Chattanooga 34, The Citadel 14
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Chattanooga scored on its first five possessions to build a 31-0 halftime advantage, and the Southern Conference-leading Mocs went on to post a 34-14 victory over The Citadel on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The Bulldogs dropped to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the SoCon, while Chattanooga moved to 4-3 and remained undefeated in three league contests. The Mocs have won five of the last six in the series.
The Citadel was held to 198 rushing yards after entering the game ranked second in the nation at 325.3 yards per outing. Aaron Miller and Vinny Miller led the Bulldogs with 61 and 60 yards, respectively, and Aaron Miller scored his fifth touchdown of the season and 16th of his career.
Vinny Miller added a 19-yard scoring reception for the final points of the game in the fourth quarter.
The Mocs, ranked 15th in the nation by the FCS coaches and No. 17 by The Sports Network, entered as the top defensive team in the SoCon, allowing only 299.7 yards of total offense and just 131.7 on the ground.
Chattanooga piled up 478 yards of total offense, including 315 on the ground. Derrick Craine, who entered the game with 105 rushing yards on the season, carried 17 times for 135 yards. He was followed by Keon Williams with 88 and Jacob Huesman with 81 and both scored a touchdown.
Huesman also completed 11 of 17 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. The reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Year got Chattanooga started right away when he connected on a 66-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Board on the Mocs' first play from scrimmage.
The next time Chattanooga had the ball, the Mocs marched 80 yards on nine plays, and a 27-yard scoring pass from Huesman to Marquis Green gave the visitors a 14-point lead just seven minutes into the contest.
Henrique Ribeiro made a field goal from 33 yards out, Huesman scored on a 15-yard run and Williams went in from two yards out in the second quarter to make it a 31-point game at intermission.
The last Citadel win in the series came in 2011 when the Bulldogs rallied from 27 points down in the third quarter for a 28-27 victory, the biggest comeback win in school history. This time the Bulldogs also started strong in the third quarter, driving 75 yards on 11 plays including a 28-yard run by Aaron Miller, The Citadel's longest play of the game.
Aaron Miller capped the drive with a two-yard run to make it 31-7 in the opening five minutes of the period. But any realistic hope for another Bulldog comeback ended when Chattanooga took the ensuing kickoff and ran more than eight minutes off the clock, settling for a 38-yard field goal by Ribeiro that made it 34-7.
The Bulldogs got the ball back at the Chattanooga 46 when Joe Crochet recovered a Huesman fumble on the final play of the third quarter. The Citadel capitalized on the only turnover of the game on the Miller-to-Miller connection that made it 34-14 with 12:47 left.
After a pair of punts, Chattanooga began at its own 20 with 9:22 to go and was able to run out the rest of the time on 14 running plays that covered 66 yards.
Malik Diggs led the Bulldogs with a career-high 10 tackles. Nakevion Leslie had the same total to pace the Mocs, and Davis Tull, the recipient of the last two SoCon Defensive Player of the Year awards, had the only sack of the game.
Wofford 24, Samford 20
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two fourth down plays in the fourth quarter, one on offense and one on defense, proved to be the difference as the Wofford College football team defeated Samford 24-20 at Seibert Stadium. The Terriers scored a touchdown on fourth-and-one with 4:34 left in the game, then stopped Samford on fourth-and-one with 1:44 remaining and held on for the win.
The Terriers are 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Southern Conference, while Samford is 3-3 and 2-2 in league play. Wofford was led by Lorenzo Long with 128 rushing yards, while quarterback Michael Weimer rushed for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown. The Bulldogs were led by Michael Eubank with 305 yards on 32-of-43 passing, but the Wofford defense held Samford to only 49 rushing yards.
The Bulldogs had the ball to open the game and went three-and-out. Wofford also went three-and-out on their first drive of the day. Samford gained a first down, but again had to punt and the Terriers started on the 7-yard line. After gaining two first downs, Wofford punted and Samford took over with 6:14 left in the first half.
Samford started at the 14-yard line and went three-and-out. The Terriers began at the Bulldog’s 45-yard line and gained one first down. David Marvin got Wofford on the scoreboard with a 44-yard field goal with 2:38 left in the first quarter. On the first play of the next Samford drive, Terrance Morris knocked the ball out of the hand of quarterback Michael Eubank and the fumble was recovered by Tarek Odom. The Terriers took over at the 16-yard line and Chase Nelson converted a third down at the five. Cam Flowers took it in from the three and Wofford had a 10-0 lead with 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
To start the second quarter, the Bulldogs gained one first down before punted back to the Terriers. Wofford went three-and-out and punted. Samford had three passing first downs before settling for a 23-yard field goal and a 10-3 score with 7:02 left in the second quarter. On the next drive for the Terriers, Ray Smith picked up a pair of first downs before Wofford punted with 2:38 left in the first half. Samford started the drive at the 25-yard line and used five passing first downs to get inside the 10-yard line. Michael Eubank went in from eight yards out for a touchdown and the game was tied 10-10 with 41 seconds left in the first half. Wofford was outgained 189 to 97 in the first half, with 129 of those yards coming on the final two Samford drives.
Wofford opened the second half with the ball and used a 48-yard run by Lorenzo Long to move the ball inside the 10-yard line. Michael Weimer found Zach Muller in the back of the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown and a 17-10 lead at the 11:13 mark of the third quarter. Samford then drove down the field with a 24-yard pass and a 31-yard run to move inside the 10-yard line. Denzel Williams went in from one-yard out to tie the game at 17-17 with 8:17 on the clock in the third quarter.
The Terriers went three-and-out and Brian Sanders punted for a career-long 62 yards to give Samford the ball at the 12-yard line. The Bulldogs then were forced three-and-out and Wofford took over at midfield. The Terriers could only gain five yards and had to punt. Samford then gained two first downs before a holding penalty and sack by Tarek Odom forced a punt.
Wofford began the drive at the four-yard line. On third down, a long pass by Michael Weimer was intercepted by James Bradberry and returned 24 yards to the 18-yard line. Dylan Young had a tackle for a loss of ten yards on first down, but Samford took a 20-17 lead with a 34-yard field goal with 12:02 left in the game. Wofford had a 20 yard reception by Zach Muller and a first down run by Lorenzo Long to move across midfield. On fourth-and-three from the 22, Lorenzo Long went up the middle for a 12 yard gain and a first down. Wofford then had a fourth-and-goal from the one and Michael Weimer kept the ball. After working through the pile, the officials signaled a touchdown and Wofford had a 24-20 lead with 4:34 on the clock.
Samford had a 37 yard kickoff return and began their drive at the 42-yard line. They gained two first downs and then had a fourth-and-one at the 24-yard line with 1:50 left in the game. The run by Michael Eubanks was short and Wofford took over on downs. The Terriers were unable to gain a first down and had to punt with 46 seconds on the clock. After one first down, Samford was intercepted by Brion Anderson and the Terriers took a knee for the win.
Wofford had 264 total yards, with 197 on the ground. Samford had 354 total yards, 305 of which were passing. Samford had a 19 to 12 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 6-of-17 on third downs and 2-of-2 on fourth down. Samford was 3-of-13 on third down and 0-of-1 on fourth down. Wofford and Samford each had three penalties. Wofford had a 33:41 to 26:19 time of possession advantage.
Western Carolina 35, Mercer 21
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University football team dropped a 35-21 decision to Western Carolina on Saturday evening at Mercer University Stadium.
The Bears (5-3, 1-3 SoCon) were hurt early by turnovers, as two costly fumbles helped WCU race out to a 21-3 advantage in the second quarter. Mercer was able to trim the deficit heading into halftime though, as Bret Niederreither scooped up a fumble to set up a drive at the Catamounts' nine-yard line. Alex Lakes made it 21-10 one play later, as he found pay dirt on a nine-yard run to close out the first-half scoring.
The second half got off to a good start for the Bears, as they marched down to the WCU's 17-yard line on just three play on their opening drive thanks in part to Avery Ward's 37-yard reception from quarterback John Russ. However, back-to-back penalties would stall the drive, as Mercer was forced to settle for Will Roper's 44-yard field goal to pull within a score, 21-13.
The Catamounts put a stop to any thoughts of a rally though, scoring 14-straight points to open up a 35-13 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Mercer bounced back with a six-play, 64-yard drive late in the game, as Russ hit Josh Jones in the back of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown. The Bears converted the two-point conversion to pull within, 35-21, but WCU recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
Mercer finished with 400 yards of total offense, including 235 yards in the second half. The Bears once again utilized a balanced attack with 201 yards rushing and 199 yards through the air.
Western Carolina racked up 406 yards of offense in the contest, while forcing three turnovers. The Catamounts sealed the win with their running game, holding the ball for over 11 minutes in the fourth quarter.
Lakes paced the Bears' offense with 125 yards on the ground on 21 carries, while pushing his SoCon-leading total for rushing touchdowns to 12 with his second-quarter score. Russ threw for 199 yards on 13-of-25 passing, while JT Palmer hauled in a team-leading six receptions for 58 yards.
Tyler Ward paced Mercer's defense with 11 tackles and two tackles-for-loss. Devin Davidson added seven tackles and a sack, while LeMarkus Bailey tallied six tackles including a vicious hit on punt return coverage.
Gardner-Webb 47, VMI 41 (2OT)
LEXINGTON, Va. – A Kenny Cook touchdown catch in the second overtime was the difference as the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs eked out a 47-41 double overtime victory over the VMI Keydets in non-conference football action Saturday at Lexington, Va.’s Foster Stadium. It was VMI’s first overtime game of the 2014 season and was played before a crowd of 6,624, VMI’s largest attendance since the 2012 Military Classic of the South against The Citadel.
After VMI (1-7) entered the fourth quarter down 31-13, the Keydets stormed back and led briefly before a late GWU (4-3) field goal forced overtime. Both teams scored quickly in the first overtime, with the visitors doing so on a J.J. Hubbard touchdown run and VMI converting an Al Cobb to Aaron Sanders 25-yard touchdown pass.
In the second overtime, however, the Keydets were unable to put points on the board after three incompletions and a sack led to a missed 36-yard field goal. GWU took advantage immediately, as quarterback Lucas Beatty found Cook in the left corner of the end zone for the game-winner.
Cook’s game-winning grab gave him 251 yards receiving for the game, breaking a facility record previously set in 1997, and was just one of a litany of records set on the day. Cook’s quarterback, Beatty, went 25 of 42 for 430 yards and five touchdowns, and broke VMI alumnus Dave Brown's Alumni Memorial Field mark for passing yards in the process.
Meanwhile, Keydet quarterback Al Cobb went 34 for 53 for 351 yards and six touchdowns, each of which came to a different receiver. The touchdown figure was a new school record and tied for the second-most in a single game in SoCon history, while the 34 completions tied a VMI mark and the yardage was the fifth-most ever posted by a Keydet.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early lead on the beautiful fall day in Lexington, as Beatty threw a pair of first quarter touchdowns to put his team up, 14-0, after one period. The Keydets got on the board with 5:46 left in the half, when Matthew Nicholson hauled in his second touchdown grab of the year, a 19-yard strike from Cobb to make it a 14-6 contest. The extra point was missed, a miss that would prove costly later on.
The teams traded scores in the final two minutes of the half. GWU put together an 11-play, 92-yard drive and capped it with Beatty’s 29-yard pass to Deonte Swinton to grab a 15-point lead, 21-6. The Runnin’ Bulldogs left too much time for Cobb and company, however, a theme that would return in the second half on both sides.
VMI was forced to punt after the touchdown, but a stop and a 15-yard punt by Andrew Komornik gave the Keydets prime field position. Cobb took advantage by completing three quick passes, the last of which was good for a 22-yard touchdown to Doug Burton and a 21-13 halftime score.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs struck again to start the second half, as on the second play from scrimmage, Beatty found Cook down the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown and a 28-13 GWU lead. Gardner-Webb then kicked a field goal on its next drive and had a game-high 18-point cushion, 31-13, with 5:43 left in the third quarter.
That would be the score entering the fourth period, but the Keydets strung together a nine-play, 64-yard drive to get back in the game. Two third-down conversions by Deon Watts were crucial, and Cobb capped the push with a three-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Vardo. With 12:09 left, the Keydets were down 31-20.
After one first down, the Keydet defense stiffened and forced a punt. Cobb picked right up where he left off on the previous drive – A nine-play, 69-yard drive saw him go 6 for 7, including a fourth-down conversion to Aaron Sanders. Dane Forlines grabbed a 12-yard touchdown at the end of the drive, but the two-point conversion failed and the score was 31-26 with 5:56 to go.
Beatty made perhaps his only mistake of the day on GWU’s next play from scrimmage. A deep ball over the middle was intercepted by freshman Greg Sanders and returned to the Gardner-Webb 15, giving the Keydets a golden opportunity. VMI cashed in on 4th down, as Cobb found Watts for a 10-yard touchdown and a 34-31 lead, VMI’s first lead of the day. The 21-point fourth quarter was VMI’s first since last year’s game against Presbyterian, but there was still 4:03 left on the clock.
The visitors capped regulation with a comeback of their own. A clutch 23-yard pass on 4th and 20 gave GWU new life, allowing it to continue a 61-yard, 15-play drive that ran off nearly all of the time remaining. Kicker Paul Schumacher converted a 43-yard field goal to cap that drive and tie the game, 34-34, as the contest headed into overtime.
The Keydets won the toss and chose defense to begin overtime, an interesting note because in regulation this year, VMI has received the ball to start all eight contests thus far. Regardless, Beatty found Cook with a 23-yard pass to start the first possession and one play later, Hubbard scored for a 41-34 GWU lead. Cobb needed only one play to connect with Sanders and tie the game, 41-41, giving VMI the ball to start the second overtime.
After a first down completion to Burton, Cobb was sacked and two plays later, Dillon Christopher was wide left from 36 yards out, giving GWU the ball. The Runnin’ Bulldogs ended the game on the next play with Cook’s game-winning grab.
In addition to those standouts previously mentioned, Sam Patterson equaled a career-high with seven catches, while Gardner-Webb’s Jeffrey Pegues posted 20 tackles on defense.
South Carolina 41, Furman 10
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Dylan Thompson passed for 262 yards and two touchdowns to lead South Carolina to a 48-10 victory over Furman in football action Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Thompson completed 14-of-22 passes, including a 15-yard strike to Shaq Roland and 45-yard connection to Jerell Adams, to key the win for South Carolina (4-3).
Hank McCloud paced Furman (2-5) with the sixth 100-yard rushing performance of his career, highlighted by a 60-yard scoring run in the first half.
The Paladins have dropped five straight but return to Southern Conference play next Saturday when they play host to Samford in a 1:30 p.m. ESPN3 televised game at Paladin.
McCloud’s 60-yard scoring run, the longest of his career, midway through the first quarter tied the game at 7-7.
Trailing 14-7, Furman misfired on an opportunity to tie the game after Reggie Thomas sacked Thompson and forced a fumble that was recorded by Paladin defensive end Ira McCune at South Carolina 26. Two plays later, however, McCloud had the ball stripped by USC’s Michael Washington at the Gamecock 11 to halt the threat.
The Paladins were stymied again on their next possession after gaining first and goal at the USC 4. Faced with third and goal at the USC 2, the Paladins were flagged for an illegal procedure, and quarterback P.J. Blazejowski was then acked on third down for a loss of nine yards to the USC 16, after which Hunter Townes failed to convert a 33-yard field goal try.
Furman’s defense bottled up the Gamecocks on the ensuing possession, forcing a punt that gave the Paladins the ball at the their own 48. The good field position quickly disolved as a personal foul penatly followed by a fumble at the Furman 28 set up South Carolina for a quick score, which came on a Mike Davis 2-yard plunge with 2:32 for a 28-7 lead.
The Paladins used a fumble recovery by Marcus McMorris at the Furman 47 on the opening possession of the second half to cut into the Gamecocks’ advantage. Moving 41 yards in eight plays to the Gamecock 12, Townes booted a 29-yard field goal to make it a 28-10 game.
Furman’s bid for a second half comeback was vanquished on the Gamecocks’ next two possessions, which netted scores. Shon Carson’s 1-yard scoring run stretched it to 35-10, and Elliott Fry’s 27-yard field goal, set up by a Chris Moody interception and 26-yard return to the Furman 36, upped the lead to 38-10.
South Carolina piled up a 548-302 advantage in total offense, led by Thompson’s passing and a ground attack that netted 267 yards, including 111 and 110 yards, respectively, by Mike Davis and David Williams.
Blazejowski completed 10-of-15 passes for 85 yards and rushed for 28 yards for Furman,
The Paladins tallied four sacks in the contest to up their season total to 18 and match last year’s tally, which was registered in 14 games.
Cory Magwood was credited with a game high 10 tackles.