SoCon Football Week 7 Recaps and a Look Ahead to Week 8 Matchups

No. 1 Georgia Southern 50, Furman 20

Top-ranked Georgia Southern flexed its muscles in a big way on Saturday afternoon, as the Eagles rolled up 50 or more points for the third time in six games this season, when the Eagles posted a 50-20 victory over the Furman Paladins on Saturday afternoon at Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

For Furman, it was the Paladins' largest setback to the Eagles in the 23 meetings between the two schools, eclipsing the previous 28-point margin of victory for the Eagles, which occurred back in the 1998 season, with the top-ranked Eagles getting a 45-17 victory over the Paladins in that particular season.

Adrian Mora set the FCS consecutive extra-point record with his 127th career extra point in the third quarter. Mora finished the afternoon with 12 points on six extra points and two field goals to move even closer to Tim Foley's career points record (300) for a Georgia Southern kicker.

In total, the Eagles rolled up a 532-405 advantage in total offensive yards, including a 365-115 advantage in rushing yards. GSU signal-caller Jaybo Shaw enjoyed his best passing performance of the 2011 season, as he connected on 6-of-9 passes for 171 yards to lead the high-powered offensive effort for the Eagles, who came into the contest leading the nation in total offense (475.0 YPG), rushing offense (374.8) and scoring offense (42.8 PPG).

Furman ran for over 100 yards and passed for nearly 300 yards behind Chris Forcier's 217 yards and one touchdown. Colin Anderson caught three passes for 111 yards, including a 44-yard toss from backup quarterback Dakota Derrick. Jerodis Williams ran for 64 yards on the ground and averaged nearly five yards a carry.

The contest was a close one in the first half with the Paladins responding with a 96-yard kickoff return to cut the lead to 7-6, and a eight-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to cut a 10-point Georgia Southern lead back down to 16-13. Furman was poised to strike back again right before halftime, but Hudson Presume intercepted a Forcier pass in the back of the end zone to end the nine-play 76-yard drive.

Georgia Southern scored all six touchdowns on the ground, including a five-yard scamper by J.J. Wilcox in the first quarter. They also had two blocked kicks for the first time since the 2010 Coastal Carolina game and returned an extra point for a two-point conversion with 6:58 remaining in the first quarter. They also blocked a field goal in the second quarter.

The Eagles tacked on 24 points in the second half and held Furman to just one fourth-quarter touchdown. Mora notched his longest field goal of the season at 49 yards to start the second-half scoring. Shaw and Robert Brown capped off scoring drives with a one-yard and two-yard run, respectively. Ezayi Youyoute carried the ball three times for 65 yards on the Eagles' final drive which ended with a 36-yard rushing touchdown by the redshirt freshman signal-caller.

No. 7 Appalachian State 49, The Citadel 42

The Appalachian State offense, which has been rather dormant to this point in the 2011 season, came to life in the Low Country of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, as the Mountaineers rolled up a season-high 552 yards en route to a 49-42 Southern Conference victory over The Citadel on Saturday afternoon at Johnson-Hagood Stadium.

The win marked ASU's 17th in the last 18 meetings with the Bulldogs, including the fourth straight victory in Charleston. Starting in place of an injured DeAndre Presley, Jamal Jackson completed 21-of-27 passes for 234 yards and three scores. Jackson completed his first 15 passes of the game.

The two teams combined for 91 points, which eclipsed the previous series standard set back in 2000, with a combined 75 points in a 61-14 win over the Bulldogs in Boone 11 years ago. The two teams combined for 13 TDs and 901 yards of total offense.

It looked as though ASU would coast to the win, jumping out to a 49-14 lead in the third quarter, however, just as the Apps did against Chattanooga, they mounted a furious rally over the final quarter-and-a-half to charge back into the game.

When it was all said and done, the Bulldogs scored 28 unanswered points, cutting ASU's lead to 49-42, but would eventually run out of time, as ASU ran out the clock to escape Charleston with the win. The Mountaineers would race out to a 49-14 lead only to see the Bulldogs mount a furious rally, cutting the ASU lead to just seven points, at 49-42, before eventually running out of clock.

ASU got on the board first when Cedric Baker-Boney found the end zone from five yards out, capping an impressive 10-play, 82-yard drive to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead with 8:26 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Bulldogs would put together an impressive drive of their own, using eight plays to cover 75 yards, capped by an eight-yard scoring run from Van Dyke Jones. The Bulldogs' first score of the afternoon was set up by a 26-yard gain on a fake punt by Kevin Hardy.

Appalachian State would seemingly take command of the football game from that point, as the Black and Gold would post TDs on their next four possessions to take what looked to be a safe, 35-14 lead to the halftime locker room. The Mountaineers punted only once in the opening half of play, and that came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half.

ASU would start the second half much like it started the game, posting scoring drives on its first two possessions of the second half, taking a 49-14 lead midway through the third quarter of play in the contest.

Then on The Citadel's next possession, cornerback Demetrius McCray would pick off his second pass of the year, giving the ASU offense an excellent opportunity to increase its advantage even more. However, it was not to be, as the Bulldogs would dominate the final 15 minutes of the game to put the end result in serious question.

Thanks in large part to a couple of Appalachian State fumbles and a blocked punt that was returned for a score, the Bulldogs scored four times in a 12:28 span to cut the Mountaineer advantage from 49-14 to 49-42 with 6:10 remaining in the contest.

With the game suddenly a nail-biter and the difference between the two teams just a TD, ASU commenced what would be its most critical offensive drive of the 2011 campaign. ASU used 13 plays to cover 55 yards, but more importantly, removed 6:10 off the game clock to seal the victory. ASU running back Travaris Cadet was huge on the final drive for the Apps, as he carried seven times for 40 yards on the game-clinching drive.

In all, Appalachian out-gained The Citadel, 552-349, including a season-best 318 rushing yards and 234-88 advantage in passing, and held a commanding 35:07-24:53 edge in time of possession. ASU also converted 9-of-15 third downs, its second-best percentage of the season.

Defensively, Jeremy Kimbrough led Appalachian with 11 tackles while Dominique McDuffie turned in one of his finest games as a Mountaineer with eight tackles, including a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.

Samford 43, Elon 31

Elon fell behind early and twice rallied from double-digit deficits, but could not overcome six turnovers and a career-high 191 rushing yard by Fabian Truss as the Phoenix fell by a 43-31 margin at Samford on Saturday afternoon.

Elon fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SoCon while the Bulldogs improved to 4-2, 2-2 and won their first game against the Phoenix in four league meetings.

The Elon defense allowed its opponent to score in its opening drive for the first time all season as Samford marched 62 yards on nine plays to take a 3-0 lead on a Cameron Yaw 21-yard field goal. The Bulldogs lead stretched to 10-0 with 5:13 left in the first quarter when Jonathan Sillers ran it in from two yards out.

Elon responded with a 15-play, 80-yard drive of its own that ended when Thomas Wilson threw to Aaron Mellette in the front left corner of the end zone to make it a 10-7 game just two plays into the second quarter. The Phoenix had a 3rd-and-6 from its own 24 when Wilson picked up nine yards with a pass to Christian Dennis.

Later, Elon converted a 3rd-and-1 from its own 42 as Mellette gained seven yards on a catch. On third-and-10 at its own 49 Wilson hit a streaking A.J. Harris down the Samford sideline for a 20-yard pick-up and a first down at the Bulldog 31.

The Phoenix converted yet another third down when Wilson found Dennis for an 18-yard gain down to the Samford 12. After moving to the three-yard line, Wilson tossed his TD to Mellette, giving the wideout a touchdown grab in eight consecutive games.

Starting at its own 14 after an Elon punt, Samford moved to its own 36 before Truss took a handoff and raced 64 yards for a touchdown that put the Bulldogs ahead 17-7 with 10:15 left on the first-half clock. The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 24-7 with just under four minutes to play in the second quarter when Kelsey Pope ran a reverse in from 14 yards out.

On the ensuing Elon possession that began at its own 25, the Phoenix went 75 yards on nine plays to close its deficit to 10 points, 24-14. The first play of the drive moved the ball out to the Elon 46 thanks to a six-yard completion to Mellette and a Bulldog penalty. On 3rd-and-8 at its own 48, Wilson found Mellette again, this time for a gain of 20 yards to the Samford 32.

Back-to-back completions to Harris moved Elon another 20 yards downfield. On 2nd-and-goal at the 5, Wilson drilled a pass into the back of the end zone where Dennis made a grab while absorbing a blow from a Bulldog defender.

Elon got the ball back at its own 29 after Blake Thompson recovered a Bulldog fumble. The Phoenix moved to the Samford 33 before Adam Shreiner came on to bang a career-best 50-yard field goal between the uprights to make it a 24-17 game at the break. The 50-yarder was the longest for the program since Paul Mullen's 52-yarder in 1986 against Presbyterian. He is the fourth player in Elon history to hit from 50-plus yards, joining Mullen, Phil Renn and Mitch Rippy who all connected from 52 yards out.

The Phoenix received the kick to start the second half, but fumbled the ball away to the Bulldogs, who recovered at the Elon 35. Truss scored from three yards out to up the Bulldog lead to 31-17. All 35 yards came on the ground, including 25 from Truss.

Keith Shoulders picked off a pass that was tipped by multiple players on Elon's next drive, giving the Bulldogs the ball at the Elon 31. Samford would end up adding three points on Yaw's 29-yard field goal that made it 34-17.

The third Elon turnover of the half came on the kickoff as the ball was fumbled away again and recovered by Samford at the one. The defense held and forced a 20-yard field goal from Yaw which made it 37-17 with 8:20 left in the third quarter.

With Samford set to punt from its own 22, Gary Coates knifed through the punt team to block his third punt in the last two weeks. Harris scooped the ball up at the 16-yard line and dashed in for the score to make it a 37-24 game with just under three minutes to play in the third quarter.

Elon got the ball back when Thompson picked off a Dustin Taliaferro pass and brought it back to the Samford 33. The Phoenix gained 16 yards on a Dontay Taylor first-down carry before a completion to Mellette went for another 13 yards to the 4. Taylor took it in from two yards out for his fifth rushing score of the season with just 16.7 seconds left in the third as the Phoenix clawed back to make it 37-31.

The fourth Bulldog interception of the game led to another Samford touchdown. Starting at the Elon 17, a reverse to Riley Hawkins looked like it would go for a loss before he broke back and carried it to the 1. Truss scored his third touchdown of the day on the next play. The two-point conversion failed and the Phoenix trailed 43-31 with 8:15 showing on the clock.

Elon had three more possessions, but could not add any points to its total.

Wilson completed 35-of-60 pass attempts for 312 yards and two touchdowns. Mellette accounted for 171 yards and a score on 15 grabs. Defensively for Elon, Joshua Jones made 11 total tackles, 10 of which were solo stops.

Truss carried the ball 26 times for 196 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs. Taliaferro was efficient, completing 16-of-21 passes for 115 yards.

Chattanooga 51, Western Carolina 7

Five Western Carolina turnovers led to 27 Chattanooga points and redshirt freshman quarterback Terrell Robinson racked up 195 yards of total offense including three touchdown passes as the Mocs handed Western Carolina a 51-7 defeat at Finley Stadium.

Chattanooga rattled off 31 straight first-half points including 17 in the first quarter alone en route to handing Western Carolina its fourth straight loss—and third consecutive in the head-to-head series. WCU lost a pair of second-quarter fumbles and three interceptions in the losing effort.

Western Carolina (1-5, 0-4 SoCon) had no answers for Robinson who rushed for 72 yards despite two sacks by the WCU defense. He also tossed three touchdown passes including an 18-yard strike to his tight end Faysal Shafaat on his first attempt in the first quarter. He added scoring passes of 35 and 21 yards in the first half to guide the Mocs to a 31-0 lead at the half.

UTC also got 93 rushing yards and one score from Marquis Green with J.J. Jackson adding a rushing touchdown for the Mocs.

Facing the stingiest defense in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, the Catamounts were held to just 113 yards on the ground on 34 carries—an average of just 3.3 yards per attempt. Through the air, the prolific passing attack was held to just 151 yards—over 100 yards shy of its seasonal average entering the game which had WCU ranked second in the SoCon.

Looking Ahead to Week 8 In SoCon Football

Samford (4-2, 2-2 SoCon) at No. 6 Appalachian State (4-2, 2-1 SoCon)

In what might be the most intriguing Southern Conference clash of the weekend, Samford looks to get its third straight win over a SoCon opponent it has not yet not defeated since joining the SoCon as an official member in 2008 when the Bulldogs travel to Appalachian State on Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown with the Mountaineers.

Saturday's meeting between the Mountaineers and Bulldogs will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools, with Appalachian State holding a 4-1 all-time series advantage. ASU's only loss to the Bulldogs occurred back in 1970, as the Bulldogs posted a 42-35 win over the Mountaineers.

Saturday's matchup will see both teams coming off victories, as both the Mountaineers and the Bulldogs won shootouts on Saturday. Samford posted a 43-31 win over Elon, while Appalachian State went to Charleston and was able to get a 49-42 win over The Citadel.

In the meeting between these two teams last season, Appalachian State went to Birmingham and the Black and Gold got a 35-17 win at Seibert Stadium last fall. ASU used an opportunistic defense that intercepted four passes, while rolling up 459 yards on offense en route to the victory.

Saturday's matchup between the Mountaineers and Bulldogs will pit the league's third-ranked scoring offense, in Samford (33.0 PPG) against the league's fourth-ranked scoring offense, in Appalachian State (31.5 PPG).

Samford quarterback Dustin Taliaferro has struggled in his career against the Mountaineers, entering Saturday's contest 40-of-90 passing for 376 yards, with four INTs and a TD in three all-time meetings. ASU has won the three meetings between the two as league foes by an average of 14 points.

No. 5 Wofford (5-1, 3-0 SoCon) at Furman (3-3, 2-2 SoCon)

Two teams going in completely different directions this season will meet on Saturday afternoon for the 85th time, as the Paladins and Terriers will duke it out in what is the oldest rivalry in the Southern Conference, and one in which that began in 1889, with Wofford getting a 5-1 win.

The Paladins have dropped two-straight league games, including a 50-20 league setback Saturday at top-ranked Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Wofford has won four straight coming into Saturday's contest against the Paladins. The Terriers were 47-14 victors over NAIA member Virgnia-Wise.

The last time the Terriers made the trip to Greenville, S.C., the Paladins were able to win easily, as Furman posted a 58-21 win over the Terriers. In 2010, Wofford was able to avenge that 2009 setback with a 38-17 win over the Paladins at Gibbs Stadium.

Last season's matchup between the Paladins and Terriers really saw fullback Eric Breitenstein have a game that would catapult him to his record-breaking season, as he finished that particular afternoon rushing for 230 yards and four TDs, leading a Wofford ground attack that rolled up 400 yards on the ground.

Heading into Saturday's matchup, Breitenstein, the SoCon's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, leads the SoCon in rushing as he enters Saturday's contest having rushed for 681 yards and eight TDs on 132 attempts (5.2 YPC). The Terriers also rank second nationally in rush offense, entering Saturday's matchup averaging 353.2 YPG on the ground. The Terriers also enter Saturday's showdown with the Paladins with the nation's third-ranked defense (279.17 YPG).

Furman enters the contest with one of the league's most balanced offensive attacks, as the Paladins rank fourth in the league in scoring offense (31.5 PPG), while ranking third in total offense (414.0 YPG), fifth in rushing offense (184.0 YPG) and third in passing offense (230.0 YPG). Furman did, however, manage to surrender 365 yards on the ground to GSU in the loss last Saturday.

Chattanooga (3-4, 1-3 SoCon) at Elon (4-3, 2-2 SoCon)

In another big matchup on Saturday, Chattanooga heads to Elon looking to end a five-game skid to the Phoenix, which dates back to a 10-7 Mocs win in 2005. It was Elon that put a huge dent in Chattanooga last season, as the Phoenix came to Finley Stadium and spoiled homecoming by getting a 49-35 victory over the Mocs.

The Phoenix and the Mocs will be meeting for the ninth time in series history on Saturday, with Elon holding a 6-2 all-time series edge. Chattanooga enters Saturday's contest at Rhodes Stadium coming off its first Southern Conference victory of the season, as Chattanooga posted a 51-7 win over Western Carolina last Saturday, while Elon dropped a 43-31 road decision at Samford.

The Mocs have been led by a different quarterback the past couple of weeks, with regular starter B.J. Coleman still ailing from a shoulder injury which he suffered in a 28-27 loss at Georgia Southern a couple of weeks ago.

Freshman Terrell Robinson stepped up and had another big day for the Mocs under center. On the heels of last week's 114-yard, three-TD rushing performance, Robinson completed 7-of-11 passes for 123 yards and three scores, while rushing 14 times for 72 yards, totaling 195 yards of total offense for the Mocs in the win.

Elon is coming off a road loss at Samford last Saturday, which saw the Phoenix battle back from double-digit deficits twice, but eventually fall to the Bulldogs. Elon quarterback Thomas Wilson completed 35-of-60 passes for 312 yards, with three TDs and four INTs. Wilson is the league's leading passer, as he comes into Saturday's matchup having completed 180-of-272 passes for 1,854 yards, 18 TDs and 15 INTs.

In last season's matchup between the Mocs and Phoenix, Elon running back A.J. Harris had a monster day, as he rushed 31 times for 163 yards, while all-league linebacker Joshua Jones returned an INT 25 yards for a score, which proved to be the game-winning TD.

The Citadel (2-4, 1-4 SoCon) at Western Carolina (1-5, 0-4 SoCon)

The Citadel heads to Western Carolina looking to win its second straight over at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Saturday. One of the rivalries you don't often hear about on the Southern Conference gridiron is the one between the Western Carolina Catamounts and The Citadel Bulldogs. The Bulldogs and Catamounts will be squaring off on homecoming in Cullowhee this fall and will be meeting for the 39th time in series history, with the Bulldogs holding a narrow 19-15-1 all-time series advantage.

Western Carolina claimed its only Southern Conference win of the 2010 season, when the Catamounts traveled to Charleston and came away with a 24-13 win over the Bulldogs at Johnson-Hagood Stadium last fall. The win by the Catamounts snapped a 16-game SoCon road losing streak and the win gave the Catamounts consecutive wins over the Bulldogs, as the Catamounts claimed a 14-10 homecoming win over The Citadel in 2009 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

Prior to the 2009 season, the Catamounts had lost five straight in the series to the Bulldogs. Prior to the five-game skid, which spanned from 2004-08, the Catamounts won six of seven games against their Southern Conference rivals from 1997-2003. The Bulldogs hold an 8-9 mark all-time against the Catamounts at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

There have been some classics played between the Bulldogs and Catamounts over the years, with two of the more memorable meetings between the two in recent history, occurring in 2006 and 2002. The 2006 season saw the Bulldogs claim an epic 30-27 win over the Catamounts in Cullowhee.

Western Carolina is coming off a 51-7 loss at Chattanooga last week, while the Bulldogs dropped a 49-42 decision to seventh-ranked Appalachian State. The Catamounts enter Saturday's matchup ranked No. 119 in total defense (517.8 YPG), including ranking No. 120, which is last nationally, against the run (319.5 YPG). The Citadel comes to Cullowhee with the nation's fourth-ranked rushing offense (271.6 YPG).

Presbyterian College (2-4, 1-1 Big South) at No. 1 Georgia Southern (6-0, 5-0 SoCon)

Georgia Southern will step out of conference for the second time in the 2011 season it welcomes the Presbyterian College Blue Hose to Allen E. Paulson Stadium. It will mark just the third all-time meeting between the Eagles and Blue Hose, with Georgia Southern having won both previous meetings. The Eagles and Blue Hose haven't met since 1984, with GSU claiming a 41-6 win.

Traditionally, Georgia Southern has done pretty well against the Big South Conference, with a majority of those meetings coming against Coastal Carolina. In fact, the Eagles were able to upend the Chanticleers last season, claiming a 43-26 win over the Chanticleers in Conway, S.C., last fall. Georgia Southern is the only Southern Conference team the Blue Hose have yet to play since joining the Division I ranks as a provisional member back in 2007.

PC is coming off its first win of the 2011 season, and just its fourth as a Division I, FCS program with a 28-14 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday in a Big South clash. PC quarterback Ryan Singer went 13-for-20 through the air for 146 yards and one touchdown. The quarterback also rushed for 62 yards on 13 attempts.

PC safety Justin Bethel blocked a field goal on Saturday, marking the fourth straight game he has blocked a kick. His nine career blocked kicks are a Big South record, and he has two blocked punts which he has recovered or returned for TDs this season, recording those against California and Furman.

The Blue Hose are 0-14 since becoming a member of the NCAA Division Football Championship Subdivision back in 2007. PC dropped a 62-21 game at Furman back on Sept. 24, and opened the season with a 35-28 loss to Wofford at home.

My SoCon Power Rankings After Week 7

1. Georgia Southern 6-0, 5-0 SoCon

1. Wofford 5-1, 3-0 SoCon

3. Appalachian State 4-2, 2-1 SoCon

4. Chattanooga 3-4, 1-3 SoCon

5. Samford 4-2, 2-2 SoCon

6. Furman 3-3, 2-2 SoCon

7. Elon 4-3, 2-2 SoCon

8. The Citadel 2-4, 1-4 SoCon

9. Western Carolina 1-5, 0-4 SoCon