Box Score Game Box (pdf)
Inside Wofford Football
CLEMSON, S.C. – The Wofford football team was down by one point at the start of the fourth quarter at Clemson on Saturday, however the Tigers pulled away for a 35-27 final score at Memorial Stadium. The Terriers were up 21-13 in the second quarter and were tied at 21 at the half.
The Terriers are 1-1 and Clemson is 2-0 on the season. Wofford was led by Mitch Allen with 89 rushing yards and 127 passing yards and was responsible for two touchdowns. Brenton Bersin had two catches for 127 yards, while Eric Breitenstein had 62 yards and a touchdown. Alvin Scioneaux added two sacks and Mike Niam led the team with 12 tackles. Clemson was led by Andre Ellington with 165 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Terriers won the toss and deferred to the second half. On the opening drive for the Tigers, after picking up a first down a fourth-and-one attempt was stopped by Phillip LeGrande and Clemson turned it over on downs. Wofford got on the scoreboard first with a 27-yard run by Mitch Allen with 10:12 in the first quarter for the 7-0 lead.
“I was proud of my kids," said head coach Mike Ayers. "I was proud of our team the way that they just fought their tails off. They didn’t give up. Even when we had bad field position sometimes, we were able to overcome. Defensively, we tackled some great backs today. I don’t know about anyone else, but those guys there are pretty hard to tackle. I thought we did an unbelievable job of not allowing them to hit that crease and go.
“We made some mistakes," continued Ayers. "But overall, I thought the game plan was outstanding for what they did. We had some situations where coverage was great, and we had some situations where we didn’t get the check. But that’s going to happen early in the year, especially with the type of pressure they put on you with the athleticism and size and the pace of the game. They have a hurry-up offense, and I thought our guys withstood the test.”
Clemson gained one first down on their next drive before punting. Wofford then was forced three-and-out and punted and the Tigers got the ball back at the Terrier 45-yard line with 6:07 on the clock. Clemson wasted little time in scoring with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Tajh Boyd to Martavis Bryant with 5:32 left in the first quarter. The point after failed, making it a 7-6 game.
After picking up a first down rushing by Donovan Johnson, Mitch Allen found a wide open Brenton Bersin for a 66-yard touchdown catch. The Terriers had a 14-6 lead with 4:52 on the clock in the first quarter. The Tigers answered the score with a big play of their own, a 74-yard touchdown run by Andre Ellington and the score was 14-13 with 4:36 on the clock in the first.
Wofford then went three-and-out on the ensuing possession. The Terrier defense then responded by forcing a three-and-out and punt by the Tigers offense. Eric Breitenstein picked up a first down to end the first quarter, but the drive ended with a punt. Clemson gained two first downs before attempting a 43-yard field goal that was wide right. Wofford gained a first down and the on fourth down, the Terriers lined up to punt. Kasey Redfern ran the ball for 28-yards and a first down, plus a personal foul moved the ball to the 13-yard line. Allen added a first down and Eric Breitenstein scored on a two-yard run for a 21-13 lead at 4:01 in the second quarter.
Clemson was able to tie the game at 21 with 2:03 left in the half after a 38-yard touchdown to Sammy Watkins and a two-point conversion. Wofford then went three-and-out and punted with Brian Kass at quarterback. Back-to-back sacks by Alvin Scioneaux and Mike Niam forced the Tigers to punt and the half ended with the game tied.
To open the second half, Wofford had a 61-yard completion from Mitch Allen to Brenton Bersin for a first down. Christian Reed hit a 24-yard field goal to take a 24-21 lead with 11:46 in the third quarter.
Clemson then moved the ball with three first downs and converted a fourth-and-one. Tajh Boyd ran the ball in from five yards out and the Tigers took their first lead of the day at 28-24 with 7:54 on the clock in the third. Wofford picked up three rushing first downs and then moved 15 yards on a facemask call. After another first down, Christian Reed hit a 38-yard field goal to make the score 28-27 with 2:04 in the third quarter.
The Tigers were able to drive 58 yard in eight plays and scored on a 17-yard touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins at 14:35 in the fourth quarter for a 35-27 advantage. On the next drive by Wofford, Mitch Allen was intercepted by Kantrell Brown and returned 43 yards to the 17-yard line. The Tigers tried a fake field goal, but Alvin Scioneaux came up with a fumbled pitch.
Wofford had a fourth-and-two that was converted by Mitch Allen with a 31-yard run. However the Terriers had to punt with 8:35 left in the game. Clemson picked up one first down before having to punt back to the Terriers. On fourth-and-one, Wofford failed to convert and the ball went back to Clemson with 3:30 remaining. The Tigers gained one first down before running out the clock on the 35-27 contest.
Wofford had 399 total yards, with 272 on the ground. Clemson had 476 total yards, 261 of which were passing. Wofford had the time of possession advantage by a 33:27 to 26:33 margin. Wofford was 6-of-16 on third downs and 2-of-3 on fourth down. Clemson was 7-of-15 on third down and converted 1-of-3 fourth downs.
The Terriers will take next weekend off before hosting Samford in the first SoCon contest of the season on September 24 at Gibbs Stadium.
Wofford vs. Clemson Post-Game Notes
Against FBS (I-A) teams, Wofford is 1-13 overall. The lone win was in 2000 against Louisiana Monroe.
The 27 points scored were the most second-most against an FBS team (34 in 1999 against Louisiana-Lafayette).
In the series against Clemson, the Tigers are 11-3. The 27 points by Wofford were the most ever in the series that dates to 1896.
The 127 receiving yards by Brenton Bersin were the tenth-most in a single game for Wofford. Eric Breitenstein ended a streak of four straight games with 100 or more rushing yards.
Game captains were Brenton Bersin and Ameet Pall.
Attendance was 73,500 at Memorial Stadium, the sixth largest crowd ever to see Wofford play.
