Furman 13, Gardner-Webb 3

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) 18th-ranked Furman limited Gardner-Webb to just 25 yards in the second half to secure a 13-3 victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs in season opening football action for both teams Saturday evening at Paladin Stadium.

Furman (1-0) led 10-3 at halftime and used a 47-yard third quarter field goal by freshman Jon Croft Hollingsworth to stretch the advantage to 13-3 before salting the game away with its defense, which racked up five sacks and kept the Gardner-Webb (0-1) bottled up on its side of the field all six second half possessions.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs had 169 total yards in halftime but finished with only 194.

Furman totaled 328 yards, led by quarterback Reese Hannon, who went 21-for-30 for 221 yards and a touchdown, but the junior from Greer exited the game late in the third quarter with a fractured left ankle, which was later confirmed by examination.  He is expected to undergo surgery next week and will miss the remainder of the season, according to Craig Clark, Furman’s head athletic trainer.

Hollingsworth, a true freshman from Greenwood, S.C., gave Furman a 3-0 first quarter lead by converting his first collegiate attempt, from 28 yards.

Gardner-Webb threatened to take the lead midway through the second period after Juanne Blout’s seven-run gave the Runnin’ Bulldogs a second-and-goal at Furman 1.  The Paladin defense stiffened, however, limiting the Bulldogs to a game tying 19-yard field goal by Paul Schumacher.

Furman put together a six-play, 56-yard drive to take a 10-3 lead on a Hannon 6-yard pass to Jordan Snellings with 1:08 left before intermission.

Hollingsworth’s 47-yard third quarter field goal highlighted a strong collegiate debut for the former Greenwood High School standout, who converted both field goal attempts, averaged 39.0 yards on nine punts, and deposited all four kickoffs into the end zone.

Senior All-Southern Conference defensive end Gary Wilkins collected 2.5 of Furman’s five sacks, with Ira McCune and Brian Ross accounted for one each, and John Mackey a half sack.  All told the Paladins registered 10 tackles for losses of 34 yards.

True freshman Antonio Wilcox led Furman’s ground game with 14 carries for 50 yards, and Jordan Snellings topped all Paladin receivers with eight catches for 51 yards.

Lucas Beatty passed for 125 yards but managed to complete just 15-of-31 attempts with an interception.

Georgia Tech 38, Wofford 19

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Wofford football team was defeated 38-19 by Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers cut the lead to one possession in the fourth quarter, but the Yellow Jackets scored the final two touchdowns of the game.

The Terriers open at 0-1, while Georgia Tech is 1-0. Wofford was led by Ray Smith with 108 yards on four carries and a touchdown, while Evan Jacks ran for 89 yards on 13 carries along with 5-of-9 passing for 26 yards. The Yellow Jackets were led by Justin Thomas with 282 passing yards and two touchdowns, while DeAndre Smelter had five catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

The Terriers had the ball first and a 34-yard kickoff return by Lorenzo Long gave Wofford good starting position. After going three-and-out, the Terriers punted. The Yellow Jackets picked up four first downs on their opening drive and scored a touchdown with a four-yard run by Zach Laskey. Georgia Tech had a 7-0 lead at the 8:16 mark in the first quarter.

On the next drive for Wofford, Evan Jacks ran for a first down and Will Irwin caught a first down pass to move the ball across midfield. Evan Jacks added a 20-yard run for a first down before the drive ended with a 39-yard field goal by David Marvin. The score was 7-3 with 2:16 left in the first quarter. Both teams then went three-and-out and traded punts.

Georgia Tech gained four first downs but a 31-yard field goal attempt went wide right with 7:40 left in the second quarter. The Terriers picked up rushing first downs by Lorenzo Long and Nick Colvin before punting. On a punt, the return was fumbled but went out of bounds before Wofford could recover. The Yellow Jackets gained one first down, before three incomplete passes and punting back to the Terriers.

Wofford had the ball back with 1:28 left in the first half and had third and 8 from the eight yard line. Evan Jacks handed the ball off to Ray Smith, who went right up the middle 92 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, but Wofford had a 9-7 lead with 51 seconds left in the half. The Yellow Jackets began the final drive of the half at midfield. After gaining 33 yards on a pass completion, Georgia Tech kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired for a 10-9 lead at the break.

To open the second half, the Yellow Jackets converted a fourth-and-one. After another first down, Georgia Tech gained 22 yards on a fourth-and-five. On the next play, DeAndre Smelter scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass for a 17-9 lead at the 9:10 mark of the third quarter. Wofford had three first downs on the ensuing drive, however a personal foul penalty pushed the Terriers back. David Marvin then hit a 51-yard field goal for a 17-12 score with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

The Yellow Jackets wasted no time on their next drive, scoring on a 71-yard pass from Justin Thomas to DeAndre Smelter for a 24-12 lead with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter. Wofford gained two first downs and then Michael Weimer picked up a fourth-and-two for the Terriers. A first down after a pass interference led to a 4-yard touchdown run by Octavius Harden. The 16-play drive took 9:13 off the clock and went 75 yards to make it a 24-19 game with 9:49 remaining.

On the next drive by Georgia Tech, a 65-yard completion set-up an 11-yard touchdown run by Zach Laskey. With 8:34 on the clock, the Yellow Jackets had a 31-19 lead. Wofford was forced three-and-out on the next possession and punted. Georgia Tech then went on a ten play drive that culminated with a four-yard touchdown run by Synjyn Days to take a 38-19 advantage with 1:34 left in the game. Wofford gained one first down before turning the ball over on downs with 57 seconds left on the clock. The Yellow Jackets ran two plays to end the game with a 38-19 final score.

Wofford had 326 total yards, with 288 on the ground. Georgia Tech had 508 total yards, 282 of which were passing. Georgia Tech had a 21 to 16 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 5-of-13 on third downs and 1-of-2 on fourth down. Georgia Tech was 5-of-10 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down. Each team had five penalties. Wofford had a 31:26 to 28:34 time of possession advantage.  

Coastal Carolina 31, The Citadel 16

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Sixth-ranked Coastal Carolina built a 28-3 lead in the third quarter and withstood a pair of 100-yard rushers by The Citadel in a 31-16 season-opening victory on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

The Citadel falls to 0-1 on the season and visits No. 1 Florida State next Saturday in Tallahassee. It will mark the first time in program history that the Bulldogs will play a top-ranked FBS opponent. Coastal Carolina takes on North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.

Citadel sophomore Tyler Renew carried the ball 20 times for 137 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter, while senior Jake Stenson averaged 12 yards per carry, accumulating 122 on just 10 rushes.

It was the second consecutive FCS opponent in which the Bulldogs had two 100-yard rushers. Darien Robinson and Ben Dupree rushed for 115 and 109, respectively, against VMI to close out the 2013 home slate.

The Bulldogs rushed for 358 yards on 65 attempts, averaging 5.5 per carry, while the defensive front held the Chanticleers to 40 carries for only 170 yards. The Citadel fumbled eight times but managed to recover each one, and there were no turnovers by either team.

Chanticleer quarterback Alex Ross threw for 263 yards on 24-of-32 passing, including a nine-yard pass to Bruce Mapp in the third quarter to put Coastal Carolina up 28-3. Ross, who is on the Walter Payton Award watch list, has now thrown a touchdown pass in 15 consecutive games.

Ross also rushed the ball 13 times for 67 yards, while Mapp caught 10 passes for 108 yards.

After receiving the opening kickoff, the Chanticleers marched 60 yards in eight plays and capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run by De'Angelo Henderson to take an early 7-0 lead. Henderson finished with 88 yards on 18 carries.

The Bulldogs' first drive stalled after two first downs, and a botched punt on fourth down left Coastal Carolina with the ball at The Citadel's 16.

Three plays later, the Chanticleers took a 14-0 lead on a six-yard quarterback keeper by backup Aaron Aiken.

The Citadel opened the second half with its longest drive of the game, taking 15 plays to drive 56 yards over 7:48. After a CCU third-down stop, the Bulldogs brought on Eric Goins who drilled a 42-yard field goal to put The Citadel on the board, 14-3.

The kick was Goins' first career field goal. The sophomore has handled the punting duties for the past two seasons.

The Chanticleers followed up the Bulldog field goal with back-to-back scoring drives which resulted in touchdowns that put Coastal Carolina ahead 28-3 early in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs added two touchdowns in the final nine minutes, including a six-yard score from Vinny Miller. The touchdown was the sixth of his career as the junior rushed for 45 yards on 10 carries.

CCU's Alex Catron added a 29-yard field goal before Renew's 30-yard touchdown capped the scoring.

Tevin Floyd led The Citadel defensive effort with 12 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack for a loss of six yards. Julian Baxter tallied 10 stops, seniors Walker Smith and Carl Robinson each made nine tackles and redshirt freshman DeVonta Delaney had three tackles including one behind the line of scrimmage.

Bucknell 42, VMI 38

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Al Cobb threw for four touchdowns and ran for another in a spectacular collegiate debut, but the Bucknell Bison took the lead for good on a 62-yard fourth quarter punt return for a touchdown and went on to defeat the VMI Keydets, 42-38, in NCAA football action Saturday in Lewisburg, Pa. The game was the season opener for both clubs, and was the teams' second consecutive meeting after also ending the 2013 season by facing one another.

VMI (0-1) never led in Saturday's game, but had rallied from an early 14-0 deficit to tie the score four different times, the last of which came late in the third quarter, when Cobb found Dane Forlines for a 20-yard touchdown to knot the score at 35. Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, however, Josh Brake of Bucknell (1-0) broke a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown that gave the Bison a 42-35 lead they would not relinquish.

Dillon Christopher added a field goal with 5:26 to go, cutting the Keydet deficit to 42-38, but the homestanding Bison were able to run out the clock to preserve their narrow victory.

Cobb, a redshirt freshman who was named the starter for the opening game late last week, finished 27 of 40 for 308 yards. He became just the fourth player in VMI history to be responsible for 30 points or more in a single game, joining Tony Scales (1990), Dave Brown (1986) and Bobby Mitchell (1961). He also became the eighth quarterback in VMI history to throw four or more touchdowns in a single game, and his 27 completions tied for the third-most in VMI annals.

Other standouts included running back Deon Watts, who ran for a career-high 97 yards, and Doug Burton who caught a team-high seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Bucknell was led by C.J. Williams, who piled up 164 yards rushing on the night.

Bucknell jumped ahead early, scoring the game’s first 14 points. Matt DelMauro was responsible for both touchdowns, and after he scampered 56 yards for a score with 2:11 left in the first quarter, the home team led 14-0. The Keydets came back early in the second period, however, when Cobb took advantage of three Bucknell penalties and a critical 3rd and 17 conversion pass to Burton. That was part of an eight-play, 92-yard drive that Burton capped with a 20-yard touchdown reception, putting VMI on the board, 14-7 with 14:10 left in the half.

VMI struck again on its next possession, helped by a 3rd and 1, 13-yard swing pass to fullback Kyle Vardo. Aaron Sanders grabbed a 38-yard scoring strike on the next play, tying the score, 14-14 with 10:37 on the clock.

The Bison answered that play, however, with a 50-yard R.J. Nitti to Brake touchdown that made it a 21-14 game at the 7:21 mark. The barn-burner kept going on the next Bucknell possession, when VMI redshirt freshman Ryan Francis sacked Nitti. The BU quarterback fumbled the ball and Francis fell on it for the turnover. Seven plays later, Cobb found Matthew Nicholson with a seven-yard touchdown pass to tie the game again, 21-21.

The home team used a quick strike approach to score again before halftime, as Williams had a 49-yard run on the first play after the kickoff. That moved Bucknell into VMI territory with under 30 seconds to go in the half, and three plays later, Williams scored from one yard out to make the halftime score 28-21, Bison.

After getting a potentially crucial defensive stop, the Keydets got the ball back early in the third quarter. The drive started with a 29-yard Cobb to Burton completion, but after two ineffective runs, VMI faced a 3rd and 9. The Keydets converted thanks to a roughing the passer penalty, and four plays later, Cobb ran it in from a yard out to tie the game once more, 28-all.

The Bison answered with a steady dose of Williams. A six-play, 75-yard drive that took 2:36 saw all 75 yards notched by the running back, and he capped the spurt with a three-yard plunge that gave the home team a 35-28 lead with 6:17 left in the third quarter.

Cobb promptly marched his team back down the field, going 65 yards in 11 plays that included a 13-yard third down conversion to Burton and a six-yard Deon Watts first down run on 3rd and 4. Five plays after Watts’ run, Cobb found Forlines for a 20-yard strike that tied the game at 35-all.

That would prove to be the final tie of the night. After a Bucknell punt, VMI went three and out to start the fourth quarter. It was the first Keydet three and out of the game, and it would be the pivotal moment as Brake ran the Hayden Alford punt back 62 yards for the decisive touchdown with 13:08 to play.

Once again, Cobb answered with a long drive, but this one was stymied at the Bucknell 17-yard line. Christopher knocked home his first field goal of the year from 34 yards out, making it a 42-38 game with 5:26 to play. DelMauro then iced the game on the ensuing drive, running for a first down with just over a minute to play as the home team held on for the victory.

Bucknell finished the game with a 465-421 edge in total offense. The Keydet yardage marked its most total offense in a season opener since the 2008 season, and VMI held a substantial edge in time of possession, 36:59 to 23:01. That TOP advantage was VMI’s largest-such edge in a game since Oct. 6, 2012, when the Keydets had the ball for 15:32 longer than Presbyterian College.

 
TCU 48, Samford 14

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Samford football team dropped its season opener at TCU, falling to the Horned Frogs by a score of 48-14 Saturday evening at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
 
Samford Head Coach Pat Sullivan missed the game while recovering from surgery.
 
In the loss for Samford, quarterback Michael Eubank completed 8-of-15 passes for 63 yards and an interception. Eubank also led the Samford running game with 16 rushes for 46 yards. Carson Barnett completed 2-of-5 passes on the night.
 
Denzel Williams rushed 15 times for 22 yards and one touchdown. Devon Schmitt caught one pass for 32 yards, while Tony Philpot had a catch for 14 yards. 
 
On defense for Samford, Jaquiski Tartt and Justin Cooper had 11 tackles each. Jamerson Blount had 10 tackles and an interception he returned 55 yards for a touchdown. On special teams Greg Peranich punted 10 times for an average of 47.5 yards per kick.
 
For TCU, Trevone Boykin completed 29-of-41 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Kolby Listenbee caught two touchdown passes for the Horned Frogs, while David Porter caught one.
 
TCU struck on the opening drive of the game. B.J. Catalon scored on a two-yard run with 13:00 to go in the first quarter. The score gave the Horned Frogs a 7-0 lead.
 
The Horned Frogs scored again two drives later when Boykin hit Listenbee for a 38-yard scored. The PAT made the score 14-0 with 7:09 left in the opening period.
 
TCU added to its lead on its first drive of the second quarter. Boykin hit Porter for a 19-yard touchdown with 14:36 to go before halftime. The score gave TCU a 21-0 lead. The touchdown was set up when TCU’s Paul Dawson intercepted a Samford pass, giving the Horned Frogs the ball at the Samford 19-yard line.
 
The Horned Frogs pushed their lead to 24-0 when Jaden Oberkrom kicked a 22-yard field goal with 7:07 left in the second quarter.
 
Samford put its first points on the scoreboard late in the second quarter. Williams scored on a two-yard run to cut the TCU lead to 24-7 with 3:30 left in the second quarter. The score capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:37 off of the clock.
 
TCU added to its lead when Boykin scored on a one-yard run with 7:54 left in the third quarter. The score pushed the Horned Frogs’ lead to 31-7. Oberkrom added another field goal, this one from 25-yards out with 6:27 to play in the third quarter to make the score 34-7. The drive was set up when TCU’s Dawson recovered a Bulldog fumble at the SU 14-yard line.
 
The Horned Frogs added to their lead early in the fourth quarter. Trevorris Johnson scored on a seven-yard run with 10:50 to go in the game. The touchdown made the score 41-7. TCU’s Matt Joeckel hit Listenbee for a two-yard score with 9:25 left to push the Horned Frogs’ lead to 48-7.
 
Samford put the final points on the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter. Blount picked off a TCU pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown with 5:08 to go to make the final score 48-14. 

South Florida 36, Western Carolina 31

TAMPA, Fla. - Two Catamounts matched or established school offensive single-game records on Saturday night, but it was not enough to eclipse the debut of South Florida running back Marlon Mack. The true freshman tailback rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulls came from behind to fend off upset-minded Western Carolina, 36-31, in the season-opener for both squads at Raymond James Stadium.

Junior quarterback Troy Mitchell set a WCU single-game record with a career-high 46 pass completions on a school-benchmark 66 pass attempts in the season-opener. The Houston, Texas, product tossed a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for a third score, amassing a career-high 374 yards passing - tied for the ninth-best, single-game performance.

On the receiving end of 27 of Mitchell's completions was sophomore receivers Terryon Robinson and Willie Police. Robinson matched a 30-year old school single-game record with a career-best 15 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown as eight Catamounts recorded receptions. Police had 12 catches for 86 yards with redshirt sophomore Spearman Robinson catching eight passes for 69 yards and a fourth quarter touchdown for the Purple & Gold.

The Catamounts led much of the night, pulling out to a 14-3 first quarter lead and carried a one-point, 17-16, edge into the halftime locker room. The lead remained intact until the waning moments of the third quarter when Mack struck from 60 yards out to give USF a 23-17 advantage.

All told,  Mack scored three touchdowns of 56-or-more yards including runs of 62, 60 and 56 yards, respectively. He matched USF's school single-game rushing record.

Catamount junior tailback Darius Ramsey amassed 111all-purpose yards including a team-high 58 yards on the ground and four catches for 53 yards through the air. His first quarter-ending, two-yard plunge put WCU ahead, 14-3, through 15 minutes of play.

USF's Marvin Kloss split the uprights on his second and third field goals of the evening from 33 and 26 yards out in the second quarter  with WCU's Richard Sigmon punching through a 33-yarder to provide the halftime score, 17-16.

Mack then closed the third and opened the fourth quarters with scores to push the deficit to 13, 30-17.

Western Carolina pulled back to within one score on a six-yard Spearman Robinson touchdown reception to cap an impressive 17-play drive only to see Mack rattle off his third rushing TD of the year to stretch the score to 36-24. The Catamounts answered with Terryon Robinson's 14-yard grab, but the ensuing on-side kick failed to provide the finally tally, 36-31.

Defensively for WCU, sophomore linebacker Tyson Dickson led the way with six tackles including four solo stops and half a tackle for loss while Damian Whitaker and Christon Gill chipped in five stops apiece - each recording a pass break-up. Senior Ace Clark came up with the season's first takeaway with a first quarter interception with Daniel Nash pouncing on a fumble and Avery Worsham coming away with the on-side kick recovery.