Marshall Rides 21-0 Third Quarter to Breeze By Charlotte, 49-21

CHARLOTTE – It was Senior Day for Charlotte, and the 49ers were honoring thirty players as they capped off their 2021 home football schedule. Charlotte was wanting to send this year's group of seniors off with a victory on their home field one last time. The 49ers were also looking to become bowl eligible for the second time in program history. Thanks to 21-0 third quarter by Marshall, they got neither. By the time the clock struck all zeros on Saturday night, it was the visiting Thundering Herd leaving Charlotte with the win, a 49-28 victory. With the loss, the 49ers will need a win on the road over Old Dominion next Saturday to secure at least a .500 record for the 2021 campaign.

Things seemed to start the way the 49ers wanted it to after Charlotte opened the game with a long, sixteen-play, seventy-five yard drive, capping it off with a six-yard touchdown pass from Chris Reynolds to Keith Pearson, Jr. Marshall immediately responded with a scoring drive of their own, with Rasheen Ali scoring the first of his three touchdowns on the drive. The redshirt freshman had 203 yards on the night.

It seemed like it would be a slugfest after Charlotte tied the game at 14-14 with the first of two Reynolds to Cam Dollar scores of the night. But, as seems to be the case for much of the second half of the season, the 49ers defense struggled to contain the Thundering Herd the rest of the way. Marshall scored again late in the second quarter and was poised to add another score on top of that, capitalizing on a Charlotte fumble, but the field goal went wide. It was a one-score game going into the half, but the action on the field seemed to indicate that the game was quickly slipping beyond the grip of the home team.

The third quarter belonged to the Thundering Herd in all facets of the game. Offensively, the Herd outgained the 49ers in total yards 236 to 57. Grant Wells was 8-8 passing for the quarter with a touchdown. Sheldon Evans had the first of his two touchdowns during the quarter as well. Scoring twenty-eight straight points, the visitors were leading 42-14 going into the final stanza.

Charlotte scored twice in the final fifteen minutes of the game but was never able to mount a serious comeback bid. Backup quarterback James Foster was able to take a few snaps during the last Charlotte drive, finding success with a scoring strike to ChaVon McEachern, giving fans a preview of what be to come from the former transfer from Texas A&M.

Tonight was Charlotte's one-hundredth game in program history. The 49ers go into the final week of the regular season needing a win in game #101 to become bowl eligible.

Notable North Carolinians

Chris Reynolds (Davie) was 19-34 on the evening with three touchdowns. 

Former East Lincoln standout Cam Dollar caught two touchdown passes on the night, his first two scores of the season.

Up Next

Charlotte (5-6) is on the road at Old Dominion to finish the regular season while Marshall (7-4) hosts Western Kentucky.

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Campbell Falls in OT, 20-17

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. – Nick Bisceglia’s go-ahead 25-yard field goal in overtime lifted Robert Morris over visiting Campbell 20-17 in the 2021 season finale for both teams at Joe Walton Stadium.

RMU ends its first full season in the Big South at 4-6 overall and 3-5 in league play, while Campbell dropped to 3-8 on the year and 2-5 in conference games with its sixth straight loss. 

The Camels forced overtime with a 10 play, 82 drive late in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 17-all with 4:00 to play on Dylan Earney’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Kelsey. 

Nearing midfield on the ensuing RMU possession, Josh McNeely deflected a pass into the hands of Keshawn Thompson for his second interception of the season, returning the ball to the Camels with 1:21 to play in regulation. 

Campbell inched into the red zone with a six-play drive, setting up a field goal try for the win with two seconds on the clock. Isaac Riffle, who drilled a career-long 47-yard field goal to close the first half, booted a 29 yarder through, but a facemask penalty pushed the Camels back, and the 44 yard try missed wide right, sending the game to overtime. 

Getting the ball first in overtime, RMU drove to the CU eight-yard line, but stalled, settling for Bisceglia’s eventual game-winner. 

Campbell looked to match after CJ Freeman pushed to the RMU 7, but Riffle’s 24 yard try missed wide right. 

Earney passed for 300 yards, completing 25-of-39 attempts with two touchdowns and an interception, while Dontae Crow hauled in 104 yards on seven grabs with a TD. Freeman tacked on 60 yards on the ground. 

Caleb Snead, who added another record to his 2021 season, becoming CU’s single season leader in receiving yards (1,067), passing Aaron Blockmon’s (2015-18) mark (1,038), collected seven passes for 70 yards. 

Kelsey also totaled 65 yards with a score on four catches for the Camels. 

Dorian Jones totaled nine tackles for CU, while Darion Slade made eight stops, including a tackle for loss with a fumble recovery. 

Alijah Jackson paced RMU with 132 yards rushing on 23 carries, while George Martin passed for 173 yards and a TD on 19-of-30 tries with an interception. James Westry also recorded 58 yards and a touchdown on six catches for the Colonials. 

Miles Hayes made nine tackles for RMU, while Jamar Shegog registered 2.0 stops for loss and five tackles. 

Story courtesy of Campbell Athletics

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Third Round Playoff Scores and Fourth Round Pairings

 

1A FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP THIRD ROUND SCORES

EAST

#1 Tarboro (11-1) 42, #8 Perquimans (8-3) 0

#4 Northampton County (10-2) 34, #5 Rosewood (6-3) 16

#6 Pender (8-3) 50, #3 North Moore (10-2) 12 

#2 Northside-Pinetown (11-1) 14, #7 Southside (11-2) 7

WEST

#9 Murphy (9-4) 64, #1 Eastern Randolph (10-1) 31 

#4 Robbinsville (9-3) 50, #12 North Rowan (8-4) 47

#3 Mitchell (11-2) 38, #6 Thomasville (9-3) 21

#2 Mount Airy (13-0) 44, #7 Starmount (8-5) 7

 

2A FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP THIRD ROUND SCORES

EAST

#1 Princeton (12-0) 63, #8 Nash Central (7-6) 12

#5 St. Pauls (11-0) 38, #4 Whiteville (11-1) 36 

#3 Northeastern (12-0) 57, #11 Washington (11-1) 47

#10 Wallace-Rose Hill (11-2) 21, #2 East Duplin (11-2) 17 

WEST

#1 Shelby (12-1) 64, #24 East Gaston (8-5) 15

#4 Reidsville (12-0) 50, #5 Hendersonville (10-2) 35

#3 Maiden (13-0) 32, #6 Salisbury (11-1) 20

#2 East Surry (12-0) 10, #7 Monroe (8-2) 9

 

3A FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP THIRD ROUND SCORES

EAST

#1 Eastern Alamance (10-1) 43, #8 Westover (10-2) 12

#13 Jacksonville (10-2) 25, #5 Lee County (9-4) 22 (OT) 

#6 J.H. Rose (9-4) 20, #3 Seventy-First (12-1) 14 

#23 Scotland County (8-4) 29, #2 Northern Nash (11-2) 26 

WEST

#16 South Point (10-3) 27, #25 Forestview (7-6) 7

#4 Crest (10-2) 35, #5 North Davidson (8-4) 14

#3 Dudley (12-1) 36, #11 Kings Mountain (10-3) 10

#2 Statesville (12-0) 42, #7 Hibriten (8-4) 0 

 

4A FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP THIRD ROUND SCORES

EAST

#16 Leesville Road (10-2) 28, #25 Knightdale (6-6) 7

#20 Rolesville (8-5) 54, #12 Millbrook (11-2) 48 

#6 Cardinal Gibbons (11-2) 29, #3 Cleveland (11-1) 21 

#18 Panther Creek (10-3) 35, #7 Hoggard (11-2) 21 

WEST

#1 Hough (13-0) 31, #25 Mallard Creek (6-5) 17

#13 East Forsyth (11-1) 14, #5 Glenn (9-3) 0

#3 Weddington (12-1) 34, #27 Cuthbertson (6-7) 21

#10 Julius Chambers (12-1) 28, #18 Porter Ridge (8-3) 10

FOURTH ROUND PAIRINGS

#1 Tarboro (11-1) vs. #4 Northampton County (10-2)

#2 Northside-Pinetown (11-1) vs. #6 Pender (8-3)

 

#4 Robbinsville (9-3) vs. #9 Murphy (9-4)

#2 Mount Airy (13-0) vs. #3 Mitchell (11-2)

 

#1 Princeton (12-0) vs. #5 St. Pauls (11-0)

#3 Northeastern (12-0) vs. #10 Wallace-Rose Hill (11-2)

 

#1 Shelby (12-1) vs. #4 Reidsville (12-0)

#2 East Surry (12-0) vs. #3 Maiden (13-0)

 

#1 Eastern Alamance (10-1) vs. #13 Jacksonville (10-2)

#6 J.H. Rose (9-4) vs. #23 Scotland County (8-4)

 

#4 Crest (10-2) vs. #16 South Point (10-3)

#2 Statesville (12-0) vs. #3 Dudley (12-1)

 

#16 Leesville Road (10-2) vs. #20 Rolesville (8-5)

#6 Cardinal Gibbons (11-2) vs. #18 Panther Creek (10-3)

 

#1 Hough (13-0) vs. #13 East Forsyth (11-1)

#3 Weddington (12-1) vs. #10 Julius Chambers (12-1)

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Wingate Tops Mars Hill to End Season

WINGATE - The Wingate University Bulldogs wrapped up the 2021 regular season with a 26-19 victory over visiting Mars Hill University in South Atlantic Conference football action Saturday evening at Irwin Belk Stadium. Wingate moves to 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the SAC, while the Lions fall to 8-3 overall and 6-2 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Mars Hill had 379 yards of offense; Wingate had 300 yards

- MHU had 340 passing yards and 39 rushing yards

- The Bulldogs had 191 passing yards and 109 rushing yards

- The Lions had the only turnover of the game

- Wingate was six-for-15 on third down

- Mars Hill was five-for-14 on third down

- The Lions went zero-for-five on fourth down

- Wingate piled up four sacks on the night; the Lions had one sack

- Mars Hill had 24 first downs; the Bulldogs notched 17

- The 'Dogs had 125 penalty yards while the Lions had 94 penalty yards

KEY BULLDOGS

- Shaw Crocker threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns

- Trevor Grant had seven catches for 51 yards and three touchdowns

- Nijere Peoples had 20 carries for 89 yards

- Ra'Quan Simmons had four receptions for 64 yards

- Jacob Satterfield was two-for-two for 19 yards and a touchdown

- Kamal Desor had a 43-yard reception

- Kalen Clark added 33 rushing yards

- Jaquan Edwards had 12 tackles, two TFLs, a sack, a break-up and three QB hurries

- Kendrick Hicks added nine tackles with a TFL

- Sirod Cook had three TFLs and a pair of sacks, adding three hurries

- Tre Morrison had four tackles, an interception and two break-ups

- Justin Armwood added a sack, break-up and QB hurry

- McLean Robertson hit two field goals including a 52-yarder

- Ethan Evans averaged 41.2 yards per punt with a long of 71 and three inside the 20

FIRST QUARTER

- A Matt McAdoo 75-yard punt return gave Mars Hill an early 7-0 lead

- Wingate got on the board with a 12-play, 52-yard drive

- Crocker hit Simmons for 22 yards to get into MHU territory

- Another 11-yard connection with Simmons got it to the Mars Hill 11

- Robertson connected on a 30-yard field goal to make it 7-3

- Morrison picked off Jimmy Urzua and took it back to the MHU 24

- Satterfield hit Hart Simpson to set up a first and 10 at the Mars Hill 14

- He connected with Grant on the next play for a 14-yard touchdown

- The Lions blocked the extra point and returned it for two points to make it 9-9

- A CJ Jones 22-yard field goal capped a 70-yard MHU drive that gave the Lions a 12-9 lead

- Mars Hill then recovered an onside kick

- Cook's sack on third and 10 set up a fourth and 22 for the Lions on the 25

SECOND QUARTER

- A seven-play, 80-yard TD drive gave Wingate the lead

- Crocker hit Desor for 43 yards on third and three to get it to the MHU 30

- Crocker's connection with Myles Dillon got it to the Mars Hill 14

- Crocker hit Grant from 10 yards out to give WU a 16-12 advantage

- Davon Gilmore's pass break-up on fourth and two gave the 'Dogs the ball back on their own 34

- Crocker's 17-yard hookup with Simmons on third and nine got it to the MHU 25

- Crocker hit Grant from six yards out for a touchdown to make it 23-12 with eight seconds left

THIRD QUARTER

- Wingate stopped Mars Hill on another fourth down try and took over at the MHU 46

- Robertson drilled a 52-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 26-12 advantage

FOURTH QUARTER

- Urzua hit Williams for an 18-yard touchdown to make it a seven-point game with 10:10 to go

- MHU had third and goal at the Wingate three yard line

- An Edwards sack led to a fourth and nine 12

- Edwards had the break-up on the fourth down pass, giving the ball back to the 'Dogs

- A Peoples 51-yard run got the ball to the Mars Hill 32 yard line

- Clark followed with a 12-yard run to get it inside the MHU 20

- The Bulldogs secured the win from there

Story courtesy of Wingate Athletics

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