No. 7 Appalachian State 52, Furman 27
Final Stats
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Armanti Edwards accounted for 461 yards in total offense and six touchdowns to propel NCAA FCS seventh-ranked Appalachian State to a 52-27 victory over Furman in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
A senior from Greenwood, S.C., Edwards completed 25-of-36 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed 13 times for 106 yards and four scores to headline a Mountaineer offensive attack that rolled up 554 total yards. In the process he became the first player in NCAA Division I history (FBS & FCS) to pass for over 9,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in a career.
The southpaw quarterback directed Appalachian State (6-2, 5-0 SoCon) to touchdowns in five of its first six possessions and recorded scoring runs of 3, 4, 1, and 5 yards along with touchdown passes of 16 and 21 yards in the contest.
The victory marked the 17th consecutive SoCon win for Appalachian State — the longest in the league since West Virginia reeled off 30 straight conference wins from 1952-59.
The loss was the third in the last four games for Furman (4-4, 3-3 SoCon), which was paced by sophomore running back Tersoo Uhaa’s career high 114 yards rushing. Jordan Sorrells completed 10-of-17 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Chris Forcier scored his first touchdown as a Paladin on 25-yard run in the third quarter.
“I’m pleased with how we played today, especially offensively,” said Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore. “Furman is a good team with one of the best traditions in all of FCS football, so for us to play the way we did today, especially here, where they have always given us so much trouble, is another sign that we are continuing to improve as a team.”
“We knew coming in Appalachian State was going to put up some points, and we knew we had to get off a good start offensively but didn’t do it,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “We didn’t execute the on-side kick and then fumbled on our second offensive play. You can’t fail like that against an outstanding team like that and keep it close.”
“Armanti Edwards is the ultimate escaped artist. He doesn’t get enough credit for his passing. Today he put some balls right on the dime when we had good coverage. I’ve said it for four years....he’s an incredible football player.”
After Furman failed to execute an on-side kick to open the game, Appalachian State immediately took command, moving 38 yards in five plays for a 16-yard Edwards scoring strike to tight end Ben Jorden for a 7-0 lead lead than three minutes into the contest.
Edwards then capped ASU’s next two possessions with scoring runs of 3 and 4 yards to stretch the Mountaineers’ advantage to 21-0 less than two minutes into the second period.
Furman got on the board with Uhaa’s 4-yard run at the 9:39 mark of the second period, but ASU answered with a 10-play, 71-yard drive capped by Edwards’ fourth touchdown responsibility of the first half, a 1-yard plunge with 5:43 to go.
The two teams traded scores before the half to send the Mountaineers into the locker room with a 35-13 lead.
Appalachian State’s onslaught continued on its first possession of the third quarter when Edwards scored on a 5-yard keeper to make it 42-13.
Edwards completed his stellar performance with a 21-yard touchdown pass to CoCo Hillary midway through the third period, putting the Mountaineers ahead 49-20.
Matt Cline caught eight passes for a career high 122 yards for ASU, and Hillary finished eigh six catches for 83 yards and a score.
Adam Mims paced Furman with five catches for 102 yards, including a career long 72-yard hook-up with Sorrells in the third quarter.
No. 6 Elon 34, Wofford 6
Final Stats
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College was defeated by sixth-ranked Elon 34-6 on Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium. Terrell Hudgins had three touchdown catches to lead the Phoenix as turnovers hampered the Wofford effort in the second half.
The Terriers fall to 2-6 on the season and 1-4 in the SoCon, while Elon is 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the conference. The Terriers were led by Michael Scott with 50 yards on ten carries and Brenton Bersin had two catches for 20 yards. Elon was led by Terrell Hudgins with 153 yards on eleven carries and quarterback Scott Riddle was 31-of-44 with one interception and three touchdowns.
“Elon is good, but we did not execute as well as we could have,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “Turning the football over caused some problems and we had some plays, but could not create that big play. We were not as consistent as we needed to be and I thought in the second half defensively we played well enough to have a chance to win the game if we had gotten it going offensively. There were some bright spots out there in all the doom and gloom, but Elon came in on a mission, there is no doubt about that.
“We worked hard this week to try and get things ready for them, but it didn’t work out. We did not adjust as well as we needed to offensively and you can’t be one sided. Even if you are playing great defense, if you are not putting points on the board you have problems. Kicking game we did some good things and some bad things. We had some huge plays on kickoff return, but that being said we also had a turnover. We will get back to the drawing board. We play another tough football game next week and we are going to have to let this one go as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow.”
The Phoenix took the opening drive and picked up two first downs before kicking a 36-yard field goal by Adam Shreiner to take a 3-0 lead at 10:58. Wofford was forced three-and-out and punted on their first possession.
After the teams traded punts, the Phoenix were able to put together a drive that was capped by a ten-yard touchdown pass from Scott Riddle to Terrell Hudgins. At 14:54 of the second quarter, Elon had a 10-0 lead. Wofford picked up their first first down of the game, but were again forced to punt.
The Wofford defense forced another Elon punt at 9:43 in the second quarter. On third down, the Terriers picked up a first down on an unsportsman-like penalty call on Elon. Austin Palmer added another first down to get the ball into Elon territory and another unsportsman-like call moved the ball deeper. The Terriers ended the drive with a 27-yard field goal from Christian Reed at 3:21 in the second for a 10-3 score.
Elon added a 32-yard touchdown pass from Scott Riddle to Terrell Hudgins with 1:22 left in the half to take a 17-3 lead. Wofford used a 53-yard kickoff return by Stephon Shelton to get the ball to the Elon 37-yard line. After one first down pass to Brenton Bersin, the Terriers lined-up for a 42-yard field goal that was good by Christian Reed for a 17-6 score with 42 seconds left in the half. Elon added a first down and tried two long passes to the end zone before time expired in the half.
To open the second half, rain began to fall at Gibbs Stadium. Wofford had the ball first and gained two rushing first downs by Michael Scott, but the Terriers came up short on fourth-and-three. With the ball back, the Phoenix put together a drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal by Adam Shreiner for a 20-6 lead at 4:53 in the third quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Terriers fumbled and the ball was recovered by Elon. The Phoenix capitalized on the turnover a few plays later with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Scott Riddle to Terrell Hudgins. Elon had a 27-6 lead at the 2:27 mark in the third quarter.
Wofford was forced three-and-out and punted on their next possession, but Elon returned the favor with a punt as well. The Terriers gained a first down rushing by Arsenio Parks, but on fourth-and-ten turned the ball over on a fumble with 11:05 left in the game.
After forcing the Phoenix to punt, the Terriers turned the ball over on a fumble again at the 14-yard line. But Wofford was able to get the ball back with an interception by Jonathon Sharpe. The Terriers picked up one first down on the drive, then attempted a fake punt on fourth down that failed, giving Elon the ball back at the Wofford 24-yard line.
Elon used three rushing plays to get the ball to the end zone, with Brandon Newsome capping the drive with a 15-yard run. The Phoenix had a 34-6 lead with just 2:12 left in the game. Wofford was unable to pick up a first down on the following drive and Elon took a knee to end the game.
The Terriers had a season-low 170 total offensive yards. Elon had 402 total yards, including 323 passing. On third downs, Elon was 11-of-19 while Wofford was two-of-14. Wofford was also 0-of-4 on fourth down attempts. Elon had a 32:32 to 27:28 advantage in time of possession.
Wofford will return to the road next weekend at The Citadel. The game will be televised on SportSouth at 3:00 p.m.
The Phoenix visit Western Carolina next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
The Citadel 28, Samford 16
Final Stats
Charleston, S.C. - Freshman walk-on quarterback Tommy Edwards and The Citadel defense led the Bulldogs in a second half rally as The Citadel won the battle of the Bulldogs against Samford, 28-16, on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
After being down 10-0 at the half, The Citadel defense held Samford scoreless for almost three quarters, totaled 11 tackles for a loss of 41 yards, recorded two interceptions for 112 return yards and blocked a punt to hold Samford to 35 yards rushing and extend the Bulldogs' win streak.
The Citadel won the toss and chose to receive the ball first, but a quick three-and-out brought out the Bulldog punt unit with just less than 13 minutes left on the clock.
A 40-yard punt by Cass Couey and a 36-yard return by Samford's Richie Fordham started the Samford drive well into Citadel territory. Samford earned two first downs in five plays, the first on a screen pass to Chris Evans and the second a 13-yard rush by Evans, who later sealed the deal for the Bulldogs with a one-yard touchdown run with 10:17 on the clock. The extra point attempt by Cameron Yaw was good and the Samford Bulldogs went up, 7-0.
The Citadel was still unable to move the ball on their second possession and was forced to punt again after three plays. Couey's kick was short, going only 30 yards and Samford's Fordham called for a fair catch at the 45-yard line. However, Samford was unable to get across midfield and was forced to punt for the first time in the game.
All-America wide receiver Andre Roberts was set to return the punt for the Bulldogs, but a rare fumbled catch ended with a Samford recovery on The Citadel 10-yard line. The Bulldog defense was able to keep Samford out of the end zone and forced them to attempt a 24-yard field goal. The kick by Yaw was good and Samford went up, 10 -0, with 4:29 left in the first quarter.
Neither team was able to score in the second quarter and they went into halftime with Samford leading, 10-0. The Citadel totaled 109 yards of offense to Samford's 106 yards. Samford passed for 95 of their yards, while The Citadel rushed for 68. Freshman Tommy Edwards made his collegiate debut at quarterback late in the second quarter after Miguel Starks left the game with an ankle injury. Starks went 6-12-1 for 38 yards, while Edwards completed 4-6-0 for 30 yards.
Samford received the ball in the opening of the second half but did nothing with it for their first two possessions and a bad punt by Bob Hooper gave The Citadel field position on their own 45-yard line. The Bulldogs quickly got back in the game on the first play of the drive when Edwards found Van Dyke Jones for a 55-yard touchdown pass with 7:29 left in the third quarter. Sam Keeler's extra point attempt was good, making the score 10-7.
After an unsuccessful attempt on fourth-and-12 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, The Citadel turned the ball over on downs giving Samford the ball on their 31-yard line. The Citadel defense allowed only two yards and forced a three-and-out, giving The Citadel the ball back with less than 13 minutes left in the game.
Roberts returned Hooper's 49-yard punt for 41 yards, giving the Bulldogs field position on the Samford 41-yard line. After a 13-yard catch by Roberts and a couple of solid runs by Jones, Edwards found tight end Alex Sellars in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 10:06 on the clock. Keeler's kick was good and The Citadel took their first lead of the game, 14-10.
The Citadel extended their lead when defensive back Cortez Allen intercepted a Dustin Taliaferro pass at the Samford 35-yard line and returned it 30 yards to the five. Running back Terrell Dallas scored on a five-yard touchdown run on the next play with 4:38 left in the game. Keeler's extra point was good and The Citadel went up, 21-10.
The Bulldog defense did not let up as Allen intercepted another Samford pass on the next drive, this time returning it for 82 yards for the score. Keeler was successful on the extra point attempt and the Bulldogs took a 28-10 lead.
Samford was able to add six more to their score on a Connor Lowery pass to Jonathan Lowery for 15 yards and the touchdown with 1:49 left in the game. The Samford two-point conversion attempt failed. Samford then attempted an onside kick but was offsides and the Bulldogs' defensive back Demetrius Jackson recovered the ball and returned it 17 yards to the Samford 22-yard line to seal the win for The Citadel.
The Citadel ended the game with 284 yards of offense. They passed for 179 yards and rushed for 105, while Samford totaled 259 yards, 224 of which were in the air. The Citadel defense held the Samford Bulldogs to 35 yards rushing. Starks did not enter the game in the second half and finished with 24 rushing and 38 passing yards. Edwards completed 10-of-20 passes with no interceptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Roberts returned seven punts for 102 yards and caught seven passes for 54 yards, for an all-purpose total of 160. Jones led the rushing game with 17 carries for 40 yards. He also caught three passes for 53 yards.
Several players contributed to the Bulldog defensive effort. Defensive lineman Kyle Anderson totaled six tackles, including two sacks for a loss of 16 yards. Linebacker Tolu Akindele totaled nine tackles (four solo, five assisted), including one for a loss of two yards and Allen totaled seven tackles, one pass breakup and returned two interceptions for 112 yards. Linebacker Jordon Gilmore also contributed eight total tackles, including a half tackle for a loss of one yard.
The Citadel (4-4 overall; 2-3 SoCon) will return to Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7 for their last home game of the season against Wofford. The homecoming matchup will kickoff at 3 p.m. and will be televised before a live audience on SportSouth.
Samford entertains Georgia Southern next Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET).
Chattanooga 24, Western Carolina 20
Final Stats
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - It was a scary start to a rainy Halloween day game, but the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (5-3/3-3) football team concluded Blue & Gold Week with a 24-20 win over Western Carolina (1-7/1-5) in front of 9,320 fans at Finley Stadium. The Mocs overcame a 20-9 second-half deficit to claim the fifth win of the season. UTC is now one win shy this season of equaling its win total from the previous three years combined.
The winning drive came late in the fourth quarter on a Chris Awuah six-yard scamper untouched to make it 24-20. Mocs QB B.J. Coleman orchestrated a 16-play, 77-yard, seven-minute, 24-second drive to put Chattanooga up for good with 3:33 to play.
After a quick first down, the Mocs defense held the Catamounts on the next four plays to turn the ball over with big plays on a sack by freshman DE Josh Williams and a pass breakup by junior CB Buster Skrine. The offense held the ball until the 16-second mark giving the Catamounts the ball back with too little time to mount a drive.
Coleman was 22-for-41 passing for 248 yards and an interception. He completed passes to seven different Mocs which was quite an accomplishment since 16 of those catches were recorded by senior wideout Blue Cooper. Six other receivers caught one pass apiece.
Cooper tallied 143 yards on 16 receptions setting a career-high for catches in a game, while notching a season high for yards with his third 100-yard receiving game. The 16 catches were two shy of the Mocs game and Southern Conference record set by Alonzo Nix with 18 against Wofford on Oct. 4, 2003.
On a day where the Mocs did not attempt a point-after kick, rather twice going for two-point conversions, the kicking game was a highlight. Senior PK Craig Camay tied a career-high with four field goals hitting from 27, 28, 30 and 37 yards. The kickoff return team was also key to victory with the Catamounts average starting position being their own 25 while averaging just 14.2 yards per return.
Chattanooga's defense held Western Carolina to 217 total yards with senior linebacker Joe Thornton leading the team with eight tackles. Defensive lineman Josh Beard and Joshua Williams each recorded one sack, with Beard extending his league-leading total to 10.5 on the season.
The Mocs were very stingy in the second half limiting the Catamounts to only 77 yards on 27 plays. Sixty of those yards came in Western Carolina's only score of the second half on an eight-play drive with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
That drive gave the Catamounts a 20-9 lead. But the Mocs would not be deterred. In scoring the final 15 points of the game, Chattanooga overcame a second-half deficit for the first time this season and made a fourth-quarter comeback for the first time since 2000 (Appalachian State, 30-27).
It was a very slow start for the Mocs. On the opening possession, Coleman threw an interception providing Western Carolina good field position on the UTC 36. It was the first pick by the Catamount defense this season. Western's ensuing drive ended with a Blake Bostic 37-yard field goal which are the first first quarter points scored by WCU this year.
On the Mocs' next possession, they moved the ball into apparent field goal range. Lined up for a 40-yarder, UTC instead went for a fake, but it was snuffed out by the Catamounts' defense. Chris Collins caused a Camay fumble on the run and Robert Peele returned it 42 yards to the UTC 29. The Mocs defense held the Catamounts to a field goal as Bostic again converted for three points, this time from 39 yards out to make it 6-0 WCU.
The Catamounts went ahead by 13 on a Michael Johnson one-yard touchdown run on fourth down as the Mocs defense had held from the one-yard line on three straight plays. A 46-yard connection between quarterback Zach Jaynes and wide receiver D.J. McLendon set up the score.
Chattanooga got on the board just before halftime when senior place-kicker Camay connected on a 30-yard field goal. Bo Dyer notched two career-highs on the drive with a 15-yard run and 20-yard catch.
The Mocs defense held the Catamounts to a three-and-out starting the second half. Coleman took advantage of the good field position at the UTC 46 and found Cooper twice for 43 yards including a 36-yard reception down to the WCU 11. Camay connected on his second field goal of the game from 27 yards out cutting into the Catamounts 13-6 lead.
Chattanooga's special teams set up the Mocs at the WCU 28 after Joel Bradford's 20-yard punt return. The Catamount defense once again held the Mocs' offense in check as UTC gained one first down and settled for a 37-yard Camay field goal.
Western Carolina responded on it s next possession. QB Zach Jaynes capped a 60-yard touchdown drive with a 19-yard scoring strike to Chris Everett to extend the advantage to 20-9.
The Mocs answered quickly. Coleman hit Chris Pitchford on a 41-yard touchdown strike to ignite the Mocs offense. Chattanooga failed to convert on the two-point conversion giving Western Carolina a five-point 20-15 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chattanooga received a golden opportunity when Western Carolina's Josh Crockett could not handle a Mike Hammons punt and Josh Tippit was there for the recovery at the WCU 18. After the Catamounts stymied the Mocs in three plays, Camay cut the lead to two, 20-18, with a 28-yard field goal.
After a WCU three-and-out, Coleman showed great poise in leading the decisive scoring drive to key the win. The Mocs converted five third downs on the drive including a third-and-five pass to TE Garrett Hughes that was good for 17 yards. Awuah scored his second touchdown of the season giving Chattanooga its first lead of the game, 24-20.
The Mocs' running game struggled most of the afternoon, but it was there when it counted most. In the final scoring drive, four of the five third-down conversions came on the ground as did the deciding score. Awuah led the Mocs on the ground with 29 yards on 17 carries, while fellow freshman Bo Dyer chipped in 17 yards on 10 rushes.
The Catamounts defense held Chattanooga to just 53 yards total on the ground, while yielding 248 in the air. Offensively, WCU gained 75 yards on the ground along with just 142 yards passing.
Johnson led all rushers with 66 yards on 20 carries for Western Carolina. Jaynes finished 15-28 passing for 142 yards with one interception and touchdown. Adrian McLeod led the way defensively with a game-high 14 tackles. Abram Scott added nine along with one the Cats eight tackles for loss. The Mocs did not allow a sack to the Catamounts' defense, while generating two of their own.
The Mocs head to Boone, N.C. for a showdown with Appalachian State on Nov. 7 with the kickoff set for 2:30 p.m.
Western Carolina hosts No. 6 Elon next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Photo Credit: Dave Mayo, Appalachian State
