The Citadel 28, Western Carolina 10
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Bulldog quarterback Dominique Allen accounted for 204 yards of total offense including 99 yards rushing and two touchdowns as The Citadel defeated Western Carolina, 28-10, Saturday night at Johnson Hagood Stadium in the Southern Conference opener for both squads.
The Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0 SoCon) scored four rushing touchdowns – three after the Catamounts pulled ahead for the first time in the game midway through the third quarter – to secure the victory.
Trailing 7-3 at intermission after a Logan Howard field goal late in the second quarter, Western Carolina (1-1, 0-1 SoCon) managed to grab its first lead at the 6:48 mark of the third quarter as Detrez Newsome capped a six-play scoring drive, cruising in untouched from four yards out to pull ahead, 10-7. Newsome spurred the drive with a 45-yard romp and totaled 55 of the yards on the possession.
Newsome finished with 192 all-purpose yards, rushing for 121 and adding 59 yards on three kickoff returns.
The Bulldogs responded, though, with a grueling 12-play drive that encompassed 65 yards and ended with six points to put The Citadel ahead for good. The scoring play wasn’t without drama, however, as running back Vinny Miller had the ball forced loose on a hit behind the line of scrimmage by WCU safety, Fred Payne. However, the bouncing ball rolled forward and was recovered in the end zone by receiver Jorian Jordan for the go-ahead score.
Evan McField tacked on a rushing score early in the fourth quarter with Allen rushing for his second touchdown to cap scoring after a WCU lost a fumble midway through the final frame to provide the final tally.
Catamount quarterback Troy Mitchell finished 19-of-40 for 187 yards with two interceptions – one coming on a desperation heave on the final play of the game. Junior slot receiver C.J. Goodman was his favorite target, finishing with a career-high seven catches for a career-best 109 yards including a long first half reception of 46 yards.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Daniel Riddle paced the squad with a game-high 14 tackles including three solo stops, while also forcing a fumble. End Caleb Hawkins and linebacker Tyson Dickson both tallied 10 stops with Dickson punching the football loose for a second Bulldog fumble while senior A.J. McKoy posted a career-best nine tackles.
Chattanooga 44, Mars Hill 34
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The No. 10 Chattanooga Mocs used a fantastic offensive performance to top the visiting Mars Hill Lions 44-34. It was replete with career highs and school records as the squad moved to 1-1 on the young season.
Derrick Craine ran for a career-best 169 yards with four touchdowns, three on the ground. Xavier Borishade bettered his previous career high with 10 receptions and 116 yards.
"Give our offense credit,” coach Russ Huesman stated. “I mean, they did a really nice job. Offensively, we played well. We converted some key third-down plays and kept drives alive.
"(Craine) played hard. I'll tell you, the kid plays hard. He's a great kid, I'm proud of him, and thank goodness we've got him."
It’s the first time since November 17, 2012 that the Mocs posted a 100-yard rusher (Jacob Huesman, 109) and receiver (Terrell Robinson, 124) in the same contest. That came in a 24-17 win at Finley Stadium over Elon.
It was a shootout from the start. The Lions went up 14-7 on a 73-yard run down the right sideline from Shaikel Davis. Craine responded with three straight scores before a 16-yard Huesman strike to C.J. Board made it a 14-point game, 35-21.
Mars Hill opened the fourth quarter with a 29-yard pass from Matt Layman to Keshaun Taylor. It was one of the duos four touchdown combinations on the day. Taylor Reynolds blocked the PAT and Trevor Wright grabbed the deflection mid-air and returned it for two points, giving the Mocs a 37-27 advantage.
Taylor and Layman struck again on fourth-and-three with a 35-yard scoring toss. That whittled the lead to three, but the offense had an answer.
Craine opened the ensuing possession with three runs for 43 yards. The third being a 25-yard dash with the resulting tackle out of bounds tacking on another 15 to put the Mocs deep in MHU territory. Six plays later, Huesman found Craine in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown reception, capping the 10-point win.
UTC accumulated 518 yards with 253 on the ground and 267 in the air. It’s the first time since the 2000 season against Mississippi Valley State (316/301) that the squad has topped 250 in both categories.
Huesman notched two new school records. His first quarter touchdown connection set the school mark breaking a tie with B.J. Coleman (2009-11). His three total gives him 55. Huesman also sits atop the career completions list with 591 bypassing Coleman and former record holder Chris Sanders (1999-00). He’s now third in career yardage with 6,431 moving past Kenyon Earl (1991-94) and Brian Hampton (1995-98).
The Lions posted 428 yards, also with a balanced attack grabbing 167 on the ground and 261 in the air. Davis had 128 yards on 17 carries with Jamel Harbison adding 53. Layman was 19 of 27 in the air for 220 yards and the four scores. Taylor had nine catches gaining 157.
Nakevion Leslie led the defense with seven stops with one for loss and a forced fumble. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Mack added his first career sack. Carl Mattox made a game-high 10 tackles for the Lions.
VMI 43, Morehead State 40
LEXINGTON, Va. - Dillon Christopher booted a 34-yard field goal as time expired, sending the VMI Keydets past the upset-minded Morehead State Eagles, 43-40, in non-conference football action Saturday at Foster Stadium in Lexington. The two teams combined for 1,010 total offensive yards in the shootout.
Morehead State (0-2), a member of the non-scholarship Pioneer League, had taken a 40-33 lead with 7:12 to go, but the Keydets (1-1) quickly tied things up with a 77-play drive that took less than a minute. Three possessions later, VMI went 72 yards in 12 plays, with an eight-yard pass to Dane Forlines setting up Christopher's winning field goal from just inside the left hash mark.
In the victory, the Keydets were paced by a career-high nine catches for Dane Forlines, who posted 101 yards receiving. Derrick Ziglar had 108 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while freshman Brice Tucker carried 20 times for 78 yards and a score. Tucker finished with a team-high 114 all-purpose yards.
Morehead State saw quarterback Austin Gahafer set new Foster Stadium records for both passing yards (447) and total offensive yards (430). He finished 35 of 62 with four touchdowns and one interception, while also catching a 23-yard touchdown from wideout Jake Raymond.
It was VMI who jumped out to the early lead. Despite an Al Cobb interception on the opening drive, the Keydets got the ball right back and, helped by a 35-yard Cobb to Dontae Mauck pass, scored first. Tucker ran in the opening score from six yards out, and Sam Patterson added a two-point conversion run for an 8-0 VMI lead at the 9:42 mark.
A 59-yard Gahafer touchdown brought MSU back within one, and late in the quarter, the Eagle quarterback found Joby Embrey for a 49-yard TD strike. The point after gave Morehead State a 14-8 lead after one period of play.
Ziglar punched in the first of his two touchdowns, this one from four yards out, in the opening moments of the second quarter to give the Keydets the lead once again. Shavi Bash put the Eagles back in front briefly with a field goal at the 7:36 mark, but a Cobb pass to Patterson - and the ensuing two-point conversion by the same connection - gave VMI a 23-17 edge at halftime.
Christopher tacked on a field goal early in the third quarter, putting VMI ahead by nine, and that margin grew to 10 when Zigler galloped in from six yards out at the 4:17 mark to make it a 33-23 game.
MSU rallied, however, as Gahafer fired a 12-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the third to cut the lead to 33-30. Bash kicked a field goal from 31 yards out with 12:19 to play to tie the score, and with 7:12 to go, the momentum seemed to rest firmly with Morehead State after a trick play.
A flea flicker lateral that wound up in the hands of receiver Raymond was passed to Gahafer for a 23-yard touchdown and a 40-33 Morehead State lead. The Keydets came right back, however, behind a Ziglar 51-yard run and Tucker's 20-yard touchdown pass, to tie the score less than a minute later and set up the late game dramatics.
Richardson was the defensive standout for the Keydets, as he accumulated four tackles, all for loss, and added three sacks and a fumble recovery. Eric Pugh had 18 tackles for Morehead State.
Samford 58, Florida A&M 21
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team rolled up a school-record 752 yards of total offense on its way to a 58-21 win over Florida A&M Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
With the win, Samford improves to 2-0 on the young season. Florida A&M falls to 0-2 with the loss.
"This was a really good performance by our offense," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "I thought our offensive line played exceptionally well, both in the passing game and the running game. We were very efficient in what we did offensively. We had a lot of long drives and we used lot of clock. I couldn't be happier with the way that offense played."
The 752 yards eclipses the previous record of 698 gained by the 1987 team against Maryville. Individually, Michael Eubank completed 24-of-32 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Karel Hamilton caught eight passes for 104 yards. Denzel Williams rushed 11 times for 106 yards and a touchdown, while K'rondis Larry had 16 rushes for 98 yards and a score.
Defensively for Samford, Justin Cooper, Trey Wesley and Ryan White had an interception each. Cooper returned his for a 13-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.
On special teams, place-kicker Anthony Pistelli was good on all three of his field goal attempts and all six of his extra-point attempts. Pistelli made field goals of 25, 27 and 37 yards. Austin Barnard averaged 55.5 yards on two punts for the Bulldogs.
For Florida A&M, Devin Bowers rushed 10 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. Carson Royal completed 11-of-25 passes for 143 yards and two interceptions.
Samford jumped on top first, scoring on the opening drive of the game. Pistelli kicked a 25-yard field goal with 12:01 to go in the first quarter to give Samford an early 3-0 lead.
On Samford's second possession of the game, FAMU's Akil Blount picked off a Eubank pass and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown. The score gave the Rattlers a 7-3 lead with 9:42 left in the first quarter.
Samford took the lead back on the ensuing possession. Eubank hit Gavin Sinclair for a 12-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead with 6:32 left in the first quarter. FAMU's Gerald Hearns scored on a one-yard run with 48 seconds to go in the first quarter to give the Rattlers a 14-10 lead over the Bulldogs.
Samford took the lead back for good on its first drive of the second quarter. Eubank hit Tony Philpot for an eight-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 17-14 lead with 13:23 to go in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs added to their lead when Larry scored on a 10-yard run with 6:01 left before halftime. The score gave Samford a 24-14 lead over FAMU. Eubank then scored on a six-yard run to make the score 31-14 with 3:16 left in the second quarter.
Cooper then picked off a FAMU pass and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown to push the lead to 38-14. Pistelli ended the half with a 27-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to send Samford to halftime with a 41-14 advantage.
Williams scored on a 29-yard run to make the score 48-14 with 9:52 left in the third quarter. Pistelli kicked a 37-yard field goal with 6:00 to go in the third quarter to push the Samford lead to 51-14.
FAMU's Bowers scored on a 73-yard run with 7:20 left in the fourth quarter to cut the Samford lead to 51-21. Samford backup quarterback Devlin Hodges put the final points on the scoreboard, scoring on a 13-yard run with 59 seconds to go to make the final score 58-21.
Mercer 57, Stetson 14
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University football team used a record-breaking first half to roll to a 57-14 victory over Stetson in the Bears’ home opener at Five Star Stadium on Saturday evening.
Mercer opens the season 2-0 for the second time in its last three seasons, while Stetson drops to 1-1 on the year.
Trailing 17-7 late in the first quarter, Stetson threatened deep in Mercer territory, but the Bears’ defense would come up with a turnover to stop the drive. Alex Avant tipped a pass at the goal line, before Corey Lockett swallowed up the pass in the end zone.
Mercer used the momentum to roll to a program-record 51 points and 476 yards of total offense in the first half, putting up 34 unanswered points to head into halftime with 51-7 lead.
Wofford 34, Tennessee Tech 14
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College football team defeated Tennessee Tech 34-14 on Saturday night at Gibbs Stadium. The Terriers rushed for 444 yards on 72 carries as they totaled 560 yards of offense in the game and held the Golden Eagles to under 300 total yards.
The Terriers improve to 1-1, while Tennessee Tech is 0-2. Wofford was led by Lorenzo Long with 88 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Will Gay, Ray Smith, Brad Butler and Evan Jacks all had 69 or more rushing yards. Nick Ward led the defensive effort with a team-high eight tackles and an interception. The Golden Eagles were led by Ladari Vanlier with 80 rushing yards, while quarterback Jared Davis was 21-of-35 passing for 163 yards.
“I think both quarterbacks executed well tonight,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “The offensive line created space and our backs did a nice job. Our coaches did a nice job adjusting during the game on how they were playing us defensively. Tennessee Tech is a solid football team and everything we did we had to earn. I was pleased with the pass protection and did a nice job in the passing game. Defensively our guys did great and a part of the two scores by them was we did not get the job done on offense. We played hard and had a lot of young guys out there since we had a few starters out with nagging injuries. It was good to see them get a lot of reps. The biggest concern is kickoff coverage. We are not good in the phase and need to improve.”
The Terriers had the ball first but failed to convert on a fourth-and-five and turned it over on downs. Tennessee Tech took over at the 45-yard line and after gaining three first downs had fourth-and-goal from the one yard line. Quarterback Jared Davis scored on the keeper for a 7-0 lead with 8:05 on the clock in the first quarter. Wofford used first down runs by Lorenzo Long, Ray Smith and Will Gay to move inside the 10-yard line. Lorenzo Long scored from three-yards out to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:11 on the clock.
On the next drive by the Golden Eagles, they gained one first down before having to punt. Will Gay ran for a first down for Wofford and then Brad Butler converted a fourth-and-one. With Evan Jacks in at quarterback, the drive continued and Chase Nelson scored from one-yard out for a 14-7 lead at 11:57 in the second quarter. Tennessee Tech drove deep into Wofford territory, but Nick Ward intercepted a pass at the six-yard line to end the scoring threat.
Wofford took over with 9:48 on the clock in the second quarter. After gaining three first downs, the Terriers were faced with a fourth-and-two. The pitch was fumbled and recovered by Tennessee Tech at the 41-yard line. After a first down, back-to-back penalties forced the Golden Eagles to punt with 3:37 left in the first half. Wofford was able to use a 27-yard run by Ray Smith and a pass interference call to move into the red zone. As time expired in the first half, David Marvin hit a 27-yard field goal for a 17-7 lead at the break.
The Golden Eagles began the second half with the ball and were able to drive inside the five yard line. On third-and-goal, Steven Cornellier forced a fumble that was recovered by Tyler Vaughn. Wofford took over at the six yard line and after a first down, Brad Butler ran for 30-yards down the far sideline to move across midfield. Brad Butler found Hunter Windham across the middle for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 7:59 left in the third quarter and a 24-7 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, a long return was called back due to a penalty and the Golden Eagles started at the 10-yard line. They gained one first down before having to punt back to the Terriers. Wofford was able to drive down the field and added a 21-yard field goal by David Marvin to make it a 27-7 game with 14:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. Tennessee Tech went three-and-out and punted back to the Terriers. A long pass from Evan Jacks to Will Irwin moved the ball across midfield and Will Gay ended the drive with a one-yard run as Wofford took a 34-7 lead with 7:00 left in the game.
The Golden Eagles were then able to put together a 12-play drive that covered 60 yards and was capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Jared Davis. Wofford got the ball back with 2:17 left in the game and holding a 34-14 lead. On the second play of the drive, the Terriers fumbled and the ball was recovered by Tennessee Tech at the 18-yard line. A sack by Miles Brown and an incomplete pass on fourth down enabled the Terriers to take a knee on the final play of the game.
Wofford had 560 total yards, with 444 on the ground. Tennessee Tech had 274 total yards, 163 of which were passing. Wofford had a 31 to 17 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 9-of-12 on third downs and 1-of-3 on fourth down. Tennessee Tech was 3-of-13 on third down and 3-of-4 on fourth down. Both teams were called for four penalties. Wofford had a 37:05 to 22:55 time of possession advantage.
Virginia Tech 42, Furman 3
BLACKSBURG, VA. - Brenden Motley passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for another score to power Virginia Tech to a 42-3 victory over Furman in football action Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium.
Motley, a redshirt junior making his first collegiate start, completed 16-of-24 passes and connected on touchdown strikes covering 1 and 32 yards to pace the Hokies (1-1). He also ran for 38 yards, including a 4-yard scoring run to pace Virginia Tech, which rolled up 583 yards against the Paladins (0-2).
Furman, which managed 254 yards in offense, was paced by freshman running back Triston Luke, who rushed 10 times for 79 yards. The Paladins’ only points came on a third quarter 49-yard field goal by Jon Croft Hollingsworth.
Virginia Tech’s Andrew Motuapuaka opened the scoring when he intercepted a Reese Hannon pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown to stake the Hokies to a 7-0 lead.
Motley’s 4-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter helped extend the lead to 14-0, capping an 8-play, 88-yard drive.
Furman managed to keep it that way into intermission, but the Hokies needed little time in stretching their advantage, using a 63-yard run by Travon McMillian on the first play of the second half to move to the Paladin 13. Four plays later Motley connected with Isaiah Ford on a 1-yard scoring toss for a 21-0 lead with the PAT.
The Paladins took the kickoff and moved 43 yards to the Virginia Tech 32, where Hollingsworth cleared the crossbar with a 49-yard field, the third longest of his career, to make it 21-3.
Virginia Tech controlled the game thereafter, adding touchdowns on its next two possession, the second following an interception at the Furman 32.
Dwayne Lawson’s four-yard sprint around left end with five minutes ended a 14-play, 81-yard drive and accounted for the game’s final tally.
McMillian led all rushers with six carries for 98 yards.
Hannon, who completed 7-of-21 passes, was pressured by the Hokies’ strong pass rush, which sacked the Paladin redshirt junior three times, notched a pair of interceptions, and registered a fumble recovery.