Appalachian State clinches division title; NC A&T captures MEAC title
Appalachian State is headed back to the Sun Belt Conference football championship game.
The 24th-ranked Mountaineers clinched the East Division title Saturday off their 35-13 victory over visiting Texas State and Georgia Southern’s 38-33 loss to Arkansas State.
It gives Appalachian State (10-1, 6-1), the defending league champions, a two-game lead in the division with only next Friday’s contest at Troy remaining.
The Mountaineers will gain home-field advantage in the Sun Belt championship, set for Dec. 7, if they beat Troy.
“It took us a little bit to get going,” Appalachian State head coach Eli Drinkwitz said, after his team shook off the Bobcats in the closing 1½ quarters. “Noel Cook’s interception in the third quarter was a huge momentum boost for our team.”
The Mountaineers led Texas State (3-8, 2-5) only 14-13 with 9:05 left in the third quarter, but they put together a long drive that ended with the first of Darrynton Evans’ three rushing touchdowns.
On the Bobcats’ next possession, Cook intercepted a pass at the Texas State 39 and returned it 10 yards. Evans capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run that gave the Mountaineers a 28-13 lead.
Evans added a 13-yard scoring run with about seven minutes left.
He finished with 162 rushing yards on 21 carries. Quarterback Zac Thomas completed 8-of-16 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
The Mountaineers limited Texas State to 208 total yards’ offense and gained 468 themselves.
“Obviously, it’s a good win,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s always good to win on Senior Day.”
HELMET STICKERS
Izaiah Gathings, Gardner-Webb: Gathings caught 11 passes for 117 yards in his team’s 42-14 loss to Kennesaw State. It gave him four straight games with 10 or more receptions for 100 or more yards -- a Big South Conference record.
Tre Luttrell, Lenoir-Rhyne: He recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown early in the Bears’ 36-7 romp over visiting Miles in an NCAA Division 2 playoff opener.
Tyler Snead, East Carolina: Snead had 16 catches for 126 yards in the Pirates’ 31-24 victory at UConn. It gives him 35 receptions in the past two games.
MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS
9: Total offensive yards gained by N.C. Central in its 54-0 loss to rival N.C. A&T.
8: Victories this season for Davidson -- its most since 2000.
3: Consecutive Southern Conference championships for Wofford, which beat The Citadel on Saturday to clinch the league crown.
East Carolina 31, UConn 24
Colby Gore intercepted a pass by UConn freshman Jack Zergiotis at the East Carolina 1 on the game’s final play, lifting the Pirates to their first American Athletic victory of the season.
The Pirates (4-7, 1-6) took the lead on quarterback Holton Ahlers’ 2-yard run with 3:28 left, capping a nine-play, 68-yard drive. But Zergiotis drove the Huskies (2-9, 0-7) deep into East Carolina territory before Gore’s big play.
“We made some mistakes, but the kids played hard, they played together, and they never doubted each other,” Pirates’ coach Mike Houston said.
Ahlers had a big day, completing 34-of-50 passes for 374 yards. Tyler Snead caught 16 passes for 126 yards and has 35 receptions in the last two games.
N.C. A&T 54, N.C. Central 0
The Aggies ran up the highest point total in the 91-year history of the Aggie-Eagle Classic Rivalry, clinched the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, and gained a berth in the Dec. 21 Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.
Elijah Bell ran 68 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game, and the Aggies (8-3, 6-2) held N.C. Central (4-8, 3-5) to nine yards’ total offense in the game.
N.C. A&T finished with 520 yards’ total offense.
Drake 31, Davidson 28
Drew Lauer caught two touchdown passes and helped Drake (6-5, 6-2 Pioneer Football) ruin the home finale for Davidson (8-4, 5-3). But the Wildcats finished with the most victories in a season since 2000.
Wesley Dugger ran for a Davidson touchdown with 8:25 left, cutting Drake’s lead to 31-28. But the Wildcats’ remaining two drives stalled at the Drake 37 and the Davidson 25. Dugger finished with 109 rushing yards in the game.
Davidson coach Scott Abell praised the team’s seniors, saying they have “laid a foundation that everyone will benefit from.”
No. 14 Wofford 31, The Citadel 11
Nathan Walker rushed 10 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Terriers to a Southern Conference title-clinching victory. Wofford (8-3, 7-1) gains the conference’s automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.
The FCS playoff field will be announced at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU.
It was the third straight Southern Conference title for Wofford. Quarterback Brandon Rainey rushed for 75 yards and passed for 124 yards for The Citadel (6-6, 4-4).
No. 9 Lenoir-Rhyne 36, Miles 7
Ameen Stevens rushed for 129 yards, Jaquay Mitchell ran for another 86 yards, and Tre Luttrell blocked a punt and scored a touchdown, as the Bears (11-0) cruised in a first-round NCAA Division 2 playoff game. Miles finished the season 9-2.
Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Carson-Newman next Saturday in the second round. The Bears beat Carson-Newman 36-23 in an Oct. 19 South Atlantic Conference game.
No. 20 West Florida 38, No. 16 Wingate 17
West Florida (9-2) built a 31-3 lead and cruised to a road victory in this first-round NCAA Division 2 playoff game. Austin Reed threw three touchdown passes, and the Argos converted three Wingate turnovers into scores.
Nijere Peoples and Kalen Clark scored fourth-quarter touchdowns for Wingate (10-2), which saw its eight-game winning streak snapped.
No. 9 Kennesaw State 42, Gardner-Webb 14
The host Owls (10-2, 5-1 Big South) scored 28 straight points in the second half, after leading only 14-7 at halftime. Tommy Bryant rushed for 154 yards and four touchdowns for Kennesaw State, which is expected to land an FCS playoff berth when the field is announced Sunday.
Gardner-Webb (3-9, 1-5) quarterback Kalen Whitlow completed 21-of-36 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns and finished the season with 2,020 passing yards. Wide receiver Izaiah Gathings of Statesville caught 11 passes for 117 yards.
Elon 25, Towson 23
The visiting Phoenix (5-6, 4-4 Colonial Athletic) damaged the FCS playoff hopes for Towson (7-5, 4-4), as Skyler Davis connected on a 35-yard field goal with 41 seconds left. A 24-yard pass by Butler High’s Davis Cheek and a personal foul penalty against Towson helped Elon on its final drive.
Presbyterian 52, St. Andrews 14
Zola Davis rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, and Jarius Jeter added 99 yards rushing and two scores, as Presbyterian (2-10) finished its season by winning two of its last three games.
Charleston Southern 41, Campbell 31
Jack Chambers passed for four touchdowns, three to Kameron Brown, and the host Buccaneers (6-6, 4-2) won the battle for third place in the Big South Conference. The Bucs built a 27-7 lead in the second quarter and held on.
Campbell (6-5, 3-3) scored on the game’s final play, on a 6-yard run by freshman quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams.
UL Monroe 45, Coastal Carolina 42
The battle of teams trying to stay alive for bowl eligibility went to the host Warhawks (5-6, 4-3), who scored the winning touchdown with 6:47 left on a 34-yard pass from Caleb Evans to Zach Jackson. Coastal Carolina (4-7, 1-6) had taken a 42-38 lead with 7:30 remaining, when C.J. Marable dashed 75 yards for a score.
The Chanticleers have lost three conference games by three or fewer points this season.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Appalachian State clinches division title; NC A&T captures MEAC title."