Wofford upsets The Citadel to move into FCS quarters

Updated: Dec 4, 2016, 04:19 am

(STATS) -- There wasn't much Wofford and The Citadel, two Southern Conference rivals that run the triple option on offense, weren't going to know about each other on Saturday.

Wofford true freshman Joe Newman was somewhat of the exception.

He came off the bench when starting quarterback Brandon Goodson was injured in the second half, scoring on a 36-yard keeper in the fourth quarter to provide the winning margin of Wofford's 17-3 victory at No. 6 seed The Citadel in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

The Citadel (10-2) had gone unbeaten in the SoCon, but Wofford (10-3) avenged a regular-season loss while advancing to play at Youngstown State (10-3) in the quarterfinals next Saturday.

"I truly believe that we have a team that for whatever reason believes so strongly in themselves," said Wofford's 29th-year coach Mike Ayers.

"I love this group of kids. Some of them are real goofy, but they are young. The one thig they are not goofy about is when they go on that field and play. I can't say enough about our coaches and our preparation."

The Terriers have 28 seniors on their roster, but Newman played a key role in the first important action of his career. He appeared in only three regular-season games.

When Goodson was injured on the Terriers' second possession of the third quarter, Newman entered the game.

It was tied 3-3 in the fourth quarter when he raced around left end for a go-ahead touchdown with 10:28 left to play.

The Citadel ground its way to the Wofford 8 on its next possession, but the drive stalled and Cody Clark missed his third field goal of the game from 32 yards out. He entered 12 of 16 on the season.

A Lorenzo Long 43-yard run put Wofford in field-goal range, but David Marvin's 46-yard attempt was partially blocked with 4:23 left, giving The Citadel one more possession.

The Bulldogs got into Wofford territory, but Terriers defensive back Devin Watson intercepted Dominique Allen at his team's 38 and raced untouched for a 62-yard pick-six to seal the upset.

Neither team found the end zone until the fourth quarter. Clark converted a 23-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Marvin kicked a 46-yarder in the third quarter to even the game.

The two rushing attacks -- The Citadel entered the game ranked first in the FCS and Wofford was fifth -- finished below their season averages. Wofford finished with 223 yards, led by Long's 90. The Citadel had 236 yards, led by Tyler Renew's 76 and Allen's 60.

Wofford trails The Citadel in the all-time series, closing its deficit to 41-28-1.