SoCon Weekly Update: Week 1 Recaps and Power Rankings
#2 Clemson 48, #23 Furman 7
CLEMSON, S.C.Trevor Lawerence and Kelly Bryant combined to throw for 246 yards on 19-of-31 passing for 246 yards and four touchdowns, as FBS second-ranked Clemson posted a 48–7 win over FCS 23rd-ranked Furman in front of 80,048 fans on-hand Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
The win marked Clemson’s 31st-straight win over the Paladins dating back to 1936. Clemson improved to 49–0 all-time against FCS foes. The 41-point setback by the Paladins in a season opener was its largest margin of defeat in a season opener since opening the season with a 51–7 setback at Bobby Dodd Stadium to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to open the 1995 campaign.
The 48 points in a season opener surrendered by the Paladins were the most given up by the Paladin defense since 2002, when the Paladins dropped a 49–18 contest at Vanderbilt.
The Tigers were dominant in nearly every area of the game, including out-gaining the Paladins 531–163 in total yards, including a 277–46 advatage in passing yards.
Individually, Lawrence finished the day completing 9-of-15 passes for 137 yards and three scores, while Bryant connected on 10-of-16 passes for 127 yards and a TD, while also adding a rushing TD in the second half.
Bryant rushed for 44 yards on just five attempts. All told, the two signal-callers posted 290 yards of total offense and five TD responsibilities in the win.
Clemson’s ground efforts were led by Lyn-J Dixon, who gained 89 yards on just six attempts, including producing the Tigers’ longest play of the day of the afternoon on a 61-yard jaunt before the speedster was chased down from behind by Furman defensive back Darius Kearse.
The Tigers were led in receiving Amari Rodgers, who had three catches for 44 yards and a TD, while Tee Higgins hauled in three passes for 34 yards and Braden Galloway hauled in three passes for 34 yards and a score.
Clemson put up 27 first-half points on the strength of touchdown passes by Bryant and Lawrence, a touchdown run by Etienne and a pair of field goals by Greg Huegel. The Tigers held a huge advantage at the half, out-gaining Furman, 215–62, in total yards at the break.
Bryant opened as the starter for Clemson, and it was he that helped open the scoring for the Tigers on what was their second possession of the game, connecting with wideout Amari Rogers, who beat Furman cornerback QuandariusWeems for a 40-yard scoring strike with 7:50 remaining in the opening quarter.
Late in the first quarter, the Tigers would get the ball back in good field position, following a long, 62-yard punt return by Rogers to set the Clemson offense up at the Furman 20. The Paladins were able to hold Huegel to a 39-yard field goal, and the Tigers went ahead 10–0 with 2:45 remaining in the opening frame.
Lawrence entered the game in the second quarter, and after struggling a bit on his first collegiate possession, he made the most on his second and third, leading the Tigers to scores on both. First, he led the Tigers on a 9-play, 30-yard drive culminating in a 49-yard field goal by Huegel.
On his third drive of the game, Lawrence brought the better than 80,000 fans on-hand at Memorial Stadium to its feet when he completed a 42-yard pass to Higgins on what was a “free play” after the Paladins had jumped off-sides on the play, getting the Tigers all the way down to the Furman 12.
Lawrence threw his first collegiate touchdown pass as a Clemson Tiger, finding junior wide receiver Diondre Overton with a six-yard scoring pass to make it a 20–0 game with 2:54 remaining in the half.
The Tigers would tack on one more score in the opening half of play, as Travis Etienne added a 7-yard scoring run to make it a 27–0 Clemson lead at the half.
The onslaught would continue in the third quarter, as Bryant, who re-entered the game to start the second half, bolted 35 yards for a score to make it a 34–0 Clemson lead with with 5:26 remaining in the third.
The Tigers would close the quarter with Lawrence’s second scoring toss of the day on a 15-yard strike to much heralded freshman wide receiver Justyn Ross to make it 41–0 with 13:42 left in the game. Lawrence would cap his performance with a 9-yard scoring pass to Galloway to make it a 48–0 game.
Furman, which played three different signal-callers, prevented the shutout by getting a 16-yard TD pass from Darren Grainger-to-Ryan DeLuca set the final score, at 48–7.
Senior Harris Roberts started the game for the Paladins, but played only one series. True freshman Darren Grainger and redshirt freshman JeMar Lincoln got their first reps as collegiate quarterbacks against the Tigers, and performed admirably. Grainger finished the day connecting on 3-of-5 passes for 30 yards and a score, while rushing for 13 yards on 11 attempts.
Lincoln, who came to Furman out of Ware County High School, completed the contest by connecting on 1-of-4 passes for 16 yards, while adding 13 yards on 12 attempts. The Paladins could muster only 46 passing yards in the contest.
Leading Furman’s rushing efforts was Deon Sanders, as he rushed for a career-high 50 yards on just four carries. True freshman running back Corey Watkins added 30 yards on the ground on just four attempts, while preseason All-SoCon running back Kealand Dirks added 15 yards on seven carries.
Ryan DeLuca had one catch for 16 yards and a score, while All-SoCon wideout Thomas Gordon added a catch for 16 yards. Both Sanders and true freshman wide receiver Dejuan Bell added one catch for seven yards apiece.
The Paladins, which led the nation in sacks surrendered last fall, yielding on seven quarterback hits, finished the contest by giving up three sacks and 10 hits behind the line of scrimmage.
Defensively, the Paladins were paced by All-SoCon LB Elijah McKoy, who finished with nine tackles and a tackle-for-loss, and a pass breakup. The Paladins, which led the SoCon with 34 sacks last season, finished with two quarterback hits Saturday afternoon against the Tigers. Both defensive tackle Parker Stokes and linebacker Adrian Hope registered the two sacks for the Paladins.
Furman stays on the road next Saturday with a big road test at FCS 13th-ranked Elon, while the second-ranked Tigers will be in College Station, TX next Saturday to face SEC West member Texas A&M. Kickoff for Furman’s game at Elon’s Rhodes Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
In other action around the SoCon, The Citadel and Wofford battled in what was the game of the week in the Southern Conference, as the Terriers started off with a league game for the second year in a row.
#10 Wofford 28, The Citadel 21
In similar fashion to its 24–23 win over Furman to open the season and SoCon play last season, Wofford did the same thing this season, holding off The Citadel’s furious second half rally for a 28–21 league and season-opening win in front of a rowdy crowd of 8,890 fans Saturday night at Gibbs Stadium.
In the 22 meetings now between the two since Wofford joined the SoCon as an official member in 1997, the Terriers recorded their 18th victory over the Bulldogs, improving to 18–4 against the Bulldogs as league rivals.
The win puts Wofford atop the SoCon, while naturally, the loss puts the Bulldogs at the bottom of the league table at 0–1. Both will have league games next Saturday, with The Citadel hosting Chattanooga (1–0) at Johnson-Hagood Stadium at 6 p.m., while Wofford will host the league’s other military school, VMI (0–1), in a kickoff set for 6 p.m.
The Terriers held a decisive advantage in total yards, out-gaining the Bulldogs, 366–240, in total offense, including a 340–217 advantage in rushing yards.
The Terriers were led on the ground by senior halfback Lennox McAfee, who finished the night rushing for 85 yards and a pair of scores on just eight attempts. Blake Morgan registered two receptions for 21 yards to lead the Terriers’ receiving efforts.
The Terriers looked as if they were going to coast to the season-opening Southern Conference win at Gibbs Stadium, using a pair of long scoring runs in the opening quarter, and a solid scoring drive early in the second quarter to take a 21–0.
Ryan Lovelace got the 2018 season started off in fine fashion, racing 70 yards for a score midway through the opening quarter to give the Terriers a 7–0 lead. Then, McAfee would score his first of two TDs in the opening half with a 62-yard run on Wofford’s next possession, making it a 14–0 Terrier lead with 3:45 remaining in the half. McAfee’s 2-yard scoring plunge early in the second quarter would give the Terriers a 21–0 lead with 11:06 remaining in the half.
The Bulldogs would grab a morsel of momentum heading into the halftime locker room, as Lorenzo Ward, who led all rushers in the game with 124 yards and a TD on 22 carries, scored his lone points of the evening on a 10-yard run with 1:14 to play in the half, capping a three-play, 21-yard drive following the first of two INTs by former Byrnes standout linebacker Noah Dawkins at the Wofford 21. The Citadel trailed 21–7 at the break.
A pair of third-quarter turnovers by the Terriers would end up making things interesting, as both led to TDs, tying the game, 21–21, entering the final frame.
The first came on the second play of the second half, as Dawkins picked off another Joe Newman pass, but this time returned it 47 yards for a score to make it a 21–14 Bulldog to just seven less than a minute into the third quarter.
The second Wofford miscue came as the result of a muffed punt near the end of the third quarter, giving the Bulldogs excellent field position at the Wofford . The short drive would result in a Rod Johnson 1-yard scoring plunge on fourth-and-goal for the Bulldogs, tying the score 21–21.
Wofford regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter when Blake Morgan scored on a 1-yard plunge with 7:46 remaining in the game, regaining the lead, 28–21. With the momentum, the Wofford defense would force The Citadel to punt on the ensuing drive. But the Wofford offense could not sustain a drive, and The Citadel defense held, giving the Bulldogs the ball back with a little less than six minutes remaining.
On 4th-and-4 from its own 47 with 2:00 to play, The Citadel produced a huge passing play, as Jordan Black completed a pass to Grant Drakeford for a gain of 23 yards to the Wofford 30. Johnson gave the Bulldogs back-to-back first downs on the next play with a 14-yard run to the Wofford 16 with a little over a minute left.
Facing a 3rd-and-3 from the nine with 36 seconds left, Black called his own number and got two yards to the seven with 29 ticks left to bring up a 4th-and-1 play. The Bulldogs converted to bring up a fresh set of downs with 25 seconds remaining from the six yards.
However, Black’s three pass attempts were all incomplete, including two broken up by the Terriers, and Wofford held on for a 28–21 SoCon win in a game very reminiscent of last year’s SoCon opener for the Terriers. Black’s final pass attempt came as time expired, giving Wofford head coach Josh Conklin his first win as the Terriers’ boss.
In many ways, Wofford’s Southern Conference and season opener last year very much resembled the 2018 SoCon and season opener at Gibbs Stadium.
In the 24–23 win over the Paladins last season, the Terriers intercepted a Paladin two-point conversion trick-play attempt to hold on for the one-point win at Gibbs Stadium.
In his first collegiate start for the Terriers, Newman, who was one of two quarterbacks to play in the contest for Wofford, along with Miller Moseley, ended up completing 3-of-8 passes for 24 yards, with two INTs. Newman also rushed for 45 yards on six carries. Moseley completed his only pass for two yards, and rushed four times for 65 yards.
Black finished the night going 1-for-11 passing for 23 yards, while rushing 15 times for 40 yards. Johnson had seven carries for 26 yards and a TD, while Drakeford finished with six carries for 19 yards and had the Bulldogs’ only reception on a 23-yard pass from Black on the final drive of the game for the Bulldogs. Black was 0-for-10 passing before completing that pass to Drakeford in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, the Terriers were led by defensive back Mason Alstatt’s eight tackles, while linebackers Thad Mangum and John Beckley had seven stops apiece, while Beckley added a tackle-for-loss.
The Citadel was led on the defensive side of the football by defensive lineman Aaron Brawley’s seven stops, while Dawkins had two tackles, a tackle-for-loss to go along with his two INTs and TD.
More to recaps and players of the week to follow tomorrow…
Some observations from today:
— Furman, Samford and Wofford look like playoff teams and title contenders once again.
— Chattanooga, ETSU, Western Carolina and The Citadel could be primed to challenge, and I didn’t learn a whole heck of a lot by the Mercer game. Honestly, that one baffles me.
Western Carolina 33, Newberry 26

Western Carolina had to rally late to come up with its first win of the 2018 season, but a three-yard scoring run from quarterback Tyrie Adams with just 1:10 remaining to help lift the Catamounts to a, 33–26, come-from-behind win over Newberry in front of 12,111 fans Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
Adams finished the night with a career-high three rushing touchdowns, with two of those coming in the final quarter, allowing the Catamounts to come from behind for the win. All told, Adams completed 19-of-30 passes for 277 yards, while rushing 81 yards and three TDs on 17 attempts. In total, Adams totaled 358 yards of total offense in the win.
The Catamounts found themselves trailing, 26–19, following a Markell Castle 30-yard scoring pass from Dre Harris with 11:43 remaining in the game. Weber’s PAT kick would be blocked by the Catamounts.
From there, however, it would become the Adams show for the Catamounts. Arguably the top dual-threat quarterback in the Southern Conference, Adams led the Catamounts on an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by his 1-yard scoring plunge with 8:20 remaining, tying the football game 26–26.
After the Western defense held, the Catamounts and Adams would get their paws back on the pigskin once again. Adams led the Catamounts on another 11-play drive, this time covering 86 yards, and his 1-yard scoring run with 1:10 to play ultimately allowed the Catamounts to open the season with fifth-straight home-opening win under the direction of head coach Mark Speir.
In the opening half of play, the Wolves got on the board first, when quarterback Greg Ruff hooked up wideout Bobby Irby for a 25-yard scoring pass to give Newberry an early 7–0 lead with 11:39 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Catamounts responded with four-straight scores to take a seemingly comfortable, 12-point lead.
The first came from Adams on a 2-yard scoring run following a 12-play, 90-yard drive to tie the game, 7–7, just three seconds into the second quarter. Will Horton added field goals of 42 and 29 yards, and Austin Phillips hauled in WCU’s lone scoring pass of the night on a trick play, as wide receiver Jordan Mathis completed the 9-yard scoring strike with 5:30 remaining in the half to increase Western’s lead to six after a missed PAT, 19–7.
However, the Wolves would close the half strong, responding with a pair of scores of their own, cutting the Catamounts lead to just two and taking the momentum into the halftime locker room.
A 32-yard field goal from Kevin Weber and a 44-yard pitch and catch from Ruff to Keinan Lewis to make it a 19–17 game at the half. Newberry scored the only points of the third quarter to take their second lead of the night, as Weber added his second trifecta of the night — an 18-yard field goal — giving the Wolves a 20–19 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Catamounts held a 498–451 lead in total offensive yards, and Connell Young led Western’s rushing efforts in the post-Detrez Newsome era, finishing with 97 yards on 18 carries, while four Catamounts ended the night with four receptions. Daquan Patten (4 rec, 92 yds), Nate Mullen (4 rec, 80 yds), Jordan Mathis (4 rec, 62 yds, 1 TD pass) and Young (4 rec, 12 yds). Patten, who led the Catamounts in receiving, looked much like his father catching passes for the Purple and Gold — Catamount Hall-of-Famer and Super Bowl winning New England Patriot wideout. David Patten — showing the ability and speed to be a big-play threat for the Catamounts this fall.
Defensively, the Catamounts got four double-digit tackle performaces in the contest, as Mitchell Chancey (12 tackles), Devarius Cortner (11 tackles), Jacquez Williams (10 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks) and Michael Murphy (10 tackles). Newberry linebacker Joe Blue led all defenders with 20 tackles, 2.0 TFL and one sack.
Western Carolina will take its bye week next Saturday before returning to the gridiron to face Gardner-Webb on Sept. 15.
For the rest of the recaps and other notes, please follow the link.
https://drive.google.com/drive/my-drive
Power Rankings After Week 1:
- Samford(1–0, 0–0 SoCon) — at Florida State (Sept. 8)
- Wofford (1–0, 1–0 SoCon) — vs. VMI (Sept. 8)
- Furman (0–1, 0–0 SoCon) — at Elon (Sept. 8)
- Chattanooga(1–0, 0–0 SoCon) — at The Citadel (Sept. 8)
- The Citadel (0–1, 0–1 SoCon) — vs Chattanooga (Sept. 8)
- East Tennessee State (1–0, 0–0 SoCon) at Tennessee (Sept. 8)
- Western Carolina (1–0, 0–0 SoCon) — Bye (Sept. 8)
- Mercer (0–1, 0–0 SoCon) — vs. Jacksonville (Sept. 8)
- VMI (0–1, 0–0 SoCon) — at Wofford (Sept. 8)
