Complete Game Notes (pdf)
This week’s game
The Terriers will travel to Southern Conference newcomer Samford on Saturday in the final regular season road game of the season. Wofford defeated The Citadel 33-28 on Saturday to improved to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Samford enters the game after a 27-17 win at Georgia Southern last week and are 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Southern Conference. The game will match-up the nation’s top rushing game from Wofford against the Samford rushing defense that is sixth in the nation. This will be the second game of the season for Wofford that will be played on artificial turf. It will also be the second straight week Wofford will face a team whose mascot is a Bulldog. In the Sports Network Poll the Terriers are ninth, and in the FCS Coaches Poll the Terriers are ranked eleventh. Wofford was picked to finish third in the conference by the SoCon Coaches. Samford has begun the season 5-4 overall and are 3-3 in the conference. They were picked to finish ninth in the preseason by the SoCon Coaches.
About Wofford
Wofford has opened the season 7-2 overall, with wins over Presbyterian, Charleston Southern, Georgia Southern, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Elon and The Citadel. Losses were to South Carolina and Appalachian State. After eleven weeks of the season, Wofford has the nation’s top-ranked rushing offense at 346.0 yars per game and the third ranked total offense in the nation with 474.33 average yards. The scoring offense is sixth in the nation, while the passing efficiency is fourth in the country. The rushing defense is 35th in the nation, allowing only 119.44 average yards, and the turnover margin is sixth in the nation. The Terriers are the 2008 defending Southern Conference Champions. Wofford returns 43 letterwinners from last season, including six offensive starters, four defensive starters and two specialists. In addition, six other players with at least two starts return for Wofford. Wofford finished the 2007 season 9-4 and were 5-2 in the Southern Conference. Wofford runs the wingbone offense, led by senior quarterback Ben Widmyer. The multiple defense is led by first team All-SoCon linebacker Seth Goldwire.
About Samford
Samford comes into this week with a 5-4 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the Southern Conference. In their first season as a member of the league, they have wins over West Georgia, Faulkner, Western Carolina, The Citadel and Georgia Southern to go with losses to Elon, Appalachian State, Ole Miss and Furman. Last season they finished 4-7 overall and 2-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference for a seventh-place finish. Head Coach Pat Sullivan is in his second season in Birmingham and has a 28-49-1 overall record in eight season as a head coach. The Bulldogs return 17 starters from last year and 53 overall lettermen. Samford runs a multiple offense that features freshman quarterback Dustin Taliaferro and running back Chris Evans and a mutiple defense anchored by defensive lineman Patrick Hatcher.
The Samford Series
Wofford and Samford have faced each other five times, with Samford holding a 4-1 lead in the series. Wofford won the first meeting, 27-13, in 1949 in Spartanburg. Samford won meetings in 1961, 1962, 1972 and 1996. The Bulldogs have won all three games played in Birmingham.
Terrier Top Five
Here are the top five notes of interest heading into the Samford game:
• The offensive line has allowed only two sacks all season, tied for best in all of NCAA
Division I with Air Force
• Dane Romero leads the Southern Conference and is sixth in the nation in scoring
• With a +11 on turnover margin, Wofford is sixth in the nation
• The Terriers have the nation’s top rushing offense at 346.00 ypg
• Wofford is first or second in the conference in nine stat categories, including sacks
Injury update
Wofford opened the season without punter Chris Tommie (knee), offensive lineman Grant Duren (leg) and tight end Joseph Inman (knee). All three players are expected to take a medical redshirt and return in 2009. Players that will miss the remainder of the season due to injuries include running back Sean Lees (right knee), running back Matthew Boggs (left knee), safety Trey Diller (pelvis) and running back Jeremy Marshall (right knee). Players injured in The Citadel game include Blake Beeler (concussion) and Jonathan Sharpe (knee). The status of both players will be updated later in the week.
Wofford in the national rankings
After the first eleven weeks of the season, the Terriers are looking good in the national rankings. The rushing offense leads the nation at 346.00 yards per game and the total offense of 474.33 yards per game is third. The rushing defense is 35th and the passing efficiency is fourth in the nation. Wofford is fifth in the nation with a +1.22 turnover margin. The defense is fifth in the nation with 3.11 sacks per game, while the offense is first in the nation with just .22 sacks allowed per game. Dane Romero is 37th in the nation with 85.56 rushing yards per game and Ben Widmyer is 64th with 65.11 yards per game. Romero is sixth in the nation with 10.67 points per game, while Patrick Mugan is 43rd with 7.11 points per game. Mike Rucker is 47th in the nation in all-purpose yards per game at 121.00. Seth Goldwire is 58th in the nation with an average of 8.44 tackles per game. Mitch Clark is tied for 29th in the nation with 0.67 sacks per game.
The Terriers in the conference rankings
Wofford is also at the top of several categories in the conference rankings after the first eleven weeks. Wofford leads the SoCon in rushing offense, turnover margin, sacks, and sacks allowed. The Terriers are second in total offense, scoring offense, rushing defense, passing efficiency and tackles for loss. In the top ten conference rushers, Wofford has Dane Romero (2nd), and Ben Widmyer (7th). Widmyer is sixth in the conference in total offense. Mike Rucker is fourth in the conference on kickoff returns. Andy Strickland is fourth in receiving yards per game. On defense, Seth Goldwire is fifth in tackles (8.44 per game). Mitch Clark is second in the conference in sacks, while Matt Norcia is ninth in sacks. Clark is tied for fourth in the conference in tackles for loss (1.00). Dane Romero leads the conference in scoring with 10.67 points per game, with Patrick Mugan sixth at 7.11 points per game.
