The Citadel 23, South Carolina 22
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 24th-ranked Citadel football team beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 23-22 in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday afternoon. This marks the first time since 1992 that the Bulldogs beat an FBS opponent and their eighth FBS victory all-time.
After a three-and-out by South Carolina on its first possession of the game, The Citadel took over on its own 38-yard line. Two plays and 59 yards later, Cam Jackson found the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 13:10 remaining in the first quarter.
After a 30-yard kickoff return by the Gamecocks and a 40-yard run by Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina scored its first points of the game on a 36-yard field goal making the score 7-3 with 9:52 left in the quarter.
On the next possession Tyler Renew went to work for The Citadel, rushing eight times in the 13-play drive. Renew punched it in from seven yards out with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter to give the Bulldogs a 14-3 lead. The 75-yard drive lasted 6:21 and the score would remain 14-3 at the end of the first quarter after The Citadel out-gained the Gamecocks 135 yards to 95.
South Carolina tacked on another field goal after a 14-play, 60-yard drive at the 12:55 mark in the second quarter but the Bulldogs would retain an eight-point lead. The Gamecocks added their third field goal of the game with 4:12 remaining in the first half to make the score 14-9. The Citadel would keep that lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
The Gamecocks recorded their first touchdown of the game with 6:22 left in the third quarter after punching it in from one-yard out. The score was a result of an 11-play, 80-yard drive and gave USC the lead for the first time.
With 10:26 left in the fourth quarter and The Citadel trailing 16-14, Eric Goins nailed a career-long 48-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 17-16 lead. That field goal tied for ninth longest in school history and is the longest by a Bulldog against an FBS opponent.
The Gamecocks scored their second touchdown of the day on a 41-yard pass to Cooper but the two-point rush conversion failed, making it a 22-17 South Carolina lead with 8:40 left in the game.
On 3rd-and-1 with 6:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, Renew busted through the line and took it 56 yards to pay dirt to give the Bulldogs their third lead of the day. Renew’s two-point rush conversion failed, giving The Citadel just a one point lead 23-22.
On the Gamecocks’ ensuing possession, the Bulldogs’ defense came up with a huge stop on 4th-and-1 to get the ball back on its own 46-yard line with 4:07 remaining in the game. With 2:37 left, The Citadel faced a 3rd-and-1 but Renew continued to pound the defense and converted. The Bulldogs were forced to punt three plays later, and Will Vanvick’s punt was downed at the South Carolina 3-yard line with 1:26 left.
After what appeared to be a 94-yard touchdown pass to Pharoh Cooper on fourth down, the play was called dead due to a false start penalty. Perry Orth would complete an eight-yard pass on fourth down but it was not enough for the first down and The Citadel took over and kneeled it down to run out the clock and seal the victory.
The Citadel gained 387 yards in the game and Renew amassed 174 yards on 23 rush attempts.
Samford 47, Mercer 21
MACON, Ga. - The Samford football team used a strong second half to pull away from Mercer for a 47-21 win in the season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Five Star Stadium.
Samford trailed Mercer, 14-9 at halftime. The Bulldogs, however outscored the Bears, 38-7 after halftime.
With the win, Samford finishes its season with a record of 6-5 overall and 3-4 in Southern Conference play. This marks the fifth-straight winning season for Samford, tying a school record. Mercer wraps up its season with a mark of 5-6 overall and 2-5 in league play.
For Samford offensively, Devlin Hodges completed 30-of-44 passes for 392 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hodges also rushed 14 times for 88 yards.
Emmanuel Obajimi caught seven passes for 144 yards and a 94-yard touchdown. Karel Hamilton had eight catches for 101 yards. K’rondis Larry had four rushes for 102 yards and a 94-yard score.
Defensively for the Bulldogs, Justin Cooper had 15 tackles. Tonne Osaigbovo had nine tackles, and James Bradberry added an interception for the Bulldogs’ defense.
On special teams, Anthony Pistelli was 4-for-4 on field goals, making and kick from 40-yards out, and three from 46 yards each. Kelvin McKnight returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown, to go along with his seven catches for 76 yards.
Mercer was led offensively by John Russ, completing 15-of-32 passes for 142 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Sam Walker had eight catches for 100 yards and two scores. The Bears’ defense was led by Lee Bennett with 13 tackles and an interception.
Mercer struck first to take an early lead. Russ hit Walker for a 15-yard touchdown on the Bears’ first drive for a 7-0 lead with 6:57 left in the first quarter.
Samford put its first points on the scoreboard late in the first quarter. Pistelli kicked a 40-yard field goal to cut the Mercer lead to 7-3 with 1:00 to go in the opening period.
Pistelli added his second field goal of the day, this one from 46-yards out, to make the score 7-6, Mercer, with 11:44 left in the second quarter. Pistelli added another 46-yard field goal with 6:00 to go in the second quarter to give Samford a 9-7 lead.
Mercer’s Russ scored on a seven-yard run with 57 seconds left before halftime to give the Bears a 14-9 halftime lead. The score was set up by an interception by Bennett, giving Mercer the ball at the Samford 26-yard line.
Pistelli got the scoring started in the third quarter when he booted his fourth field goal of the game to cut the Mercer lead to 14-12 with 7:28 left in the third quarter. Samford took the lead for good when Denzel Williams scored on a one-yard run to make the score 19-14 with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter.
Obajimi took a pass from Hodges and went 94 yards for a touchdown to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 26-14 with 13:04 left in the game. After the Samford defense forced a Mercer punt, McKnight took the punt back 77 yards for a touchdown to make the score 33-14 with 11:58 to go.
Samford pushed its lead to 40-14 when Williams scored on a three-yard run with 6:39 left in the contest. Larry then scored on a 94-yard run with 4:25 left to make the score 47-14. Mercer added one final score when Russ hit Walker for a 29-yard score with 1:19 left to make the final score 47-21.
Western Carolina 24, VMI 20
LEXINGTON, Va. – Detrez Newsome accounted for 230 yards of total offense and two touchdowns including a game-winning fourth quarter plunge as Western Carolina survived its first trip to Foster Stadium since 2002, downing the VMI Keydets, 24-20, on Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference action.
Newsome capped a four-play, 70-yard drive with a powerful two-yard run to push the Catamounts ahead for what proved to be for good with just over two minutes remaining in Saturday’s fourth quarter.
But behind the arm of quarterback Al Cobb, the Keydet offense moved back down the field and into the red zone.
However, a second down completion from Cobb to Dane Forelines with the clock moving inside the closing seconds forced VMI to quickly take one final snap. Cobb was forced from the pocket, rolled to his right before tucking to run where he was tackled inbounds shy of the goal line as time expired.
Newsome rushed for 140 yards and a two-yard TD, adding 90 receiving yards including a 75-yard swing pass for a score to pace the Catamounts. The Raeford, N.C., needed just 32 yards to eclipse 1,000 for the season, reaching the milestone midway through the second quarter. Newsome finished with 1,109 rushing yards in the regular season, the fourth-best single-season in program history.
Senior quarterback Troy Mitchell completed 24-of-33 passes for 300 yards and two scores including the 75-yard hook-up with Newsome and a 15-yard strike to tight end Michael Helms.
Cobb finished 21-of-32 for 231 yards through the air. But the SoCon’s leader in TD passes did not find the end zone through the air despite nine catches and 140 yards to Dane Forlines. League-leader Aaron Sanders was limited to five receptions and 35 yards.
VMI (2-9, 1-6 SoCon) instead turned to its ground attack as senior Derrick Ziglar rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 21 of the Keydets’ season-high 49 rushing attempts.
Defensively for WCU, Daniel Riddle and Fred Payne both finished with 15 tackles, a career-high for Payne. A.J. Newman Jr., tallied a career-best 11 tackles in the winning effort. Defensive ends John McBeth and Caleb Hawkins recorded seven and six stops, respectively, with Hawkins tallying a pair of sacks.
Western Carolina overcame two fumbles – one in end zone in the first quarter on the Catamounts’ opening drive that thwarted a would-be scoring drive – and an interception that gave the Keydets the football in plus yardage.
VMI jumped out to a 10-0 advantage with Ziglar’s first touchdown on the opening 13-play drive before converting WCU’s first turnover into a Dillon Christopher 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Catamounts managed to get on the scoreboard just before intermission as Helms hauled in his first receiving score of the season on a 10-yard strike from Mitchell to make it 10-7.
However, after a failed squib kick gave VMI great field position, the Keydets cashed in on a career-long 55-yard field goal from Christopher as time expired in the first half to make it 13-7 at the break. The 55-yard boot was the second-longest field goal in VMI history, and the second-longest in facility history.
That margin stood until Newsome broke free on a 75-yard swing pass out of the backfield, outrunning the Keydet defenders into the end zone for WCU’s first lead, 14-13. Logan Howard would split the uprights from 25 yards away to cap a 12-play, 72-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter to give the Catamounts their largest lead, 17-13.
Looking to run out the clock in the final four minutes, WCU lost its second fumble of the day as Newsome was stripped in a pile as forward momentum was stalled. VMI recovered and one-play later, Ziglar burst through the line on a 17-yard touchdown romp to push the home team back in front.
Mitchell and Newsome responded by driving the Catamount offense down the field in just four plays, covering 70 yards with Newsome providing the game-winning score, setting up the last second defensive heroics.
Wofford 38, Furman 28
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Evan Jacks ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns and Wofford rode a strong rushing attack to beat Furman, 38-28, in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium.
With the victory in the 89th renewal of South Carolina’s oldest football rivalry, Wofford finishes its season with a 5-6 record while Furman wraps up its campaign with a 4-7 slate.
Jacks, a junior quarterback, rushed 13 times and scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown plunges to headline a Wofford ground attack that amassed 417 yards.
Furman was paced offensively by sophomore quarter P.J. Blazejowski, who passed for 215 yards and three scores.
The Paladins trailed 17-14 at intermission and watched the Terriers add to their lead with a pair of third quarter scores, the second coming on Jacks’ second touchdown plunge of the game, to go up 31-14.
Furman bounced back to make it a game, using a fourth down 34-yard pass play from punter Jon Croft Hollingsworth to Reggie Thomas to set up a 5-yard touchdown strike from Blazejowkski to tight end Duncan Fletcher at the 13:37 mark of the fourth quarter, the PAT making it 31-21.
Two possessions later the Paladins struck again, aided by a screen pass from Blazejowski that running back Antonio Wilcox converted into a 46-yard play to the Wofford 15. Blazejowski then drilled a 16-yard strike to Fletcher, helping Furman cut it to 31-28 with 4:54 remaining.
The Paladins’ couldn’t complete the comeback, however, as Wofford took the kickoff and used its ground game to melt the remaining clock and put the game away. The Terriers moved from their own 27 to the Furman 28, where on a fourth-and-one-play with 23 seconds remaining, running back Chase Nelson crashed through a gap in the line and sprinted 28 yards into the end zone with 17 seconds to go.
Furman made its way difficult in the first half when Blazejowski’s pass on the first offensive play of the contest was picked off by Wofford safety Jaleel Green and returned 32 yards for a touchdown.
On their second possession the Paladins moved to the Wofford 9 but Jon Croft Hollingsworth missed a 27-yard field goal attempt.
Furman later tied it at 7-7 after Blazejowski bought time with a scramble and found Jordan Snellings behind the Wofford secondary for a 60-yard touchdown connectiong with two minutes left in the first quarter.
The Paladins and Terriers traded second quarter touchdowns, and it appeared the Paladins and Terriers were headed to intermission tied at 14-14, but that changed after Jacks took an option keeper around right end on a third-and-nine play from the Wofford 20 for 51 yards to the Furman 29. Four plays later David Marvin drilled a 42-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give Wofford a 17-14 lead.
Antonio Wilcox rushed for 68 yards as the Paladins totaled 109 yards on the ground. He also caught two passes for 41 yards.
Aaquil Annoor and Carl Rider combined to lead Furman defensively with 11 tackles apiece, and linebacker Cory Magwood tallied nine stops in the final game of his Paladin career. His 337 tackles rank 17th in Furman history.
Jordan Snellings caught four passes for 102 yards to finish his Paladin tenure with 139 receptions, third all-time, and with 10 touchdowns. His 1,700 receiving yards stand 10th at Furman.
Flordia State 52, Chattanooga 13
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team wrapped up the 2015 regular season with a 52-13 loss at No. 14/16 Florida State. The eighth-ranked Mocs fall to 8-3 overall while the Seminoles improved to 9-2.
UTC moved the ball early and only trailed 7-6 in the second quarter, following the second of two field goals from Henrique Ribeiro.
The Mocs started with a very fortuitous turn of events on the opening kickoff. FSU's Kermit Whitfield went up the far sideline and only had Ribeiro to beat. However, the Brazilian knocked the ball loose for his first career forced fumble and Dale Warren recovered.
UTC took advantage nine plays later with a 29-yard Ribeiro field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Mocs then forced a three-and-out and were looking tough early in the game. FSU took the lead late in the first when Jacques Patrick capped off a six-play, 46-yard drive from one yard out.
The Mocs closed to within one on their next possession on a 24-yard Ribeiro field goal, set up by an impressive 12-play, 68-yard drive. The highlight of the possession was a 25-yard completion from Huesman to C.J. Board on third-and-seven. That was as close as UTC would get the rest of the way.
The Seminoles sandwiched two touchdowns around an 18-yard field goal for a 24-6 lead at the break. UTC's defense did have a nice stop the force the field goal. Florida State had it first-and-goal from the one, but the Mocs did not let them in the endzone.
Two turnovers to start the second half on the UTC side of field let things get out of hand. FSU turned both into touchdowns for a 38-6 lead less than four minutes into the third quarter. Chattanooga had another long drive with the backups on both sides of the ball early in the fourth quarter. Huesman came in for backup quarterback Alejandro Bennifield, who went out with an injury late in the drive, and scored from three yards out.
That was the 100th touchdown Huesman was responsible for in his career (41 rushing and 59 passing). He and junior Derrick Craine also topped 1,000 yards for the season in today's game.
Huesman finished with 21 yards on seven carries while Craine had 36 yards on 12 attempts. Huesman has 1,018 yards on the year, his second 1,000-yard season. Craine sits at 1,002 yards. It is the 10th and 11th time a Moc has run for 1,000 yards. It is also just the 35th time in FCS history that teammates have run for 1,000 yards in a season, and the second year in a row for UTC. Huesman and Keon Williams both did it last year.
Huesman was 12-for-19 passing for 94 yards with one interception. His 11,670 yards of total offense in his career move him into the top-20 all-time at the FCS level. James Stovall and C.J. Board both had three catches for 29 yards each. Sophomore Tyler Roberson was the signal caller at the end of the game and put up 33 yards on seven carries.
Defensively, senior Sema'je Kendall led the team with a career-high seven tackles. Junior D.J. Prather had a sack, while Warren added five tackles.
FSU was led by Dalvin Cook's 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Sean Maguire was 12-for-17 passing for 152 yards and two scores. Whitfield finished with five catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns.