No. 5 App. State waltzes
past Gardner-Webb 45-7

BOONE ó Led by Walter Payton Award candidate Kevin Richardsonís four second-quarter touchdowns, No. 5 Appalachian State University rattled off 38 unanswered points to defeat Gardner-Webb 45-7 at sold-out Kidd Brewer Stadium last Saturday afternoon.

In front of an Appalachian homecoming-record crowd of 27,428, the Mountaineers (5-1) outgained Gardner-Webb (2-3), 466-211, to extend its home winning streak to 30 games.

The streak is the nationís longest in NCAA Division I FCS and the second longest in all of Division I, behind only USCís 35-game winning streak at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Mountaineersí offensive attack was potent from the get-go, as quarterback Trey Elder found Hans Batichon for a 67-yard touchdown pass on the gameís opening play.

After a muffed punt set up the Bulldogsí only touchdown and sent the ballgame into the second quarter tied at 7-7, Richardson took over. The senior scored all four of his touchdowns in the second period, carrying the ball to paydirt from three, five, six and three yards to give the Apps a commanding 35-7 halftime lead. The four-touchdown effort was the fourth of Richardsonís career and marked his 18th multi-touchdown performance.

With most of ASUís starters out of the game after halftime, redshirt freshman wide receiver CoCo Hillary took over the reins at quarterback for the first time in his collegiate career.

Hillary completed 3-of-3 passes for 67 yards and rushing three times for 20 yards to lead ASU to a touchdown on his first series. He later led ASU to a field goal on his only other drive and finished the afternoon with 83 yards on 4-of-5 passing and 35 more on nine carries.

The nationís fifth-rated passer coming in, Elder had another strong performance, going 14-for-18 for 229 yards and a touchdown to move to 7-1 in his career as a starter. Batichon caught six passes for a career-high 132 yards while Richardson finished with 80 yards on 17 carries. All three starsí totals came in the first half.

Next, ASU will take a bye week this Saturday and then return to Southern Conference action at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 20 versus Georgia Southern at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The game will be televised regionally on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Elon outlasts WCU 38-36,
but new Cats QB sparkles

CULLOWHEE ó Elon University nipped Western Carolina University 38-36, sending the Catamounts to a school-record 10th straight Southern Conference loss in front of 7,734 fans at Whitmire Stadium last Saturday.

As WCU committed three turnovers and missed an extra point on the first miss of Jonathan Parsonsí career, Elonís fast-paced offense raced to an early lead and the Phoenix held on for the victory.

A highlight for the Catamounts was the play of Adam Hearns, who made his first career start at quarterback. He completed 21-of-41 passes for 310 yards for three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Elon (3-2, 1-1) scored in six of its first eight possessions, building a 15-point lead, but WCU (1-5, 0-2) held the Phoenix scoreless for the final 23 minutes.

Next, WCU will visit the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Carson-Newman rips MHC† 49-28 as Lions continue skid

MARS HILL ó Carson-Newman College mauled error-prone Mars Hill College 49-28 at Meares Stadium last Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles scored the most points against the Lions at home in seven years. Ironically, Carson-Newman also scored 49 points in at MHC in 2000.

After a 4-0 start, MHC (4-2, 0-2) has lost two consecutive games.

Carson-Newman (6-0, 2-0) converted numerous MHC turnovers into easy points. The Eagles scored 21 unanswered points after the Lions drove 80 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of the game. Carson-Newman led 35-14 at halftime.

With about a minute left to play, the Eagles drove to the Lionsí 16, but elected to run the ball and turned the ball over on downs. Otherwise, the score could have been even more lopsided, with a field-goal try or pass into the end zone.

MHC was led by wideout Tyrea Allen, who rushed for two touchdowns; and George Washington, who netted 102 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Lions quarterback Ricky Spradling finished 10-of-28 for 144 yards, with four interceptions.

Next, MHC will visit Newberry College at 7 p.m. Saturday.

No. 23 Wingate U. creams
Brevard College 51-7

WINGATE ó No. 23-ranked Wingate

University shredded Brevard College 51-7 in football at Belk Stadium last Saturday afternoon.

A plethora of miscues and turnovers haunted the Tornados throughout the game, as BC lost three of four fumbles, threw one interception and† suffered through a number of mental mishaps that led to Bulldogs scores.

Wingate (5-1) amassed 406 yards of total offense, versus 107 yards for BC (1-5).

The Tornados scored after junior linebacker Joshua Durm intercepted Wingate quarterback J.D. Moore in the Bulldogsí first possession and returned it 41 yards to Wingateís 7-yard line. A few plays later, BC running back John Taylor ran for a touchdown.

BC Running back Tyrone Arrington had two rushes for 56-yards, while Taylor netted† 29 yards on 16 attempts and a touchdown.

The BC defense was led by junior safety Joshua Durm and sophomore linebacker Butch Bridges, who recorded 10 tackles apiece.

Next, the Tornados will play host to SAC member Tusculum College at Brevard Highís Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday, as part of the BCís Homecoming Weekend. The game is also ìYouth Recreation Nightî as all youth sports participants and coaches throughout Transylvania County and Hendersonville will receive free admission into the game with the wearing of their respective uniforms or team paraphernalia.