SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College football team defeated Elon 19-7 at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Phoenix had a 7-6 lead at the half, but the Terriers held Elon scoreless in the second half and scored three times for the win.
 
Wofford is 9-3 overall and Elon is 6-5. Wofford advances to play at #4 seed Kennesaw State next Saturday. The Terriers were led by Nathan Walker with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Lennox McAfee added 63 rushing yards. Luke Carter was 4-of-5 on field goals in the contest. Elon was led by Daniel Thompson with 20-of-32 passing for 209 yards.
 
"Obviously we are excited about the win," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "We were excited to play at home which is a huge thing for our program. Elon came out and had a really good game plan on defense and made us earn everything offensively. I tip my cap to those guys and they played with a lot of effort. I know they had some injuries and that hurt them as the season went on. They put their players in position to make plays and our hats go off to them. For us, we stayed the course. It wasn't always pretty. We wanted to score more points in the red zone early on and got stopped. As the game went on we stayed the course and found ways to get it done. I am excited for our guys and anytime you are still playing football at the end of November and beginning of December it is a good thing."
 
The Phoenix had the ball to open the game and went three-and-out. Wofford had four first downs and scored on a 32-yard field goal by Luke Carter to take a 3-0 lead at the 6:32 mark of the first quarter. Elon answered with a 16-play drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Brelynd Cyphers for a 7-3 lead at 14:23 in the second quarter. On the next drive by Wofford, Ryan Lovelace had a 56-yard run down the sideline. Luke Carter was wide left on a 36-yard field goal attempt with 11:34 on the clock in the second quarter.
 
With the ball back, Elon had two first downs and then faced a fourth-and-one. The Terrier defense stopped the run and took over at the 32-yard line. On fourth-and-two, Nathan Walker picked up the first down. Miller Mosley had a 34-yard run for a first down, but the drive stalled.  The Terriers settled for a 21-yard field goal by Luke Carter and Elon had a 7-6 lead with 2:09 left in the first half. The Phoenix had a three-and-out, with the Terriers getting the ball back with 1:24 remaining. Wofford went three-and-out and punted, while Elon took a knee to end the first half.
 
The Terriers had the ball to begin the second half and Nathan Walker had three first downs. A first down by Andre Stoddard put the ball inside the five and Nathan Walker ran it in for the touchdown. Wofford had a 13-7 lead at 9:54 in the third quarter. The Phoenix had a first down, but a fumble by the quarterback was recovered by Jireh Wilson and returned to the 30-yard line. On fourth-and-one, Nathan Walker picked up two yards. A 33-yard field goal by Luke Carter gave Wofford a 16-7 advantage with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
 
Elon had two first downs on their next possession before a pass by Daniel Thompson was tipped by the Wofford defense and intercepted by Mason Alstatt. He returned the ball to the 37-yard line. Andre Stoddard had a 20-yard run to move across midfield. Miller Mosley had two rushing first downs and then A first down run by Lennox McAfee put the ball at the five-yard line. Luke Carter added a 25-yard field goal for a 19-7 lead with 9:53 left in the game. The Phoenix had four first downs on their next drive and then faced a fourth-and-five from the seven-yard line. The pass attempt was incomplete and Wofford took over on downs with 4:45 on the clock. Lennox McAfee had a 22-yard run for a first down before the Terriers punted. Elon began at the 20-yard line with 3:13 on the clock. They had two quick passes for first downs and then faced fourth-and-one. The run was short and Wofford took over with 2:06 remaining. The Terriers took a knee three times to end the game.
 
Wofford had 364 total yards, with 344 rushing yards. Elon had 260 total yards, 209 of which were passing. Wofford had 19 first downs, while Elon had 17. Wofford was 3-of-13 on third downs and 2-of-2 on fourth down. Elon was 8-of-13 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down. Wofford was called for four penalties to one for Elon. Wofford had a 37:11 to 22:49 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Elon Post-Game Notes
The 2018 season marks the ninth appearance in the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the Terriers. Wofford is 9-8 overall in the playoffs.
 
In a series that dates to 1921, Wofford has a 27-11 lead over Elon.  
 
Mason Alstatt had his third interception of the season and fifth of his career in the third quarter.
 
Wofford was 6-0 at home this season.
 
Luke Carter made a career-high four field goals in the game. He also tied the school record for field goals in a game with Brett Schulman (vs. Elon, 1985).
 
Nathan Walker's touchdown in the third quarter was the third of his career.
 
Jireh Wilson led the team in tackles with seven, including two for a loss.
 
Game captains were Justus Basinger, Blake Jeresaty, Lennox McAfee, and Jireh Wilson.
 
Wofford will face #4 seed Kennesaw State at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 1 in Georgia. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.