Mercer 27, VMI 24
LEXINGTON, Va. - An interception with less than two minutes to go thwarted a potential tying drive, as the Mercer Bears edged the VMI Keydets, 27-24, in Southern Conference football action Saturday in Lexington, Va. It was the first meeting ever between the programs.
With 1:32 remaining and VMI (1-4, 0-2) driving into Mercer territory, Keydet quarterback Al Cobb threw a fade down the left sideline for Doug Burton, but MU defensive back Zach Jackson came from his safety position and leapt in front of the ball for the game-turning interception. From there, the Bears were able to run out the clock and preserve the margin for their first-ever SoCon victory.
In the setback, Sam Patterson led VMI with six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. The receptions were his first catches of the season. Quarterback Cobb chipped in with a 30 for 44 day that included 322 yards and two touchdowns, but he was intercepted twice.
Mercer (4-1, 1-1 SoCon) was paced by its rushing attack that rolled up 269 yards on 53 attempts. Alex Lakes led the way with 98 yards on 20 carries. Quarterback John Russ, who entered the game ranked in the top-10 nationally in pass efficiency, was held to 12 of 22 for 176 yards.
Mercer struck first on a warm afternoon with very little wind. On their first possession, the Bears used 11 plays to go 79 yards, 34 of which came on the legs of Lakes. He then capped the push with an 18-yard dash for a score, putting the visitors up, 7-0.
The next quarter-plus was a struggle for both teams, as each squad committed two turnovers before the Keydets tied the game in the second quarter by taking advantage of one of those miscues. Chandler Curtis, the current SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week, fumbled a punt at the Mercer 13 and James Fruehan fell on the loose ball. The Keydets then scored four plays later on a one-yard run by Jabari Turner, his sixth rushing touchdown in three games, to tie the score 7-7.
Mercer then took over with 2:55 left in the half and responded immediately. The Bears went 75 yards in just 1:15 and scored on a nifty misdirection reverse run by Curtis, a 23-yard dash that made it 13-7. Joe Nelson then blocked the ensuing point after.
That would not end the first half scoring, however, as the teams traded interceptions on the next two plays, with Damian Jones logging the Keydet pick with 1:12 left in the half. Cobb then accounted for 26 yards on the next three plays and got the Keydets into the endzone with an eight-yard touchdown pass to J.C. Garvin.
Garvin’s first career touchdown catch allowed the Keydets to go into the locker room with a 14-13 halftime lead, thanks in large part to Cobb’s 14 of 18 performance over the first 30 minutes.
The third quarter was critical, as Mercer would outgain the Keydets 206-67 in the period and outscore the home team 14-3. That got underway right away, as Mercer took the kickoff and went 75 yards in eight plays to retake the lead, 20-14, on a one-yard touchdown run by Lakes.
After a Keydet punt that saw the Bears pinned to their own 4-yard line, the visitors put together perhaps the game’s decisive drive. Mercer went 96 yards on seven plays and scored on a 62-yard reception by Curtis, giving MU a 27-14 lead with 6:58 left in the third.
The Keydets then saw Dillon Christopher boom a 49-yard field goal on their next possession to cut into that margin, and with 5:36 left in the third quarter, it was 27-17 Mercer. That was the score at the end of the third quarter, and after an exchange of punts in the fourth, the Keydets cut into their deficit again.
VMI took over at its own 19 and Cobb quickly found Burton for 28 yards. Seven plays later, a 28-yard connection to Patterson was good for a touchdown and a 27-24 score with 6:36 to go.
VMI’s defense rose up on the next Mercer possession and forced a punt, giving VMI the ball with 3:34 left. An eight-yard completion to Derrick Ziglar to start the drive had a 15-yard penalty tacked on, moving the chains 23 yards. Five plays later, however, Cobb was picked down the left sideline by Jackson for the fourth Keydet turnover of the afternoon. Russ then ran for 19 yards on Mercer’s next play, picking up a first down and icing the game.
Defensively, Miller Williams logged a career-high 13 tackles for the Keydets, while Fruehan forced a fumble and recovered another and Damian Jones had a first-half interception for VMI. Jackson had a fumble recovery and an interception for the visitors.
Western Carolina 35, Furman 17
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Troy Mitchell threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead Western Carolina to a 35-17 win over Furman in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
The win snapped Western Carolina’s eight-game series losing streak to Furman and marked only the Catamounts’ second victory over the Paladins in the last 17 meetings, and first win in Greenville since 1994.
Western Carolina improves to 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in SoCon action while Furman falls to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the SoCon.
Mitchell completed 12-of-19 passes, including touchdown strikes of 39 and 21 yards to Spearman Robinson, who finished with five receptions for 120 yards. Mitchell also rushed 16 times for 70 yards for the Catamounts, who compiled 415 yards total offense, including 233 on the ground. Darius Ramsey led all rushers with 113 yards and a touchdown.
Hank McCloud rushed for 35 yards for Furman to become the 12th player in program history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
Mitchell helped stake Western Carolina to an early lead by leading the Catamounts on a six-play, 71-yard drive to open the game. His 39-yard connection to Spearman put WCU on the board with the game less than three minutes old.
Aided by an Andrej Suttles 42-yard punt return to the Western Carolina 29, Jon Croft Hollingsworth converted a 51-yard field goal at the 12:34 mark of the second quarter to make it a 7-3 game.
The Catamounts’ Fred Payne set up WCU’s next score when he stepped in front of a Woodruff pass and returned it to the Furman 22. Two plays later Mitchell lofted a 21-yard scoring strike to Robinson in the back corner of the end zone for a 14-3 lead.
WCU upped its advantage to 21-3 on a 19-yard scoring burst by Ramsey with 3:32 left, but the Paladins countered on their last possession of the half, covering 84 yards on 11 plays for a Woodruff 5-yard touchdown pass to Duncan Fletcher that made it 21-10.
The Catamounts stretched it to 28-10 when Detrez Newsome scored on a seven-yard run midway through the third quarter.
Furman attempted to rally behind true freshman quarterback P.J. Blazejowski, whose 28-yard, early fourth quarter connection with Jordan Snellings capped a 9-play, 92-yard drive that cut WCU’s lead to 28-17.
The Paladins’ Nick Miller followed up the score with a fumble recovery at the Western Carolina on the ensuing kickoff return, but Furman couldn’t convert the opportunity as Hollingsworth’s 35-yard field goal attempt missed.
Western Carolina salted the game away after stopping Furman on fourth down at its own 37 and then using eight plays to cover the distance for Newswome’s second scoring run of the game, a 2-yard burst off the left side with 2:17 to go.
Woodruff completed 10-of-20 passes for 133 yards and a score for Furman, and Blazejowski, making his collegiate debut in relief of Woodruff, ran nine times for 56 yards while passing for 75 yards and a score.
Jordan Snellings had three catches for 112 yards for the Paladins.
Cory Magwood led all tacklers with 15 stops.
Chattanooga 38, Samford 24
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The 14th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs rolled to a 38-24 win over visiting Samford Saturday night at Finley Stadium. The Mocs used an all-around team effort to claim the win and move to 2-2 on the season, 1-0 in Southern Conference play. Samford is also 2-2 overall, 1-1 in the league.
The ground attack was solid from the start, amassing 252 yards while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. It accounted for four touchdowns as well. The defense picked off three Michael Eubank offerings and shut the Bulldogs down for a majority of the game. Special teams got in the act as well with 10 points on a Tommy Hudson punt return for touchdown and an Henrique Ribeiro field goal.
The Mocs set the tone by putting 17 points on the board in the first quarter. After Samford took the opening drive 73 yards for a field goal, the home team responded with a quick-strike four-play, 76-yard march of its own. It was capped by Keon Williams’ 34-yard run through a gaping hole in the right side of the line.
Lucas Webb grabbed the first of his two interceptions on the next Samford possession. That led to Ribeiro’s 31-yard field goal. The defense held Samford to a three-and-out.
Hudson corralled Greg Peranich’s punt on his own 34 yard line. He made a move and shot up the middle of the field before heading to the home sideline and taking it to the house.
It was 24-3 Mocs at the half when the Bulldogs offense came to life. They scored on back-to-back drives in a mere 2:21 of playing time to make things interesting. Denzell Williams burst into the end zone from nine yards, while Karel Hamilton made a great catch in traffic on a 24-yard scoring strike from Eubank with 8:09 to go in the third quarter.
Williams took over for Chattanooga after more Webb heroics. Webb’s fourth quarter interception at the Samford 19-yard line gave the Mocs a short-field. Williams bulled his way in from seven yards out four plays later to make it a 14-point game. Jacob Huesman added a one-yard plunge with 5:19 left to make it 38-17 for the Scenic City’s men.
Eubank and Hamilton weren’t done. With 2:08 left in the game, the duo hooked up for the second time to get the final tally of the contest and complete the 38-24 score. The Bulldogs’ onside kick was successful, but the Mocs would allow no more points on the evening.
Williams led the way for Chattanooga with 131 yards and two touchdowns, while Huesman chipped in another 86 yards and two scores of his own.
Hudson became the first student-athlete in the school’s DI history to return two punts for touchdown in a season with his second in as many games. Webb grabbed his second and third picks and now has four takeaways over the last three games.
Eubank threw for 244 yards completing 18 of 33 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. The Bulldogs’ Williams ran for 78 yards with Eubank netting 51. The Mocs limited the visitors to just 2.9 yards per rush.
Muhasibi Wakeel made a game-high 14 tackles for the Mocs. His mates made four sacks with two each for Davis Toll and Keionta Davis. Se’maje Kendall had the third of Eubank’s picks. Justin Cooper had a team-high 13 stops for the Bulldogs and a pass breakup. Trey Wesley added six tackles with two passes broken up of his own.
Wofford 49, Virginia-Wise 15
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Saturday night at Gibbs Stadium, the Wofford College football team defeated the University of Virginia’s College at Wise 49-15. The Terriers scored the first four touchdowns and the final three touchdowns in the victory.
The Terriers are 2-2, while UVa.-Wise is 0-4. Wofford was led by Octavius Harden with 80 yards on four carries and two touchdowns, while Evan Jacks was 7-of-10 passing for 134 yards. The Highland Cavaliers were led by Ty Ryans with 22-of-36 passing for 273 yards and James Cousins with seven catches for 136 yards and a touchdown.
The Highland Cavaliers had the ball first and gained one first down before punting. On the first drive of the game for the Terriers, Octavius Harden ran for a 44-yard touchdown with 11:17 on the clock for an early 7-0 lead. On the next drive by the Highland Cavaliers, they again punted after picking up one first down. Wofford responded with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Evan Jacks to Bryce Motes for a 14-0 lead with 6:50 left in the first quarter.
With the ball back, the Highland Cavaliers gained one first down before Jaleel Green picked off a pass from Ty Ryans and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. The Terriers led 21-0 at 5:38 in the first quarter. After a UVa.-Wise punt, Evan Jacks was intercepted by Zack Blair. The Highland Cavaliers began the drive on the 43-yard line, but on fourth-and-goal from the two an incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs.
Wofford went three-and-out and punted back to the Highland Cavaliers. On their next drive, they gained two first downs, but a sack by Tarek Odom forced a punt. The snap went over the head of the punter and Wofford took over at the 31-yard line. Octavius Harden capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run and the Terriers had a 28-0 lead with 7:44 left in the first half. The Highland Cavaliers then capped a 13-play drive with a nine-yard pass to James Cousins with 38 seconds on the clock. The two point conversion was good to make it a 28-8 score. Wofford gained one first down before punting as time expired in the half.
To open the second half, Wofford gained two passing first downs before punting. The Highland Cavaliers used a 49-yard pass to James Cousins to set up first and goal from the five. Javonte Latney scored on second down to make it a 28-15 game with 8:28 left in the third quarter.
The Terriers used a 37-yard first down catch by Zach Muller to move the ball to the 21-yard line. After a 16-yard run by Octavius Harden, Lorenzo Long scored from two yards out. Wofford had a 35-15 lead with 3:54 on the clock in the third quarter. On the next drive for UVa.-Wise, they converted a fourth-and-two but Chris Armfield then intercepted a pass and returned it 60-yards to the seven-yard line. Nick Colvin scored on second down from seven yards and Wofford had a 42-15 lead with 57 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Highland Cavaliers then went three-and-out and punted. Wofford gained a first down on a pass interference call, but failed to convert on fourth down. On the next drive by the Highland Cavaliers, they went three-and-out and punted with 8:56 left in the game. With the ball back, the Terriers went down the field and scored on a five-yard run by Michael Weimer to take a 49-15 lead with 4:30 on the clock.
On the final drive of the game by the Highland Cavaliers, they converted a fourth-and-one to keep the ball. On fourth-and-nine, Jeremy Eubank was intercepted by Brion Anderson with 1:18 left in the game. The Terriers ran the ball three times to run out the clock on the victory.
Wofford had 414 total yards, with 267 on the ground. UVa.-Wise had 307 total yards, 279 of which were passing. UVa.-Wise had a 22 to 20 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 5-of-9 on third downs and 0-of-1 on fourth down. UVa.-Wise was 5-of-16 on third down and 2-of-5 on fourth down. Wofford had six penalties for 48 yards to ten for UVa.-Wise. UVa.-Wise had a 31:31 to 28:29 time of possession advantage.
The Citadel 37, Gardner-Webb 14
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel defense recorded a school-record 10 sacks en route to a dominating 37-14 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The win improved the Bulldogs to 1-3 on the season and was the first in the Coach Mike Houston era, while Gardner-Webb dropped to 2-3 on the year.
After falling behind 14-13 early in the third quarter, The Citadel stepped up and scored 24 unanswered points including a pair of touchdown runs by Aaron Miller to earn the victory over its Big South foe.
The Bulldog defense stymied Gardner-Webb throughout the game as the Runnin' Bulldogs finished with -2 rushing yards, including 70 lost yards on quarterback takedowns. The 10 sacks broke the school record of eight set three times, most recently against VMI in 2005.
Mitchell Jeter led the way with 2.5 sacks, upping his career total to eight, while Tevin Floyd, Mark Thomas and Justin Oxendine each had two. Thomas leads all active Bulldogs with 11.5 sacks in his career, while Oxendine sits close behind with nine.
A sack fumble by Carson Smith in the third quarter, which was recovered by Joe Crochet, led to a three-yard rushing score by Miller that put the Bulldogs ahead 27-14.
The turnover was the first forced by The Citadel this season.
Miller rushed for a career-high three touchdowns, amassing 91 yards on the ground, while Jake Stenson continued to eat up yardage, averaging 12.8 yards per carry. The fifth-year senior finished with 77 yards on just six carries, including a three-yard plunge in the third quarter which put The Citadel up for good at 19-14.
Miller now has 14 career rushing scores, the fifth most by a Citadel quarterback since 1978.
The Bulldogs opened the contest in rare fashion, passing the ball twice for big gains of 19 and 47 yards. Cam Jackson hauled in the first pass from Miller, followed by an impressive catch and run by Rudder Brown to set up The Citadel with a 1st and goal at the Gardner-Webb two-yard line.
Brown finished the game with two catches for 67 yards, while quarterback-turned-slot back Jackson added 27 yards on two catches and another 57 on the ground.
Two plays later, Miller plunged up the middle to give the Bulldogs a quick 7-0 lead.
The Citadel defense went right to work on the ensuing drive, recording two straight sacks of GWU quarterback Lucas Beatty to force a punt.
Two second-quarter drives led to successful Eric Goins field goals of 28 and 32 yards to improve the Bulldogs' lead to 13-0. Goins is 5-of-5 on field goals in his first season as the placekicker.
GWU answered with a score of its own before the half as Beatty marched the Runnin' Bulldogs down the field and capped the 10-play drive with a four-yard score to cut The Citadel lead to 13-7 at the break.
GWU opened the second half with another quick score, taking the ball 75 yards on nine plays before Beatty found Kenny Cook in the back of the end zone from one-yard out to give the Runnin' Bulldogs the one-point advantage.
Beatty finished the game 29-of-35 passing with 280 yards and one score, while Cook caught nine passes for 103 yards.
The Citadel offense finished the contest with an impressive 7.0 yards-per-play average (73-509), rushing the ball 58 times for 323 yards and completing eight passes for 186, a career-high total for Miller. The Bulldogs dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 33:13, including 10:08 of the final period.
The Bulldogs continued their perfect red zone scoring streak and have now put up points on each of their 13 trips to the red zone in 2014.