SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College football team stopped The Citadel on fourth-and-goal as time expired to earn a 28-21 win on Saturday at Gibbs Stadium. The Terriers jumped out to a 21-0 lead before the Bulldogs tied it in the third quarter. A touchdown with 7:48 remaining in the game by Blake Morgan and a defensive stand gave the Terriers the victory.
 
Wofford opens the season 1-0 overall and in the Southern Conference, while the Bulldogs are 0-1 to begin the year. The Terriers were led by Lennox McAfee with 85 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Ryan Lovelace added a 70-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs were led by Lorenzo Ward with 124 rushing yards on 22 carries along with a touchdown. Noah Dawkins had two interceptions for The Citadel, with one returned for a touchdown.
 
"I was proud of the guys tenacity at the end and they played Wofford football," said head coach Josh Conklin. "We had an incredible drive to go up 28-21 and the offensive staff just kept finding answers. We still have a long way to go, but we will take it. We have to clean up some things on special teams and then a few times we made the right read but didn't deliver the ball that cost us. With their offense, they made us pay when we gave them a short field."
 
The Bulldogs had the ball first and gained two first downs before coming up short on a fourth-and-four on a tackle by John Beckley. Both teams then traded three-and-outs. With the ball back, Wofford had a 70-yard touchdown run by Ryan Lovelace to make it a 7-0 game at the 7:00 mark. After the Bulldogs went three-and-out, Wofford had another big play as Lennox McAfee went 62-yards for a touchdown. With 3:35 left in the first quarter, the Terriers had a 14-0 lead.
 
An eight-play drive by Wofford that covered 80 yards was capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Lennox McAfee for a 21-0 advantage at the 11:06 mark of the second quarter. The Citadel picked up a fourth-and-one on their next drive, but ultimately were forced to punt. Both teams then traded three-and-outs. With the ball back, Joe Newman was intercepted by Noah Dawkins at the 21-yard line. It took the Bulldogs just three plays to score on a 10-yard run which cut the lead to 21-7 with 1:14 left in the first half. Wofford went three-and-out and punted. The Bulldogs had a run for 43 yards on the final play of the half.
 
Wofford had the ball first to begin the second half. After a first down, Noah Dawkins picked off a pass by Joe Newman and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to make it a 21-14 game. The Terriers had a first down on the next drive but were forced to punt. The teams then traded punts. The Bulldogs went three-and-out and punted, but the ball hit a Wofford player and the punt was recovered by The Citadel. On the next drive, the Bulldogs converted and fourth-and-one and then were faced with fourth-and-goal from the one. Rod Johnson took the ball in for the touchdown and the game was tied at 21 each with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
 
The Terriers responded with a drive that took eight minutes off the clock and gained six first downs. Blake Morgan capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give Wofford a 28-21 lead with 7:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. After trading three-and-outs, the Bulldogs took over with 4:40 left on the clock. They gained a first down, then converted a fourth-and-four with a pass. The Bulldogs then had a fourth-and-one from the seven with 29 seconds left and picked up the first down. Four incomplete passes from the five-yard line ended the game.  
 
Wofford had 366 total yards, with 340 rushing. The Citadel had 240 total yards, 217 of which were rushing. Wofford had a 15 to 13 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 4-of-10 on third downs. The Citadel was 2-of-16 on third down, but 4-of-6 on fourth down. The Citadel was called for two penalties, while Wofford was whistled three times. The Citadel had a 32:38 to 27:22 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. The Citadel Post-Game Notes
With the win, Wofford has won the last 18 home openers at Gibbs Stadium. The last home opening loss came in 2000. When opening the season at home, the Terriers are now 26-20-1.
 
Andre Stoddard entered the game with 972 career rushing yards and had 37 yards in the game to give him 1,009 for his career.  
 
The Terriers have won the last nine Southern Conference openers, dating back to a win over Furman in 2010.
 
There were no significant injuries in the contest for the Terriers.
 
Mason Alstatt led the team with 8 tackles.
 
Game captains were Joe Newman, Jireh Wilson, Blake Jeresaty, Devin Watson.
 
Attendance was 8,930 at Gibbs Stadium.
 
Wofford will return home on Saturday, September 8, to host VMI at Gibbs Stadium.