Saturday, October 20, 2018
 
Wofford Football Downs ETSU 30-17
 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College football team earned a 30-17 win over East Tennessee State University on Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium. In a battle of top-25 opponents, the Terriers took an early 17-0 lead and never trailed.
 
Wofford is 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the Southern Conference, while ETSU is 6-2 overall and 4-1 in league play. The teams are now tied for first place in the SoCon standings. The Terriers were led by Lennox McAfee with 12 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while Andre Stoddard added 12 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns. The Bucs were led by Austin Herink, who was 21-of-33 passing for 201 yards.
 
"The expectations around here are high and our guys attacked is the right way this week and responded," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "We demanded a lot from the guys the week and they responded the right way. When they took the field, they were ready to go and I am extremely proud of them. They were not happy about last week and I was not happy as a head coach. Our guys had something to prove and they did."
 
The Bucs had the ball to open the game and had one first down before punting. Wofford opened the game with a 38-yard run by Lennox McAfee. After two more first downs, the drive stalled and the Terriers settled for a 20-yard field goal by Luke Carter for a 3-0 lead at 6:52 in the first quarter. ETSU had a pair of first downs and then a sack by Jireh Wilson forced a punt. The Terriers took over at the five-yard line and needed 15 plays to cover the 95 yards as Andre Stoddard scored from six-yards out. Wofford had a 10-0 lead with 10:02 on the clock in the second quarter.
 
On the next drive by ETSU, they had two first downs and then faced a fourth-and-two. A tackle for loss by Billy Hinton turned the ball over on downs and Wofford took over at midfield. On third down, Lennox McAfee went 44-yards for the touchdown. The Terriers had a 17-0 lead with 5:23 left in the first half. The Bucs had a 55-yard kickoff return to begin their next drive in Wofford territory. After several penalties, they had to punt on fourth-and-long. Wofford started at the one-yard line and on the third play a fumble in the end zone was recovered by the Bucs for a touchdown. The score was 17-7 in favor of Wofford with 2:05 on the clock in the second quarter. The Terriers had one first down before punting back to the Bucs with 1:11 remaining in the half. ETSU had five first downs and kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to make it a 17-10 game at the break.
 
The Terriers had one first down on the opening drive of the second half before punting. The Bucs then went three-and-out and punted, with Wofford taking over at midfield. After Wofford went three-and-out, the Bucs had a third down when Domo Lemon picked off a pass by Austin Herink at the 27-yard line. Back-to-back penalties by the Terriers brought up another punt, but Dawson Henis was roughed on the play for a first down. On fourth-and-two, Andre Stoddard picked up the first down and he added another first down to move inside the 10. An eight-yard touchdown run by Lennox McAfee gave Wofford a 24-10 lead with 1:11 left in the third quarter. On the first play for the Bucs, a fumble was forced by Miles Brown and recovered by Thad Mangum to give Wofford the ball at the 21-yard line. After a first down, Andre Stoddard scored from three-yards out. The PAT was missed, giving Wofford a 30-10 lead with 13:28 left in the fourth quarter.
 
After ETSU was forced three-and-out, the Terriers had one first down before Joe Newman was intercepted by Tyree Robinson on a deep attempt. The Bucs took over at the 32-yard line and gained two quick first downs to move across midfield. Two more first downs were followed by a one-yard touchdown run by Quay Holmes to make it a 30-17 game. There was a penalty on the on-side kick attempt and Wofford took over at the 43-yard line. Wofford went three-and-out and punted. The Bucs had a first down on a pass interference call, but George Gbesee then intercepted a pass and the Terriers had the ball at the 44-yard line. Andre Stoddard had a first down and Miller Mosley added a first down as the Terriers were able to run out the clock.
 
Wofford had 327 total yards, with 295 rushing yards. ETSU had 240 total yards, 201 of which were passing. Wofford had a 22 to 16 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 4-of-11 on third downs and 1-of-1 on fourth down. ETSU was 5-of-12 on third down and 0-of-1 on fourth down. ETSU was called for eight penalties, while Wofford was flagged six times. Wofford had a 35:36 to 24:24 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. ETSU Post-Game Notes
The game was the first this season for Wofford against a team ranked in the top 25. The Terriers are now 29-30 against FCS ranked opponents since 2002.
 
The game marked the 73rd Homecoming game at Wofford ... The Terriers are now 47-24-2 all-time in Homecoming games.
 
Wofford moves to 14-13 in the all-time series against ETSU.
 
Lennox McAfee had his second 100+ rushing game of the season and it was also the second of his career.
 
Billy Hinton led the team with eight tackles. Miles Brown had 2.5 sacks, while Jireh Wilson had two tackles for loss.
 
Domo Lemon had his first interception of the season, giving him three in his career. George Gbesee had his second interception of the season and fifth of his career. Thad Mangum recorded his first career fumble recovery.
 
Game captains were Ross Hammond, Lennox McAfee, Devin Watson and Jireh Wilson.
 
Attendance was 6,745 at Gibbs Stadium.
 
The Terriers remain at home next weekend as they host Mercer at 1:30 p.m. as part of Family Weekend.