Chattanooga 31, Samford 21
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Samford football team dropped a 31-21 decision to 10th-ranked Chattanooga in the Southern Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
With the loss, Samford falls to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in Southern Conference play. Chattanooga improves to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in league games.
For Samford individually, Michael Eubank completed 27-of-36 passes for 255 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Emmanuel Obajimi caught 11 passes for 137 yards and a score. Karel Hamilton caught five passes for 42 yards, but his biggest play came when he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter.
Defensively for the Bulldogs, Jamerson Blount had 13 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Justin Cooper had 12 tackles, and Omari Williams came up with an interception.
Chattanooga was led by quarterback Jacob Huesman, who rushed 23 times for 150 yards and a touchdown, and he completed 14-of-23 passes for 181 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. C.J. Board caught six passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
The Mocs' defense was led by Nakevion Leslie with 11 tackles, while A.J. Hampton added 10 tackles. Vantrel McMillan had an interception for Chattanooga. The Mocs' defense sacked Eubank six times in the game.
Samford struck first on its opening offensive drive of the game. Eubank connected with Obajimi for a 63-yard pass for the game's opening score. The play gave the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead with 8:29 to go in the first quarter.
Chattanooga came back to tie the game late in the first quarter. Huesman hit Xavier Borishade for a 28-yard touchdown to knot the score at 7-7 with 42 seconds left in the opening quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Hamilton returned the kick 100 yards for the touchdown to give Samford the 14-7 lead. The play marked the first time a Samford player returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Fabian Truss returned a kick for 100 yards against Western Carolina in 2013.
The Mocs came back to tie the score when Huesman scored an 11-yard run. The play made the score 14-14 with 8:42 left in the second quarter. Huesman then hit Board for a 43-yard touchdown with 6:06 left in the second quarter to give the Mocs a 21-14 lead.
UTC added one more score before halftime. The Mocs' Henrique Ribiero kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to give Chattanooga a 24-14 lead heading into halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, Chattanooga's Alejandro Bennifield scored on an 18-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter. The play gave the Mocs a 31-14 lead with 14:54 left in the game.
On Samford's next drive Kelvin McKnight scored on a 37-yard run to cut the Chattanooga lead to 31-21 with 12:40 to go in the fourth quarter. The teams went scoreless the rest of the way as the Mocs came away with the 31-21 win.
Furman 16, Central Florida 15
ORLANDO, FLA. - Jon Croft Hollingsworth kicked a school record 55-yard fourth quarter field goal and Furman rode a strong second half defensive effort to beat UCF, 16-15, in football action Saturday evening at Bright House Networks Stadium.
The win marked the Furman's first triumph over an FBS opponent since the Paladins downed North Carolina, 28-3, in 1999.
"It was a tight game and had some odd bounces here and there, but we went out in the second half and made an impact," said Furman head coach Bruce Fowler. "Jon Croft Hollingsworth's field goal was a big kick, and we got more and more confident on defense. I'm so proud of this this team and the win."
With Furman trailing 15-13, Hollingsworth, a sophomore from Greenwood, S.C., drilled his school record 55-yard effort over the cross bar with room to spare to give the Paladins the 16-15 lead.
From that point Furman's defense took over, forcing the Knights into back-to-back punts and then sealed the outcome with a fumble recovery by Byron Johnson and Trey Robinson's second interception of the game, at UCF 37, on the Knights' final two possessions.
Furman rallied from a 12-0 first half deficit.
Ernie Cain's 1-yard run just before the half got the Paladins on the board, and Reese Hannon's 61-yard touchdown strike to Andrej Suttles early in the second half gave Furman a 13-12 advantage.
UCF's only second half points came on Matthew Wright 29-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the third quarter, giving the Knights a 15-13 lead.
Furman clipped UCF 270-269 in total offense, holding the Knights to just 112 total yards in the second half.
Hannon completed 15-of-29 passes for 188 yards. His favorite target was Suttles, who claimed five catches for 113 yards and the 61-yard score, the third longest of his career.
The Paladins, who entered the contest without a forced turnover in their first two games, ended the contest with four, highlighted by Trey Robinson's two interceptions, an interception by Rodney Anderson, Johnson's fumble recovery.
Cory Magwood topped all defenders with 12 tackles, and Carl Rider had 11, including two for-loss.
Hollingsworth's new school standard 55-yard field goal bested the previous mark of 54 yards by Scott Beckler versus Presbyterian in 2007.
Idaho 41, Wofford 38
MOSCOW, Idaho – The Wofford College football team battled the University of Idaho on Saturday afternoon at the Kibbie Dome, but came up short in a 41-38 loss. The Terriers allowed 334 passing yards in the game and lost three fumbles in the game, but had the lead in the fourth quarter.
The Terriers and Vandals are both 1-2 on the season. Wofford was led by Lorenzo Long with 10 carries for 86 yards and three touchdowns. Evan Jacks was 4-of-5 passing and ran for 35 yards. Nick Colvin had 63 rushing yards and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Vandals were led by Matt Linehan with 334 passing yards on 25-of-34 attempts. Dezmon Epps returned to action after being suspended for the first two games of the season and had 10 catches for 139 yards.
The Vandals had the ball first and gained two first downs before Chris Armfield intercepted Matt Linehan at the four-yard line. Wofford had a first down run by Nick Colvin, but a fumbled pitch was recovered by Russell Siavii and returned ten yards for a touchdown. The Vandals had a 7-0 lead at the 11:15 mark of the first quarter.
On the next drive for the Terriers, Ray Smith had a 26-yard run to move the ball across midfield. On fourth-and-three, a pass interference call gave Wofford a first down. The Terriers got on the board with a 45-yard field goal by David Marvin for a 7-3 game with 6:28 left in the first quarter.
After a rushing first down, the Vandals used a 46-yard reception by Callen Hightower to move into Wofford territory. Following two more first downs, Idaho scored on a seven-yard reception by Buck Cowan to take a 14-3 lead with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.
Wofford took over, but on third down the snap was fumbled by Brad Butler and the ball was recovered by Dorian Clark at the 33-yard line. The Vandals converted a fourth-and-one and added to the lead with a 20-yard field goal to make it a 17-3 score with 11:34 remaining in the second quarter. Wofford answered with a 100-yard kickoff return down the far sideline by Nick Colvin for a touchdown. The Idaho lead was 17-10 with 11:20 on the clock.
With the ball back, Idaho had four first downs and scored on a ten-yard run by Aaron Duckworth to push the advantage to 24-10 at the eight minute mark of the second quarter. Evan Jacks entered the game at quarterback and had first downs from Nick Colvin, Ray Smith and Will Gay to move inside the five-yard line. Lorenzo Long went up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown run and the score was 24-17 with 4:18 left in the first half. The Vandals gained two first downs and appeared to have fumbled, but upon official review the runner’s knee was down. With 15 seconds remaining in the half, Idaho added an 18-yard field goal for a 27-17 lead. Wofford ran one play before time expired in the half.
On the opening drive of the second half, Evan Jacks found Nick Colvin for a 37-yard pass reception and a personal foul penalty added 15 yards to the play. Lorenzo Long ran the ball in from nine yards out to make it a 27-24 game with 11:52 on the clock. With the ball back, Idaho gained first down, but on third-and-short Boston Bryant hit the runner for a three-yard loss and the Vandals punted.
The Terriers went three-and-out and punted back to Idaho. On the first play, Brion Anderson intercepted a pass in the end zone by Matt Linehan and Wofford took over at the 20. After a 28-yard pass by Evan Jacks to Nick Colvin, Lorenzo Long went 51 yards up the middle for a touchdown. Wofford had a 31-27 lead with 5:54 on the clock in the third quarter.
Idaho had the ball back and picked up two first downs before having a fourth-and-five. A short pass gave the Vandals a first down and a 30-yard reception moved the ball inside the five yard line. Aaron Duckworth scored from four yards out to give Idaho a 34-31 advantage with 1:50 left in the third quarter.
The Terriers used a 41-yard run by Evan Jacks on third down to move inside Vandal territory at the end of the third quarter. Chase Nelson went 31 yards up the middle for the touchdown and Wofford had a 38-34 lead over Idaho with 14:51 remaining in the game. The Vandals converted a fourth-and-seven with a 34-yard run by Matt Linehan and scored on a ten-yard run by Aaron Duckworth to make it a 41-38 game at the 11:19 mark of the fourth quarter.
Wofford had a pair of first downs on the ensuing drive before three straight tackles for loss forced a punt. The Vandals took over at the 12-yard line, but two sacks forced an Idaho punt. The return as fumbled, but recovered by the Terriers at the 34-yard line with 5:17 left in the game. Nick Colvin ran for a first down, but on fourth-and-twelve a pass to Will Irwin was incomplete and the Vandals took over with just under two minutes remaining. Idaho gained one first down and ran out the clock for the victory.
Wofford had 398 total yards, with 326 on the ground. Idaho had 532 total yards, 334 of which were passing. Idaho had a 22 to 17 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 3-of-9 on third downs and 0-of-1 on fourth down. Idaho was 6-of-15 on third down and 3-of-3 on fourth down. Wofford was called for three penalties to Idaho’s six. Idaho had a 32:58 to 27:02 time of possession advantage.
Georgia Southern 48, The Citadel 13
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Citadel football team fell to FBS opponent Georgia Southern on Saturday night 48-13 inside Allen E. Paulson Stadium.
On the Bulldogs’ (2-1) first drive, Dominique Allen’s first pass of the game was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Ross Alexander. The Eagles would start the drive at the 11-yard line but a tackle by James Riley on 3rd down would force Georgia Southern to kick a field goal, making it 3-0 a little over three minutes into the game.
On their second drive of the game, Georgia Southern (2-1) would convert on 4th-and-1 on the Bulldogs’ 11. Kevin Ellison eventually punched it in from one yard out to give the Eagles a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
After a three and out by the Bulldogs, Georgia Southern put together a couple of big runs and tacked on another six after a 25-yard run by Matt Breida. The Eagles would lead 17-0 with 12:35 left in the first half.
Breida, who would rush for 159 yards in the game, would break free for an 87-yard touchdown run just a little under four minutes later to make it 24-0 Eagles with 8:43 left in the 2nd quarter. Ellison gave the Eagles a 31-0 lead after a nine-yard rushing touchdown and that is how the score would remain at the half.
Evan McField put the Bulldogs on the board early in the 3rd quarter after breaking a 60-yard run. The touchdown made it 31-7 in favor of the Eagles. McField’s career-long run was the longest rush by the Bulldogs this season. The redshirt freshman rushed for 163 yards in the game to lead all rushers.
L.A. Ramsby made it 38-7 Eagles after a seven-yard touchdown run with 6:17 left in 3rd quarter. As a result of an Allen fumble, GSU added to its lead after a 40-yard field goal made it 41-7.
With nine minutes left in the 4th quarter Chaz Thorton broke for a long run but Tyus Carter forced Thorton to fumble in the endzone, resulting in a touchback. As a result of the fumble recovery, Cam Jackson scored his first rushing touchdown of the season from six-yards out. The 12-play, 80-yard drive made the score 48-13.
Mark Thomas moved into a tie for sixth on The Citadel’s all-time career sacks list. With 1.0 sack, Thomas now has 13.0 in his career, tied with Justin Oxendine (2011-14) and Chris Billingslea (2009-12).
Offensively the Bulldogs gained 380 yards, 316 of which came on the ground.
Richmond 42, VMI 10
RICHMOND, Va. - Brice Tucker ran for 120 yards, but the No. 22 Richmond Spiders took advantage of five VMI Keydet turnovers en route to a 42-10 victory Saturday evening at Robins Stadium in Richmond.
The Keydets (1-2) forced a punt on the first Richmond drive of the game, but on VMI's first play from scrimmage, Al Cobb was picked off by Ayo Ogunniyi and the interception was returned for a touchdown. Richmond (2-1) would lead the rest of the way, helped by three more interceptions and a Keydet fumble inside the UR 10-yard line.
Offensively, Tucker was the standout for the Keydets with his 120 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He helped the Keydets to 202 rushing yards, VMI's first 200-yard rushing game since playing Davidson last season. Cobb, however, struggled to a 13 for 28, four interception night.
On the other side, UR quarterback Kyle Lauletta was 15 for 22 for 209 yards and three touchdowns. The Spiders completed passes to 11 different receivers in the win.
Following the initial pick-six, the Keydets countered with a 15-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a Dillon Christopher field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 after one quarter.
The Keydets had the ball first in the second quarter and were marching down the field. On a first down from the UR 19, Tucker ran the ball inside the 10-yard line but, on a momentum-turning play, coughed up the football. UR recovered at the seven and promptly marched 93 yards in 11 plays. Lauletta completed a three-yard touchdown pass to James Pavik to make it 14-3, Richmond.
With 5:45 left in the half, the Keydets had the ball, still down by 11. Cobb was hurried on a drop-back pass and was intercepted by Madison Day. Day ran the ball back 25 yards for a touchdown and a 21-3 UR lead.
VMI then cut into the margin with its next drive. An 11-play, 75-yard drive ended with a one-yard Tucker TD plunge and a 21-10 Spider lead. That marked the score at halftime.
The Keydets had a chance to cut into the margin on the first drive of the second half, but Cobb was picked off on the third play of the quarter. Lauletta then answered with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Porter Abell that made it 28-10, UR.
The Spiders added one additional touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters to account for the final margin.
Defensively, Jon Strozyk led the Keydets with 10 tackles, a career-high. Day had 12 stops for Richmond and David Jones had two of his team's four interceptions.
Tennessee Tech 29, Mercer 22
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Mercer University football team suffered its first loss of the season, as Tennessee Tech rallied in the fourth quarter to pull out a 29-22 victory on Saturday night at Tucker Stadium.
Mercer falls to 2-1 with its first loss of the season, while Tennessee Tech improves to 1-2 with the victory in its home opener.
After managing just one first down on its previous four drives, Tennessee Tech came up with the game's decisive scoring drive, moving 77 yards on 12 plays on the series. The Golden Eagles took a 27-22 advantage on Krys Cate's eight-yard scoring grab, before pushing its lead to seven, 29-22, following a successful two-point conversion.
Tennessee Tech scored touchdowns on three of its first five possessions to jump out to an early 21-6 advantage. However, the Bears' defense would force four straight punts to help key a big comeback by Mercer.
Mercer got back-to-back field goals to end the first half, pulling within nine, 21-12 at halftime. The Bears carried that momentum to the second half, using consecutive three-and-outs by the defense and 10 unanswered points by the offense to grab its first lead of the contest, 22-21.
The Golden Eagles outscored Mercer 7-0 though in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
Missed opportunities in the red zone plagued Mercer, who came into the contest with touchdowns in each of its previous eight trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line. However, the Bears scored just two touchdowns on Saturday night, despite working its way into the red zone on five occasions.
Tennessee 55, Western Carolina 10
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee erupted for 31 points in the second quarter, capitalizing on a pair of Catamount turnovers and an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as the Volunteers handed Western Carolina a 55-10 loss Saturday night in front of 102,136 fans at Neyland Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
WCU sophomore all-purpose back Detrez Newsome amassed a game-high 241 yards for the Catamounts including a career-high 128 yards rushing and a career-long 64 yard touchdown romp to highlight the outing. Newsome added five kickoff returns for 111 yards with one reception out of the backfield.
The Catamounts (1-2) had three turnovers and only one first down on their first eight possessions. One of those turnovers resulted in a 57-yard interception return by Tennessee's LaDarrell McNeil that led to a Vol score.
Then, leading 10-0 after the opening 15 minutes, the Vols grabbed a 41-3 halftime lead by outscoring Western Carolina 31-3 in the second quarter. That represented Tennessee's highest-scoring quarter since a 35-point first period in a 63-20 victory over Arkansas in 2000.
Catamount senior quarterback Troy Mitchell completed 6-of-14 passes for 47 yards with the interception, with sophomore signal caller Wes Holcombe seeing extensive action, finishing 5-of-8 for 43 yards. Receivers Karnorris Benson (38 yards) and Spearman Robinson (30 yards) both finished with three receptions apiece to pace WCU.
Western Carolina got a career-long 32-yard field goal from freshman kicker Logan Howard in the road defeat. Defensively, linebacker Tyson Dickson finished with a dozen tackles including a sack and a pass break-up, while Daniel Riddle posted a nine-stop outing.
Tennessee (2-1) quarterback Joshua Dobbs completed 15-of-21 passes for 144 yards and a pair of touchdowns while backup Quinten Dormady was 6-of-8 for the Volunteers with 93 yards and a score.