No. 3 seed Wofford scored on its first three possessions and never led by less than double digits the rest of the way in defeating the eighth-ranked Hilltoppers, 34-17, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs Saturday at Gibbs Stadium.
The Terriers (12-1), who won their 12 consecutive contest since dropping the season opener at I-A Air Force Aug. 30, ended Western’s defense of its 2002 national championship. The Hilltoppers conclude the year 9-4. They have been eliminated from the playoffs in three of the last four years by a member of the Southern Conference.
“First, I’d like to congratulate Wofford and coach Ayers,” said Hilltopper head coach David Elson. “They had a great effort today, I have a tremendous amount of respect for their program.”
Jeff Zolman quarterbacked a Terrier attack that racked up 311 yards on the ground with a game-best 94 yards and three touchdowns. J.R. McNeal added 88 yards and Kevious Johnson 84.
The Terriers ran 72 plays from scrimmage, and controlled the ball for 33 minutes and three seconds.
Justin Haddix was 15-of-35 passing for 195 yards, but he was intercepted on three occasions and fumbled another time. Casey Rooney caught a career-high eight passes for 70 yards, while Earl Clayton added three receptions for 23 yards.
Lerron Moore paced the Hilltoppers with 77 yards and a score on the ground, although it was his lowest rushing total against a Division I-AA opponent this year.
Following up on last week’s performance in which the offense scored three touchdowns on its first four plays from scrimmage, the Toppers struck on the first snap of the game when Haddix four Shannon Hayes down the right sideline for an 82-yard touchdown pass.
Wofford answered, however, with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that Zolman capped with a 5-yard touchdown run at 10:56 that made the score 7-6 — Nick Robinson’s extra-point attempt bounced off the right upright.
Jimmy Freland forced a Haddix fumble with the Hilltoppers facing 3rd-and-9 on their next drive, with Josh Smith recovering for the Terriers on the WKU-32. McNair carried on the final three plays of the resulting possession, scoring on a 1-yard run at 6:57 to give Wofford its first lead. Johnson’s two-point conversion made the score 14-7. Zolman found the end zone again, this time on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 2:58 to go in the opening quarter to extend the Terriers’ lead to 21-7.
Western’s next scoring drive took almost half of the second quarter, as the Toppers marched 69 yards in 14 plays in seven minutes and 13 seconds before settling for a 22-yard field goal from Matt Lange with 6:58 remaining in the half.
Zolman’s third touchdown, this time from 1-yard out at 13:32 of the fourth quarter gave Wofford a 27-10 advantage. Wofford’s scoring drive covered 72 yards in 16 plays and eight minutes, five seconds.
Moore helped cut the WKU deficit when his 1-yard touchdown run at 7:30 concluded a 16-play, 79-yard march that made the score 27-17. But, the Terriers only had to go 43 yards for another score, taking a 34-17 lead at 5:26 when Curtis Nash took a reverse 26 yards to the end zone on 4th-and-3.
Matt Nelson posted a game-best 12 stops with four passes broken up for the Terriers, while five Toppers finished in double figures — Erik Dandy, Karl Maslowski and Dennis Mitchell each posted 11 tackles with Antonio Thomas and Charles Thompson chipping in with 10.
Wofford advance to take on No. 2 seed Delaware Saturday in the NCAA I-AA playoff semifinals.
The Hilltoppers have advanced to the second round of the postseason three of the last four years, with 25 seniors leaving the Hill with a 40-13 (75.5%) record.
