RALEIGH, NC – Wofford College was defeated 38-17 on Saturday night at Carter-Finlay Stadium by NC State University. The Terriers had two receiving touchdowns from Andy Strickland, but three turnovers and fifteen penalties were too much to overcome in the game. Wofford falls to 2-1 on the season, while NC State is now 1-2.
The Terriers won the toss and deferred until the second half. NC State took the opening drive 74 yards in nine plays, capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Andre Brown. Wofford picked up two first downs on their opening possession, but were forced to punt. The Terrier defense came up with a three-and-out on the next NC State possession.
Wofford was able to drive the ball deep into Wolfpack territory and were able to score on a 20-yard field goal by Patrick Mugan at 4:29 in the first quarter. The Terriers defense again forced a NC State punt, but it was downed at the two-yard line. After picking up one first down, Ben Widmyer fumbled the ball and it was picked up and returned to the endzone by Thomas Barnes. Both teams then traded punts on their ensuing possessions.
On the next Wofford drive, quarterback Ben Widmyer picked up a 33-yard gain on a run, but the drive ended when the Terriers were unsuccessful on a fourth-and-two play. The Wolfpack was then successful when faced with fourth-and-one from the one yard line as Andre Brown dove over the top for the touchdown and a 21-3 lead at 5:48 in the second quarter. With 1:22 in the first half, Steven Hauschka added a 49-yard field goal. Patrick Mugan’s 40-yard attempt at the end of the first half was wide left and NC State went to the locker room with a 24-3 lead.
In the second half, Wofford was successful on a fourth-and-one play, but were forced to punt later in the drive. On the Terriers second possession of the half, a fumble was recovered at the Wofford 14-yard line. Two plays later, Andre Brown scored his third touchdown of the day from eleven yards to give the Wolfpack a 31-3 lead.
After trading punts, Wofford came up with a big-play as Ben Widmyer found Andy Strickland for a 61-yard touchdown reception at 6:32 in the third quarter. The Terriers forced a three-and-out, but Wofford fumbled the ball on the return, giving the Wolfpack the ball on the one-yard line. On the next play, Jamelle Eugene scored to take a 38-10 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Wofford turned the ball over on downs. Then, each team traded punts twice. Wofford pinned NC State at their one-yard line at 7:13 in the fourth quarter. After gaining one first down, Matt Norcia forced a fumble, which was recovered by Seth Goldwire and returned ten years to the Wolfpack eleven-yard line. On second and goal, Michael Rucker threw a pass to Andy Strickland for a touchdown with 2:20 left in the game. The Wolfpack was able to run out the clock to end the game with a 38-17 final score.
“When you play an opponent the caliber of NC State, you have got to do things right and we did not do that tonight,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “In the first half of the game, we had some opportunities, we just did not capitalize on them and you can’t make mistakes. We gave up 21 points off turnovers and you can’t do that when you go against a top opponent. The team kept battling, and the defense played an outstanding second half. This is a game that we can learn from and get better. The first three games have been a tune-up for the next journey, which is conference play. There are challenges ahead and we have to get our guys back. As coaches we will work harder next week to be better prepared.”
Next weekend the Terriers will host top-ranked and defending National Champion Appalachian State at Gibbs Stadium with a 3:00 pm kickoff televised on SportsSouth.
Wofford vs. NC State
Post-Game Notes
The score by the Wolfpack on the first drive of the game was the first time this season an opponent has scored before Wofford.
Wide receiver Andy Strickland had two touchdowns in the game, giving him four in the last two games. His career total entering the season was three.
The loss ended Wofford’s seven game win streak, which was the second-longest in the FCS. Wofford’s last loss was a 14-7 defeat at Appalachian State on October 14, 2006.
The ten penalties in the first half were more than the single-game high last season of eight at South Carolina. Wofford had 15 penalties in the game.
Quarterback Josh Collier played one play in the second quarter.
Wofford had three turnovers, all fumbles, which resulted in 21 points for NC State.
The crowd of 56,039 was the fourth-largest to ever watch a Wofford football game. Largest was 78,00 at Clemson in 2001.
Attendance: 56,039
