Oct. 18, 2008

Final Stats | Notes

Spartanburg, S.C. - Back-to-back 98-yard scoring drives and an 86-yard interception return setup a third first half score as the sixth-ranked Wofford Terriers scored 42 unanswered points to erase an early touchdown deficit in a 42-14 win over Western Carolina on a crisp Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium.

Four of the scoring drives for Wofford (5-1, 3-0 SoCon) were three-plays or less. Conversely, Western Carolina had two would-be scoring drives thwarted by turnovers including a fumble following a completed pass and an interception on a batted ball at the line of scrimmage.

The loss, Western's 19th-straight in Southern Conference play, was WCU's fourth-consecutive this season and third-in-a-row to the Terriers.

Red-shirt freshman quarterback Zack Jaynes, who started his second-consecutive game before being lifted midway through the third quarter, finished 13-of-22 for 126 yards with a TD pass and an interception. The Canton, N.C., native added 44 yards rushing in the loss. Senior QB Andy Horn completed 11-of-18 passes for 79 yards and a TD in relief.

After only allowing one sack late against Furman a week ago, WCU allowed Jaynes to get sacked four against the Terriers, who took over the SoCon lead in the category after last week.

Red-shirt sophomore Marquel Pittman led eight Catamount receivers with 84 yards on a career-best nine catches with a touchdown, while sophomore Andrew Rogers had five catches for 29 yards and a score. On the ground, red-shirt freshman running back Quan Warley just missed the century mark with 91 yards on 18 carries.

Western Carolina (2-6, 0-4 SoCon) drove the opening kickoff 86 yards in 16-plays to take an early, 7-0, lead over the nationally-ranked Terriers. The drive was keyed by 30 rushing yards by Warley and 5-of-7 passing by Jaynes, who had a touchdown scamper erased by a holding penalty. However, on the next play, Jaynes found Pittman on a corner fade route to cap the Catamounts' second-longest scoring drive of the season, in terms of plays.

On the ensuing possession, a fired-up Western defense forced the potent Terrier offense into a three-and-out. However, a muffed return attempt on the high hanging punt which Wofford recovered set up its first scoring drive, knotting the game at seven.

The Catamounts again methodically drove down the field the next time they touched the football, embarking on a 13-play drive to threaten to reclaim the lead. However, Wofford kept WCU off the board as Rogers was hit and fumbled at the two-yard line going in while stretching for the goal line.

The Terriers cashed in on the first takeaway by moving 98 yards in just three plays, capped by a 74-yard scoring rush by Andy Strickland, to take a lead it would never relinquish. Strickland found pay dirt on Wofford's next offensive possession as QB Ben Widmyer threw a 29-yard strike up the middle to culminate a second 98-yard drive for a 21-7 advantage.

Down two scores, Western again made a drive just before intermission. Yet, for the second-straight week, an interception ended the threat. Jaynes had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage which unfortunately fell right into the hands of defensive lineman Alex Goltry who rumbled 86-yards to the WCU 3-yard line.

The big return set up a three-yard Dane Romero plunge to give Wofford a 28-7 break at intermission. All told, the trio of first half miscues - two that ended would-be scoring drives - led to 21 of Wofford's 28 points despite a 271-to-247 Western edge in total offense.

In the second half, it was all Wofford as the Terriers scored 1:12 into the third quarter en route to a pair of second half tallies to secure the conference win. WCU had trouble finding rhythm after the break, only mustering 110 yards of total offense after the half as compared to 271 in the opening stanza.

Down 42-7, Catamount senior linebacker Chaz Jackson intercepted Wofford back-up quarterback Mitch Allen, snaring a deflected ball out of the air on a dive to account for the first pick of the season for Terrier quarterbacks to set up Horn to guide WCU for the game's final score. The Catamounts moved 33 yards in nine plays, including a 12-yard completion to true freshman Levon Curtis before Horn found Rogers from three-yards out for the second score, 42-14.

The TD was Western's first following a takeaway this season, having only recorded two field goals following the nine previous turnovers.

Wofford had 14 different backs rush the football, amassing 377 of its 506 total offensive yards on the ground. Mike Rucker rushed five times for 107 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way, with Strickland tallying 75 yards on just two touches and two scores - one rushing and one receiving - in the win. Quarterback Ben Widmyer rushed five times for 13 yards, while completing all seven of his pass attempts for 129 yards and a pair of TDs.

Defensively, junior Chris Collins led the Catamounts with nine tackles, including five solo stops, while sophomore safety Mitchell Bell recorded six tackles in the loss.

Western Carolina returns home for the first of two home games next Saturday, Oct. 25 as the Catamounts host Georgia Southern - who fell by one point to No. 2 Appalachian State at home on Saturday - for Family Weekend. Kickoff from E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field is set for 1:00 pm.