BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two fourth down plays in the fourth quarter, one on offense and one on defense, proved to be the difference as the Wofford College football team defeated Samford 24-20 at Seibert Stadium. The Terriers scored a touchdown on fourth-and-one with 4:34 left in the game, then stopped Samford on fourth-and-one with 1:44 remaining and held on for the win.
 
The Terriers are 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Southern Conference, while Samford is 3-3 and 2-2 in league play. Wofford was led by Lorenzo Long with 128 rushing yards, while quarterback Michael Weimer rushed for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown. The Bulldogs were led by Michael Eubank with 305 yards on 32-of-43 passing, but the Wofford defense held Samford to only 49 rushing yards.
 
"The game had to be the way that it was if we had a shot of winning it," said head coach Mike Ayers. "The great thing is that we took care of the ball, which gave us a chance to play defense. The kicking game helped us a ton as far as not giving them short fields. We had a first half that from a defensive standpoint was outstanding. In the second half we were not as sharp, but we missed a few too many tackles that gave them a chance to get back in the game. Michael Weimer did an unbelievable job of leading the team. We had to play with every ounce of strength and belief we had to get through on this one because those guys are a tough football team and extremely well coached."
 
The Bulldogs had the ball to open the game and went three-and-out. Wofford also went three-and-out on their first drive of the day. Samford gained a first down, but again had to punt and the Terriers started on the 7-yard line. After gaining two first downs, Wofford punted and Samford took over with 6:14 left in the first half.
 
Samford started at the 14-yard line and went three-and-out. The Terriers began at the Bulldog's 45-yard line and gained one first down. David Marvin got Wofford on the scoreboard with a 44-yard field goal with 2:38 left in the first quarter. On the first play of the next Samford drive, Terrance Morris knocked the ball out of the hand of quarterback Michael Eubank and the fumble was recovered by Tarek Odom. The Terriers took over at the 16-yard line and Chase Nelson converted a third down at the five. Cam Flowers took it in from the three and Wofford had a 10-0 lead with 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
 
To start the second quarter, the Bulldogs gained one first down before punted back to the Terriers. Wofford went three-and-out and punted. Samford had three passing first downs before settling for a 23-yard field goal and a 10-3 score with 7:02 left in the second quarter. On the next drive for the Terriers, Ray Smith picked up a pair of first downs before Wofford punted with 2:38 left in the first half. Samford started the drive at the 25-yard line and used five passing first downs to get inside the 10-yard line. Michael Eubank went in from eight yards out for a touchdown and the game was tied 10-10 with 41 seconds left in the first half. Wofford was outgained 189 to 97 in the first half, with 129 of those yards coming on the final two Samford drives.
 
Wofford opened the second half with the ball and used a 48-yard run by Lorenzo Long to move the ball inside the 10-yard line. Michael Weimer found Zach Muller in the back of the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown and a 17-10 lead at the 11:13 mark of the third quarter.  Samford then drove down the field with a 24-yard pass and a 31-yard run to move inside the 10-yard line. Denzel Williams went in from one-yard out to tie the game at 17-17 with 8:17 on the clock in the third quarter.
 
The Terriers went three-and-out and Brian Sanders punted for a career-long 62 yards to give Samford the ball at the 12-yard line. The Bulldogs then were forced three-and-out and Wofford took over at midfield. The Terriers could only gain five yards and had to punt. Samford then gained two first downs before a holding penalty and sack by Tarek Odom forced a punt.
 
Wofford began the drive at the four-yard line. On third down, a long pass by Michael Weimer was intercepted by James Bradberry and returned 24 yards to the 18-yard line. Dylan Young had a tackle for a loss of ten yards on first down, but Samford took a 20-17 lead with a 34-yard field goal with 12:02 left in the game. Wofford had a 20 yard reception by Zach Muller and a first down run by Lorenzo Long to move across midfield. On fourth-and-three from the 22, Lorenzo Long went up the middle for a 12 yard gain and a first down. Wofford then had a fourth-and-goal from the one and Michael Weimer kept the ball. After working through the pile, the officials signaled a touchdown and Wofford had a 24-20 lead with 4:34 on the clock.
 
Samford had a 37 yard kickoff return and began their drive at the 42-yard line. They gained two first downs and then had a fourth-and-one at the 24-yard line with 1:50 left in the game. The run by Michael Eubanks was short and Wofford took over on downs. The Terriers were unable to gain a first down and had to punt with 46 seconds on the clock. After one first down, Samford was intercepted by Brion Anderson and the Terriers took a knee for the win.
 
Wofford had 264 total yards, with 197 on the ground. Samford had 354 total yards, 305 of which were passing. Samford had a 19 to 12 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 6-of-17 on third downs and 2-of-2 on fourth down. Samford was 3-of-13 on third down and 0-of-1 on fourth down. Wofford and Samford each had three penalties. Wofford had a 33:41 to 26:19 time of possession advantage.   
 
Wofford vs. Samford Post-Game Notes
 
RB Lorenzo Long had 128 rushing yards on 20 carries. It was his third career game with 100+ rushing yards.
 
RB Nick Colvin (hamstring), QB Evan Jacks (foot), CB Bernard Williams (knee), and DL Tyler Vaughn (ankle) missed the game due to injury. DL Chris Boudreaux (knee) left the game in the fourth quarter.
 
Junior quarterback Michael Weimer started his first career game. Wofford has now had 16 players record their first career starts this season.
 
Terrance Morris had his first career forced fumble, while Tarek Odom had his second career fumble recovery. Brion Anderson recorded his third interception of the season, which was the fifth of his career.
 
Game captains were Tarek Odom and Michael Weimer.
 
Attendance was 4,157 at Seibert Stadium.
 
Wofford continues the Southern Conference slate on Saturday, October 25 at 1:30 p.m. against VMI as part of homecoming festivities.