SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College football team downed Presbyterian College 45-21 at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Hose had a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, but the Terriers responded with the next 38 points to secure the victory. With the win and a loss by ETSU earlier in the day, the Terriers claim a share of the 2018 Southern Conference Championship.
 
Wofford is 8-3 overall and Presbyterian ends the season at 2-8. The Terriers were led by Lennox McAfee with two rushing touchdowns, while D'mauriae VanCleave, Ryan Lovelace and Evan Suggs also had rushing touchdowns. Joe Newman was 7-of-10 passing for 66 yards. Miller Mosley was 3-of-7 passing with one touchdown. The Blue Hose were led by Zola Davis with 64 rushing yards and a touchdown. DaShawn Davis added 110 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
 
"We got down early but there was no panic," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "We took care of business and got done what we needed to do. You spend so much time and effort with these players. It starts in January and goes all the way through to this moment. The great thing is we are not done yet. I couldn't be prouder of a group of guys. The loss to Samford took the wind out of their sails, but they fought the fight and we had some things fall our way. We earned this and are proud to be Southern Conference Champions."
 
The Blue Hose had the ball first and had three first downs. On third down, John Walker found DaShawn Davis for a 25-yard touchdown completion and a 7-0 lead with 10:03 on the clock. Wofford then had three first downs before facing a fourth-and-three. Joe Newman picked up the first down with a run and Nathan Walker added another first down. Lennox McAfee capped the drive with a10-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
 
After the Blue Hose went three-and-out and punted, Joe Newman had a pass intercepted by Jarrett Nagy at the 21-yard line. On the next play, DaShawn Davis caught a touchdown pass for a 14-7 lead with eight second left in the first quarter. The Terriers then put together an eight-play drive that covered 65 yards and was ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Lennox McAfee. The score was tied at 14 with 10:52 left in the second quarter. The Blue Hose went three-and-out and punted. Nathan Walker had a 39-yard run to move across midfield. Miller Mosley found T.J. Luther for a 40-yard touchdown reception as the Terriers took a 21-14 lead with 7:06 on the clock in the second quarter.
 
On the first play of the ensuing drive for the Blue Hose, Mason Alstatt intercepted a pass and returned it to the five-yard line. Evan Suggs capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run as Wofford took a28-14 lead with 6:15 left in the first half. Presbyterian then used a 38-yard completion to move to the 25-yard line. After another first down, a 29-yard field goal attempt was wide left. Wofford gained two first downs before time ran out in the first half.
 
To open the second half, Wofford had two first downs before Ryan Lovelace went 25-yards up the middle for the touchdown. The Terriers led 35-14 at 13:23 in the third quarter. After forcing the Blue Hose three-and-out, Wofford had three first downs and were in the red zone when Joe Newman fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Presbyterian at the 12-yard line. The Blue Hose had one first down before having to punt. The Terriers had two first downs before a pass by Miller Mosley was intercepted by Dirk Cureton at the nine-yard line. They gained one first down before having to punt.
 
On the first play of the ensuing drive, D'mauriae VanCleave went 67-yard for a touchdown. Wofford took a 42-14 lead with 14:47 left in the game. The Blue Hose faced a fourth-and-one deep in their own territory and came up short on the run. Wofford had two first downs but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Luke Carter for a 45-14 lead with 10:20 remaining. Zola Davis scored a five-yard touchdown with 4:14 remaining on the clock to make it a 45-21 game. Wofford then went three-and-out and punted. The Blue Hose had the ball at the Wofford 20-yard line when time expired.
 
Wofford had 456 total yards, with 329 rushing yards. Presbyterian had 346 total yards, 175 of which were passing. Wofford had 24 first downs, while Presbyterian had 17. Wofford was 2-of-7 on third downs and 1-of-1 on fourth down. Presbyterian was 6-of-15 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down. Both teams were called for three penalties. Presbyterian had a 32:01 to 27:59 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Presbyterian Post-Game Notes
In a series that dates to 1914, Wofford has a 42-40-3 lead.
 
With a loss by ETSU to Samford (38-27), Wofford tied for the Southern Conference Championship. With Furman allowing more than 16 points to Mercer, the Terriers earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs. It is the sixth conference title for the Terriers and the first time they have won back-to-back titles.
 
The touchdown in the second quarter by Evan Suggs was the first of his career.
 
Mason Alstatt had his second interception of the season and fourth of his career in the second quarter.
 
Game captains were John Beckley, Lennox McAfee, Devin Watson and Jireh Wilson.  
 
Attendance was 5,674 at Gibbs Stadium.  
 
The Terriers will gather on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in the volleyball venue at Richardson Indoor Stadium to watch the 2018 FCS Playoff Selection Show. The program will air on ESPNU.