Box Score Game box (pdf)
Inside Wofford Football
COLUMBIA, S.C. – With the game tied at seven heading into the fourth quarter, South Carolina scored 17 unanswered points to defeat the Wofford football team 24-7 at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Despite outgaining the Gamecocks in total offense, the Terriers lost three fumbles on the day, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
The Terriers are 8-3 on the season and 6-2 in the SoCon. South Carolina is 9-2 overall, 6-2 in the SEC, and ranked 12th in the nation. For Wofford, Eric Breitenstein ran for 125 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown. Alvin Scioneaux led the defense with 12 tackles, a sack, and interception. The Gamecocks were led by Kenny Miles with 127 rushing yards, while Connor Shaw was 16-20 passing for 122 yards along with 18 rushing yards.
“Turnovers got us today,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “If we don’t turn it over and take care of the ball then the other side might be a little bit sad. I loved the effort of the kids and the way that they conducted themselves. We worked really hard for this. We didn’t come to collect a check, we came to get a win. It’s tough when you know you are so close and to know that we almost beat Goliath. I am really proud of our coaches as they worked really hard to get our guys dialed in.”
The Terriers had the ball first and went three-and-out and punted. South Carolina gained two first downs before Alvin Scioneaux intercepted Connor Shaw at the 12-yard line. Wofford was unable to gain a first down and punted back to the Gamecocks. South Carolina picked up three first downs, including converting a fourth-and-one, on the way to scoring on a two-yard touchdown run by Kenny Miles. The Gamecocks had a 7-0 lead at 14:56 in the second quarter.
Wofford was three-and-out and punted on their next drive. South Carolina drove down the field, but Mike Davis fumbled at the six-yard line. The fumble was forced by Stephon Shelton and recovered by Blake Wylie, who returned it to the 17-yard line. Wofford converted a fourth-and-one with a run by Eric Breitenstein, and Will Gay ran for a first down, but a Terrier fumble on the pitch was recovered by D.J. Swearinger.
The Gamecocks went three-and-out and punted with 4:12 left in the first half. Donovan Johnson gained a first down, but fumbled and the ball was recovered by Jake Miles to retain possession. The Terriers then moved down the field with five more first downs. Eric Breitenstein capped the twelve-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 32 seconds left in the first half. South Carolina ran one play before the half ended.
To open the second half, the Gamecocks gained two first downs before punting to the Terriers. Wofford converted a fourth-and-one and drove across midfield with five first downs. The drive ended for the Terriers when D.J. Swearinger forced Octavious Harden to fumble and it was recovered by Brison Williams at the 27-yard line with 3:33 left in the third quarter.
South Carolina was able to convert the turnover into points with a 23-yard field goal by Adam Yates to take a 10-7 lead with 11:57 on the clock. Wofford turned the ball over on downs after failing on fourth-and-one and the Gamecocks took over at the 34-yard line. South Carolina took advantage of the short field and scored on an eight yard touchdown pass from Connor Shaw to Ace Sanders to take a 17-7 lead with 8:10 left in the game. Wofford had the ball back, but a fumble was returned 31-yards by Akeem Auguste for a touchdown and a 24-7 advantage with 7:33 on the clock.
With the ball back, Wofford hit a big play as James Lawson found Jeff Ashley for a 71-yard completion. The Terriers had the ball inside the five yard line, but could not convert and turned it over on downs. After the defense forced South Carolina to go three-and-out, the Terriers got the ball back with 3:05 left in the game. Wofford was able to move the ball inside the 20 after two first down runs by Donovan Johnson, but the Terriers were unable to put points on the scoreboard and turned it over on downs with 25 seconds left. The Gamecocks ran one play to end the game with a 24-7 victory.
Wofford had 330 total yards, with 259 on the ground. South Carolina had 293 total yards, 171 of which were rushing. South Carolina had 18 first downs to 16 for Wofford. Wofford was 3-of-11 on third downs and 2-of-5 on fourth down. South Carolina was 7-of-13 on third down. Each team had three penalties. Wofford had a 30:49 to 29:11 time of possession advantage.
The Terriers will learn of their postseason fate on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. during the NCAA FCS Selection Show. The program will air on ESPNU and the team will gather in Leonard Auditorium (Old Main) to watch the selections.
Wofford vs. South Carolina Post-Game Notes
The three lost fumbles by Wofford were the most turnovers this season by the Terriers.
South Carolina has now won the last 16 games in the series dating back to 1918.
Eric Breitenstein stands at 5,348 career rushing yards. He scored his 62nd career touchdown in the second quarter, which is tied for fifth in SoCon history.
Eric Breitenstein marked his 30th career 100+ rushing game with 125 yards on 28 carries. He is third in SoCon history in 100+ rushing games. He has rushed for over 100 yards in all but one game (Lincoln) this season. He is only the second 100-yard rusher allowed by South Carolina this season (Jeremy Hill, LSU 124 yards).
Christian Reed (quad), Anthony Carden (arm), Mike Niam (neck), Darius Burton (shoulder), and Bryan Youman (knee) missed the game due to injury. Brian Kass (head) and Michael Weimer (knee) left the game due to injury. All players are expected to be available for the playoffs.
Game captains were Eric Breitenstein, CJ Turner, Jake Miles, and Josh Roseborough.
Attendance was 79,882 at Williams-Brice Stadium, the largest crowd ever to see a Wofford football game.
