Southern Conference Football 2014: Recap Part 1 of 2

Aug 30, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Wofford Terriers quarterback Michael Weimer (15) drops back to pass against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech won 38-19. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

It was just two years ago that folks around the SoCon were waiting to see what record Eric Breitenstein would break next, but since his graduation, Mike Ayers’ Wofford Terriers have lacked the caliber of offensive player in the backfield of a Breitenstein, although it may be a stretch to ever find such a talent come to Spartanburg of the SoCon again–at least anytime soon. In years when Wofford’s been at its most successful, challenging for a SoCon title or an FCS playoff bid, the Terriers have always had “that guy.” The Terriers are just 11-11 since the loss of Breitenstein to graduation.

In 2003, there was Kevious Johnson, and even before that, guys like Jesse McCoy, J.R. McNair and Jeff Zolman became household names for Wofford football fans and SoCon afficianados. But the past couple of seasons, inconsistencies and injuries at quarterback, along with struggling to find a go-to-back to log a majority of the carries has been two of the problems that have plagued the Old Gold and Black.

Still, Ayers’ Terriers are a forced to be reckoned with in the Southern Conference, as they proved once again in 2014, and will once again be a challenger for the SoCon title in 2015, with most everyone returning off one of the younger teams in the SoCon from the 2014 season.

Like the 2013 season, the Terriers would have their share of ups and downs, but got things going in a positive direction once again by recording a winning season, with a 6-5 mark overall and a 4-3 ledger in Southern Conference play.

The Terriers would come into the season with a thing or two to prove no doubt, after finishing a disappointing 5-6 overall and 3-5 in Southern Conference play in 2013.

Wofford would open the season on the flats, as it would be a duel between two old coaches that knew each other quite well when the Terrriers took to the Bobby Dodd Stadium turf to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets out of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson spent five seasons as the head coach at Georgia Southern, where he and Wofford head coach Mike Ayers would engage in some enthralling matchups. However, it was usually Johnson that came out on top over Ayers, as Johnson claimed all five matchups between the two during their days as Southern Conference rivals.

On a hot, late-summer afternoon in Atlanta, Ayers’ Terriers would once again put a scare into a Johnson-led team, only to see the same result hold true as had before, with Johnson’s Yellow Jackets posting a 38-19 win over Wofford.

Despite the loss, the game would provide one of the most exciting plays of the Southern Conference season, when halfback Ray Smith took a pitch at his own eight and raced 92 yards for a score, giving Wofford a brief 9-7 lead with just 51 seconds remaining in the half. The Terriers would prove to give the Yellow Jackets all it could handle for most of the afternoon.

Despite that late score by the Terriers, it would be Johnson’s Yellow Jackets that would enter the halftime locker room with the lead, as Harrison Butker connected on a 30-yard field goal as time expired in the half to make it a narrow 10-9 lead for the Yellow Jackets.

After Justin Thomas gave Georgia Tech a 17-9 lead on a 19-yard pass to DeAndre Smelter, the Terriers would get on the board once again with an impressive 51-yard field goal from David Marvin, cutting the Yellow Jacket lead to five, at 17-12, with 4:27 remaining in the third.

Despite having a solid season on the defensive side of the football, the Wofford defense couldn’t come up with many answers to slow the Georgia Tech offense. Just 25 seconds later, the Yellow Jackets doubled Wofford, when Thomas hooked up with Smelter again, with this scoring play cover 71 yards to make it a 24-12 game. While the Wofford front seven was strong all season, the struggles to stop the big play in the passing game would once again be a harbinger for things to come for the Terriers.

Octavius Harden’s 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter would keep things interesting, as the Terriers climbed to within five once again, at 24-19, with just under 10 minutes to play.

However, Georgia Tech would add an 11-yard scoring run from Zach Laskey, and a 4-yard scoring run from Synjyn Days to set the final score. The Terriers actually out-rushed the Yellow Jackets, 271-236, but Georgia Tech ended up holding a 508-326 advantage in total yards.

Wofford was led by Smith, who finished with 108 yards and a TD on just four carries, while starting quarterback Evan Jacks added 89 yards on 13 attempts. Jacks completed 5-of-9 passes for 26 yards.

Following an off week, Wofford would struggle at times, but managed to open its home slate with a 42-27 win over a tough, gritty North Greenville squad. With heavy thunderstorms in the Upstate area, the game had two weather delays, but the Terriers would eventually improve to 1-1.

Of real concern, however, was Wofford’s pass defense, which saw the Crusaders roll up 370 yards through the air, as NGU quarterback Nelson Hughes completed 33-of-43 throws.

After Mason Sanders hauled in a 22-yard pass to give North Greenville the lead 7-0 following a three-and-out by the Terriers on their first possession of the day. Wofford would tie the football game on their second drive, as Ray Smith bolted 26 yards for his second TD of the season and first of the night, tying the game, 7-7, with 5:14 left in the opening quarter.

A Brion Anderson INT would set up the go-ahead score for the Terriers, picking the ball off in the end zone, giving Wofford the ball at its own 20. After a penalty pushed the ball back to the Wofford 15, it would set the stage for the longest passing play of the season for the Terriers, as Evan Jacks found a wide open Will Irwin, who did the rest, out-racing the NGU defensive backs to the end zone, giving Wofford a 14-7 lead.

Ten-straight points courtesy of a Justin Gravely field goal and a 39-yard scoring strike from Hughes to wideout Robbie Brown saw NGU re-take the lead, 17-14, with 1:22 remaining in the opening half.

Wofford QB Michael Weimer Forced Into Duty At Mid-Season When Starter Evan Jacks Goes Down With An Injury Against Western Carolina

NGU would start the second half with the football, but once again the Terrier defense would produce a turnover and the Wofford offense made the NGU prove costly. Drake Michaelson picked off the Hughes pass and returned it to the NGU 10-yard line. Shortly thereafter, Irwin would find the end zone on a 9-yard scamper, putting the Terriers back on top 21-17 with 12:08 remaining in the third quarter.

Gravely added a 40-yard field goal for the Crusaders on the ensuing drive, clipping the Terrier lead to a single point, at 21-20, and that’s when the weather issues would begin.

After a 72-minute lightning delay, the Terriers found the spark they needed, reeling off 21 unanswered points to take a commanding 42-20 lead. Three-consecutive scoring runs of 4, 1 and 4 yards by fullback Lorenzo Long effectively sealed the pesky Crusaders’ fate. Hughes would add a 1-yard run late to settle the final score, at 42-27.
Wofford LB Kevin
For the game, the Terriers held a narrow, 452-447 advantage in total offense, including out-rushing the visitors from Tigerville, S.C., 337-77. However, Wofford’s porous pass defense surrendered 370 yards through the air .Wofford quarterback Evan Jacks completed 6-of-9 passes for 115 yards, with a TD and an INT to help the Terriers to the win.

Wofford’s balanced ground attack was led by Long, who rushed 15 times for 138 yards and those three crucial scores that helped the Terriers finally put away their Upstate neighbors.

Things, however, would only get tougher for the Terrier secondary, as they headed to Boiling Springs looking to avenge a 3-0 loss a year earlier in a quagmire played at Gibbs Stadium in a game which featured a torrential downpour the entire night.

In stark contrast to that game played a year earlier, the Terriers found themselves in a shootout with Gardner-Webb in the 2014 meeting, and despite out-gaining Gardner-Webb, 425-358, the Terriers would fall, 43-36, in Spangler Stadium, marking a second loss in as many seasons to the Bulldogs.

With the loss, Wofford fell to 1-2 on the season. Lucas Beatty had a big night throwing the football for the Bulldogs, as he connected on 22-of-33 passes for 233 yards and four TD responsibilties (3-passing, 1-rushing) to lead the Bulldogs to another win over a SoCon foe in Spangler Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated Furman, 28-21, inside the friendly confines to open the 2013 season.

A 21-point second quarter should have put Wofford in the driver’s seat, but it would be a late TD pass from Beatty to tight end Seth Cranfill, which was the second scoring hookup of the night between the two, which allowed the Bulldogs to get within eight points (28-20) after a missed PAT, as the two teams entered the halftime locker room.

Gardner-Webb would own the third quarter, out-scoring Wofford 16-0, taking a 36-28 advantage into the final period. After Wofford tied the game, 36-36, on an 11-yard run by Evan Jacks and a two-point conversion run by Ray Smith with 5:37 left, Wofford’s defense could not hold back the potent Bulldogs.

Beatty found All-America wide receiver Kenny Cook on a 5-yard scoring pass with 2:04 remaining, giving the Bulldogs a 43-36 after the PAT. The Terriers would move the ball to midfield on the final drive, however, Jacks’ 4th-and-10 pass was batted away, preserving the Bulldogs’ win over Wofford.

Lorenzo Long had a big night in the Wofford loss, rushing for 151 yards and a pair of scores on 19 attempts. The Terriers ended up holding a 322-126 advantage in rush yards.

Wofford made easy work of Virginia-Wise, with a 49-15 win in a tune-up game for its Southern Conference opener against The Citadel. Despite having won 15-straight games against the Bulldogs coming into the contest, there was still an uneasiness about facing the Bulldogs, who were under the direction of a new head coach, in Mike Houston, who took the job after Kevin Higgins took the offensive coordinator position at Wake Forest. Houston came to The Citadel after helping lead Lenoir-Rhyne to the brink of a national title in 2013 before losing in the title game.

The 16th-straight win by Wofford in the series against the Bulldogs wouldn’t be finalized until the game’s final play. The Citadel trailed 17-13 with only four seconds remaining, and on 4th-and-goal from the three, Wofford linebacker Kevin Thomas stone-walled Citadel shifty, athletic quarterback Aaron Miller just inches from pay dirt as time expired, giving Wofford its 16th-straight win over The Citadel in the most dramatic of fashions.

In what was a defensive struggle for the entire afternoon, the Terriers held The Citadel to its second-lowest offensive total of the season, surrendering just 199 yards on the ground, and only 296 total yards, as the Terriers improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in SoCon play.

Wofford, meanwhile, got a tough 84 yards on 23 carries from Long, while Jacks posted both scoring runs for the Terriers, scampering in from 1 and 25 yards. The 25-yard run with 17 seconds remaining in the third proved to be the game-winner.

Jacks turned in one of his best career performances, leading Wofford with 141 yards on 22 carries go with his two scoring scampers. Jacks’ pivotal 25-yard scoring run came after the Bulldogs had taken a 13-10 lead following a Cam Jackson 11-yard scoring run on the Bulldogs’ opening drive of the second half.

Following the win over the Bulldogs, Wofford headed up to Western Carolina–a place where it had been successful over the years and facing a team it hadn’t lost to since 2005. However, the Terriers were in for a rude awakening when they stepped foot on the E.J. Whitmire Stadium turf, as the Catamounts would post 26 points on a kickoff return, a safety and a 1-yard scoring run by Troy Mitchell, a 24-yard run by Detrez Newsome and a Richard Sigmon 33-yard field goal, accounting for all 26 Catamount points in what turned out to be a 26-14 win by the home team.

The game started out bad for the Terriers, which saw Newsome score one of his two TDs on the day by returning the opening kickoff of the game 100 yards for a score, electrifying the packed E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Wofford also fumbled inside the 5-yard line on another possession, and it would just not be the Terriers’ day.

The game was a fairly defensive-minded contest. much like the league opener for the Terriers against the Bulldogs, and Wofford managed to hold a slight 273-246 lead in total offensive yards, with Ray Smith leading the rushing charge for the Terriers battling for 63 yards on 13 carries, while Jacks posted 59 yards and a TD on 13 carries. The game had just one turnover, but the Terrier turnover inside the 5 proved to be very costly, as the Terriers were driving to take their first lead of the contest before Lorenzo Long fumbled at the 1, and the Catamounts went to the half leading, 10-7.

The loss to Western had dropped Wofford to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the SoCon, as Wofford headed to Birmingham trying to snap a two-game losing streak to one of the league’s preseason favorites, Samford.

In 2013, Samford, who would eventually claim a share of the Southern Conference title, posted an important, 34-27, win over the 12th-ranked Terriers, in a win that proved vital in the Bulldogs’ title run the prior season.

The game was pretty much a SoCon title and FCS playoff elimination game for both the Bulldogs and Terriers. Wofford had lost a 24-17 overtime heartbreaker in Seibert Stadium in Eric Breitenstein’s senior season of 2012. The Terriers learned during the week that they would be without Evan Jacks the remainder of the season due to injury, forcing Michael Weimer into action as the starter at Samford.

With SoCon title hopes still alive for both, it would be Wofford who rise up and claim a close win on this occasion, posting maybe its biggest win of the 2014 season, with a 24-20 win over the Bulldogs. A stellar and stout defensive performance would key the victory for the Old Gold and Black, limiting the Bulldogs to a mere 49 yards on the ground, shutting down one of the league’s most explosive runners, in Denzel Williams, who finished with just 48 yards on 12 attempts.

While it would be an afternoon that would see the young Williams struggle for Samford, it would be an afternoon which would see Lorenzo Long get back on track after struggling in the loss to Western Carolina. Long would finish the day with 128 yards on 20 carries.

The game would come down to the final quarter just as had been the case for in the previous two seasons for the matchup between the Terriers and Bulldogs. Tied 17-17 heading into the final quarter, Samford would take its first lead of the game, at 20-17, on a Warren Handrahan 34-yard field goal with 12:02 remaining.

But Wofford would get a 1-yard scoring plunge from Weimer with 4:34 left to clinch the 24-20 win. The key play in the drive came from Lorenzo Long, as the Terriers faced a 4th-and-3 from the Samford 22, as he gained 12 yards to keep what proved to be the game-winning drive alive.

Samford would end up out-gaining the Terriers, despite getting next to nothing rushing the football, as the Bulldogs held a 354-264 advantage in total offense. The win kept Wofford’s league title hopes and FCS playoff aspirations alive for at least another week, as the Terriers improved to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the SoCon. The loss pretty much ended any hopes of a second-straight SoCon title for Samford, which dropped to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in SoCon play.

Wofford headed back to Spartanburg for Homecoming 2014 when the Terriers hosted VMI on the final day of October in league play. The Keydets were a team that had proven to be a thorn in the side of the Terriers at times during their first stint as a Southern Conference member. Few will forget the 27-16 Keydet upset of Wofford in 2002, which likely cost Wofford a playoff spot despite a 9-3 regular season.

There would be no such upset in 2014, as Wofford would dominate the football game the entire way, getting a 38-3 homecoming win over VMI. The Terriers would stroll to a 24-3 halftime edge and never looked back en route to the big win.
“A New Era”
The Terriers would have another big afternoon rushing the football, finishing the contest 374 yards on the ground, while limiiting the Keydets to just 58 yards on the ground.

The Terriers would finish the contest with a pair of 100-yard rushers, as Lorenzo Long led the way with 125 yards and a pair of scores on 19 attempts, while halfback Octavius Harden posted 100 yards on just seven carries.

The Terriers also threw for 125 yards, with Michael Weimer hitting on 5-of-7 passes for 85 yards, with a TD and an INT. Weimer also added a rushing score.

It was a fourth-straight impressive performance from the Terrier defense after struggling early on in the season, as Wofford held one of the top passing teams in the league, in VMI, to just 139 yards through the air. The Terriers held the eventual Southern Conference Freshman of the Year quarterback Alan Cobb to just 14-of-25 passing for 111 yards and an INT. The Terriers out-gained VMI, by over 300 yards (499-197) in the contest.

Following its win over VMI, the Terriers improved to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the SoCon, as Wofford headed to Chattanooga for the second-straight season looking to keep its playoff and SoCon title hopes alive. However, the result ended the same as it had in 2013, as the Terriers dropped their second straight game to Chattanooga, with the Mocs claiming a 31-13 win over Wofford, although the game was closer than the score might indicate.

Things would seemingly start well enough for the Terriers, as on just the third play from scrimmage, Ray Smith would scamper 72 yards for a score to put the Terriers on top 6-0 after the PAT was blocked.

Chattanooga would answer on its first drive of the afternoon, using good field position following a 46-yard kickoff return by Tommy Hudson to put the Mocs in great field position. The Mocs got a pair of first downs to set up the first score of the day, which was a 7-yard TD run by Keon Williams.

Tight end Faysal Shafaat gave the Mocs an eight point second quarter advantage when he hauled in a 5-yard pass from quarterback Jacob Huesman. The Terriers would pull within a point at the half, however, when Lorenzo Long scored Wofford’s second long scoring run of the day, sprinting 42 yards for a score, and after David Marvin’s PAT, Wofford trailed by just a point (14-13) at the break.

The Mocs would break the game open in the third quarter, however, as Keon Williams scored on runs of 11 and 7 yards to extend the Mocs lead to 15, at 28-13, and Henrique Ribeiro added a fourth quarter 27-yard field goal, as UTC would out-score Wofford 18-0 in the second half. It would be the first of two scoreless second halves in as many weeks for a suddenly struggling Terrier offense.

Things started well enough for Wofford against I-85 rival Furman, as the Terriers overcame a first-quarter deficit to take a 14-10 following a second short scoring run for Lorenzo Long with 8:39 remaining in the half.

However, it would be the final points of the day for Wofford, who in eerily similar fashion as the 2013 meeting with the Paladins, saw Furman control the game the rest of the way. The Paladins would out-score Wofford 21-0 the remainder of the game, claiming a fourth win in a five-year span, with a 31-10 win in Greenville.

The story once again was the Wofford pass defense against the Paladins, as Furman got a spectacular passing performance from its field general in a game against Wofford. Freshman quarterback P.J. Blazejowski completed all 15 of his passes for 305 yards and a pair of scores to lead the Paladins to the big win.

In 2013 and ‘14, Paladin quarterbacks Reese Hannon and Blazejowski have feasted on the Wofford secondary, connecting on a combined 38-of-52 passing for 631 yards with three scores and just one INT.

Over the past four seasons since Bruce Fowler took over prior to the 2011 season, the Paladins have had five 300-yard passing performances, with Chris Forcier recording a pair of 300-yard passing efforts in 2011, with two of those coming against Wofford. Blazejowski’s 15-straight completions in a single game was a Furman school mark. All told, Furman would finish the game out-gaining Wofford, 381-300.

Following back-to-back losses, the Terriers would close out the regular-season with a home game against one of the league newcomers, as Mercer came calling.

There was a lot at stake for Mike Ayers and Wofford, who entered the regular-season finale with a 5-5 record and a 3-3 mark in the SoCon. The main thing at stake was making sure the Terriers didn’t suffer a second-straight losing season both overall and in the conference.

The rivalry between Ayers and Lamb has been well-documented in the past, dating back to the 2002 matchup when Lamb was at Furman, as a pep rally was held the Thursday night before that monumental late-season contest, which ultimately decided both teams’ playoff and SoCon title fates.

On that rainy day at Gibbs Stadium and fueled by the motivation of a burning effigy of former Paladin quarterback Billy Napier, Lamb’s Paladins relished the underdog role and broke the hearts of a rowdy Wofford crowd hoping to see the Terriers win their first SoCon title and advance to the FCS playoffs, with a 23-21 win.

Though Lamb was now the head coach at Mercer, there was still plenty on the line for his Bears in a battle of two of the best head coaches in the SoCon. Like Wofford, a Mercer win could give the Bears a winning season in their first season playing in a scholarship conference with about 30 less scholarships than every team the Bears played.

In the first meeting between the two head coaches since the 2010 season, it would be Mike Ayers that would get the better end of the rivalry between the two, as he claimed his second-straight win over Lamb, as Wofford fashioned its most complete performance of the season with a 34-6 win over the Bears.

It was a complete effort from the Terriers, as Wofford would end up closing out the season with a strong showing, and even perhaps signaled their return to the upper echelon of the Southern Conference in 2015.

In the win over the Bears, it would prove to be another strong rushing effort for Wofford, which rolled up a 380-87 advantage in rushing yards alone, and the Terriers also posted a 450-151 edge in total offense.

The Terriers would dominate the football game from the outset, leading 34-0 before Mercer finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-yard scoring run by Bears quarterback John Russ to set the final score after a missed two-point conversion. Lorenzo Long close out a strong campaign for Wofford by rushing for 105 yards and four TDs, while starting signal-caller Michael Weimer added 95 rushing yards and a score in the win.

The win saw the Terriers complete the 2014 season with a 6-5 mark and a 4-3 in the Southern Conference, which could loom large in recruiting. The win was important because a loss would have meant two-straight losing seasons for Wofford football, which would have surely affected recruiting more than most realize, especially at the FCS level when every scholarship and signee matters.

Wofford’s young offensive line once again had the Terriers among the league’s leaders in rushing offense, finishing the 2014 season ranking third nationally in rushing offense to close out the campaign, averaging 296.7 YPG in 2014.

The Terriers certainly enjoyed the friendly confines of Gibbs Stadium in 2014, going unbeaten on the home turf, posting a 5-0 mark. However, when the Terriers traveled away from Sparkle City, Wofford went just 1-5, with the only win on the road coming in Birmingham over Samford.

Eight Terriers garnered All-SoCon recognition, including a pair of Terriers which garnered First-Team All-SoCon accolades. Senior defensive lineman Tarek Odom and sophomore offensive lineman Anton Wahrby were both named to the coaches’ First-Team All-SoCon team, while T.J. Chamberlain joined Odom on the First-Team All-SoCon Team as selected by the Southern Conference media members.

Odom was one of the few seniors for the Terriers in 2014, and the native of the oldest city in the United States–Saint Augustine, FL–posted 41 tackles, 11.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks. For his career, Odom was a versatile defensive lineman, having played both defensive tackle and defensive end in his four seasons as a Terrier.

He will finish his career with 34.0 career tackles-for-loss, which ranks fourth in program history. His 2014 First-Team All-SoCon selection marks the third time in his four years that he garnered All-SoCon recognition.

Wahrby, a sophomore from Sweden, was one of the key members of a young offensive front, which did not start a senior in 2014. He started all 11 games at right offensive tackle, leading the team in knockdown blocks and helped the Terriers rank third nationally in rushing average.

Chamberlain, a junior, was one of the veteran leaders of the Wofford offensive front in 2014, and he would rank fourth on the team in knockdown blocks, while also being a key part of the right side of that Terrier offensive front, starting alongside Wahrby at right guard. Like Wahrby, he started all 11 games for Wofford.

Two other Terriers garnered Second Team All-SoCon recognition, as junior defensive lineman E.J. Speller,and sophomore RB Lorenzo Long were also honored. Long finished the season just 70 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing, completing the campaign with 930 yards and 15 rushing scores. His 15 rushing TDs and 930 rushing yards ranked third in the SoCon in 2014.

Additionally, three Terriers garnered SoCon All-Freshman accolades, as linebacker Terrance Morris, offensive lineman Davis Lenior and place-kicker David Marvin were all recognized as SoCon All-Freshman honorees.

Next: The Citadel Recap