COLUMBIA, S.C. – On Saturday afternoon, the Wofford College football team was defeated by South Carolina 31-10 at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Terriers made it a 14-10 game on the first possession of the second half, but the Gamecocks scored the next 17 points to pull away for the win.
 
Wofford, ranked seventh in the nation at the FCS level, is 9-2 overall. South Carolina is 8-3 on the season in the SEC. The Terriers were led by Lennox McAfee with 49 rushing yards, while Brandon Goodson was 3-of-6 passing. Jake Bentley led the Gamecocks with 22-of-28 passing for 194 yards and a touchdown, along with two rushing touchdowns.
 
"Turnovers kill you every time," said head coach Mike Ayers. "If you give them too many opportunities, especially when they are a big, physical team, you are going to run the risk of getting worn out defensively. I am proud of our defense – they did some really great things against some really great people. I really believe that this game, although we lost it, will afford us an opportunity to learn from it and realize that we are close to being a great team. We have gone nine weeks in a row without a break and we were nicked up. If we don't have the turnovers, it is a different game and a lot closer. I am proud of our guys and we did our best."
 
The Gamecocks won the toss and received the opening kickoff. A pair of passing first downs moved the ball across midfield, but punted after a sack by Terrance Morris. Wofford had two first down runs by Andre Stoddard and then a facemask penalty moved the ball into Gamecock territory. Chase Nelson added a first down and Blake Morgan had a first down to go inside the 20. The drive ended with a 32-yard field goal by Luke Carter for a 3-0 lead at 3:43 in the first quarter.
 
On the next drive by South Carolina, they converted a fourth-and-one at midfield. On fourth-and-two, a pass was incomplete and Wofford took over on downs. On the first play by the Terriers, Brandon Goodson was intercepted by Skai Moore at midfield. After four first downs, they had first and goal from the one. Jake Bentley ran it in for a touchdown and South Carolina took a 7-3 lead at 7:37 in the second quarter. Wofford was able to gain one first down before punting. The Gamecocks took over and had four first downs before a 23-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Edwards for a 14-3 lead with 55 seconds left in the first half. Wofford ran two plays before the half ended.
 
To begin the second half, Lennox McAfee had a 23-yard run for a first down. A first down on a personal foul penalty moved the Terriers across midfield. Lennox McAfee added another first down and a first down run by Blake Morgan had the Terriers in the red zone. On fourth-and-one from the two, the Gamecocks were offsides for a first down. Blake Morgan capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Wofford trailed 14-10 with 9:23 on the clock in the third quarter. The Gamecocks had two first downs and a then a 30-yard run by A.J. Turner to move inside the ten. Jake Bentley scored from two-yards out for a 21-10 lead at 6:21 in the third. Wofford had one first down and then failed to convert on a fourth-and-one and the Gamecocks took over at the 46-yard line.
 
The Gamecocks then had a fourth-and-one, which they converted with a Jake Bentley run. A 20-yard run moved the ball inside the red zone. Parker White hit a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-10 with 13:43 on the clock in the fourth quarter. On the next drive by Wofford, Joe Newman fumbled and the ball was recovered at the 37-yard line by T.J. Brunson. Working with the short field, the Gamecocks had two first downs and scored on a two-yard run by A.J. Turner as they pushed the score to 31-10 with 9:54 left in the fourth quarter.
 
With the ball back, Lennox McAfee had a 27-yard run for a first down, but then a fumble lost ten yards. Joe Newman found R.J. Taylor to get 17 yards and then Newman had a first down run. Newman was intercepted by Rashad Fenton on third down and the Gamecocks took over with 4:49 left on the clock. South Carolina picked up two first downs and ran out the clock to end the game.
 
Wofford had 227 total yards, with 155 rushing. South Carolina had 389 total yards, 195 of which were rushing. Wofford had 14 first downs to 23 for South Carolina. Wofford was 4-of-9 on third downs and 0-of-1 on fourth down. South Carolina was 6-of-11 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down. Both teams were called for three penalties. South Carolina had a 33:32 to 26:28 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. South Carolina Post-Game Notes
 
Wofford is now 1-19 in games against FBS opponents. The Gamecocks have won 17 straight against the Terriers.
 
With Furman's loss to Samford, Wofford won the Southern Conference Championship outright. It is Wofford's fifth title – 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2012. The Terriers have secured the league's automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs. It will be Wofford's eighth appearance – 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2016.
 
Billy Hinton led the defense with eleven tackles and had his first career sack in the first half. Terrance Morris added a sack, his second of season and ninth of career.
 
The interception thrown by Brandon Goodson in the second quarter was his first of the season (108 attempts without an interception). Joe Newman threw his second interception of the season.
 
Game captains were Miles Brown, Roo Daniels, Brandon Goodson and Malik Rivera.
 
Attendance was 74,742 at Williams-Brice Stadium. It is the seventh-largest crowd to see the Terriers play.
 
Wofford will host a NCAA FCS Selection Show viewing event on Sunday, November 19, at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The doors open at 10:30 a.m., with the ESPNU telecast beginning at 11:00 a.m. The event is open to the public.