Box Score Game Book (pdf)
Watch Highlights
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a game dominated by defense, the Wofford football team picked up a 10-3 win over Samford on Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. Down 3-0 at the half, the Terriers scored ten points in the second half for the win and are in first place in the Southern Conference.
The Terriers, ranked seventh in the nation, are 8-1 on the season and 6-0 in the conference and the Bulldogs are 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Eric Breitenstein with 227 rushing yards, his second-highest total this season. Mitch Allen added 40 yards and a touchdown, plus three completions for 26 yards. The Bulldogs were led by Chris Evans with 106 rushing yards. Dustin Taliaferro was 14-of-23 for 155 yards.
“We came down here and it was like everyone was in knots,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “We told them that a big part of this game was not only dealing with adversity, but dealing with success. We came out tight and did not execute. Defensively we did what we are supposed to do. Offensively we had opportunity after opportunity and we were just kicking it into the garbage can. Finally at the half we told them to just relax and we had a few things that we adjusted to and we just held onto the football. We were fortunate enough to come out with a win.”
The Bulldogs had the ball to open the game and gained one first down before punting. Wofford was able to move the ball deep into Samford territory before a fumble gave the ball back to the Bulldogs at the 21-yard line. The Wofford defense was then able to force a three-and-out. The Terriers gained on first down before a pass by Mitch Allen was intercepted by Justin Sly.
After the interception, the Wofford defense forced another three-and-out. The Terriers then picked up three first downs, but a sack on third down resulted in a punt. Samford gained one first down before punting it back to Wofford, but the Terriers went three-and-out. The Bulldogs then used a 20-yard run by Chris Evans to set-up a 30-yard field goal attempt by Cameron Yaw, but it was wide right with 2:23 left in the half.
Wofford went three-and-out and a short punt gave the Bulldogs the ball at the 48-yard line. A 27-yard pass from Dustin Taliaferro to Jeff Ogren got the ball to the 21-yard line and set up a 36-yard field goal by Cameron Yaw. He missed the first try, but Wofford had called a time out prior to the kick. After two more timeouts by Wofford, the field goal was good and the Bulldogs had a 3-0 lead at the half.
To open the first half, Eric Breitenstein ran up the middle for 58-yards on the first play from scrimmage. The drive ended with a 32-yard field goal by Christian Reed to tie the game with 12:33 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs gained a first down before punting back to Wofford. With the ball back, Breitenstein gained 40-yards on a run however the drive stalled and Wofford punted.
Samford gained two first downs before punting to the two-yard line. Wofford then was able to put together a 98-yard drive that was capped by a five-yard touchdown run by Mitch Allen to take a 10-3 lead with 12:20 to go in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs gained two passing first downs, including a 30-yard reception, but on fourth-and-six the pass by Taliaferro was incomplete and the ball went back to the Terriers. A reverse by Devin Reed gained 28-yards on the drive for Wofford, but a 27-yard field goal by Christian Reed was wide left with 2:53 left in the game. The Bulldogs were able to move the ball late, but on fourth-and-thirty after a sack and an offensive pass interference call, Mike Niam intercepted Dustin Taliaferro at the nine-yard line. Wofford took a knee twice to end the game.
The Terriers had 386 total yards, with 360 on the ground. Samford had 262 yards, 155 of which were passing. Wofford had the time of possession advantage, but Samford was +1 on turnovers. Wofford was 3-of-11 on third downs. Samford was 5-of-15 on third down.
Next weekend Wofford will travel to Boone, N.C. to face Appalachian State. The Mountaineeers are 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the SoCon after falling 21-14 in overtime at Georgia Southern.
Wofford vs. Samford Post-Game Notes
The Terriers were held scoreless in the first half for the first time this season. The Wofford defense has held opponents without a touchdown in the last eight quarters.
Eric Breitenstein reached the 1,000 rushing yards mark on the season in the first half. He is the 16th player in school history to reach the mark. His 227 rushing yards were the second-highest total of his career.
Game captains for Wofford were Clark Bishop, Jeremy Marshall and Ameet Pall.
Attendance was 7,563 at Seibert Stadium.
