CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Wofford College football team defeated Western Carolina 38-23 on Saturday afternoon at Whitmire Stadium. Down 20-14 at the half, the Terriers outscored the Catamounts 24-3 in the second half for the victory.
 
Wofford is 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the Southern Conference, while Western Carolina is 3-7 overall and 1-7 in league play. The Terriers were led by Joe Newman with 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with 8-of-12 passing for 140 yards and a touchdown. Andre Stoddard added 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Catamounts were led by Tyrie Adams, who was 23-of-36 passing for 229 yards and he rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown.
 
"In the first half we needed some time on offense and we couldn't get any drives sustained to get a feel for what they were doing," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "At the end of the second quarter we started doing some good things and it carried over into the second half. We are playing pretty good football right now. We faced the eleventh-ranked offense in the country and we held them to 23 points tonight so that is a pretty good day's work. I was proud of the way we responded and there was never any panic."
 
The Catamounts had the ball first and went three-and-out. Wofford also went three-and-out and punted. On the first play of the ensuing Western Carolina drive, Jireh Wilson batted a pitch out of the air and recovered the fumble at the 20-yard line. Andre Stoddard got the Terriers on the scoreboard with a 12-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead at the 10:58 mark of the first quarter. The Catamounts had a 38-yard reception to move across midfield and had a 42-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game with 9:07 on the clock. Wofford went three-and-out and punted. With the ball back, the Catamounts had four first downs to move inside the ten-yard line. On fourth-and-goal from the one, Tyrie Adams reached the ball across the goal line for a 10-7 lead with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.
 
Wofford went three-and-out and punted. The Catamounts had three first downs and then scored on a four-yard run by Connell Young for a 17-7 lead at the 11:45 mark of the second quarter. The Terriers had two first downs before having to punt. Western Carolina picked up three first downs before hitting a 36-yard field goal for a 20-7 lead with 3:55 on the clock. Wofford then answered with three first downs and Joe Newman found a wide-open Jason Hill for a 32-yard touchdown. With 52 seconds left in the first half, the Terriers trailed 20-14. The Catamounts ran out the clock on the half.
 
To open the second half, Wofford had three first downs before a 38-yard touchdown run by Joe Newman for a 21-20 lead at the 10:49 mark of the third quarter. The Catamounts went three-and-out and punted on their first drive of the second half. Wofford went three-and-out and had the punt partially blocked, with the Catamounts taking over at the 41-yard line. A 51-yard field goal attempt was wide left and the Terriers took over. Two first down runs were followed by a 28-yard run by Joe Newman. Lennox McAfee moved the ball inside the five and Joe Newman scored a four-yard touchdown for a 28-20 advantage with 2:21 left in the third quarter.
 
The Catamounts had four first downs to move inside the five-yard line. A run for no gain and two incomplete passes had the Catamounts settle for a 21-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-23 with 14:43 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Wofford faced third down on their next possession, but Joe Newman found Dorian Lindsey for a 45-yard completion. A 42-yard field goal by Luke Carter gave the Terriers a 31-23 lead at the 11:22 mark of the fourth quarter. After the Catamounts went three-and-out, Joe Newman completed a pass to Jason Hill for a first down. Rushing first downs by Nathan Walker and Lennox McAfee moved the ball inside the 30-yard line, but a holding penalty pushed the Terriers back and forced a punt. Luke Carter pinned the Catamounts at the three-yard line. A first down run and a first down on a pass interference penalty were followed by a first down run to midfield by Tyrie Adams. Another run by Adams got the ball to the 31-yard line with 1:30 left in the game. An interception by George Gbesee on the near sideline was returned 67 yards. Andre Stoddard had a first down run and then added a 12-yard touchdown run for a 38-23 score with 44 seconds remaining in the game. The Catamounts ran two plays before time expired.
 
Wofford had 403 total yards, with 259 rushing yards. Western Carolina had 414 total yards, 229 of which were passing. Wofford had 21 first downs, while Western Carolina had 20. Wofford was 6-of-13 on third downs. Western Carolina was 7-of-15 on third down and 1-of-1 on fourth down. Western Carolina was called for two penalties, while Wofford was flagged five times. Wofford had a 34:25 to 25:35 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Western Carolina Post-Game Notes
Wofford moves to 27-14 all-time in the series against Western Carolina.  
 
In the conference standings, Wofford (6-2) is in second place. ETSU is at 6-1 and after a bye week will play Samford. Furman is one game back of the Terriers at 5-2 with Mercer remaining on the schedule.
 
Tyrie Adams ran for 167 yards, just the second 100+ rusher allowed by the Wofford defense this season.
 
The interception by George Gbesee was his third this season and sixth of his career. He was tied for the team lead in tackles with six, along with JoJo Tillery.
 
The 63-yard punt by Luke Carter in the first quarter was a career long.
 
Joe Newman threw for 140 yards, going over 100 for the fourth time this season.
 
Jireh Wilson has his first career forced fumble and third career fumble recovery in the first quarter.
 
Game captains were Lennox McAfee, Weston Rountree and Jireh Wilson.  
 
Attendance was 10,169 at Whitmire Stadium.
 
The Terriers will complete the regular season on November 17 against Presbyterian College at Gibbs Stadium.