The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 62

greenvilleonline.com 5C Sunday, September 2 1 2008 The Greenville News STATE Catamounts escape with win over PC -5fef nAf4p.M' ilY VC7 I' Mgf 2 By David Hearne Contributing Writer CLINTON The Presbyterian College Blue Hose had a chance to win Saturday at Bailey Memorial Stadium, but Western Carolina (2-2) snuck away with the 23-21 victory after PC missed a late field goal attempt. "We've got to find a way to win those games. Our guys fought, and we had a chance to win it if some little things went different," Presbyterian Coach Bobby Bentley said. Trailing 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Presbyterian (1-3) recovered a Catamounts fumble and capitalized on the takeaway. Tim Webb connected with Brandon Clark for a 4 yard scoring strike.

Cam Miller's extra point was good and the Blue Hose led 21-17. Western Carolina's Marquell Pittman took a short pass, broke away from two tacklers and 26-yard field goal from Blake Bostic to take a 3-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Blue Hose took a 7-3 lead when Webb scored on a 1-yard keeper. The entire Blue Hose team ran to the end zone to celebrate, drawing a pair of penalties. The Catamounts started their drive at the Presbyterian 45-yard line, but had to settle for a 32-yard field goal. The Blue Hose extended their lead late in the half when S.J.

Worrell scored from a yard out to give Presbyterian a 14-6 lead at the half. Western Carolina got a 39-yard field goal from Bostic in the third quarter and took the lead on a pass from Horn to Donald James. A two-point conversion from Horn to Pittman gave the Catamounts a 17-14 lead. The Blue Hose will face top ranked Appalachian State next Saturday. -Statistics, IOC raced 39 yards to the 7 yard line.

Andy Horn found Pittman on a jump ball in the end zone, and the extra point was wide left to give Western Carolina a 23-21 lead with three minutes remaining. The Blue Hose drove deep into Catamounts territory after a 45-yard run by Terrance Butler, eventually reaching the 5-yard line. On third down Webb took a knee thinking he caught the Catamounts defense offsides, but no flag was thrown and the Blue Hose faced a fourth down from the 6 line with 1:33 remaining in the game. Miller's 23-yard field goal try sailed wide left and the Catamounts were able to run out the clock to snap PC's six-game home winning streak. "I really felt good right there that we'd go in and kick it and win the ball game.

But it wasn't meant to be and we'll move forward," said Bentley. Western Carolina got a BETH HALL The Associated Press Alabama's Chris Rogers (8) intercepts a pass intended for Arkansas receiver Jarius Wright. Gators, Tide pound rivals Citadel rallies to win The Associated Press CHARLESTON Bart Blanchard threw two second-half touchdown passes to help The Citadel rally for a 37-24 victory over Princeton on Saturday. Reggie Rice also returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a touchdown as The Citadel (2-1) scored 30 second-half points to comeback from a 17-7 half-time deficit. Blanchard was 12 of 22 for 151 yards and three touchdown passes.

He connected on an 11-yard scoring pass to Andre Roberts for the Bulldogs' only touchdown of the first half. After Mel Capers blocked a punt leading to Rice's return cut Princeton's lead to 17-14, Blanchard hit Taylor Cornett on a 4-yard touchdown pass for a 21-17 advantage with 5:13 left in the third quarter. Blanchard connected with Roberts again, this time on a 6-yard touchdown pass as The Citadel increased its lead to 37-17 with 5:51 remaining in the game. Asheton Jordan rushed for 72 yards and a 5-yard touchdown on 16 carries for The Citadel. Princton (0-1) was led by Brian Anderson, who was 20 of 41 for 206 yards and two touchdown passes, and Jordan Culbreath, who rushed for 74 yards and a 2-yard touchdown.

Benedict 17, Lenoir-Rhyne 13 COLUMBIA Benedict evened its season record at 2-2 by holding off the Bears at Charlie Johnson Stadium. Benedict's Sean Jones kicked a 25-yard field goal and Corey Gardhigh caught a pass from Robert Reese for 63 yards and a touchdown as the Tigers and Bears ended the first halfinalO-lOtie. Max Martin gave the Bears a 17-10 lead with a one-yard run in the third period, and the Benedict defense made that score stand up. N. Greenville 44, Ky.

Wesleyan 14 TIGERVTLLE North Greenville got its first victory of the season, pulling away from a 10-point half-time lead for a 44-14 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at Younts Stadium. C. Carolina 31, Towson 3 CONWAY Coastal Carolina scored 24 points in the second half to pull away for a victory over Towson in non-conference play. -State statistics, IOC Spartans stop Irish The Associated Press EAST LANSING, Mich. Michigan State gave Javon Ringer the ball all game and Notre Dame couldn't do much about it.

Ringer ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries, carrying the Spartans to a 23-7 win over the Fighting Irish on Saturday. Michigan State (3-1) took a 13-0 lead into the fourth quarter, then sealed the victory by handing off to Ringer on all seven plays of a 77-yard drive that he capped with his second score with 2:16 left. The Irish (2-1) turned the ball over three times and missed two field goals, hurting their chances of starting 3-0 for the first time since 2002. titm. i tui i iM 5'S6 "Eunn ECONOMY TEMPEST C3j ffi 'flj RADIALS 1 TOURING A 40,000 55,000 mi liSCj SAVE HARMONY SYMMETRY 80,000 tiAUii 65'000-M 'LUli! Rotation I mm liswis iu.

22SMu. ma Air filter t'1 -ChedFill Fluids OP259Jy 2E329 -Bk Oil Change 6-FORCE SPORT tttk PRIMACY MXV4 I TiSnASSi'l I i 'A TIRE ROTATION 1 The Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Under Urban Meyer, Florida has turned Tennessee into Gator Bait. Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes and helped Meyer improve to 4-0 against the self-destructive Volunteers with a 30-6 victory Saturday, the second consecutive lopsided victory for the No. 4 Gators over their SEC East rivals.

Florida took control on the first play of the game with a 52-yard kickoff return by Brandon James. The Gators (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) were soon in the end zone, with Tebow flipping 2-yard pass over the top of the line of scrimmage to Aaron Hernandez for a 7-0 lead five minutes into the game. James, who rank back a punt for a touchdown in last season's 59-20 Gators' victory against the Vols, returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown to put Florida up 17-0 with 4:42 in the first quarter. At least five Vols defenders missed James as he blew by them. Tennessee (1-2, 0-1) responded with nothing but mistakes, and coach Phillip Fulmer fell to 5-12 against Florida.

On the Vols' first drive, Arian Foster was charged a 15-yard penalty for shoving a Florida player. Mon-tario Hardesty fumbled the ball when hit after a 1-yard catch. Floria's Ryan Stamper recovered the fumble, and Jonathan Phillips kicked a 39-yard field goal. Twice Tennessee drove to the Florida 1 and fell apart. With 11:36 in the second quarter, Jonathan Crompton took the snap, backed up and dropped the ball at the 2.

Gators defensive end Carlos Dunlap fell on it, and Phillips kicked a 40-yard field goal 12 plays later to put Florida up 20-0. Crompton again drove the Vols to the 1, seconds before halftime, and threw an interception to Janoris Jenkins in the end zone. The interception prompted a loud chorus of boos from the Tennessee fans, who started leaving after Tebow connected with Percy Harvin on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 in the third quarter. No. 9 Alabama 49 Arkansas 14 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.

Javier Arenas and Justin Woodall scored on long interception returns for touchdowns and No. 9 Alabama opened Southeastern Conference play with a rout of Arkansas. Alabama (4-0) led 35-7 at halftime, and six of the Crimson Tide's seven touchdowns covered at least 25 yards. After Mark SEC Ingram scored on a 1-yard run, Glen Coffee made it 14-0 for Alabama on what appeared to be a basic run up the middle from deep in Crimson Tide territory. Coffee found a hole and suddenly was in the clear, outrunning the Razorbacks for an 87-yard touchdown.

Arkansas (2-1) had to rally for wins over Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe and couldn't avoid big mistakes in its first SEC game. Casey Dick's pass late in the first quarter was intercepted by Arenas and returned 63 yards to the end zone. Dick tried to stop him around the 20, but went sprawling as Arenas easily sidestepped him. The Razorbacks scored on a fourth-down pass from Dick to Andrew Davie, but the Crimson Tide answered with John Parker Wilson's 25-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones. Woodall scored just over 2 minutes later on a 74-yard interception return.

Dick threw toward the right sideline, but his receiver had already turned upfield. Woodall was the only man in the area, and although Dick hustled back, he didn't come close to tackling the Alabama defensive back. At the end of the first half, Arkansas had first-and-goal from the 1 and didn't score. The Razor-backs went to intermission down four touchdowns despite outgaining Alabama for the half. Dick's first pass of the second half was also intercepted, and Alabama made it 42-7 on Coffee's 31-yard touchdown run.

Coffee ran for 162 yards for Alabama, off to a good start in its second season coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide rushed for 328 yards a week before a big matchup at Georgia. Arkansas started a brutal four-game stretch that also includes games against Texas, Florida and Auburn. The Razorbacks are beginning a new era after running backs Darren McFad-den and Felix Jones went to the NFL. Bobby Petrino was hired as coach in December.

This was Petrino's most lopsided loss as a college coach. He went 41-9 in four seasons at Louisville before last year's unpleasant stint with the Atlanta Falcons. Arkansas freshman Tyler Wilson took over late in the game and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Michael Smith, but Roy Upchurch answered for Alabama with a 62-yard scoring run. SEC statistics, IOC ItAAOQ rtiV.i;si "v'v i a fUU" S15199 mm mn 33 mxm yS mi mm 20s5ozri iw. mm mmv I J.IIU'J TJIiTJ 1 'li 'Hif-'fl'li I lETV BFGoodrich 1 I i LONG TRAIL TA vK I I um I 5AQ99 5Q.

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