PRESBYTERIAN 31, #17 LIBERTY 28
Cam Miller’s 28 yard field goal with 7:04 left in the fourth quarter propelled the Blue Hose to a 31-28 victory over No. 17 Liberty before 6,193 fans on Saturday afternoon at Bailey Memorial Stadium.  The victory over the Flames was PC’s first over a nationally-ranked opponent since the school made the move to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level in 2007.  PC’s last win over a ranked opponent came in a 10-0 victory over NCAA Division II No. 10 Newberry in the final Bronze Derby game on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006.

Miller entered the game just 1-for-5 on the year in field goal attempts.  Miller responded by calmly stepping up and nailing the field goal through the middle of the uprights.  The successful field goal by Miller earned PC its first advantage of the contest.  Liberty had two offensive possessions after Miller’s kick, but the Blue Hose defense held strong to preserve the win.  Blue Hose freshman defensive back Justin Bethel (Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood) swatted away Liberty’s final attempt to pick up the win on fourth and 15 with 30 seconds left on the game clock.  Redshirt-freshman quarterback Brandon Miley (Wilmington, N.C./J.T. Hoggard) then had the opportunity to kneel down for the victory over a nationally-ranked opponent in only his third career start as the Blue Hose signal caller.

For the second-straight week and the fifth time this year, the Flames put points on the scoreboard the first time they touched the football.  Liberty quickly moved downfield, getting the ball just past midfield on five plays to set up a 42-yard touchdown pass from Brock Smith to Dominic Bolden with 12:16 left in the opening quarter.  Presbyterian quickly answered back, evening the game at 7-7 just four minutes later.  The Blue Hose picked up a third and fourth down conversion, keeping a nine-play drive alive, which set up a 25-yard pass over the middle from Brandon Miley to Patrick McKoy for a score at 8:11.  The Flames took to the ground on the ensuing drive, moving the ball 61 yards on seven out of nine rushing plays.  The 4:02 drive ended with a six-yard burst up the middle by Rashad Jennings, giving the senior his 12th rushing touchdown of the year and the 37th of his career.

The see-saw battle continued, when Miley called his own number on the third play of the second quarter to even the contest at 14-14.  The redshirt hurler just snuck the nose of the football over the goal line on a fourth-and-goal play, capping the 13-play, 71-yard drive with 13:35 left before halftime.  Both teams’ defensive units started to settle down, as the Blue Hose forced the Flames to punt the ball away after a three-and-out series.  However, Derrick Overbolt was able to get behind the line of scrimmage and blocked Matt Bevins punt to give Presbyterian the ball at the Liberty 17-yard line.  Three players later, Miley looked for a receiver in the near-side corner of the end zone, but the Flames’ Patrick Calvary was able to pick the pass attempt off.  The interception was the eighth of the senior’s career, moving him into a tie for fourth place on the Big South’s all-time career interception list.

The two teams entered halftime tied 14-14.  Liberty struck first in the second half when Jennings scored the second of his two touchdowns from two yards out.  PC answered the score moments later when Brandon Clark (Duluth, Ga./Buford) caught a 43-yard pass from Miley to square the game at 21-21.  After Liberty (7-2) scored once more to go ahead by seven once again the Blue Hose would not let the lead last long with S.J. Worrell (Madison, Ga./Morgan County) scoring from one yard out with 45 seconds left in the third quarter to tie the game at 28-28.  Miller’s kick would then prove to be all that the Blue Hose would need as it was the only points of the fourth quarter. 

PC finished the game with 390 yards of total offense, while Liberty concluded the loss with 424 yards of offense.  The Flames held the advantage on the ground (220-89), but PC held the advantage in the air (301-204).  Miley tallied all of PC’s yards in the air, passing for over 300 yards for the second consecutive game.  Miley was 21-for-29 overall en route to the 301 yards passing.  He had two touchdown passes.  The Blue Hose had nine receivers make a catch against Liberty. Chetyuane Reeder (Clinton, S.C./Clinton) led the way, hauling in a team-high tying four catches for 95 yards.  Reeder had a long reception of 70 yards in the win.  Tyler Robbins (Homewood, Ala./Homewood) tied Reeder for game-high honors, bringing in four receptions for 36 yards.  Miller led the Blue Hose special teams attack, going a perfect 4-for-4 on his extra points in addition to the game-winning field goal.  The Blue Hose concluded the game with three players recording double-digit stops.

PC’s Anthony McKnight (Sumter, S.C./Crestwood) led all defensive players in the game with 14 total tackles, which was a career-high for the senior.  He picked up 11 of his tackles on solo stops.  He also had half a sack.  Senior Antwan Thomas (Hawkinsville, Ga./Hawkinsville) finished with 13 tackles in the game to end his day now tied for third all-time in the PC football annals with 336 total tackles to his credit in his career.  Chris Bowman (Conway, S.C./Conway) was the final Blue Hose to end his day with double-digit tackles.  The sophomore finished the day with 10 total stops on seven assists and three solo tackles. Bowman had one tackle-for-loss.

Chris Rocco led the Liberty defense with 10 total tackles, including seven solo stops.  Jennings was the game’s leading rusher, gaining 188 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.  The 188-yard game was the 20th 100-yard rushing performance of his career, tying the running back with Dre Barnes for the school’s all-time mark for career 100-yard games.  Bolden was the game’s leading receiver with 111 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns.  The performance was the senior’s third straight where he surpassed the 100-yard mark, making him the fourth receiver in school history to accomplish the feat.  

The victory over the nationally-ranked Flames improved the Blue Hose to 4-5 on the year overall.  The win over Liberty also improved PC to 4-1 on the year at Bailey Memorial Stadium.  The loss snapped the longest Big South road winning streak in league history at five games.

The Blue Hose will next take on Charleston Southern at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Charleston, S.C.  The Flames will conclude their final regular-season road swing of the year next weekend in a clash between two Blue Ridge Mountain programs. Liberty will travel to Lexington, Va., as they return to Big South action against VMI. Kickoff at Foster Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m., on Saturday afternoon.

GARDNER-WEBB 34, STONY BROOK 33
Devin Campbell completed 32-of-44 passes for 392 yards and three touchdowns to lead Gardner-Webb to a gritty, 34-33, comeback win at Stony Brook.  The win was the first league road win for Gardner-Webb (5-4, 2-1 Big South) since Oct. 20, 2007 at VMI, and put the ‘Dogs in second place in the league standings with two games remaining.  The game was the third in a row for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

Stony Brook's offense churned out a season-high 525 yards, with junior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) and freshman Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) rushing for 145 and 185 yards, respectively, but Gardner-Webb scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to squeak past the Seawolves.  It was a game of offense as the two squads combined for 1,005 yards of total offense.

On the seventh play of the game for the Seawolves, Gowins broke off a 49-yarder to cap off a 90-yard drive.  After junior Carl Teague (St. Petersburg, Fla.) recovered a fumble on GWU's next possession, freshman Dayne Hoffman (Ada, Mich.) threw a rainbow that fell into senior Dwayne Eley's (Bowie, Md.) for a 56-yard play down to the GWU five.  On the next snap Cuttino took it in to push the lead to 14-0.  Gardner-Webb countered with a 79-yard drive on its next possession that saw the Runnin' Bulldogs complete the drive without running the ball once.  Campbell completed 6-of-7 attempts, finishing it with a 20-yard scoring toss to Josh Miller that cut the SBU lead down to seven.  Senior Luke Gaddis (East Patchogue, N.Y.) pushed the Seawolves advantage back to 10 points on the first play in the second quarter when he hit 36-yard field goal.

Gardner-Webb took only four plays to cover 73 yards on its next drive, getting a 30-yard Campbell to James Perry III pass play that made it 17-14 with 13:24 left in the half.  After Gaddis hit another field goal, this one from 38 yards away, the Stony Brook defense held the Bulldogs to a three and out on its next possession.  The Seawolves offense again turned a drive into points, their fifth straight to start the game.  Taking over at its own 28, Stony Brook used its impressive run game to methodically drive down the field.  Gowins finished off the 11-play drive with a three-yard run, putting Stony Brook on top 26-14 after the PAT was missed.  Gardner-Webb's Tyson Petty made a circus catch at the SBU one-yard line with less than a minute to go before the break – a 33-yarder – to set up a short TD by Philip Peoples to trim the edge to 26-21 at the break.

Both teams were held scoreless through much of the third quarter, when Gardner-Webb lined up for a field goal – but faked the attempt – and holder Nick Melton found Miller wide open for a touchdown, apparently giving the ‘Dogs their first lead. After initially signaling the score, the officiating crew met for several minutes and overturned the initial call in favor of a 15-yard illegal substitution penalty.  GWU’s Campbell then quick-punted down to the SBU one, but the Seawolves got a 57-yard scamper from Gowins that set up a seven-yard score by Conte Cuttino to put the Wolves up 33-21 with 13:56 left to play.

The overturned touchdown call seemed to fire up the visitors, however, as Campbell proceeded to march the ‘Dogs on a seven-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Peoples barreling over for his second touchdown.  Campbell completed 3-of-4 passes for 59 yards on the drive.  The two-point attempt failed, but GWU was back in business – trailing just 33-27 with 11:35 left to play.  The ensuing kickoff proved fatal for the host Seawolves.  Safety Mike Vesser hammered return man Donald Porter at the 37-yard line, and rookie Keron Phelps pounced on the loose pigskin to give GWU the ball back.  Campbell, a fifth-year senior, was poised from there, completing his first four passes to get GWU down to the Stony Brook 13-yard line – then hooking up with Dobson Collins on a 13-yard strike two plays later for a 34-33 lead with 8:35 left on the clock.

The Gardner-Webb defense, which had been humbled for much of Saturday by the Stony Brook running game, buckled its chin straps when it mattered most - stopping Stony Brook near midfield with 6:02 left.  Campbell and the Bulldog offense then took enough time off the clock to leave the hosts with little time, converting three plays into first downs and running 4:58 off the clock before having to punt.  The Bulldog defense stepped up again, allowing just one first down and forcing three incompletions to end the game.

Campbell’s passing performance was his second 390-plus performance in as many weeks, and his six net rushing yards gave him at least 400 yards offensively for the second week in a row.  His favorite target on Long Island was Perry, who hauled in a career-high nine passes for 153 yards and a score.  Miller, a tight end, had a career day as well, catching four passes for 65 yards and his first career touchdown – despite having a 30-yard score called back.  Dobson Collins, who now has 60 catches on the season, caught seven passes for 65 yards, and has scored eight touchdowns on the year.  GWU had 480 yards of total offense and 25 first downs as well.

Hoffman finished the game by throwing for 209 yards, hitting 16 of his 31 attempts.  Stony Brook's defense, led by eight stops by Teague, held Gardner-Webb to just 86 yards rushing.  Gowins' 185 yards was a career-high and was the third time this season he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark.  Cuttino went over the 100-yard mark for the third straight game and the 10th time in his career, with his 145-yard effort moving him into second on the all-time rushing list at Stony Brook with 2,372 yards.  Stony Brook's 525 yards of offense against the ‘Dogs – the most by any team this season, and the Seawolves rushed for 316 yards in the game.

Jermaine Grandison and Jeffrey Williams paced the GWU defensive stats with nine stops each.  Williams added 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass break up.  Jordan Woods and Quinnon Isom each had sacks for the ‘Dogs.

Gardner-Webb will return home next Saturday (Nov. 8), for a 3:30 pm ET matchup with Coastal Carolina.  The game, which will be televised live by MASN and on a tape delay basis by SportSouth, is the Bulldogs’ final home game of the season.  Stony Brook travels to Iona for a non-Conference game.

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 31, VMI 21
The Charleston Southern defense held VMI (3-5, 1-2) to their third-lowest offensive performance of the day and forced three turnovers, Saturday, propelling CSU to a 31-21 victory on Homecoming.  The offense did their part with their best performance of the season, racking up 431 total yards including a season-high 188 on the ground in the victory.

Tribble Reese returned to form as CSU (4-5, 2-2) returned home for the first time since Oct. 4.  Reese completed 19-25 pass attempts for 243 yards and two touchdowns.  Gerald Stevenson hauled in seven catches for 71 yards to lead all receivers, but it was Tyrese Harris and Antwan Ivey who found the endzone.  Reese and B.J. Hackworth rushed for the other two CSU scores.  Stevenson added 80 yards on seven carries, as he had 174 all purpose yards, the third most this season.  Defensively Darius Gaither and Greg Tompkins each had nine tackles, while the defense got into the backfield for seven tackles for loss, including two sacks — both by Jake Killeen.  Josh Mitchell, Matt Bach, C.J. Lee and Justin Witzmann all popped the ball loose from the Keydet offense, with CSU recovering three of the fumbles.

VMI attempted just seven passes all game, with four of them coming in the final drive.  Howard Abegesah led all rushers with 102 total yards on 12 carries, while Tim Maypray lined up under center to start the game and recorded 16 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.  Justin Hickman entered the game late and completed three of his six pass attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown on a 53-yard strike to Zack Collins.  In what many had planned to be an offensive shoot out, VMI looked to have an early advantage as they stopped the Bucs’ first drive and responded with a five-play, 60-yard drive to take an early 7-0 lead.  In front of their largest home crowd of the season, CSU responded going 66 yards in six plays to tie it up.  With under a minute to go in the first quarter, Reese’s pass was intercepted by Tyler Reedy and returned 50 yards for a touchdown.

John Paglia cut into the lead with a 21-yard field goal after a Keydet defensive stop kept the Bucs out of the endzone after a 39-yard rush by Stevenson made it first-and-goal on the two yardline.  Playing the field possession game paid huge dividends for CSU at the end of the half.  Freshman punter Andy Brown boomed a 40-yard kick down to the VMI one yardline with 1:06 to go.  On the first play from scrimmage, Maypray surged forward trying to get out of the shadow of their own endzone.  Bach put his helmet on the football, knocking it loose and giving it back to CSU on the VMI three.  Reese stretched the ball out on second down, crossing the goal line to give CSU the 17-14 halftime lead.  It was a lead that CSU would not relinquish as they added two it midway through the third quarter.  Another fumble, this time by Bobby Epps, was recovered by Josh Warrior to give CSU the ball back at midfield.  It took just one play for Reese to find a wide open Ivey for the 50-yard touchdown connection as the Bucs distanced themselves from the Keydets.

VMI did not go quietly, using just two plays, including a 53-yard pass to Collins as they scored on their first drive in the fourth quarter.  Knowing the lead was not safe, Head Coach Jay Mills and Reese put together a 10-play, 56 yard drive that chewed up more than five minutes off the clock.  The drive culminated in a Hackworth touchdown from five yards out, the first of his career. 

The victory keeps CSU perfect at home on the season (3-0), a record that will be put to the test each of the next two weeks, including a Nov. 8 date with Presbyterian.  Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Buccaneer Field.  VMI hosts League-leader Liberty at 1:30pm at Foster Stadium.