Wofford Notes
Perhaps as big of a play as any in Appalachian State’s 44-34 victory over Wofford on Saturday was a gutsy call that resulted in a touchdown with no time left in the first half.
The Mountaineers, trailing by two touchdowns, lined up for an all-or-nothing play from the 3-yard line with 4.7 seconds left in the half.
“There was no debate, we were going for it,” quarterback Armanti Edwards said, when asked if a field goal was an option.
The call was a quarterback draw. Edwards took the snap, took off but appeared the he might be dropped short when linebacker SeQuan Stanley wrapped Edwards’ legs at the 1-yard line. But Edwards stretched and reached the ball to the goal line for a touchdown.
“It was very big because we knew we weren’t getting the ball coming out after the half, they were getting it,” Edwards said.
Wofford, which scored on five of their first seven possessions, did indeed drive for a touchdown on the first series of the second half.
“We needed a touchdown right there before the half,” Edwards said.
Trail mix:
After Edwards, who was sacked a rare three times, failed to get rid of the ball and was dropped for a 22-yard loss, Jason Vitaris nailed a career-long 49-yard field goal to cut Wofford’s lead to four points at the start of the fourth quarter. Vitaris is 5 of 6 on attempts of 40 yards or longer this season.
Sam Martin boomed a 74-yard punt in the fourth quarter, which tied for the fourth-longest punt in ASU history.
CoCo Hillary just missed a 100-yard day, and probably should have gotten it. A catch for a would-be gain of 20 yards was ruled incomplete, but no replay review is available for regular-season FCS games.
“I’ve got text messages on my phone right now (from friends watching on television), saying it was a catch,” Hillary said after the game. He wound up with six catches for 96 yards.