Furman 25, Mercer 20
MACON, Ga. -- Jon Croft Hollingsworth kicked four field goals and Gary Wilkins’ fourth quarter 19-yard interception return for a touchdown powered Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) 17th-ranked Furman to a 25-20 win over Mercer in the Southern Conference season opener for both teams Saturday evening at Mercer University Stadium.
Hollingsworth converted field goals of 21, 35, 22, and 50 yards to help Furman (2-0, 1-0 SoCon) build a 19-14 lead, and Wilkins capped it with his interception return for the touchdown -- the second of his career -- to increase the Paladins’ lead to 25-14 with 12:38 remaining.
Mercer (1-1, 0-1 SoCon) cut the advantage to 25-20 with a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John Russ to JT Palmer with 3:34 to go, but the Bears failed to convert the onside kick, allowing Furman to effectively run out the clock.
The win was the seventh in the last eight games for Furman, the reigning SoCon champion, and handed Mercer its first home loss since resurrecting its program last year under former Paladin head coach Bobby Lamb.
Furman head coach Bruce Fowler’s Paladins received a solid outing from redshirt freshman quarterback Dillon Woodruff in his first start since taking over for the injured Reese Hannon in last week’s 13-3 victory over Gardner-Webb. Woodruff completed 14-of-29 passes for 228 yards.
Jordan Snellings had five catches for a career high 111 yards.
With Furman holding a 16-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter, Woodruff converted a third-and-seven play with a 35-yard connection to Snellings to the Mercer 35. Four plays later Hollingsworth stroked his final field goal of the contest, from 50 yards, to give Furman a 19-14 lead.
The 50-yard effort tied for seventh longest in school history.
On Mercer’s first play following the ensuing kickoff, Wilkins stepped in front of short pass attempt by Ross, broke free from a Bear offensive lineman and bolted 19 yards into the end zone. Furman’s two-point conversion attempt failed, but the 11-point lead proved to be all Furman would need.
The Paladins grabbed a 6-0 lead with Hollingsworth field goals of 21 and 35 yards, but then saw Mercer answer on its third possession by moving 87 yards in 13 plays to go up 7-6 on an Alex Lakos two-yard run with 4:31 to go in the first half.
Furman took a 14-13 into intermission with an eight-play, 62-yard drive, punctuated by senior running back Hank McCloud’s five-yard burst up the middle.
Mercer took its last lead on the first possession of the second half, going 73 yards for a 9-yard touchdown pass from Russ to Robert Brown.
The Paladins responded behind Hollingsworth, whose 22-yard field goal, set up by a 31-yard Chas Scott punt return to the Mercer nine-yard line, put Furman ahead for good with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Furman amassed 367 yards in total offense to Mercer’s 286.
McCloud, who missed the Paladins’ season opener due to preseason injury, led Furman with 17 carries for 74 yards. Mercer’s Alex Lake led all rushers with 76 yards and a touchdown.
Cory Magwood topped Furman with 14 tackles, including two for-loss. Wilkins finished with 10 stops, an interception, and a pass deflection.
Wilkins’ pickoff return for a touchdown was the fifth by the Paladins in the last two seasons.
Western Carolina 45, Brevard 21
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Junior tailback Darius Ramsey rushed for three touchdowns while his freshman counterpart Detrez Newsome scored twice on the ground as Western Carolina pulled away from Brevard College for a 45-21 home-opening victory in nonconference action on Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
Senior tailback Shaun Warren added a sixth rushing score in the fourth quarter as WCU snapped a four-game slide that dated back to last season. The Catamounts also got a 19-yard field goal from senior Richard Sigmon to provide the final tally.
Newsome accounted for a game-high 207 yards in the win, rushing for a career-best 88 yards on seven catches with 99 yards in kickoff return yardage. Ramsey also charted 88 yards rushing with three of his eight rushing attempts finishing in the end zone.
Junior quarterback Troy Mitchell had another solid offensive performance, completing all but two of his 15 pass attempts (13-for-15) for 142 yards. The Houston, Texas, product added 84 rushing yards and was not sacked in the win. Senior QB Garrett Brown saw action in the backfield, orchestrating WCU’s final scoring drive, rushing once for four yards.
Sophomore wide receiver Willie Police led the Catamounts with five catches for 27 yards while second-year wide out Terryon Robinson led the team with 61 receiving yards on three catches.
Ramsey handed WCU an early two touchdown lead in the first quarter with rushing scores of one and five yards. Brevard pulled back to within a score as quarterback Tanner Wright capped a 12-play drive with a three-yard TD to make it 14-7 on the second play of the second quarter.
Newsome pushed WCU back ahead with his first career rushing score, making it 21-7 in the second quarter. On the drive, the Raeford, N.C., native rushed for 37 of WCU’s 50 yards on the drive. Ramsey would later add his third TD on the ground right before the half to make it 28-14 at intermission.
Brevard’s run-oriented option attack consumed over 11 minutes of the third quarter clock with Wright capping the 18-play drive with his second rushing score of the contest to pull the Tornados back to within seven points, 28-21. However, the Catamounts finished the game with 17-unanswered points including a 33-yard rumble by Newsome, Sigmon’s field goal and Warren’s two-yard plunge to secure the victory.
For Brevard, running back Jordan Ollis rushed for 105 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown while Wright scored twice with 99 yards rushing. Michael Gruber finished with 10 tackles to lead the Tornados defensive unit.
Three defenders posted double-digit tackles led by redshirt senior captain Ace Clark. The Germantown, Md., product finished with a game-high 15 tackles including one for loss. His classmate Christon Gill recorded 12 stops with a TFL and sophomore linebacker Tyson Dickson finished with a career-high 10 stops.
Bowling Green 48, VMI 7
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green Falcons returned one punt for a touchdown and blocked another for a score, en route to a 48-7 win over the VMI Keydets Saturday in Bowling Green, Ohio. The game was VMI’s first-ever against the FBS team from the Mid-American Conference and was the Keydets’ first of two against FBS opponents this season.
VMI (0-2), which surrendered a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown in the season-opener against Bucknell, gave up a second Saturday when Bowling Green’s Ryan Burbrink fielded a Hayden Alford kick and brought it back 75 yards to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Bowling Green (1-1) pushed the advantage to 34-7 by halftime, and VMI’s first drive of the third quarter stalled at the Keydet 29-yard line, where Herve Coby blocked Alford’s punt, scooped up the loose ball and raced 14 yards for the touchdown that extended the Falcon lead to 41-7. The pace slowed from there, with only seven additional points being scored to account for the final margin.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Al Cobb, who was named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Week after throwing for four touchdowns and running for another in the opener against Bucknell, did not find the end zone against the Falcons, but he did enjoy another solid showing. Cobb completed 26 of 43 passes for 224 yards as the Keydets finished with 321 yards through the air. His 26 completions were good for the fifth-highest figure in school history.
Alford completed three of his seven attempts for 63 yards, while Ryan Swingle was 1 for 5 for 34 yards in his collegiate debut. The 55 passing attempts were the third-most in school history.
Ten different players hauled in receptions in the contest, led by Aaron Sanders’ career-high seven grabs for 76 yards. Doug Burton, Dane Forlines and Deon Watts recorded five catches apiece.
VMI finished with 97 yards rushing on 35 attempts. Jabari Turner led the way with 43 yards on 13 carries. Derrick Ziglar saw brief action in his season debut after missing the opener with an injury, while defensively, VMI forced two turnovers, a fumble recovery by Ryan Francis and a James Fruehan interception. The Keydets committed three turnovers, however, losing two fumbles and seeing Cobb throw his first career interception.
The Keydets fell behind 28-0 before finally getting on the scoreboard when Alford capped a 69-yard, six-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:29 left in the first half. Unfortunately for the visitors, that was as close as they could get as the Falcons scored the final 20 points of the game. VMI drove to the Falcon 2-yard line late in the contest, but redshirt freshman Swingle, the third quarterback used by the Keydets in the game, could not connect with tight end J.C. Garvin as time expired
Bowling Green’s balanced attack piled up 526 yards of total offense, 260 on the ground and 266 through the air. James Knapke completed 22 of 31 passes for the Falcons for 237 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. Roger Lewis finished the game with six catches for 140 yards and a score, while Travis Greene rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Fred Coppet had a rushing touchdown for Bowling Green.
Jacksonville State 26, Chattanooga 23 (OT)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The 13th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs (0-2) fell 26-23 to visiting Jacksonville State (1-1), the FCS’ ninth-ranked team, in overtime at Finley Stadium. The Mocs battled back from a 17-7 deficit to force the extra period.
JSU’s final regulation drive stalled at its own 12 with less than a minute to play. Hamish MacInnes’s punt travelled 43 yards where senior Tommy Hudson caught it at his own 45. He started right, came left, broke a tackle and busted loose. His protection down the sideline was impeccable as he darted into the end zone to the delight of the 14,285 in attendance. But there was a flag on the play with a block in the back called eventually sending the game into overtime.
The Mocs started on offense in overtime. Jacob Huesman hit Troy Dye with a great third-down strike to get the first down at the 15. Two Keon Williams runs netted three yards before Huesman’s pass for Xavier Borishade in the end zone was incomplete. Henrique Ribeiro booted the 29-yard field goal for the 23-20 lead.
DeMarcus James had back-to-back six-yard runs to set the Gamecocks up first-and-10 at the Mocs 13. Quarterback Eli Jenkins finished it off with a 13-yard run for the 26-23 win.
Chattanooga’s defense kept it close. It was a 17-14 game at the break because of two pick-six interception returns. Dee Virgin tied the score at seven-all in the first quarter taking one back 55 yards. Lucas Webb ended the first half tallies with a 37-yard return for a score taking advantage of a big bounce.
Max Shortell tried to go deep on a double move by his receiver. Virgin did not bite and batted the ball to break up the play. Webb followed the ball and was in position to make the interception. He then traversed the sideline for a touchdown on his first career interception.
Connor Rouleau got the lone points of the second half for the Gamecocks with a 21-yard field goal with 11:54 left in the third quarter. The Mocs defense kept JSU in its end of the field for four of its final five possessions with three three-and-outs.
The offense started moving the ball behind the legs of Williams along with some timely plays in air by Huesman. The third and fourth quarter scoring drives ventured inside the visitors’ 10, but the Mocs could not penetrate the goal line. Ribeiro made kicks from 26 and 22 yards for the 20-20 score and eventual foray into overtime.
Williams, along with Ribeiro, was the offensive bright spot. He gained 62 hard-fought yards on 24 carries. Ribeiro scored a career-high 11 points with three field goals and two PAT’s.
JSU had a big game on the ground. James’ 112 yards led the way as the team totaled 285 yards with three scores. James (4 yards), Miles Jones (12) and Jenkins (13) found the end zone. Jenkins added 82 yards rushing to go with 122 in the air completing 15 of 21 passes with Virgin’s pick-six as his only interception.
Cedric Nettles and Nakevion Leslie led the Mocs in tackles. Nettles had 12, while Leslie added 10 including one-and-a-half for loss. Michael Carlisle paced the Gamecocks with eight stops and two of their four sacks.
Florida State 37, The Citadel 12
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Citadel outscored top-ranked Florida State 12-9 in the second half, notching two touchdowns through air, but the Seminoles came out on top 37-12 on Saturday evening at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Bulldog offense converted at least one first down on each of their nine possessions and closed out their second straight game without a turnover. The Citadel offense posted 322 total yards to Florida State's 494 and controlled the time possession 33:35-26:25.
Aaron Miller led way in the rushing game, gaining 61 yards on 14 carries. Jake Stenson, who entered the game averaging 12 yards per carry, continued to gain yardage in large chunks as the redshirt senior had 45 yards on just five carries.
The Bulldogs dropped to 0-2 on the season while Florida State will likely remain the top FBS team in the country with a 2-0 mark. Both teams have next weekend off. The Citadel returns to action on Sept. 20 when it looks to avenge a 32-29 loss to Charleston Southern from a season ago, while Florida State opens conference play against Clemson.
Despite a 28-point deficit at halftime, the Bulldogs battled for the final 30 minutes, scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns on scoring passes from Miller and true freshman Dominique Allen.
The Citadel received the ball to start the final period at its own 24 after a Seminole punt and marched 76 yards on 10 plays over 4:36. The drive was capped by a 10-yard pass from Miller to Rudder Brown, marking Brown's first career touchdown reception the fourth of Miller's career.
Miller finished the game 3-of-11 with 46 yards through the air.
Florida State followed up the drive with 14-play, 58-yard drive that was stymied by the stingy second-half Bulldog defense that allowed just 65 yards in the fourth quarter, and the Seminoles were forced to kick a field goal.
Allen entered the game for the final drive, and was one of seven true freshmen who saw game action on Saturday.
Allen marched the Bulldogs 75 yards down the field on 2-of-2 passing and capped the drive with a 10-yard pass to DeAndre Schoultz for the final score of the game. The catch was Schoultz's first of his career.
On the defensive side, linemen Jonathan King and Travis Johnson saw ample playing time, while Shy Phillips, Josh Massey and Israel Battle played in the secondary.
B-back Isiaha Smith carried the ball six times for 37 yards in his first collegiate game, while redshirt freshman quarterback turned slot back Cam Jackson had 39 yards on five rushes.
After converting two first downs to open the game, including a 23-yard scamper by Stenson, the Bulldogs fell short on a 4th-and-1 dive by Renew and handed the ball over to the Seminoles at their own 41.
The Seminoles drove 59 yards in six plays spanning 2:30 before Karlos Williams scored the game's first points on a one-yard plunge.
Vinny Miller took control of the Bulldogs' second drive, an eight-play, 33-yard sequence which included three Miller rushes for 22 yards and three first downs.
Florida State scored touchdowns on their following three drives of the first half, largely due to reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, who completed 16-of-17 first-half passes for 150 yards and two scores during the opening 30 minutes.
Winston, who was relieved of his duties in the third quarter, finished the game 22-of-27 with 256 yards and two scores.
Nick Willis led all tacklers with nine, while Tallahassee native Tevin Floyd made six stops including 1.5 tackles for loss.
The Bulldogs outrushed the Seminoles 250-210 and converted 21 first downs, including 11-of-17 on third down.