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  • Wofford whips Southern 30-20

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    SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Coach Jeff Monken warned the Eagles during the week that they could not make some of the same mistakes they had made in their first two games. Miscues against Wofford allowed the Terriers to take a 17-14 lead at the half and hold on for a 30-20 win at Gibbs Stadium Saturday night. The Terriers snapped the Eagles' streak of three-straight wins in the series and extended their own win streak in home openers to 13.

    Jerick McKinnon who played both quarterback and running back, scored with 30 seconds left in the game for the Eagles' final score of the night, but Wofford had solidified its lead by capitalizing on Eagle errors.


    Wofford took a 7-0 lead, dragging the Eagles downfield on a 15-play, 65-yard drive on its first possession of the game, ending with a Jonny Martin one-yard score, the first score the Eagles had given up in the first quarter in 2013. Georgia Southern tied it up at the end of the first quarter after a 53-yard run by redshirt quarterback Kevin Ellison placed the Eagles at the Terrier two-yard line. McKinnon punched it in from the one after a Wofford penalty split the distance to the goal.

    The even score was short-lived, though. A 71-yard kickoff return by Terrier Nick Colvin set Wofford up for a field goal at the GS 23 at the beginning of the second quarter for a 10-7 Terrier lead.

    Georgia Southern's next drive stalled out and a fake punt turned pass completion from defensive back Tay Hicklin to punter Ryan Nowicki fell short of the first-down marker and put Wofford at their own 48. The Terriers couldn't do anything with their possession and the Eagles took over on downs.

    Graduate running back Torrance Hunt ran for this third touchdown as an Eagle in as many games, skirting the right side to enter the end zone on a four-yard score. McKinnon had brought the Eagles to the Wofford 11 on carries of 14 and 11 yards and short gains put Connor Tierney in position for a field goal. A roughing the kicker penalty on Wofford would negate the kick and give the Eagles an automatic first down for Hunt's score from the Wofford four-yard line. The Eagles took their first lead of the game, 14-10, with 6:53 to play in the first half.

    Junior safety Deion Stanley, who recorded his third interception in as many games in 2013, kept the Terriers from another score in the second. Wofford drove 71-yards on 14 plays and Michael Weimer converted a fourth-and one- at the Georgia Southern 14 for a new set of downs. The Eagles stopped two chances before Stanley picked off the Weimer pass in the right corner.

    Wofford got the ball back after the Eagles went three and out and started at its own 40. The Terriers used only 18 seconds to take the lead back. Weimer hit Jeff Ashley for two straight passes, the first a 20-yarder to put the Terriers on the Eagles' side of the field. The second found Ashley in open in stride where he extended to the goal line. The Terriers went up 17-14 and would not relinquish their lead.

    Neither team scored on their first drives of the third quarter and the Eagles started on their own five-yard line. After the Eagles begin to make steady progress, Wofford recovered an Eagle fumble and used two plays to add another touchdown to the score, going up 23-14 with just under six minutes left in the third quarter.

    The offensive stalemate continued in the fourth quarter. Wofford punted on its first two possessions and the Eagles saw their first possession end in an interception and turned the ball over to Wofford on downs at the Terrier 38. Wofford used that field position to march down on seven plays for their fourth touchdown of the night and 30th point.

    McKinnon eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark for career rushing in the first quarter and recorded his 12th career game with 100 or more rushing yards. The senior finished as the Eagles' top rusher with 114 yards and two touchdowns. Ellison netted 97 yards and added 68 yards passing on six completions on 14 attempts. Georgia Southern's top receiver, Woodruff, S.C., sophomore B.J. Johnson started and had three catches for 40 yards.

    Defensively, senior linebacker Kyle Oehlbeckled the Eagles with 11 total tackles (7-4) with Edwin Jackson adding 10 and Blake Riley adding seven solo tackles to the mix with two tackles for loss.

    Georgia Southern has a week off and will play host to Chattanooga at 6 p.m. on September 28th at Paulson Stadium.