clock. Wofford drove down the field and was in the red-zone when Brandon McCladdie picked off Michael Weimer and returned it down the sideline 92 yards for a touchdown. The score was 14-0 with 5:33 left in the third quarter.
Wofford gained one first down before punting back to The Citadel. The Bulldogs added a first down, but were forced to punt. The Terriers then went on a fifteen play drive that covered 96 yards as Michael Weimer found Will Gay in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. Wofford had a 21-10 lead with 6:25 remaining in the game. The Citadel was sacked on fourth down, turning the ball back over to Wofford with 5:03 on the clock. The Terriers went three-and-out and punted with 4:05 left in the game. The Bulldogs started at the two-yard line and moved all the way to the Wofford ten before coming up short on a fourth-and-seven play. Wofford ran out the clock for the win.
Wofford had 421 total yards, with 280 on the ground. The Citadel had 262 total yards, 154 of which were rushing. Wofford had a 21 to 14 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 9-of-18 on third downs. The Citadel was 3-of-15 on third down. Each team had two penalties. Wofford had a 34:12 to 25:48 time of possession advantage.
Chattanooga 42, Georgia State 14
ATLANTA, Ga. --- The Chattanooga Mocs (1-1) ran for 401 yards, cruising to a 42-14 win at FBS-level Georgia State (0-2) in the Georgia Dome this afternoon. Junior Keon Williams led the effort with a career-high 147 yards and a score.
Williams was dominant from the outset. He tallied 119 of his yards in the first half alone, converting third downs and keeping the chains moving. His efforts keyed an offense that scored touchdowns on three of its four full first-half possessions.
The tone was set in the first drive of the game as Williams ran five times for 42 yards, capping it with a two-yard plunge. He had the game’s signature play early with a physical run of 11, converting a third-and-seven by leveling his tackler.
Faysal Shafaat scored on Jacob Huesman throws of 27 and nine yards to stake their squad to a 21-0 lead at the break. Huesman was just getting warmed up.
He and his teammates came out of the break to score on the first three possessions of the second half. Huesman ran it in twice from nine and 26 yards out, while Derrick Craine capped an impressive drive with a four-yard run of his own. That gave UTC a 42-0 lead just four seconds into the fourth quarter.
As strong as the offense played, the defense matched it over the first 45 minutes. Craine’s score gave the Mocs 428 yards of total offense. The Panthers mustered just 92 yards to that point with a mere six first downs.
The fourth quarter was all Georgia State in a losing effort. Backup quarterback Ben McLane, who was edged out for the starting job by Ronnie Bell, came off the bench to throw for 164 yards in the final 15 minutes. He completed seven of 12 with two scores.
GSU threw for 273 yards on the afternoon. Receivers Albert Wilson and Robert Davis topped the 100-yard mark with Wilson grabbing seven balls for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Davis added 100 yards on four catches.
Huesman had a solid day running and throwing for 84 yards. He carried the ball 12 times, along with a 9-13 throwing effort. He scored twice with his legs and arm in flawlessly running the offense that accumulated 509 total yards.
Craine came off the bench for 53 yards on six runs including his touchdown. Terrell Robinson added 47 yards on four runs, while Marquis Green chipped in another 43 on nine totes.
The defense throttled the Panthers rushing attack. It allowed GSU a mere 30 yards on 17 carries. The line provided good pressure on Bell with six hurries and two sacks. Davis Tull and Josh Freeman each had a sack, while Derrick Lott led the way with three hurries.
It was almost like a home game for the Mocs. Twenty-three Chattanooga student-athletes are from the immediate Atlanta area with 29 total from the state of Georgia.
The Mocs return home next Saturday to host Austin Peay. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) It is the first meeting between the two schools since 1968 with UTC holding a 4-0 series advantage.
Elon 49, West Virginia Wesleyan 7
ELON, N.C. -- In its 2013 home opener, the Elon Phoenix football squad rolled to a 49-7 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday night. The win marked the fifth straight year that the maroon and gold picked up the victory in its first home game of the season.
The Phoenix (1-1) got three touchdowns from red-shirt freshman running back B.J. Bennett while Mike Quinn threw for 278 yards and three scores while completing 29 of his 39 passes. Sophomore running back Tracey Copperger15 times for 105 yards, the first 100-yard game of his Elon career.
Elon opened the scoring on the first drive of the game, marching 60 yards in just seven plays to grab a 7-0 lead when Bennett carried it in from two yards out. Five of the seven plays were passes, and Phoenix quarterback Quinn completed four attempts for 54 yards.
West Virginia Wesleyan (0-1) answered Elon's drive with a touchdown drive of its own. The Bobcats covered 69 yards in eight plays, scoring on a bubble screen to LaVaughn Hughes from Jeremy Musselman that went for 35 yards.
The Phoenix moved back in front when Quinn threw his first touchdown pass of the year, a three-yard strike to Bennett with 3:40 to play in the first quarter. The drive at midfield after Julius Moore recovered a fumble with 7:11 to go in the first quarter.
With Elon leading 28-7 in the second quarter, the Bobcats drove to the Elon one thanks to a Musselman 41-yard pass to Connor Arlia. Wesleyan proceeded to run seven plays from inside the Phoenix's two-yard line, but the maroon and gold stuffed all scoring chances and took over at the one on downs. A 99-yard drive by Elon was capped with a seven-yard TD run by Bennett that left just 3:24 on the first half clock.
By halftime, Elon had built a 35-7 lead behind three Bennett touchdowns, the last coming with 3:24 to play in the second period. Quinn finished the half with 237 passing yards and 23 completions on 30 attempts. Karl Bostick and Andre Davis also found the end zone in the first 30 minutes.
The Phoenix tacked on two third-quarter touchdowns - a 16-yard pass from Quinn to Rasaun Rorie and a one-yard plunge by Coppedge.
On the night, Elon amassed 538 total offensive yards, including 231 on the ground. Bennett finished with 44 rushing yards and two TDs on the ground and four catches for 24 yards and a score. Rorie paced the Phoenix receivers with five grabs for 68 yards and a touchdown. All told, 12 different Elon players caught passes.
Defensively, Alexander Dawson led Elon with eight total tackles.
Elon will make the short trip down Interstate 40 next weekend to take on North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C., in a 6 p.m. game.
Georgia Southern 59, St. Francis 17
STATESBORO, Ga. – For the Georgia Southern Football team, it was an unconventional win, but a win it was as the Eagles used a balanced attack in their 59-17 victory over St. Francis Saturday night. Senior running back William Banks ran for his third multiple touchdown game, scoring twice in the third quarter, including a career-long 46-yard dash to the endzone. Georgia Southern ran for 306 yards and threw for 245 yards as it scored seven touchdowns, kicked three field goals and registered a safety. It was the most passing yards by a Georgia Southern team since tallying 232 in a September 2009 contest at South Dakota State.
The winning team had possessed the ball for only 5:41 at halftime, there was a team safety and a declined 53-yard offensive gain. All that aside, the Georgia Southern offense kicked it into gear in the second half for the decisive win.
The third quarter belonged to Georgia Southern as it recorded three of its touchdowns and added the safety and one of Alex Hanks' field goals to outscore the Red Flash 26-3 in the period. Senior quarterback Jerick McKinnon hit his second touchdown pass of the night with a 50-yard toss to Montay Crockett for the one-play score, taking only six seconds off the clock. The Eagles recorded a team safety on the kickoff to push the score to 43-7 at the 10:40 mark.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Ellison opened the Eagles' next drive with a 15-yard pass and freshman Chris Jordan ran for nine yards, but the Eagle drive stalled with penalties. McKinnon hit Zach Walker for a nine-yard pass and Torrance Hunt pushed Georgia Southern to the SFU 12 for Hanks' first field goal. Lance Geesey provided the only points for St. Francis (Pa.) in the period after the Red Flash only came away with a field goal after Kyle Harbridge ran for 42 yards on top of a 19 yard kickoff return to put St. Francis (Pa.) on the Eagle 35 yard line in its final drive of the third quarter.
After a lackadaisical start by both teams, T. Hunt got the Eagles revved up with a 46-yard touchdown run for their first points of the night with 4:29 remaining in the first quarter. Georgia Southern's next drive, another three-play possession, used five less seconds, but the result was the same as Banks ran for a 15-yard TD as the Eagles went up 13-0.
McKinnon and junior wide receiver Ketrellis Showers connected for a 35-yard touchdown pass to finish an 80-yard drive, the longest of the night, midway through the second quarter that helped add more distance between the Eagles and Red Flash. St. Francis (Pa.) came right back with a 16-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a Khairi Dickson touchdown and Lance Geesey extra point to pull the Red Flash back within two touchdowns at 20-7 Eagles. A 42-yard Kevin Ellison pass to B.J. Johnson, career bests for both of them, brought the Eagles quickly downfield for their final score of the first half.Johnathan Bryant took the pitch to the left side for a five-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half to give the Eagles a 27-7 margin at the break.
Hanks made two of the Eagles' three field goals, a 29-yard FG in the third and a 31-yarder in the fourth. Freshman Younghoe Koo put his name on the scoring sheet for his first collegiate PAT and a 38-yard field goal.
Ellison finished the night with a career-best 151 yards passing, going 5-6 while McKinnon threw for his two touchdowns for a 94-yard total and a perfect 3-3 on his attempts. Banks led the Eagles with his three scores and totaled 72 yards on 11 carries. Butler average 12 yards per attempt.
For the second straight game, linebackers Kyle Oehlbeck and Edwin Jackson tied for the team lead in tackles with nine. Senior Carlos Cave had eight tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss while Lavelle Westbrooks had two pass breakups and came close to picking off two passes. Deion Stanley had his second interception in as many weeks and returned it for 31 yards to close the first half.
Georgia Southern (2-0) travels to Wofford for a 7 p.m. ET game Saturday, Sept. 14th as the Eagles face the Terriers in their first Southern Conference contest of 2013.
North Carolina A&T 24, Appalachian State 21
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University football fell to North Carolina A&T by a 24-21 final in the 2013 home opener on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
The Mountaineers fell to 0-2 with the loss, marking the first time since 2009 and only the third time in the last 20 seasons that the Mountaineers have lost their first two games of the season.
Appalachian found themselves down 20-6 to the Aggies entering the fourth quarter – scoring 15 points to the Aggies three points. A recovered onside kick with 21 seconds left allowed the Mountaineers to position themselves for a game tying field goal, but Drew Stewart's 46-yard attempt, which was plenty long enough, slipped wide left.
Jamal Londry-Jackson started the game completing 12 of his 21 passes for one touchdown and two interceptions – finishing with 120 yards passing. Kameron Bryant played the entire second half and completed 21 of his 31 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Tony Washington finished as the leading receiver with 101 yards on 11 receptions. Andrew Peacock caught 11 balls for 93 yards. Marcus Cox had two receiving touchdowns on 49 yards receiving. Barrett Burns also found the endzone on a 10-yard scoring strike from Bryant in the fourth quarter.
Defensively for App State, John Law led the way with 14 tackles while Karl Anderson was right behind Law finishing with 11 tackles including a pass break up.
Virginia Tech 45, Western Carolina 3
Blacksburg, Va. - Western Carolina dropped its third-straight game to a NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent on Saturday afternoon as Virginia Tech outscored the Catamounts, 24-3, in the second half en route to a 45-3 final Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium / Worsham Field. Virginia Tech's Detrick Bonner returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and Trey Edmunds ran for two scores in the win.
WCU (0-2) ended the 2012 season at fourth-ranked Alabama before opening 2013 with back-to-back road trips to Middle Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Western Carolina struggled to find rhythm in the passing game on Saturday as starting quarterback Eddie Sullivan finished just 4-for-14 for 51 yards and three interceptions. He found four different receivers including redshirt freshman tight end Michael Helms Jr., for his first career reception totaling 15 yards. Classmate C.J. Goodman also hauled in a 15-yard pass to match the team high.
WCU rushed for 111 yards in the loss with freshman tailback Garry Lewis - who made his first career start - leading the way with 45 yards and Sullivan adding 41 including a long of 19 yards. Combined, seven Catamounts recorded rushes on Saturday.
Virginia Tech (1-1) cracked the scoreboard first, but the tally came on defense as Bonner returned an interception 37 yards just under 10 minutes into the first quarter for the early, 7-0, advantage. The Hokies added to their lead early in the second quarter as Edmunds capped a 16-play drive with a one-yard plunge to push the home squad ahead by two scores.
The Hokies scored once more before intermission as quarterback Logan Thomas found D.J. Coles for a 19-yard pitch-and-catch for a 21-0 halftime margin. WCU's defense played very tough over the opening 30 minutes with two Catamounts - freshman Trey Morgan and junior Christon Gill - coming up with the first two interceptions of the season - both in the end zone and halted potential Virginia Tech scoring drives.
After the two teams traded punts to start the second half, the Hokies got a big play from running back Chris Mangus who took a toss to the left, avoided pressure in the backfield and broke free for a 76-yard touchdown romp.
WCU scratched the scoreboard midway through the third quarter, capitalizing on a third Hokies turnover. Redshirt freshman Damian Whitaker recovered a muffed punt to set the Catamount offense up with perfect field position. Despite not being able to advance the ball against the Hokies defense and the hostile crowd, junior kicker Richard Sigmon was able to split the uprights from 28-yards out to make it 28-3.
Over the final quarter and a half, Virginia Tech added three more scores including Edmunds' second rushing TD, a 13-yard run by Joel Caleb and a 30-yard field goal by Cody Journell after the WCU defense held on a third and nine from the 13 yard line.
Senior Courtland Carson led the short-handed Catamount defense with a season-high 14 tackles, including eight solo stops. The Charlotte, N.C., native tallied 10 of his game-high tackles in the first half. Linebacker Tyson Dickson and defensive backs Jaleel Lorquet and Trevor Taylor all finished with six stops apiece with Lorquet breaking up two passes, nearly coming up with an interception.
WCU played without preseason All-SoCon safety, Ace Clark, and saw sophomore Sertonuse Harris sidelined with an injury midway through the game.
All told, the WCU defense recorded five total stops including the two interceptions.
Western Carolina returns home next weekend for both its home and Southern Conference opener as it welcomes The Citadel Bulldogs to E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30pm.
Coastal Carolina 35, Furman 28
CONWAY, S.C. -- Alex Ross passed for 245 yards and a touchdown and 24th-ranked Coastal Carolina built a two-touchdown first half lead and held off Furman, 35-28, in football action Saturday evening at Brooks Stadium.
Coastal Carolina (2-0) led 20-7 at intermission and twice answered Furman (0-2) second half touchdowns with scores of their own to earn the victory.
A 14-yard scoring strike from Reese Hannon to Ryan Culbreath with 3:54 to go pulled Furman to within a touchdown. The Paladins forced a punt and got the ball back at their own 30 with 2:47 remaining, but a third down sack by Coastal Carolina's Colton Backburn put the Paladins in a fourth-and-20 situation at the Furman 34, after which Hannon's last pass fell incomplete.
Furman posted a 431-375 advantage in total offense, running for 240 yards and passing for 191. Hank McCloud led all rushers with 21 attempts for a career high 133 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Marcus Anderson had 13 carries for 72 yards, nearly all of which came in the second half.
Paladin sophomore quarterback Reese Hannon, who sat out Furman's season opener against Gardner-Webb with a strained oblique, accounted for all of the Paladins' passing yards, completing 17-of-31 attempts and throwing two touchdowns.
Coastal Carolina scored on its second possession of the game, covering 66 yards in 10 plays for a 5-yard touchdown strike from Alex Ross to Thomas Pauciello. Dalton Demos' two-point conversion run around left end gave the Chanticleers an 8-0 lead at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter.
Coastal Carolina needed just 22 seconds to tally again, taking advantage of a Furman fumble on the kickoff and recovery by LaDarius Hawthorne at the Furman 24. On second down Ross faked a handoff off the left side and fired a lateral to the sideline to Matt Hazel, who collected it and scampered 24 yards into the end zone.
The Paladins broke through on the ensuing possession, using three runs by McCloud to cover 26 yards and a 14-yard run by TTerry Robinson to move to the Coastal 34. Two plays later Richard Feacher bolted 30 yards off the left side into the end zone. Ray Early's PAT made it 14-7.
The Chanticleers answered with a 9-play, 75-yard drive, which was aided in a big way by a generous fourth down spot for a first down at the Furman 3. On the next play Lorenzo Taliaferro covered the distance into the end zone to give CCU a 20-7 advantage at the 11:53 mark of the second quarter.
The rest of the first half proved frustrating to the Paladins, who twice drove into the red zone only to come away with no points. A missed 37-yard field goal spoiled a 52-yard drive to the Chanticleer 20, and a Jairus Hollman interception and 11-yard return to the CCU 27 failed to net any points after Early misfired on a 24-yard field goal try with 35 seconds before intermission.
Marcus McMorris' third quarter interception at the Furman 43 helped set up a 57-yard drive that featured seven consecutive runs, capped by a 2-yard scoring plunge by Hank McCloud that pulled the Paladins to within 20-14 midway through the period.
Coastal Carolina responded with its most impressive possession of the contest, covering 79 yards in 11 plays for a 1-yard scoring plunge by Ross with 1:47 to go in the third quarter. The Chanticleers' second two-point conversion of the game made it 28-14.
A pair of Hannon fourth quarter touchdown strikes — the first covering 23 yards to Gary Robinson and the second, a 14-yard connection with Culbreath — kept the Paladins within striking distance.
Arkansas 31, Samford 21
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—The Samford football team took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Arkansas came back to win in the final period, 31-21, Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium.
Samford assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Bill D’Ottavio filled in again for Samford head coach Pat Sullivan, who is recovering from back surgery.
The Samford offense was led by senior running back Fabian Truss, rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Senior quarterback Andy Summerlin completed 19-of-28 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Kelsey Pope caught three passes for 29 yards, while senior tight end Zeke Walters had two catches for 20 yards and a score.
Defensively for Samford, senior linebacker Justin Shade had 10 tackles, including Samford’s lone sack of the game. Shade also forced two fumbles in the game. Bobby Wilson also had 10 tackles for the Bulldogs. Trey Wesley had nine tackles and two fumble recoveries.
For Arkansas, Alex Collins rushed 24 times for 172 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Williams had 17 rushes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Allen completed 9-of-17 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Arkansas scored on its first possession of the game, driving 75 yards for the game’s opening score. Allen hit Mitchell Loewen for a 24-yard touchdown with 12:02 to go in the first quarter. Zack Hocker added the extra point to give the Razorbacks a 7-0 lead.
Arkansas struck again on its next drive. Allen connected with Javontee Herndon for a seven-yard touchdown, and Hocker’s extra point made the score 14-0 with 7:36 left in the opening quarter.
Samford put its first points on the scoreboard late in the first quarter. Pope scored on a two-yard run with 1:36 to go in the first quarter, and Warren Handrahan added the extra point to cut the Arkansas lead to 14-7. The scoring play capped a 75-yard drive that took six minutes off the clock for the Bulldogs’ first points of the contest.
Arkansas added to its lead on its first drive of the second quarter. Hocker kicked a 53-yard field goal to push the Razorbacks’ lead to 17-7 with 11:54 left in the second quarter. The teams headed to halftime with Arkansas holding a 17-7 advantage.
Samford put the first points of the second half on the scoreboard when Summerlin hit Walters for a two-yard touchdown pass with 11:22 to go in the third quarter. Handrahan’s extra point brought Samford to within three points at 17-14. The drive was set up when Wesley recovered an Arkansas fumble, giving Samford the ball at the Razorbacks’ 24-yard line.
The Bulldogs took the lead with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter. Truss ran for a 16-yard touchdown, and Handrahan’s PAT gave Samford a 21-17 lead with 5:09 left in the third quarter.
Arkansas took the lead again on the third play of the fourth quarter. Williams scored on a one-yard run with 13:38 to go in the fourth quarter. Hocker’s extra point gave the Razorbacks a 24-21 lead. Arkansas added to its lead when Alex Collins scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 9:04 left in the game. Hocker’s PAT made the score 31-21.
As a team, Samford finished with 231 yards of total offense, compared to 458 for Arkansas. The Razorbacks committed two turnovers in the game, both on fumbles, while Samford did not commit a turnover.
With the loss, Samford drops to 1-1 on the young season. Arkansas improves to 2-0 with the win.