Gardner-Webb beats Western Carolina on game’s final play; Davidson, Campbell also win
Sophomore Kurt Everett kicked a 33-yard field goal on the game’s final play Saturday, lifting Gardner-Webb to a 24-21 nonconference college football victory over host Western Carolina.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs (2-3) had lost their last four meetings with the Catamounts and hadn’t beaten Western Carolina in 10 years.
With the game tied at 21, Gardner-Webb drove deep into Western Carolina territory late in the game. On a third-and-13 at the Catamounts’ 30, Jayln Cagle broke free for 14 yards and a first down at the 16 with 12 seconds left.
Two plays later, the Bulldogs called on Everett for the field goal.
Western Carolina led three times in the game, but Gardner-Webb rallied on each occasion.
Tyrie Adams fired a 52-yard touchdown pass to Chuma Awanna in the third quarter, giving the Catamounts a 21-14 lead. But the Bulldogs evened the score in the fourth quarter on a Tyrie Adams touchdown run.
The Bulldogs then started their final drive with 4:24 remaining.
Cagle rushed 19 times for 124 yards, and Gardner-Webb quarterback Kalen Whitlow completed 13 of 21 passes for 190 yards.
Adams threw for 138 yards and rushed for another 98 yards for Western Carolina.
Helmet stickers
Wesley Dugger, Davidson: Dugger ran for four touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 42-31 victory at Morehead State. He rushed for 134 yards in 14 carries.
Kurt Everett, Gardner-Webb: With five seconds remaining in the game, Everett kicked a 33-yard field goal that gave his team a 24-21 victory at Western Carolina.
Cameron Davis, Campbell: Davis, a freshman from North Stanly High, rushed for a career-best 137 yards as the Camels beat Presbyterian 28-14.
Making sense of the numbers
2: Punts returned by Lenoir-Rhyne’s Kyle Dugger for touchdowns Saturday. Dugger ran back kicks for 67 and 68 yards in the Bears’ 63-6 rout of Virginia-Wise.
135: Rushing yardage by Johnson C. Smith’s Emanuel Wilson, of North Mecklenburg High, in the Golden Bulls’ 26-19 victory over Lincoln (Pa.).
721: Number of days since Elizabeth City State last won a CIAA football game. The Vikings beat St. Augustine’s 27-17 Saturday. Their last conference victory was Oct. 14, 2017.
New Hampshire 26, Elon 10
The Phoenix committed five turnovers, after turning the ball over just twice in their opening five games, and New Hampshire pulled away in the second half.
Quarterback Davis Cheek, of Butler High, threw four interceptions. Elon (2-4, 1-2 Colonial Athletic) also lost a fumble. New Hampshire returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
Elon senior defensive back Greg Liggs Jr. had three interceptions.
Cheek completed 14-of-31 passes for 184 yards.
Davidson 42, Morehead State 31
Wesley Dugger ran 14 times for 134 yards, scoring four touchdowns, and the visiting Wildcats rolled to a Pioneer Football Conference victory.
Dugger scored on runs of 3 and 47 yards in the first quarter, helping Davidson (4-1, 1-0) build a 14-0 lead. The Wildcats, showing no rust after a bye week, scored three more times in the second quarter, including a 76-yard pass from Tyler Phelps to Kahleel Shaw. Phelps ran 9 yards for another score, and Dugger had a 1-yard touchdown run, helping Davidson to a 35-7 halftime lead.
Morehead State (2-3, 0-1) scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Davidson returns home next Saturday, hosting three-time Pioneer champion San Diego in a 1 p.m. game.
Johnson C. Smith 26, Lincoln (Pa.) 19
Four different players scored touchdowns for the Golden Bulls (2-3, 1-1 CIAA) in their home victory over Lincoln (0-5, 0-2).
Emanuel Wilson of North Mecklenburg High rushed 19 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Demarcus Jordan led the way with 10 tackles, five of them for losses.
The Golden Bulls trailed 19-14 after three quarters but pulled ahead on Malik Evans’ 7-yard touchdown run with 13:34 left in the game. They added insurance 90 seconds later when Wilson scored on a 36-yard run.
Campbell 28, Presbyterian 14
Freshman running back Cameron Davis, a North Stanly High product, ran for a career-high 137 yards, and Campbell (4-1, 1-0 Big South) logged its fourth consecutive victory.
Campbell totaled 228 yards rushing, and the Camels’ defense held Presbyterian (0-5, 0-1) to just 5-of-14 on third-down conversion attempts.
Campbell quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams passed for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
Presbyterian was trailing 14-7 late in the third quarter and drove to the Campbell 5. But on fourth down, Darion Slade knocked down Blue Hose quarterback Brandon Thompson’s pass attempt.
Wofford 35, East Tennessee State 17
Joe Newman rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns, and the visiting Terriers rolled to a Southern Conference victory.
Wofford (3-2, 2-1) scored 21 points in the second quarter for a 28-3 halftime lead. The Terriers finished with more than 400 yards rushing in the game.
East Tennessee State fell to 2-4, 0-3.
Furman 58, Samford 14
Darren Grainger completed 6-of-9 passes for 183 yards and four touchdowns, as the visiting Paladins hammered Samford.
Furman (4-2, 3-0 Southern Conference) led 28-7 after the first quarter and built a 42-14 halftime lead. Devin Wynn rushed 14 times for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Thomas Gordon caught three of Grainger’s four scoring tosses.
Samford fell to 3-3, 2-1.
N.C. A&t 58, Norfolk State 19
Kylil Carter threw for three touchdowns, and Jah-Maine Martin ran for three more scores, as the Aggies logged an easy Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory. Martin finished with 10 carries for 199 yards.
Zachary Leslie caught four passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns for the Aggies (4-1, 2-0), and Kashon Baker carried 14 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Norfolk State is 1-5, 0-2.
Florida A&M 28, N.C. Central 21
Florida A&M (4-1, 2-0 MEAC) scored the winning touchdown with 32 seconds remaining. Davius Richards passes for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles, who fell to 2-4, 1-1.
The game was played in 93-degree temperatures.
VMI 34, The Citadel 21
VMI snapped a 12-game losing streak against The Citadel, beating the Bulldogs for the first time since 2002.
Brandon Rainey ran 3 yards for a Citadel touchdown with 3:22 left, narrowing VMI’s lead to 27-21. But the Keydets scored three plays later on a 61-yard pass from Reece Udinski to Jakob Harris. Udinski has 252 consecutive completions without an interception — a Southern Conference record.
VMI is 3-3, 2-1 in the Southern Conference. The Citadel fell to 2-4, 0-2.
Lenoir-Rhyne 63, Virginia-Wise 6
The host Bears ran their record to 5-0, piling up a 458-165 edge in total yardage over the outmanned Cavaliers.
Grayson Willingham of Weddington threw for two touchdowns, and reserve freshman quarterback Gunnar Anderson of Alexander Central had a touchdown pass.
Kyle Dugger had two punt returns for touchdowns, covering 68 and 67 yards. Lenoir-Rhyne took the lead just 1:02 into the game on Jace Jordan’s 43-yard touchdown run. Jordan later score on a 38-yard pass reception.
Wingate 28, Tusculum 21
The visiting Bulldogs registered their 11th regular-season victory in a row and improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the South Atlantic Conference.
Wingate built a 14-0 first-quarter lead, scoring when Raymond Owens returned a blocked punt 30 yards for a touchdown, and on Shaw Crocker’s 6-yard pass to Kamal Deser.
Tusculum fell to 1-4, 1-2.
Bowie State 23, Winston-Salem State 21
The host Rams jumped to a 13-0 lead, but unbeaten Bowie State (5-0) roared back for a CIAA victory.
Bowie State took the lead for good with 18 seconds left in the third quarter on Ja’rome Johnson’s 3-yard touchdown pass to DuShon David. That gave the visitors a 16-13 lead.
Rams’ quarterback Dominique Graves completed 12-of-26 passes for 153 yards, but he was under intense pressure throughout the second half. Graves was sacked four times and threw three interceptions. Cameron Davis had five catches for 49 yards for the Rams.
Fayetteville State 66, Chowan 20
The Broncos scored a big homecoming victory, totaling 470 rushing yards and improving to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the CIAA. Steve Green rushed for three touchdowns. Chowan fell to 1-4, 0-2.
Carson-Newman 69, UNC Pembroke 18
UNC Pembroke trailed only 9-7 at halftime, but the host Eagles exploded for 21 points in the third quarter and 35 more in the fourth.
South Mecklenburg’s DeAngelo Blair-Young returned a recovered fumble 66 yards for a UNC Pembroke touchdown in the fourth quarter. Carson-Newman’s Troy Dendy rushed seven times for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Limestone 52, Catawba 24
The host Saints vaulted to a 28-3 lead in the first quarter and rolled to a South Atlantic Conference victory. Catawba (1-4, 0-2) narrowed the gap to 28-24 in the second quarter when Brenden Westbrook of China Grove Carson High returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown.
But Limestone (2-3, 1-1) outscored Catawba 24-0 the rest of the way.
Virginia State 35, Shaw 0
Shaw (2-3, 1-1 CIAA) was shut out for the first time since September 2018. The Bears were held to 18 yards rushing and a total of 187 yards. Corderal Davis threw a pair of touchdown passes to Maurice Davis to lead the Trojans (4-1, 2-0).
This was the 53rd meeting of the teams, who first played in 1902. Virginia State leads the series 40-8-5.
Elizabeth City State 27, St. Augustine’s 17
The visiting Vikings (1-4, 1-1 CIAA) got their first CIAA victory since Oct. 14, 2017. They clinched the victory when Deshon Saunders ran 5 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 19 seconds left.
Elizabeth City State forced five turnovers by St. Augustine’s (0-5, 0-2).
Mars Hill 20, Newberry 19
Mars Hill spotted host Newberry a 19-0 lead, then battled back for a South Atlantic Conference victory. Junior quarterback Colin Sneed threw three touchdown passes for Mars Hill (3-2, 2-1).
Newberry’s Shea Rodgers connected on a 42-yard field goal late in the game that would have put his team ahead, but a procedure penalty negated the kick. Rodgers missed on a 47-yarder on the next play.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle