Nov. 2, 220

Charleston, SC - Jesse McCoy rushed for a career-high 184 yards on 20 carries while Melvin Jones had three short touchdown runs to lead a Wofford attack that gained 459 yards on the ground in a 27-14 victory over The Citadel this afternoon at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.

Wofford (7-2, 5-1), picked to finish seventh in preseason polls by theleague coaches and media, can win its first-ever SoCon championship withvictories in its last two games. The Terriers are at East TennesseeState next Saturday and host Furman on Nov. 16.

Ranked No. 16 by ESPN/USA Today and No. 18 by The Sports Network, the Terriers have equaled their most victories overall in eight years at the Division I-AA level. The five league wins also tie Wofford's high mark in six seasons of SoCon play.

Leading just 7-0 at the half despite holding a 238-to-89 edge in total offense, Wofford built a 27-0 lead and broke the game open in the second half with back-to-back scoring drives of 98 and 90 yards. The Citadel (2-7, 1-5) scored twice in the final 7:45 to provide the final margin.

McCoy had a career-best rushing performance for the second straight game. He had 145 yards last week when the Terriers ran for 472 yards in a 26-19 win at Appalachian State.

Including a 397-yard rushing day in an Oct. 19 win versus Western Carolina, Wofford is averaging 442.7 yards per game rushing on a 5.6 per carry average in its last three contests. The Terriers added 16 yards passing today for 475 in total offense.

"We knew coming in that The Citadel would play us tough and present some problems," Wofford Head Coach Mike Ayers said. "We were scratching around in the first half, but came out strong in the third quarter and did some good stuff. Towards the end, we tried to let some young guys play.

"For the most part, it was a great game for us. We're a step closer to possibly a Southern Conference title, but we have a tough game next week at East Tennessee State.

"The Citadel is a physical football team and very well coached. To be able to do what we had to do is a tribute to our kids. We're nicked up in a lot of spots and had some guys out there that weren't playing at 100 percent physically, but they sucked it up and gave us a great effort."

Jones' first touchdown, a one-yard scoring run on the second play of the second quarter, provided the only points of the first half.

Following a Roland Harris interception, his third pick in the last two games, at the Wofford two-yard line, the Terriers drove 98 yards in 12 plays to take a 14-0 lead with 6:12 left in the third quarter. All 12 plays were runs with McCoy having 44 yards on three attempts before Jones capped the drive with a two-yard rush.

The Terriers then drove 90 yards in nine plays on their next possession to take a 21-0 lead. J.R. McNair, who had 75 yards rushing on 14 carries, carried six times for 44 yards on the series with his four-yard touchdown run coming on the third play of the fourth quarter.

A Nate Mahoney fumble, forced by Matt Nelson and recovered by Nathan Fuqua, on The Citadel's third play of their ensuing series set up Wofford's final score as Jones carried five yards for his third touchdown of the game.

The Citadel got on the board when Michael Ballentine returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown with 7:45 to play. Jeff Klein, who completed 15-of-24 passes for 143 yards, closed the game's scoring with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Bud Pough with 53 seconds remaining.

"Wofford does a great job with what they do offensively," The Citadel Head Coach Ellis Johnson said. "Wofford does a great job upfront and their defense does not allow a big play.

"They do a good job offensively controlling the clock, and they keep their defense off the field for a majority of the game. It's really a great strategy and it keeps their defense fresh throughout the contest. The turnovers really hurt us today. We didn't execute very well and it showed. As a result, the miscues really helped feed Wofford's game plan and defensive intensity."

The Citadel was held to 89 yards rushing on 25 carries, the third straight contest that Wofford has held its opponent to less than 100 yards on the ground. In that stretch, Terriers are allowing just 73.3 yards per game on a 2.9 per carry average. The Bulldogs had just 232 yards of total offense and were 2-of-10 on third-down conversions.

Wofford has now defeated The Citadel in four straight seasons for the first time since the 1955-58 campaigns.

The Terriers are at East Tennessee State in a 6 p.m. game next week while The Citadel will host Chattanooga at 2 p.m.