Jackson sparks The Citadel over Newberry
Cam Jackson ran for 110 yards and a touchdown as The Citadel ground past NCAA Division II Newberry College, 31-14 on Saturday.
The Bulldogs rushed for 374 yards and three touchdowns while holding the Wolves to just 66 yards on the ground.
Grant Drakeford got the Bulldogs on the board in the first quarter with a 29-yard touchdown run. Newberry answered when Darius Clark punched in from 3 yards out to make it 7-7. Jordan Black scored on a 1-yard run just before half and Jackson dashed 74 yards for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter for Gardner-Webb.
Dom Allen completed 4 of 10 passes for 37 yards and carried 16 times for 91 to lead The Citadel offense. The Citadel defense checked Newberry on 26 rushing attempts. The Wolves’ passing game was better as Nick Jones completed 16 of 29 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown.
Wofford 24, Furman 23
In Spartanburg, Wofford’s Malik Rivera intercepted a 2-point conversion attempt with 46 seconds to play as the Terriers held off Furman, 24-23, in at Gibbs Stadium.
Chase Nelson capped Wofford’s rally from a 17-10 fourth-quarter deficit with a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:46 to play to give the Terriers a 24-17 lead.
Triston Luke answered by capping a 63-yard Furman drive with a 44-yard touchdown run down the right sideline with 46 seconds to play. On the 2-point try, Furman receiver Ryan DeLuca took the direct snap and sprinted to the right, but his pass intended for quaterback P.J. Blazejowski, was picked off by Rivera.
Blazejowski went 13-for-24 for 224 yards and the Paladins rushed 35 times for 159 yards to finish with 383 yards of total offense. Furman’s defense limited the Terriers to 292 total yards, including 211 rushing yards on 55 attempts.
Mississippi State 49, Charleston Southern 0
In Starkville, Miss., Nick Fitzgerald threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Mississippi State to a 49-0 victory over Charleston Southern on Saturday in the season opener for both teams.
Mississippi State racked up 555 yards of offense with 29 first downs and almost a 50-50 split on yards rushing and passing.
Such offensive chutzpah was to be expected from a Dan Mullen team, but the bigger surprise for Mississippi State was their defensive dominance.
Charleston Southern mustered only 33 total yards and two first downs against an MSU defense that allowed an average of 459 yards per game last season. Tougher competition looms, but with nine tackles for a loss, one sack and two safeties, the Bulldog unit carried the day.
MSU controlled the game from the opening kickoff, scoring 23 points and holding the Buccaneers to 15 yards of total offense in the first quarter. The Bulldogs led 35-0 at halftime and cruised in the second half.
Fitzgerald was 16 for 29 for 239 yards, throwing touchdown passes to Gabe Myles and Deddrick Thomas. Aeris Williams led all rushers with 83 yards and a touchdown. Dontavian Lee also rushed for a touchdown.
ETSU 31, Limestone 10
In Johnson City, Tenn., Austin Herink threw three touchdown passes and East Tennessee State celebrated the opening of its new football stadium with a season-opening victory over Division-II Limestone.
The Buccaneers, playing their third season of football since restarting the program in 2015 following a 13-year hiatus, triumphed in their new on-campus home, William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium.
ETSU didn’t waste any time breaking in the scoreboard, going 79 yards on eight plays after the game-opening kickoff with Herink capping the drive with a 43-yard TD throw to Andrew Heyward. Herink threw a 45-yard score to Anthony Spagnoletti, and Jajuan Stinson scored on a 1-yard run just before the end of the half for a 21-3 lead.
Herink added a 25-yard TD to Vincent Lowe in the second half. The Saints, entering their fourth season of competition, got their touchdown on Ivan Corbin’s 2-yard run that finished a 16-play drive.