Appalachian State rolls 56-27; N.C. A&T scores big win
Appalachian State fell behind by two touchdowns early, then scored 49 straight points and crushed host Georgia State 56-27 Saturday night.
The victory enabled the 25th-ranked Mountaineers (9-1, 5-1 Sun Belt) to retain a one-game lead over Georgia Southern in the conference’s Eastern Division race and maintain the inside track for a return to the Sun Belt championship game Dec. 7.
Touchdown runs by Devin Gentry and Destin Coates and an interception return for a touchdown by Chris Bacon gave the Panthers (6-4, 3-3) a 21-7 lead with 1:38 left in the first quarter.
But the Mountaineers recovered quickly. They evened the score with 6:20 left in the half on a 3-yard run by quarterback Zac Thomas, then pulled ahead 28-21 with 2:18 left on Shaun Jolly’s 30-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Mountaineers intercepted another pass a minute later and scored a touchdown 22 seconds before halftime on a 1-yard pass from Thomas to Darrynton Evans. That gave ASU a 35-21 lead, and the Mountaineers continued to pull away in the second half.
Thomas threw four touchdown passes, three to Corey Sutton. Evans carried 18 times for 131 yards and a rushing touchdown in addition to his pass reception. Overall, the Mountaineers gained 553 yards.
Jolly led the defense with two interceptions.
Appalachian State plays its regular-season home finale at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Texas State, then finishes the season Nov. 29 at Troy.
CAROLINAS’ HELMET STICKERS
Shaw Crocker, Wingate: Crocker passed for four touchdowns, three in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs walloped Mars Hill 64-34.
Jah-Maine Martin, N.C. A&T: Martin’s 120 rushing yards and three touchdowns lifted the Aggies to a 47-17 victory over Bethune-Cookman.
Blake Morgan, Wofford: Morgan rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown, as Wofford beat Furman 24-7 in a battle of nationally ranked FCS teams.
MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS
99: Number of meetings between Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba. That’s the sixth-most in NCAA Division 2 football. Lenoir-Rhyne capped an unbeaten regular season by beating Catawba 49-3 Saturday.
44: Career rushing touchdowns in Pioneer Football League games by junior running back Wesley Dugger of Davidson. That’s a PFL record. Dugger scored twice Saturday in his team’s 42-14 rout of Stetson.
5: Number of Coastal Carolina games this season decided by seven points or less. The Chanticleers, who lost 28-27 Saturday to Arkansas State, are 2-3 in those contests.
OTHER CAROLINAS GAMES
No. 25 N.C. A&T 47, Bethune-Cookman 17
The Aggies routed Bethune-Cookman, taking a big step toward a return trip to the Celebration Bowl next month in Atlanta.
N.C. A&T (7-3, 5-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic) knocked the Wildcats (6-4, 4-3) out of a first-place tie and now share the MEAC lead with S.C. State. The Aggies beat S.C. State 22-20 in October and would take the conference crown by beating rival N.C. Central next Saturday.
The Aggies, ranked 25th in the FCS poll, have represented the MEAC the past two years in the Celebration Bowl, which matches the Mid-Eastern champ against the Southwestern Athletic winer.
Jah-Maine Martin rushed 19 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns, and Jalen Fowler passed for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Joseph Stuckey had six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Davidson 42, Stetson 14
Davidson held the host Hatters to less than 100 yards of offense in the second half and outscored Stetson 28-0 in the final two quarters. The Wildcats (8-3, 5-2 Pioneer Football) got two touchdown runs by Wesley Dugger, the school’s all-time rushing yardage leader. Dugger carried 20 times for 84 yards, leaving him 41 yards short of 1,000 for the season.
The defense accounted for a touchdown, as Harrison Hill blocked a Stetson (6-4, 3-4) punt, and Hunter Murphy picked up the ball and scored.
“We had to loosen up a bit in the second half, and our guys made some big plays,” Davidson coach Scott Abell said. “Our defense played great. We really got after their quarterback. If not for a couple of plays, we might’ve posted a shutout.”
Davidson finishes its season next Saturday at home against Drake.
S.C. State 24, N.C. Central 0
Labron Marks rushed 24 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns, as the visiting Bulldogs (7-3, 5-2 MEAC) remained tied with N.C. A&T for the conference lead. To win the championship and a berth in the Celebration Bowl, S.C. State must beat Norfolk State next Saturday and have N.C. A&T lose to N.C. Central.
The Eagles (4-7, 3-4) were held to eight first downs and 170 yards of total offense. Quarterback Davius Richard was picked off twice, and no N.C. Central running back reached 50 yards rushing.
No. 20 Wofford 24, No. 7 Furman 7
Blake Morgan rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown, and Joe Newman scored a pair of touchdowns, helping the host Terriers (7-3, 6-1 Southern) beat their rivals in a first-place showdown. Furman (7-4, 6-2) led 7-0 on a 63-yard run by Wayne Anderson, but the Terriers dominated from there.
Wofford can win the Southern Conference title and an automatic FCS playoff berth by beating The Citadel next Saturday,
The Wofford-Furman rivalry is among the oldest in football, dating back to 1889.
Samford 31, Western Carolina 13
Samford (5-6, 4-4 Southern) scored the final 24 points and ruined the Catamounts’ home finale. Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams passed for 181 yards in his final home game.
Western Carolina (3-8, 2-6) closes its season against FBS powerhouse Alabama next Saturday.
No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne 49, Catawba 3
The Bears capped an unbeaten regular season, finishing 11-0 and 8-0 in the South Atlantic Conference. It marks only the third time in SAC history that a team has posted back-to-back unbeaten conference seasons.
Quarterback Grayson Willingham, of Weddington, passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. Jaquan Artis had five tackles, two for losses, and one sack.
Lenoir-Rhyne will find out its NCAA Division 2 playoff opponent when pairings are announced at 5 p.m. Sunday.
No. 15 Monmouth 47, Campbell 10
Pete Guerriero rushed for a career-high 237 yards and scored four touchdowns, as the visiting Hawks (9-2, 5-0 Big South) clinched at least a tie for the conference title. The Big South champion gains an automatic FCS playoff berth.
Campbell (6-4, 3-2), losing its third in a row, committed four turnovers. Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams passed for 189 yards and ran for 62 more.
North Alabama 34, Gardner-Webb 30
Dexter Boykin caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Christian Lopez with 1:57 left, and North Alabama (4-7) knocked off the host Runnin’ Bulldogs (3-8).
Gardner-Webb wide receiver Izaiah Gathings, of Statesville High, caught 12 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Gardner-Webb drove into North Alabama territory in the final minute, but Gerrell Green picked off a Whitlow pass to end the threat.
No. 17 Wingate 64, Mars Hill 34
The Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1 South Atlantic) scored a big road victory and now will await its NCAA Division 2 playoff fate. Pairings will be announced at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Shaw Crocker passed for four touchdowns, three in the third quarter, as Wingate outscored the Lions (5-6, 4-4) 48-12 in the second half. Domineke McNeill, of Northern Durham High, rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns.
Charleston Southern 27, Presbyterian 7
Kendrick Bell rushed for a career-high 123 yards as the Buccaneers (5-6, 3-2 Big South) scored a road victory. Presbyterian (1-10, 1-5) was hurt by four turnovers. Wide receiver Keith Pearson totaled 129 yards in receptions.
Newberry 14, Limestone 7
Colton Bailey caught two touchdown passes as Newberry (5-6, 4-4 South Atlantic) ended its season with a home victory. Malik Brooks and Jerko’ya Phillips each rushed for more than 100 yards for Limestone (3-8, 2-6).
UNC Pembroke 20, Virginia-Wise 7
Josh Sheridan scored a touchdown on a run and a pass reception, helping UNC Pembroke win its finale at home and finish 4-7.
Arkansas State 28, Coastal Carolina 27
Layne Hatcher fired a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kirk Merritt, and Blake Grupe added the decisive extra point with 32 seconds left, as the host Red Wolves (6-4, 4-2 Sun Belt) thwarted a comeback effort by the Chanticleers (4-6, 1-5).
Trailing 21-19, Coastal Carolina had taken a 27-21 lead when C.J. Marable scored on a 1-yard run and Bryce Carpenter added a two-point conversion run with 2:31 to play.
No. 11 Bowie State 23, Fayetteville State 7
Demetri Morsell returned a recovered fumble 33 yards for a touchdown just 46 seconds into the game, and Adam Gillis scored on a 16-yard run six minutes later, as Bowie State (11-0) repeated as CIAA champions.
Fayetteville State (8-3), which lost to Bowie State in the title game a year ago, got 195 yards passing from quarterback Richard Latimer of West Mecklenburg High. But the Bowie State defense sacked Latimer five times.
Bowie State gains an automatic berth in the NCAA Division 2 playoffs.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 6:48 PM.