FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Brent Williamson
williamsondb@wofford.edu
(864) 597-4093
Saturday, December 3, 2016
 
Wofford Football Wins 17-3 At The Citadel
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. – On Saturday night, the Wofford College football team won 17-3 at The Citadel to advance in the 2016 NCAA FCS Playoffs at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Citadel scored first with a field goal, but the Terriers scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to earn the victory.
 
Wofford advances with a 10-3 record on the season and sixth-ranked The Citadel ends the season at 10-2 overall. The Terriers were led by Lorenzo Long with 92 rushing yards, while Joe Newman had 45 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Wofford defense was led by Lincoln Stewart with 16 tackles and Datavious Wilson with 14 tackles. Devin Watson sealed the win with a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown with 30 seconds left. The Bulldogs were led by Tyler Renew with 76 rushing yards, while Dominique Allen was 11-of-22 passing.
 
The Bulldogs had the ball first and gained six first downs to move inside the five yard line, but they had to settle for a 24-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead at 7:25 in the opening quarter. Wofford went three-and-out and punted on their opening possession. The Citadel had a 26-yard pass to move across midfield, but on fourth-and-five turned the ball over on downs and Wofford took over at the 30.
 
After a first down, the Terriers were faced with a fourth-and-two and midfield, which Lorenzo Long converted for a first down. A deep pass by Brandon Goodson was intercepted by Dee Delaney, who returned it 20 yards. On the next play, Lincoln Stewart intercepted Dominique Allen and returned it 21 yards. Brandon Goodson was intercepted on the next play from scrimmage by Dee Delaney, who ran it back 48 yards. The Citadel was unable to gain a first down and then a 44-yard field goal attempt was wide left. Wofford took over at the 32-yard line with 9:48 on the clock in the second quarter. After two first downs, the Terriers had to punt.
 
With the ball back, the Bulldogs had two first downs before punting. Wofford took over at the four and was unable to move the ball and punted. The Bulldogs had two first downs, but back-to-back holding calls made it first and 30. A 27-yard run by Dominique Allen moved the ball to the seven yard line with 16 seconds left in the first half. A 25-yard field goal was wide left with four seconds on the clock. Wofford took a knee to end the half.
 
To open the second half, Wofford and The Citadel both went three-and-out and punted. On the next drive by Wofford, Brandon Goodson left the game due to an injury and Joe Newman entered the game. Blake Morgan went 44 yards down the sideline for a first down and David Marvin tied the game with a 47-yard field goal with 8:09 on the clock. The Citadel went three-and-out and punted back to the Terriers, but Wofford also went three-and-out. The Citadel punted on fourth down, but a roughing the punter call resulted in a first down. They were unable to gain another first down and punted.
 
Wofford had a first down pass from Joe Newman to Blake Morgan for a 26-yard gain. After a first down run by Lorenzo Long, the Terriers faced a fourth-and-one. Lorenzo Long picked up two yards for the first down. Joe Newman then went 36-yards on the keeper for a 10-3 lead with 10:28 left in the fourth quarter. The Citadel had a first down, and then converted a fourth-and-one. After another first down, a personal foul on the Terriers gave the Bulldogs first down inside the ten. A 35-yard field goal attempt with 4:23 left hit the right upright and was no good. Wofford answered with a 43-yard run by Lorenzo Long, but the drive stalled and a 46-yard field goal by David Marvin was no good and The Citadel took over with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs gained a pair of first downs, but then Devin Watson picked off Dominique Allen and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was good and the Terriers led 17-3 with 30 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs ran out of time and Wofford earned the win.
 
Wofford had 256 total yards, with 223 rushing. The Citadel had 355 total yards, 235 of which were rushing. Wofford had 10 first downs to 19 for The Citadel. Wofford was 3-of-12 on third downs and 2-of-2 on fourth downs. The Citadel was 6-of-18 on third down. Wofford was called for four penalties, while The Citadel was whistled nine times. The Citadel had a 35:48 to 24:12 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford Head Coach Mike Ayers
It didn't surprise me the way the game went. The Citadel is a great football team. The coaches do a great job and there is no back down in those guys. We knew coming in that with two weeks preparation it was going to be tougher that it was earlier this season in Spartanburg. I truly believe that we have a team that for whatever reason believes so strongly in themselves. We have had several opportunities where players have been injured and things could have been catastrophic. By the grace of God, they are good. I love this group of kids. Some of them are real goofy, but they are young. The one thig they are not goofy about is when they go on that field and play. I can't say enough about our coaches and our preparation.
 
Wofford vs. The Citadel Post-Game Notes
The game marked the seventh season that the Terriers have played in the NCAA FCS postseason. They are now 7-6 all-time in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. This is the first time Wofford has won two postseason games since 2003.
 
This was the first time Wofford and The Citadel have faced each other in the postseason.
 
The Terrier defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in a game this season. They allowed a season-high 236 rushing yards to The Citadel.
 
The #19 Terriers have ten wins on the season, topping the total from last year (5-6). The eight regular season wins were the most since the 2011 season and the ten total wins the most since 2010.
 
Lorenzo Long had 92 rushing yards. He now has 3,437 career rushing yards to rank 5^th in school history.
 
The 36 yard touchdown run by Joseph Newman was the longest of his career and his first career touchdown.
 
The interception by Lincoln Stewart was his first of the season and second of his career. The interception by Devin Watson was his third of the season, all in the postseason.
 
Brandon Goodson had two interceptions on the season, but threw two in the second quarter to give him four. He left the game in the third quarter due to an ankle injury. Anton Wahrby also left the game due to an ankle injury.
 
Game captains were Will Gay, Anton Wahrby, Boston Bryant and Miles Brown.
 
Attendance at Johnson Hagood Stadium was 10,336.
 
Wofford will advance to play at Youngstown State, who won 40-24 at Jacksonville State, on Saturday, December 10 at 2:00 p.m.