SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford football coach Mike Ayers knew exactly what his team's bruising ground game was capable of doing, so he wasn't overly concerned when an early decision to go for it on fourth down didn't go his way.
After Tennessee Tech (0-2) took advantage of an initial defensive stop to mount a short scoring drive and take an early 7-0 lead, the Terriers used their powerful and effective running attack to score 34 unanswered points and grind out a 34-14 non-conference victory in Gibbs Stadium Saturday night.
The Terriers (1-1) were mechanical behind a dominant offensive line and mixed its runs inside and out, muscling out 444 yards on the ground. Tennessee Tech couldn't find an answer, missing on two golden opportunities to answer by losing turnovers deep in the red zone.
Following two road losses to open the season, the Golden Eagles will finally get a chance to play at home next week, hosting Mercer University (2-0) in Tucker Stadium in a 6 p.m. contest.
A couple more numbers to emphasize how effective the Terrier offense was: Wofford had 560 total yards, 31 first downs, was 9-of-12 on third down conversions, and held the ball for 37:05.
The Golden Eagle offense had a fairly balanced effort, with 274 total yards including 111 on the ground and 163 through the air. Ladarius Valier rushed for 80 yards on 10 carries, an average of 8.0 per carry. Jared Davis finished with 27 yards rushing on 11 carries, scoring both of Tech's touchdowns. Davis was 21-for-35 passing for 163 yards with one interception.
Sophomore Brock McCoin, who came into the game as the nation's leading receiver, caught 11 passes for 99 yards.
Defensively, Tech got some career-high numbers in tackles, led by senior linebacker Tra'Darius Goff with 14, including a tackle-for-loss. He also recovered a fumble. Bill Dillard finished with 11 stops and Jordan Patrick had 10 tackles, both career-best totals. Jay Rudwall had nine and Mike Cain, who took over at nose guard early in the game when Terrell Rollins was lost to an injury, finished with eight tackles. Those totals were career-best for Patrick and Cain.
Wofford got plenty of balance on the ground, led by Lorenzo Long with 88 yards on 16 carries and Will Gay with 86 yards on 14 tries. Each scored a touchdown. In addition, Ray Smith had 72 yards on six totes, while Brad Butler and Evan Jacks, splitting the calls at quarterback, each rushed for 69 yards. Jacks was 4-for-4 passing for 73 yards while Butler was 3-for-5 for 43 yards.
Wofford had just 20 passing yard in the first half, pounding out 273 yards on the ground and putting together three scoring drives despite Tech's best efforts to put the home team in poor field position.
The Golden Eagles converted three third down plays, and scored on a fourth down play on their opening drive of the contest, after the defense held Wofford on the Terriers' initial third down situation. Jared Davis pushed it across from inside the one-yard line on fourth-and-goal to give Tech a 7-0 lead.
After the Tech touchdown, Wofford marched 67 yards in nine plays for its first score, with Long scoring from the three to tie the game. After a Tech punt put Wofford at its 27, the Terriers moved 73 yards in 15 plays, this time Chase Nelson going the final one yard for the touchdown.
The Golden Eagles suffered some tough luck on their next possession, after moving deep into Wofford territory. Davis' pass was tipped and intercepted, stopping Tech's chance at knotting the score.
The Golden Eagles did get a stop near midfield, after Wofford had begun to move once again. This time, senior linebacker Tra'Darius Goff hit the ball carrier in the backfield and forced a fumble, recovering it in Wofford territory.
Another stalled Tech drive led to a punt by Jonathan King that was downed at the 12-yard line, and Wofford went to work again in the final three minutes. The Terriers stayed on the ground for most of the drive, then got a pass interference penalty in the end zone to keep it alive, setting up a 27-yard field goal by David Marvin on the final play of the first half for a 17-7 lead.
The Golden Eagles converted three third down plays, and scored on a fourth down play on their opening drive of the contest, after the defense held Wofford on the Terriers' initial third down situation. Jared Davis pushed it across from inside the one-yard line on fourth-and-goal to give Tech a 7-0 lead.
Down 10 to open the second half, Tech moved quickly from its own 25 to a third-and-goal at the Wofford three-yard line. Vanlier had a 29-yard carry and Davis hit McCoin for a pair of first downs in the drive. But the 69-yard, seven-play drive came up empty on a fumble at the two, which was recovered by Wofford at the six.
Nine plays and 94 yards later, the Terriers had a 24-7 lead when Butler surprised the Golden Eagle defense and found Hunter Windham open for a 25-yard touchdown completion.
Wofford closed out the third quarter on another long drive, and opened the final stanza capping it off with a 21-yard field goal from Marvin to make it 27-7.
A 47-yard pass from Evans to Will Irwin was the big play in Wofford's final drive, a 10-play, 86-yard march that ended with a one-yard TD for Gay.
Davis engineered the final scoring drive of the night, moving Tech 60 yards in 12 plays. McCoin had four receptions in the series, before Davis scored on a fourth-and goal from the two for the final margin.
