BOILING SPRINGS – No. 6 Wofford jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and pulled away for a 45-14 win at Gardner-Webb Saturday night.
The Terriers (3-1) looked sharp after a bye week, rushing for season-high 490 yards on 57 carries (8.6 yards per carry) and posting 643 yards of total offense for the game. Wofford was the third-straight opponent to play Gardner-Webb (1-4) coming off a bye week.
Andre Stoddard ran 20 times for 200 yards and two touchdowns, with his first score putting the Terriers up 7-0 with 7:35 to play in the first quarter. Wofford went up 14-0 late in the first quarter on a Joe Newman to Blake Morgan pass with 2:45 on the clock.
Gardner-Webb took advantage of a miscue midway through the second quarter to trim the lead in half. Newman's pitch was off the mark on an option play, and
Devin Mines pounced on the loose ball at the Terriers' 41-yard line.
Jordan Smith hit
Jayln Cagle on an eight-yard swing pass to cap a quick drive, trimming the lead to 14-7 with 6:35 to play before the half. Wofford went back to basics on its next drive and Stoddard burst up the middle for a 54-yard touchdown run that pushed the Terriers lead to 21-7. Wofford capped a late scoring drive with Luke Carter's 21-yard field goal at the horn for a 24-7 edge at halftime.
Newman hit TJ Luther on a 35-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter, before Smith found
Braylin Collins on a 33-yard hookup to make the score 31-14 at the 8:50 mark.
Wofford pulled away from there, scoring twice in the quarter and chewing up large chunks of yardage – and clock time – on the ground for the final margin.
Wofford ran 69 offensive plays for its 643 yards, averaging a healthy 9.3 yards per play. In addition to Stoddard's fine evening, the Terriers got 131 yards on 12 carries and a score from Lennox McAfee and 58 yards on six carries from reserve Nathan Walker.
Newman ran for 25 yards and completed an efficient 4-of-7 passes for 103 yards and two scores. Luther had three catches for 86 yards and returned one kickoff for 53 yards.
Linebacker Jireh Wilson led the defense with eight hits, Weston Rountree had an interception and Thad Mangum had two of the Terriers' four sacks.
Gardner-Webb managed just 203 yards offensively on 53 plays, with only 38 yards coming on the ground.
Cagle finished with 16 carries for 44 yards and caught a touchdown pass. Smith was 14-of-25 for 165 yards and a pair of scores, but was sacked four times.
Kyle Horton was his top target again, catching five balls for 74 yards.
Brody Rollins (five catches, 33 yards) and Collins (two catches, 43 yards, TD) also had solid games through the air.
Freshman end
John Singleton posted a career-high 10 total stops,
Corey Horne added eight hits and recovered a fumble,
Kameron Green had seven hits and true freshman
Cade Hamilton posted a season-high five stops and a tackle for loss.
Nose guard
David Wilson, playing his first college snaps at a position he moved to this past Tuesday due to injuries, finished with three total tackles and a forced fumble. Wilson had previously been a backup right guard.
Gardner-Webb had as many as seven freshman on the field defensively at the same time for several series on Saturday night.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will travel to Johnson City, Tenn., next Saturday to take on a much improved ETSU squad. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm, with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
