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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Wofford College was defeated 23-13 on Saturday night by South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium. In a game similar to the 2006 meeting, the game was tied at 10-10 in the third quarter and Wofford was down just 16-13 until the final minutes of the game.
The Terriers are 2-1 on the season and South Carolina is 2-2. Wofford was led by Dane Romero with 75 yards on the ground and Ben Widmyer with 59 yards and a touchdown. Justice Joslin had 52 receiving yards. South Carolina was led by Brian Maddox with 52 yards rushing and Mike Davis with 51 receiving yards.
“First and foremost I am proud of the kids,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “We played a great group of athletes and a dominant defense. We knew that it would be difficult. But at the same time, we knew that if we played hard and stayed away from penalties and turnovers, that we would have a shot in this ballgame. I could not be more proud of the defense when you look at the youth that we have on defense. I looked out there one play and we had two true freshmen at corner, a true freshman at linebacker, and those guys are getting after it. Coach Ellis Johnson did a great job in mixing things up. I think we did a pretty good job of countering. We played a lot of defense and had our chances. I am proud of our kids and I think we are a better football team coming out of the game than coming in.”
The Gamecocks had the ball first, and on the second play from scrimmage Aaron Scott intercepted Chris Smelley at the 29-yard line. The Terriers were able to hold on to the ball for a 16-play drive that consumed 7:38, but a 37-yard field goal attempt by Patrick Mugan was wide right. On the next drive by the Gamecocks, they picked up five first downs in 18 plays. However South Carolina had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Ryan Succop at 14:14 in the second quarter.
On the next drive by the Terriers, Fenn Allen and Andy Strickland picked up first downs. Ben Widmyer then went 50-yards on a run up the right side of the field for a touchdown at 10:50 in the second quarter.
South Carolina did not waste time regaining the lead, going 71 yards in six plays with the drive capped by a seven-yard touchdown run by Brian Maddox for a 10-7 lead at 8:10 in the second.
The Terriers went three-and-out on their next drive. South Carolina was driving after two first downs when Mitch Clark hit Chris Smelley, forcing a fumble and recovering the ball. After an official review, the play stood and Wofford took over. The Terriers were forced three-and-out again, giving South Carolina the ball back with under two minutes to play. On the final play of the half, Mike Niam intercepted Smelley and the Gamecocks had a 10-7 lead.
To open the second half, Wofford moved the ball deep into Gamecock territory with a 52-yard completion from Ben Widmyer to Justice Joslin. The drive was capped with a 25-yard field goal by Patrick Mugan to tie the game at 10-10 at 11:03 in the third quarter.
The Gamecocks answered the field goal with a field goal of their own when Succop hit a 38-yard field goal at 5:37 in the third to take a 13-10 lead. Wofford was forced three-and-out on the next possession, but the Terrier defense stood strong and limited the Gamecocks to a 19-yard field goal at 14:56 in the fourth quarter for a 16-10 lead.
Wofford was able to respond with a 14-play drive that was capped by a 36-yard field goal by Patrick Mugan at 7:50 in the fourth quarter to make it a 16-13 game. The Gamecocks were able to go 70 yards in 13 plays, with a 17-yard touchdown from Chris Smelley to Dion LeCorn with just 1:58 in the game to go up 23-13. Wofford had one more chance to drive the field, however picked up just one first down and turned the ball over on downs. South Carolina was able to hold onto the ball for the final seconds to preserve the win.
Wofford out-gained South Carolina on the ground, 185 to 172. South Carolina had 30 first downs to Wofford’s 14. In total yards, South Carolina had a 376 to 285 advantage. Wofford did not commit a turnover in the game, while South Carolina had three.
The Terriers will remain on the road next weekend as they open Southern Conference play at Georgia Southern at 7:00 pm on Saturday, September 27. Wofford returns home on October 11 against Chattanooga following a bye week.
Wofford vs. South Carolina
Post-Game Notes
The 50-yard run in the second quarter by Ben Widmyer was the longest of his career.
Mike Niam intercepted the first pass of his career at the end of the first half.
The Terriers did not have a 100-yard rusher for the first time this season. In addition, the Wofford defense did not allow a 100-yard rusher or 100-yard receiver.
Wofford and South Carolina are scheduled to play again in 2012.
